Blundell Park
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| Blundell Park | |
| Full name | Blundell Park |
| Nickname | Blundell Park |
| Built | 1898 |
| Opened | 1 August 1898 |
| Capacity | 9546 – ~10,000 (with temporary seating) |
| Home of | Grimsby Town |
| Pitch size | 101.5 x 68.5 m |
Blundell Park is a football ground in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England and is home to Grimsby Town.
Contents |
[edit] History and layout
[edit] Pontoon Stand
The most keen home fans (and often the loudest) sit in what is called the Pontoon Stand. This is at the north end of the ground behind one of the goals. It was built in 1961 with money for the construction raised by Grimsby Town's fans.
The Pontoon Stand is the only stand in which the seats correspond to the club's colours, black and white stripes.
[edit] The Carlsberg Stand
The two tiered 'Carlsberg Stand' runs along half of the length of the pitch on the west side. This was built with money from former fish processing company Findus and was originally known as the 'Findus Family Stand'. It has subsequently been called the 'Stones Bitter Stand' and the 'John Smith's Stand'.
This stand was opened in 1981, replacing the old Barrett Stand. The upper tier is covered and offers views of the River Humber, Spurn Point and the North Sea over the top of the Main Stand. The lower tier is uncovered and between the two is a row of corporate boxes.
The club shop, ticket office, McMeneny's restaurant and all of the club's administration departments are also based in this stand.
[edit] Main Stand
Opposite the Carlsberg stand, on the east side of the ground, is the 'Main Stand' which dates from 1901 and is often claimed to be the oldest stand in the football league. Smoking is banned here, due to it being constructed partly from wood. During matchday a fire engine is always housed outside "just in case". This stand houses the changing rooms, press facilities and disabled supporters.
The players tunnel runs from the centre of this stand onto the pitch between the two sets of dugouts.
[edit] Osmond Stand
Away fans sit in the Osmond stand at the south end of the ground, where there are around 2,000 seats. This stand was built in 1939, shortly before the start of World War II.
The corner between the Main Stand and the Osmond Stand is the only enclosed corner in the whole ground. The remaining three corners are often filled with temporary green seats and matchday magazine sales booths.
[edit] Travelling there
Blundell Park is about a mile away from Cleethorpes railway station.[citation needed] It is on the A180(Grimsby Road), a road with excellent links to the M18, M1, M62, although parking around the ground is extremely limited, with no official supporters car park.
Local users can catch the 45, 9X, 8A/B and 3F busses past the stand. The nearest supermarket is Ramsdens, the nearest public house is the recently refurbished Imperial, locally known as 'The Imp', which was built at the same time as Blundell Park.
[edit] The future
Several times in recent years, the club has debated moving home to a new ground within the town of Grimsby. Sites considered include a new ground in the Pyewipe industrial estate and Great Coates areas of the town. Planning permission has been granted in the latter area for the tentatively-titled Conoco Stadium, if all goes to plan this will be ready for the 2009-10 season.[1]
[edit] Records
The highest ever attendance at the ground was 31,651 for a FA Cup 5th Round match on February 20, 1937 against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Since the ground was converted to all seating for the start of the 1995-96 season after the Taylor Report, the highest attendance was 9,528 for a Football League Division One (Second Tier) match against Sunderland on March 13, 1999.
[edit] External links
- Blundell Park at Soccerbase.com
- Blundell Park at the Internet Football Grounds Guide
- Official Site
- Blundell Park at The National Association of Disabled Supporters
[edit] References
| Football League Two venues, 2006-2007 |
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| Adams Park | Bescot Stadium | Blundell Park | County Ground The Darlington Arena | Edgar Street | Edgeley Park | Field Mill Fraser Eagle Stadium | Gay Meadow | Gigg Lane | London Road Meadow Lane | Memorial Stadium | Moss Rose | National Hockey Stadium Plainmoor | Racecourse Ground | Saunders Honda Stadium | Sincil Bank Spotland Stadium | Underhill Stadium | Victoria Park | York Street |
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