A massive crowd turned out to watch the first Bristol game to be held there against Cardiff but did so from wooden terraces and stands.

[4] With the advent of leagues in the late 1980s, Bristol looked to develop the ground, replacing the old Shed on the north side with the Centenary Stand to mark the club's 100th anniversary in 1988.

A roof was added to the Clubhouse Terrace (paid for by Bristol Rovers supporters' efforts), and temporary stands at the south and south-west of the ground raised capacity to 11,916.

[7] There was no fairytale ending for Bristol, though, as London Welsh won the game 21–20 to condemn the side to a sixth straight season outside the Premiership.

[8] The ground has remained a focal point for the wider Bristol community, and a minute's silence is held annually at the closest game to Remembrance Sunday.

In 2013, the stadium hosted the Rugby League World Cup Group D match between the Cook Islands and the United States, attracting a crowd of 7,247.

[22] Still, more delays were encountered when, on 30 May 2008, Rovers admitted that their preferred student accommodation providers had pulled out of the project, leaving the club to find an alternative company.

[27] Work was expected to begin on the UWE Stadium shortly after, but multiple delays caused by legal challenges held the project up.

[33] Before the 2019/20 League One campaign, Rovers redeveloped the bar under the Poplar Insulation stand and subsequently reopened it as a "club superstore."

On 28 April 2023, Bristol Rovers announced plans to remove the South Stand, a temporary tent that had been there since the stadium's redevelopment in 1995/1996.

[36] A statement released on 2 August 2023 confirmed that "due to issues outside of the club's control," the improved south stand would not be ready for the start of the new season.