| Banks's Stadium | |
|---|---|
| Bescot | |
| Full name | Banks's Stadium |
| Location | Bescot, Walsall, England |
| Built | 1989 |
| Opened | 1990 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | £4.5 million |
| Capacity | 11,300 |
| Tenants | |
| Walsall F.C. (1990-present) | |
Bescot Stadium, also known as the Banks's Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is the home ground of Walsall Football Club. It was built in 1989-90 by GMI Construction with a reported build cost of £4.5m. It was opened in 1990 by Stanley Matthews, replacing the club's previous ground, Fellows Park, which was located a quarter of a mile away.
The first game was played on 25 August 1990, the opening day of the 1990-91 Football League Fourth Division campaign. 5,219 spectators watched Walsall draw 2-2 with Torquay United, with the stadium's first goal being an own goal scored by Walsall defender Matt Bryant after 65 seconds. The first goal scored for Walsall at the stadium was from Stuart Rimmer.[1]
Originally both ends of the ground were standing areas, and the capacity of the ground was around 9,400.
Bescot Stadium currently has an all-seater capacity of 11,300 following an extension to the Floors-2-Go Stand (formerly known as the Gilbert Alsop Stand), during the 2002/03 season, this stand was and still is the home end. It is now an all-seater stadium with disabled, educational and conferencing facilities that make it a focal point for the local residential and business communities.
The stadium has been host to England under-21 and under-19 international matches, Aston Villa reserve matches (winter fixtures only) and England women's international matches.
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Bescot Stadium has two large conferencing suites, named the Bonser Suite and the Stadium Suite. The Bonser Suite is adjoined to the rear of the West Stand (formerly the H. L. Fellows Stand), while the Stadium Suite is underneath the upper tier of the northern most stand (currently the Floors-2-Go Stand). Both suites host conferences, cabaret evenings, concerts and events.
In addition to this, there are 3 further bars within the Stadium - the Swifts and Priory Lounges to the rear of the western most stand, and the Bescot Bar, which is located beneath the lower tier of the Floors-2-Go stand. There are food and beverage kiosks in all four corners of the ground, whilst the Bonser Suite doubles as a restaurant on match days.
It was reported in the Express and Star Newspaper on 6 June 2008, that Walsall were attempting to sell the stadium to Walsall Council, and renting it back off them to secure the club's financial future. The Council, however, stated they did not have the funds to purchase the ground.
During the Spring of 2011, the owner of Bescot Stadium, Jeff Bonser, announced via his proxy, Suffolk Life, that the stadium was for sale on the open market. Steve Jenkins, record producer and life-long Walsall supporter, tried to drum up support for the council to buy the land. [2] [3]
On July 11, 2011, the idea of council ownership of Bescot Stadium was finally put to bed after the council voted 28-24 against purchasing the stadium.
Plans to develop the southern most stand (which usually caters for away supporters) were announced by the club during 2005. The proposed development would mean using the blueprint of the northern most stand (currently the Floors-2-Go Stand), which stands opposite it.
Funding for the redevelopment was to come, in part, from a large advertising board on the back of the stand facing the M6 motorway. The board would be the largest illuminated sign adjacent to a motorway in Europe.[4]
However, due to the club's fall from the Football League Championship to Football League Two in the space of three seasons, and the subsequent drop off in attendances, the redevelopment plans have been put on hold, though they still remain in place.
In 2009, the club erected a large advertising hoarding to the south of the southern most stand, facing the M6 motorway. However, the financial success of this hoarding has been limited, with it having been successfully rented for only 4 months and 2 weeks of 2010.
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