Editing Crewe Alexandra F.C. (section)

==Stadiums==
[[File:Alexandra Recreation Ground - 1888 OS map detail.png|thumb|Detail of 1888 OS map showing Crewe Alexandra's first two grounds: the Alexandra Recreation Ground and its adjacent football ground]]

===Alexandra Recreation Ground===
{{Main|Alexandra Recreation Ground}}
Until 1896, Crewe played at the [[Alexandra Recreation Ground]], located just to the north of the modern-day [[Gresty Road]]. After playing at various venues in 1896 and 1897, including in nearby [[Sandbach]], the club returned to the same area of Crewe, adjacent to [[Crewe railway station]], to play at the first Gresty Road ground, located to the south-east of the original stadium. In 1906 the ground was demolished to make way for some new railway lines, and a new Gresty Road stadium was built on a site directly to the west.<ref name=UD/><ref name=UD2>Smith & Smith, p13</ref>

===Gresty Road===
{{Main|Gresty Road}}
[[File:Gresty Road - geograph.org.uk - 1493956.jpg|thumb|Gresty Road in 1998, looking east towards the Family Stand, with the old main stand on the right]]
[[File:Gresty Road, Crewe.jpg|thumb|220px|alt=Photograph|Main stand (left) and Gresty Road End]]

The pitch runs approximately east to west, with teams playing either west towards Gresty Road or east towards the railway station. The main stand has always been situated on the south side of the ground. Until the 1990s, the main stand was a wooden structure, built in 1932 after a fire destroyed the original stand,<ref name=UD2>Smith & Smith, p13</ref><ref>Morris, pp.96–97.</ref> offering the ground's only (wooden) seating plus a standing area―'The Paddock'―while the other three sides were all standing terraces. This configuration saw the club's record attendance when 20,000 people watched the FA Cup third round tie against Spurs in 1960.<ref name=p12/>

During the 1990s, phased modernisation saw open terracing at the "Railway End" (at one time a roughly formed "ash bank" terraced with sleepers) replaced by a new family stand in 1993.<ref>Hornbrook, p.71.</ref> The "Gresty Road End" (then the main away supporters area) was also replaced by an all-seater stand in 1995;<ref>Hornbrook, p.100.</ref> and the partially-covered northern stand (the home supporters' "Pop Side") was replaced by an all-seater stand in 1996–97.<ref>Hornbrook, p.117.</ref> Completion of the final phase in 2000, including construction of a new £5.2 million main stand, saw some reorganisation of seating allocations. Away fans are currently accommodated in the stand along the northern touchline, with the option of additional capacity in the family stand for particularly large visiting contingents; Crewe hosted its first crowd of over 10,000 in the now all-seater stadium in 2000<ref>Hornbrook, p.170.</ref> with the record attendance of 10,092 when Crewe played [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] on 12 March 2002.<ref name="doing92">{{cite web |title=Crewe Alexandra 1–3 Manchester City |url=http://doingthe92.com/display_game.asp?Step=40&eventid=62592&C=54&T=72 |website=Doing the 92 |access-date=24 March 2021}}</ref> The Gresty Road End and main stand are solely for home supporters.<ref name="Stadiums">{{cite web |title=Alexandra Stadium: Crewe Alexandra |url=https://www.football-stadiums.co.uk/grounds/england/alexandra-stadium/ |website=Football Stadiums |date=9 May 2016 |access-date=24 March 2021}}</ref>

In June 2021, the club agreed a £0.5m naming rights deal with its then long-term shirt sponsor [[Mornflake]]; the ground would be called the "Mornflake Stadium" until 2023–24;<ref name="BBC-10Jun2021">{{cite news |title=Crewe Alexandra: Gresty Road is rebranded as Mornflake Stadium |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57246383 |access-date=13 June 2021 |work=BBC Sport |date=10 June 2021}}</ref> in December 2023, Mornflake extended their stadium and shirt sponsorship,<ref name=Rial>{{cite news |last1=Rial |first1=Bradley |title=Crewe Alexandra extends with stadium sponsor Mornflake |url=https://www.thestadiumbusiness.com/2023/12/21/crewe-alexandra-extends-with-stadium-sponsor-mornflake/ |access-date=2 July 2024 |work=The Stadium Business |date=21 December 2023}}</ref> and in April 2025 it extended its stadium naming rights deal.<ref name="sponsors" /> Also known as the Alexandra Stadium, it has an all-seated capacity of 10,153. It features four stands:<ref name="Stadiums"/>
*The "Boughey Stand",<ref>{{cite news |title=Company Renews Commitment to Crewe Alexandra |url=https://boughey.co.uk/company-renews-commitment-to-crewe-alexandra/ |access-date=2 July 2024 |work=Boughey |date=23 June 2023}}</ref> or main stand, seats 6,809 spectators and also has a directors area and media seating, and houses the club's offices, team changing rooms, hospitality facilities, ticket office and club shop.<ref name="CAFC-Boughey">{{cite web |title=Boughey Distribution To Sponsor Main Stand (1 August 2022) |url=https://www.crewealex.net/news/2022/august/boughey-distribution-to-sponsor-main-stand/ |website=Crewe Alexandra F.C. |access-date=18 August 2022}}</ref>
*The "KPI Recruiting Stand",<ref>{{cite news |title=Crewe Alexandra announce new KPI Recruiting Partnership |url=https://www.crewealex.net/news/2023/july/crewe-alexandra-announce-new-kpi-recruiting-partnership/ |access-date=2 July 2024 |work=CreweAlex.net |date=14 July 2023}}</ref> also known as the "Gresty Road End", accommodates 982 spectators and 4 disabled spectators. A bar for home supporters is situated to the north of this stand.
*"The Andrew Connolly Financial Planning Stand",<ref>{{cite news |title=Venue: Mornflake Stadium, Crewe Alexandra |url=https://behindsport.com/venue-mornflake-stadium-crewe-alexandra/ |access-date=2 July 2024 |work=BehindSport |date=1 September 2022}}</ref> also known as the "Railway End", accommodates 682 spectators.
*The "[[Whitby Morrison]] Ice Cream Van Stand",<ref name="icecream">{{cite web |title=Whitby Morrison Extend Partnership (7 August 2020) |website=Crewe Alexandra F.C. |url=https://www.crewealex.net/news/2020/august/whitby-morrison-extend-partnership/ |publisher=CAFC |access-date=9 August 2020}}</ref> formerly the "Pop Side", accommodates 1,680 away spectators, and also houses the ground's matchday video filming facilities. In July 2021, Whitby Morrison announced a 99-year extension of its stand sponsorship at Crewe.<ref name="CAFC-22Jul2021">{{cite news |title=Whitby Morrison agree to one of the longest sponsorship deals in sporting history |url=https://www.crewealex.net/news/2021/july/99-reasons-to-celebrate-one-of-the-longest-sponsorship-deals-in-sporting-history/ |access-date=23 July 2021 |work=CreweAlex.net |date=22 July 2021}}</ref>

Should the ground require expansion, the most likely change will be redevelopment of the Ice Cream Van Stand to become a two-tiered stand.<ref name="Stadiums"/> In February 2023, the club announced plans to install 3,000 solar panels above spaces in the car park south of the main (Boughey) stand, with energy to be used to power the stadium or to bring in cash.<ref name="BBC-03Feb2023">{{cite news |title=Crewe Alexandra Football Club plans large solar farm on car park |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-64498161 |access-date=5 February 2023 |work=BBC News |date=3 February 2023}}</ref>