MK Dons to build football pitches in Milton Keynes Bowl music venue

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Kelly Rissman

US News Reporter

The Milton Keynes National Bowl will be turned into football pitches, the town’s club has confirmed.

The 65,000-capacity music venue has hosted the likes of Foo Fighters, Queen and Oasis in previous years.

But now, the town’s football team MK Dons have announced that the Bowl will be converted into two “full-sized grass football pitches” and “four training grids”.

In a statement confirming the news, the club said: "MK Dons are delighted to confirm that planning permission has been granted for the installation of first-team pitches at the National Bowl.”

MK Dons are hoping for the majority of the work to be completed by the end of this year.

"While there is still some additional legal work to complete, this is great news for MK Dons and means we are on track to be on site by the end of 2023,” they wrote.

"This is the first phase of the Club’s relocation of the training ground to the National Bowl, which will see us install two full-sized grass football pitches and four training grids on the plateau of the Bowl,” the football club added.

The football team’s grounds are currently in Bletchley, Milton Keynes.

According to MK Dons, the National Bowl will still be able to be used as a music venue. Muse are set to perform at the location this summer.

The Bowl originally opened its doors in 1973, named after its unusual scooped shape. It was originally a clay pit.

Initially, it was an open-air venue with no seats, but had a permanent stage built there in 1992.

The venue has seen major performances from household names, including the likes of Michael Jackson, Linkin Park, Green Day, The Prodigy, Metallica and Swedish House Mafia who performed their last ever gig there in 2012.