Boleyn Ground
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Boleyn Ground (Upton Park) | |
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| Upton Park, The Foundry, The Castle, Green (or Mean) Street | |
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| Location | Green Street, Upton Park, London, E13 9AZ |
| Opened | 1904 |
| Owner | West Ham United |
| Operator | West Ham United |
| Surface | Grass (112 x 72 yards) |
| Construction cost | £ million |
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The Boleyn Ground is the official name of Upton Park, the football stadium of West Ham United.
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[edit] History
The club moved to the location in 1904 and rented ground from the "London" District of Upton Park (the ground was actually in the Essex Council District of East Ham which did not become part of London until 1965) who were using Green Street House as a school. Green Street House was known locally as Boleyn Castle because of its imposing nature and an association with Anne Boleyn (she had either stayed at, or as some believe, owned the house). Hence renting the grounds of "Boleyn Castle" the name Boleyn Ground came into being. Today the ground is more often called Upton Park after the area of London in which it is located.
In August 1944, a V-1 flying bomb landed on the south-west corner of the pitch. This forced the team to play their games away from home while repairs were carried out, but it did not seem to affect performances as they managed nine consecutive victories. Upon their return to the ground in December, they promptly lost 1-0 to Spurs.[1]
The stadium has a total capacity of 35,647 all seated. The stadium was subject to considerable redevelopment during the 1990s:
- 1993: South Terrace replaced by a new 9,000 seat, two tier stand named after Bobby Moore. The stand also incorporates executive boxes.
- 1995: North Terrace replaced by a new 6,000 seat, two tier stand named the 'Centenary Stand'. The East Lower terrace (the 'Chicken Run') made all seater.
- 2001: West Stand replaced by a new 15,000 seat, two tier stand named the 'Dr. Martens Stand'. The stand also incorporates executive boxes on two levels.
Plans have been submitted to increase the capacity to approximately 45,500 through replacement of the East Stand. This will result in a fully enclosed stadium by joining the new stand to the Centenary Stand and the Bobby Moore stand. Relegation to the Football League Championship in 2003 resulted in the development being delayed. However promotion to the FA Premier League via the Play-offs in May 2005 resulted in the immediate re-submission of plans to Newham Council. The timing of the development is now dependent upon the club establishing itself again as a regular member of the top league in English football
During 2006 there was talk of West Ham moving to the Olympic Stadium of the 2012 Olympics. However, the plans of the club, and the desire of the Olympic organisers to keep the stadium as primarily an athletics venue were incompatible. [2].
There have also been suggestions that the former Parcelforce depot in West Ham, no more than 2 miles away from the Boleyn Ground, may be another prospective site should the club seek to move away [1].
[edit] West Ham United Museum
The West Ham United Museum cost £4 million and opened in 2002. It is open to the public from Monday to Saturday. The collection includes the World Cup winners medals of the three West Ham players who played in England's victorious 1966 World Cup campaign, Sir Geoff Hurst, Bobby Moore, and Martin Peters.
[edit] Stadium Hotel
The stadium also has a luxury hotel built within the Dr. Martens stand, which over-looks the pitch.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Hogg, Tony (2005). Who's Who of West Ham United. Profile Sports Media, 216-217. ISBN 1 903135 50 8.
- ^ "Hammers' Olympic move ruled out", The BBC, 07-02-2007.
- ^ "Hotel information", West Ham United Official Site.
[edit] External link
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Premier League venues, 2006-2007
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| West Ham United F.C. |
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| The Club | Boleyn Ground |
| History: General | Old Castle Swifts | Thames Ironworks F.C. |
| Culture: I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles | The Academy of Football | Inter City Firm |
| Records: Goals | Seasons | Appearances |
