Home Park
"The Theatre of Greens" | |
Barr Construction (2001) GL events (2019) | |
Tenants | |
---|---|
Devonport Albion R.F.C. (1893-94) Plymouth R.F.C. (1894-99) Plymouth Argyle F.C. (1901–present) | |
Website | |
https://homeparkstadium.com/ |
Home Park is a football stadium in Plymouth, England. The ground has been the home of EFL Championship club Plymouth Argyle since 1901.[4]
After undergoing considerable development in the 1920s and 1930s, the ground suffered heavy damage in
The stadium's record attendance was in 1936, when 43,596 spectators watched the club play a
Stands
Stand name | For | Capacity |
---|---|---|
Beacon Electrical Mayflower Grandstand [12] | Home Fans | 5,403 (seated - includes the Family Zone) |
Babcock International Devonport End [13] | Home Fans | 2,832 (seated) |
Portcullis Legals Lyndhurst Road Stand [14] | Home Fans | 7,072 (seated - includes the Zoo Corner) |
Kawasaki Barn Park End [15] | Home & Away Fans | 2,907 (seated) |
The Mayflower stand, known as the Grandstand, reopened fully on 1 January 2020 following a significant refurbishment. The other three stands are each very similar in design and are linked together at the corners, having been built in 2001.
The Devonport End houses the more vocal of the club's supporters.[16] The Lyndhurst Stand is the largest of the three stands, holding about 7,000 spectators, including the corners. The corner towards the West side of the ground is the dedicated family corner, while the East side is known as the Zoo Corner. The Barn Park End is where the away supporters are housed. It holds about 3,000 spectators. The standard allocation given to visiting clubs had previously been 1,300, and this is increased as and when demand requires it.
All three stands have good views and standard facilities for a football stadium, including concourses, merchandise stands and food and drink outlets. The pitch measures about 100 metres (109 yards) long by 66 metres (72 yards) wide, with a few metres of run-off space on each side. The ground also has two pitch covers, rain and frost, to protect the pitch against adverse winter weather.
History
Construction and early years
Home Park was originally used by the now defunct
The wooden grandstand was demolished and replaced by a much larger and more modern structure at a cost of £12,000, while concrete terracing with crush barriers were added around the other three sides of the ground. A pitched roof was erected along the main entrance at the Devonport End of the ground, to provide cover for supporters using that terrace. The new grandstand incorporated players changing rooms and club offices. Many of these facilities were built with funds provided by the official supporters club.
Wartime bombing
The city of
Post-War
Several drastic measures were required to be ready for the resumption of a regionalised
A new double-decker Grandstand was built in 1952, one of the last to be based on the template made popular during the 1920s and 30s by prolific football stadium architect
The ground remained relatively unchanged throughout the 1990s, aside from the Lyndhurst Stand being made all-seater. However, its future seemed unclear when the club outlined plans to move to a new site in Central Park in 1996. The Plymouth Tradium, designed by Alfred McAlpine, would have seated 25,000, and also incorporated community sports and leisure facilities.[26] These plans were soon shelved in favour of revamping Home Park.
2001-02 redevelopment
A new plan, based on wholesale redevelopment of the existing ground, was announced in 2000 which at the time would cost an estimated £9million. The stadium would be rebuilt in two phases, with the first phase seeing the complete redevelopment of the Devonport End, Lyndhurst Stand, and Barn Park End. The second phase involved the Mayflower Grandstand which would be replaced by a new three-tiered structure to complete an 18,500 capacity all-seater bowl.
During the first six months of the
Freehold purchase and conversion to all seater
The club purchased the freehold of the ground from
Three major summer initiatives were announced by the club just over a week later, which were carried out over the next month.
Unsuccessful World Cup bid
In August 2009, Plymouth Argyle announced plans for wholesale development of the stadium and regeneration throughout the area.[37] The club declared that the city of Plymouth would be submitting an application to the FA to be a host venue for England's 2018 FIFA World Cup Bid.[38]
The plans, designed by
The city presented its bid at Wembley Stadium in November 2009 with numerous businesses and sports clubs from Devon and Cornwall fully behind it.[42] A selection of those included the city's rugby union and basketball clubs, Plymouth Albion,[43] and Plymouth Raiders,[44] and local football clubs Exeter City,[45] and Torquay United.[46]
Plymouth was selected as a part of
2010s - changes of ownership
On 4 March 2011, the club entered administration.[50] As part of a rescue package, which saw South West hotelier James Brent take over the club,[51] Plymouth City Council agreed to buy back the freehold for a reported £1.6m and lease the ground back to the club for an annual rent of £135,000.[52]
With new investment and directors on the Argyle board, the club could afford to buy-back the ground from the Council in 2016.[53]
In January 2017, over 2,200 temporary seats were re-fitted to the Mayflower Terrace, ahead of Argyle's FA Cup tie against Liverpool. The attendance for the game was 17,048.[54][55]
2019 redevelopment
The Mayflower Grandstand had been the club's main stand, with space for about 7,000 spectators including the old terrace. It was the oldest part of the ground, having been built in 1952 by the Leitch Company - in what was their final commission before winding up. Prior to redevelopment the stand housed the club's main offices, boardroom, team changing rooms, press rooms, TV gantry, and also accommodated executive boxes.[56] The player tunnel sat slightly off centre going underneath the standing terrace, leading up towards the changing rooms.[57]
Since the turn of the century, there had been multiple plans to replace this stand, including in 2001 as a 'Phase 2' to the horseshoe redevelopment, in 2010 as part of the 2018 World Cup bid, and in 2013, when then-chairman James Brent had planning permission approved for the demolition and rebuilding of the Mayflower Grandstand, however these plans never proceeded due to financial restraints.
In 2018, a new set of plans received consent and the redevelopment of the Grandstand and the surrounding area began.[58] The main redevelopment would include the fitting of new seats in the top tier, replacing the antiquated wooden ones, fitting new seats on the terrace, and replacing the roof. For players, there would be a new changing room block and a new tunnel to the East side of the ground in the corner of the Grandstand and the Barn Park End.[59] Works were carried out by GL events, and the Grandstand was subsequently shut for renovations to spectators for the entirety of the 2018-19 season, severely reducing Home Park's capacity. The disabled enclosure to the west, and the Chisholm Lounge, as well as many temporary buildings used as club offices, a club shop, and as a fan bar, to the east, were also demolished.[60][61]
The 1930s turnstile façade to the west of the Grandstand was given a new look in October 2019 by Marcus Rees, a graphic design student at the
The redeveloped Grandstand was opened partially in stages, across several test events, before being officially opened on 1 January 2020, for Argyle's EFL League Two match against Swindon Town.[63]
2020s - ground improvements
On 11 August 2021, it was revealed that ticket sales in the upper tier of redeveloped Grandstand would be limited, due to inadaquate comfort and experience, both in the seats and in the concourse.[64] Works rectifying these issues have been put on hold until Summer 2023.[65]
In 2022, the seats in the Lyndhurst Stand were replaced, with the initials "PAFC" replaced by "Home Park" in the seat pattern. In August, a scoreboard screen was fitted in the Zoo Corner, and in October, a statue to Jack Leslie was erected outside the Devonport End. Around the stadium, hostile vehicle barriers were installed around the club shop and ticket office, new signage was erected, and the staff car park was resurfaced.[66] [67] [68]
Other uses
The stadium has also hosted matches involving the
The final of the 1933–34 Football League Third Division South Cup was held at Home Park,[72] Exeter City beating Torquay United 1–0.[73]
The ground hosted a match in 1966 between representative sides of the Football League and the Irish Football League. A crowd of 35,458 were in attendance as the Football League, featuring seven members of the 1966 FIFA World Cup winning squad, were 12–0 victors.[74]
On 5 October 1977, Home Park hosted
Home Park has also been used for purposes other than football. Before Argyle moved in, the site was used for
played the South West Counties, winning 17–8.In July 2018, with help from
During the COVID-19 pandemic, areas of the Mayflower Grandstand, as well as the players' changing rooms, were handed over to the
On 27 May 2023, Muse played the first show of the European Will of the People World Tour. This was Muse's first performance in Plymouth since 2001.[citation needed]
Records
The highest attendance recorded at Home Park is 43,596 for a
Home Park's record attendance for a non-competitive match is 37,639, for a mid-season friendly between Plymouth Argyle and Santos on 14 March 1973.[86]
The highest average attendance at Home Park over a League season is 23,290, set in the 1946–47 season.[87] The lowest average attendance at Home Park came in the 1982–83 season, when an average of 4,537 spectators watched each match.[84]
Transport
The stadium is on Outland Road, which links to the A38 dual-carriageway with direct access to Cornwall and the north of England.[88] On foot the stadium is approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) from Plymouth railway station (walking through Central Park), and 1.8 miles (2.8 km) from the city centre.[89]
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External links
- The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History – Home Park
- Structurae