Spotland Stadium has staged an event in a World Cup in any sport. The event was sold out with almost 9,000 people attending, setting what was incorrectly claimed to be a new stadium record, even though Rochdale AFC had 24,231 for an FA Cup tie v Notts County in December 1949 and three higher crowds for FA Cup and play-off games between 1990 and 2008 against Northampton, Coventry and Darlington. Spotland Stadium Spotland Stadium, known as the Crown Oil Arena for sponsorship reasons, in the Spotland area of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, is home to Rochdale A.F.C. and Rochdale Hornets R.F.L.C. and has
English public school football games later headmaster at Merchant Taylors' School (1561) and St Paul's School (1596) has been described as "the greatest sixteenth Century advocate of football". He tells us that towards the end of the sixteenth century football in England had grown to "greatnes ... [and was] much used ... in all places". Mulcaster's unique contribution is not only referring to "footeball" by its correct English name but also providing the earliest evidence of organised team football. Mulcaster confirms that his was a game closer to modern football by differentiating it from games involving other parts of the body, namely "the hand ball"