Bristol Rovers have announced £60m plans to build a 20,000 all-seater arena at the University of the West of England's Frenchay campus.
Subject to planning permission, Rovers could start work early next year and be playing in the new stadium during the 2013/14 season.
The proposed stadium will be equipped with state of the art facilities, including; a large supporter's club bar, an extensive club shop, banqueting and hospitality suite, convenience store, crèche, gym, jogging track and approximately 19,000sq ft of potential teaching space for the university.
Rovers want to sell their land on which the Memorial Stadium currently stands in Horfield to Sainsbury's to finance the project which the club say will ultimately be fully privately funded.
Bristol Rugby Club have been offered the opportunity to move with Rovers, and the new ground will conform to all FIFA and Rugby Union standards.
The vacated Memorial Stadium site would be used for mixed development including community facilities, housing and plenty of parking – as well as a Sainsbury's supermarket.
Plans for both sites are, of course, subject to planning consent and could run into the same kind of opposition that Bristol City football club has encountered from local residents with its proposals for a new stadium at Ashton.
However, in a bid to minimise objections, the proposed new Rovers stadium is a bowl design which makes use of the sloping ground to minimise the height of the structure and the impact on the local skyline, and reduce light and noise pollution.
The new stadium will also benefit from excellent transport links, including; the A4174, Abbey Wood and Parkway train stations and various bus services. There will also be a large car park with space for 1,270 cars and coaches – with additional overflow spaces available on the campus if deemed necessary.
Club chairman Nick Higgs said: "Negotiations on this project have been going on for nearly two years, in tandem with our plans to develop the existing Memorial Stadium site.
"We have looked at several sites in Bristol and South Gloucestershire but we felt this land ticked all the boxes to allow us to build the best possible stadium for Bristol Rovers.
"This is a development of regional significance to South Gloucestershire, Bristol and the wider community – and we feel that we have developed a design that is sympathetic to the area and utilises the topography of the land to good effect.
"With the support of the two local councils we feel we can bring this exciting project to fruition very quickly."
University vice chancellor Professor Steve West, said: "UWE welcomes this exciting strategic agreement which will bring tremendous benefits to the university, students and the local community.
"The agreement makes UWE the first university campus with a 20,000 seat stadium in the UK putting it on a par with many international universities, and we believe this will have long term value for everyone involved.
"The development would bring much needed employment opportunities to our region as the stadium is constructed as well as ongoing employment as the Stadium operates.
"Importantly the scheme is designed to deliver an identified need within South Gloucestershire's Spatial Planning Strategy."
A Sainsbury's spokesperson, said the proposal to sell the Memorial Ground, which is subject to planning permission, would help to fund the club's move to a new stadium and, in addition to a store, create a mix of work space, community facilities and housing.
All parties aim to work with the local communities and welcome feedback on both developments. Consultation on both sites will get underway in the coming months.
