Vale Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Full name | Vale Park Stadium |
|---|---|
| Location | Hamil Road, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England |
| Coordinates | 53°2′59″N 2°11′33″W / 53.04972°N 2.1925°W |
| Broke ground | 1944 |
| Built | 1950 |
| Opened | 1950 |
| Expanded | 1959 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | >£50,000 |
| Capacity | 19,052 (prior to completion of Lorne street stand) |
| Field dimensions | 114 x 77 yards 104 x 70.5 metres |
| Tenants | |
| Port Vale F.C. (1950-present) | |
Vale Park is the home of the English football club Port Vale. The club has played at the ground since 1950.
The ground has seen its capacity go up and down, its peak being 42,000 in 1954 against Blackpool.[1] Although a club record 49,768 managed to squeeze in for a 1960 FA Cup fifth round fixture against Aston Villa. It now has a notional capacity of around 22,000; however with all the developments and a switch to an all-seater stadium in recent years, it is more likely around 18 or 19,000 once Lorne Street is completed.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
At 520 feet above sea level it is actually one of the highest grounds in the country, though this has no effect on player performance, as South American stadia such as Estadio Hernando Siles lie at nearly 10,000 feet above sea level.[2]
[edit] Old Recreation Ground
Although the club is thought to have been founded in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, where Vale Park is situated, between 1913 and 1950 the club played at the Old Recreation Ground in Hanley, on land now occupied by the Potteries Shopping Centre.
The Rec had been Vale's home since 1913, at which point they had flitted between several homes in their early years of existence. One of these was the Cobridge Athletic Ground, which was also a dog track for greyhound racing in Cobridge, an area between Burslem and Hanley.
[edit] History
At the ground's opening in 1950 the stadium was known as The Wembley of the North due to the size of the stadium.[3][4] The first match was a 1-0 victory over Newport Country on 24 August, 1950 in front of 30,042 spectators. Walter Aveyard taking the honour of being the first to score at the ground.
Vale Park has had several upgrades in its history. The original ground consisted of just two stands (The Railway side and the Lorne Street main stand) with banks of terracing at the Bycars and Hamil ends of the ground. Stands were eventually added behind each set of goals during the 1980s and 1990s as the ground began to be modernised. The paddock at the front of the Railway Stand was also made into an all-seated area, with just the Lorne Street side now being left as a standing area. Vale fans stood for the last time on Lorne Street at the end of the 1997-98 season, with the stand being demolished before work began on a new £3,000,000 structure. Work has yet to been finished on this, due to lack of finances and a change in ownership of the club. However, once new owners V2001 had taken care of the financing, work was finally begun on finishing the second half of the stand. This was due to be completed in 2008.
[edit] Stands
The current stadium holds 18,900 supporters and has four stands: The Bycars End, Lorne Street, The Railway Paddock (Paddock) and Hamil Road End.
The Lorne Street Stand is relatively new, seating 5,000, with 48 executive boxes, however it is yet to be completed.
[edit] Other events
On 1 August, 1981, Vale Park hosted a one-off rock concert, dubbed "Heavy Metal Holocaust",[5] featuring Motörhead,[6] Ozzy Osbourne Band,[7] Mahogany Rush, Triumph, Riot and Vardis.
[edit] References
- ^ King, Ray. Port Vale FC: The Valiants in the 50s and 60s. Cheshire: Staffordshire Sentinel Newspapers Limited. pp. 13. ISBN 1-84547-090-7.
- ^ "The 10 Highest Grounds in England and Wales (2008)". 2008. http://www.midfielddynamo.com/stadia/england_highest.htm. Retrieved on 2009-05-13.
- ^ "A Brief Club History". http://www.port-vale.premiumtv.co.uk/page/History/0,,10381,00.html.
- ^ "Port Vale History". http://www.football-england.com/Port_Vale_Football_Club_PVFC_Valiants_FC.html.
- ^ "Heavy Metal Holocaust at ukrockfestivals.com". http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/heavy-metal-holocaust.html.
- ^ "Motorhead Tour Date Compendium". http://www.imotorhead.com/motorography/1981.htm.
- ^ "Randy Rhoads on tour". http://home.flash.net/~ulknatme/ontour81.htm.
[edit] External links
- Vale Park at the Official club site
|
Port Vale Football Club
|
|||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||||||||||||
|
Football League Two venues, 2008–09
|
|||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
