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Bloomfield Road

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Bloomfield Road
Bloomers

Location	Seasiders Way, Blackpool, England
Opened	1900
Owner	Blackpool F.C.
Surface	Grass
Tenants	Blackpool F.C.
Capacity	9,612
Field Dimensions
112 x 74 yards (pitch)

Bloomfield Road is the home of English football club Blackpool Football Club. The venue was used during the 2005 UEFA Women's Championship after having two stands redeveloped between 2001 and 2002, giving the ground a capacity of 11,295. Currently there are only three stands, since the South Stand was demolished in 2003 in preparation for the construction of a new stand and the current capacity is 9,612 (all-seated, including the temporary East Stand). When the stadium is complete, the new capacity should be 16,000.

1 History
2 Stands
3 Attendances
4 Notes
5 References
6 External links

History

The ground was originally known as Gamble's Field in 1899, being named after the local farmer who owned the land, when South Shore F.C. played there in the Lancashire League. When Blackpool F.C. merged with South Shore F.C. later that year, the club moved into the latter's ground and changed the name to Bloomfield Road. At this time there was only one stand at the ground, a small structure on the western side, which held about 300 seated.

Bloomfield Road in 1905, viewed from the south-east corner of the ground.

In 1906, the local Press were pleading with the club to provide a decent Press box, as they found themselves watching the games from the touch-line. The following year, a paddock was built in front of the stand to up the capacity. A decade later, however, a serious fire all but destroyed it, necessitating a complete rebuild. Two years later, the Spion Kop, the former South Stand, was built, holding about a thousand standing spectators. Along the east side of the ground, the concreted East Paddock was built, costing roughly £3,000, which nearly broke the club but raised the ground to have a capacity of 18,000. A small stand was constructed on the north side of the ground, which was called the Motor Stand and made Bloomfield Road one of the only grounds in England to have stands on all four sides of the ground. In 1925, a new South Stand was built to provide a new boardroom, offices, dressing rooms, baths, and refreshment bars. It cost £13,000 and held 4,000 people.

The historic South Stand, pulled down in 2003 after a 95-year existence.

With promotion to Division One in 1930 the locals raised some money to build a massive terrace at the north (Tower) end of the ground which could hold around 12,000 standing spectators, increasing the ground's total capacity to 30,000. The Motor Stand, which had previously occupied the spot, was moved into the northwest corner, where it stayed until 1985. The East Stand (or 'Scratching Sheds') was covered once the team's fortunes increased. The boardroom in the South Stand was also said to contain oak panelling taken off one of Lord Nelson's old flagships that ran ashore on the famous Blackpool beach during bad weather. On 17 October, 1932, the first and only full international game took place at Bloomfield Road: England v. Ireland. Between the 1930s and 2001, little changed at Bloomfield Road. After World War Two significant repairs were needed, not because of bomb damage, but due to the fact that the Armed Forces had used it extensively; however, the rent they received from this more than paid off the club's overdraft.

Bloomfield Road, circa 1950, prior to the installation of a roof over the Spion Kop (then the North Stand) in the 1960s.

With an extension of the East Paddock, the capacity was raised to 38,000 in 1954. Floodlights were erected in the summer of 1957, and with additional seating in the West Stand the club finally had a ground to be proud of. The capacity was reduced to 30,000 in the late 1960s when new seating was installed. During the following decade, the board introduced seats in the East Paddock, a move that proved so unpopular that it was reversed within twelve months. A roof was put up over the Spion Kop at the North end of the ground; however, it was taken down in 1981 after only twenty years. The council thought it was dangerous, but the club could not afford to repair the roof, so it was torn off. This also caused the removal of seats that had been put into the East Stand. These seats were supposedly a very poor idea as the first three rows were below pitch level, thus providing a poor vantage point from which to watch games. In the 1990s, with Bloomfield Road defining the word decrepit, new safety measures reduced the capacity from 18,000 to 12,000, and then down to 9,000. The western half of the Kop was closed, with the eastern half open only to visiting support, and the East Paddock became segregated. The atmosphere came almost exclusively from the south end, unless there was a large away following. Also in the early 1990s, the old North-West Stand was pulled down, and the West Paddock was voted as the "most uncomfortable in England".

The Spion Kop, with Blackpool Tower in the distance, viewed from the south-east corner of the ground.

Former chairman Owen Oyston submitted plans, on several occasions, to build a new 25,000 all-seater stadium adjoining a large entertainment complex. Planning permission for the new ground, which was to built at nearby Wyndyke Farm, was granted in June 1992. Nothing ever came of the plans, however, not least due to Oyston's jailing for rape in 1996. In 1999 and 2001 respectively, the Spion Kop and West Stand were demolished to make way for the new stands, and the pitch was moved slightly north and west to make room for expansion on the south and east sides of the ground in future years. The record attendance at Bloomfield Road was 38,098, against Wolves on 17 September, 1955, which Blackpool won 2-1, fittingly with two of the greatest names ever to play for Blackpool scoring: Stan Mortensen, whose statue now stands behind the North Stand,^[1] getting the first, and Stanley Matthews scoring the winner. There are several other football grounds named after Bloomfield Road, including Hapoel Tel Aviv's ground.

Stands

The main entrance to the ground used to be on Bloomfield Road, via the now-demolished South Stand; however, the development of the ground that began in the first few years of the 21st century meant it is now from Seasiders Way, via the Matthews Stand on the west side of the ground.

Blackpool International Airport Matthews Stand

Blackpool International Airport Stand, viewed from the now-demolished South Stand.

This stand is on the west side of the ground and is the main stand, having the players' tunnel and executive boxes at the rear. It is named after the Seasiders legend Sir Stanley Matthews. The club's nickname, "Seasiders", is spelled out in white seats amongst the tangerine majority.

All-In-One Maintenance, Blackpool Leisure Mortensen North Stand (The Kop)

This stand is at the north end of the ground, replacing the old Spion Kop and is connected to the West Stand by the North West corner stand. It is named after another former player, Stan Mortensen, who is the only player in history to score a hat-trick at Wembley in an FA Cup Final. The club use both "North Stand" and "The Kop" on tickets for this stand. The abbreviation "B.F.C." is spelled out by white seats.

Brands Scaffolding North-West Corner

This stand joins the West Stand and the North Stand (The Kop) together, it has the same number of rows as the west and has hospitality seats directly above.

East Stand

This stand has approximately 1,890 seats. There was an incident in 2005 when Sheffield Wednesday supporters jumped up and down with this stand full and some of its middle section gave way; however, nobody was injured. In December 2007, following a home match against Stoke City the stand was slightly damaged due to the appearance of a small hole in the floor. The stand had to be re-floored and following an inspection by the Safety Advisory Group, the capacity was reduced to 1,563 for the next home match against Coventry City on 22 December, 2007. If the stand passes an inspection after the Coventry game, the capacity will be restored to the actual 1,890.^[2]

The second incarnation of the Bloomfield Road facade.

South Stand

The previous 1925 main stand was demolished in 2003. This is the stand that stood on Bloomfield Road. Currently there is a large open space closed off between the pitch and the road which is waiting to be developed into the new South Stand. In September 2006 the club announced the building of the South-west corner of the ground, which should hold approximately 1,000 people and will be used for away support. As of September, 2007 building work has yet to commence. Building work has begun on the hotel, on land formerly occupied by The Tangerine Night Club, which had been announced by the club was to be built at the same time as the South-west corner.

Attendances

Records

Record attendance - Pre-2002: 38,098; v. Wolves, 17 September 1955.
Record attendance - 2002 onwards: 9,599; v. Burnley, 1 January 2008.

Averages

As of 18 September, 2007, the average league-game attendance at Bloomfield Road for the 2007-08 season is 8,799, which places Blackpool 22nd for the division.^[3] This average in terms of percentage of ground capacity (9,612) is 92%, which places the club second to Norwich City.^[4] Past averages (note that the capacity fluctuates):
2006-07: 7,017 (73%)
2005-06: 5,820 (61%)
2004-05: 6,031 (59%)
2003-04: 6,326 (62%)
2002-03: 6,991 (69%)
2001-02: 5,701 (56%)
2000-01: 4,459 (44%)
1999-00: 4,841 (43%)
1998-99: 5,116 (45%)
1997-98: 5,212 (46%)
1996-97: 4,987 (46%)
1995-96: 5,818 (60%)
1994-95: 4,744 (46%)
1993-94: 4,761 (49%)
1992-93: 5,501 (53%)
Source: Soccer-stats.com

Ground history

Blackpool have called the following grounds home during their existence:

Bloomfield Road (formerly named Gamble's Field prior to the amalgamation of South Shore F.C. and Blackpool F.C.) (1899 to date)
Raikes Hall Gardens (Royal Palace Gardens) (1899)
Athletic Grounds, Stanley Park (1897 to 1899)
Raikes Hall Gardens (Royal Palace Gardens) (1886 to 1897)