Boleyn Ground
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| Boleyn Ground (Upton Park) | |
| Full name | Boleyn Ground |
| Nickname | Upton Park, The Foundry,The Castle, Green (or Mean) Street |
| Built | 1904 |
| Opened | 1904 |
| Capacity | 35,647 |
| Home of | West Ham United |
| Pitch size | 112 x 72 yards |
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 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.
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
There has been talk of West Ham moving to the Olympic Stadium of the 2012 Olympics. The capacity of the Olympic Stadium would be 80,000. The publicized plan is to turn it into a 25,000 seat athletics venue after the games, but, if the club were to move, it would be reduced to 45,000 - 70,000[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 an exclusive hotel built within the Dr. Martens stand, which over-looks the pitch.
[edit] External link
