Crown Ground

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Wham Stadium
Turnstile entrances to the main stand of the stadium
Turnstile entrances to the main stand of the stadium
Earlier names

Crown Ground
Interlink Express Stadium (until 2009)
Fraser Eagle Stadium (2009–2013)
Store First Stadium (2013–2015)

Data
place United KingdomUnited Kingdom Accrington , Hyndburn , Lancashire , United Kingdom
Coordinates 53 ° 45 '55.3 "  N , 2 ° 22' 15.3"  W Coordinates: 53 ° 45 '55.3 "  N , 2 ° 22' 15.3"  W.
opening 1968
First game August 1970
Accrington Stanley - Formby FC
surface Natural grass
capacity 5,450 seats
playing area 101 × 66 m
Societies)
Events
  • Accrington Stanley Games

The Crown Ground ( officially Wham Stadium by sponsorship agreement ) is a football stadium in the northern English city ​​of Accrington in the county of Lancashire . The building from the 1960s  on Livingstone Road is the home of Accrington Stanley (nickname: The Reds , German  Die Roten ). The sports facility has 5,450 seats (3,100 seats) for football fans.

Surname

The manufacturer of plastic household and garden goods What More UK currently has the naming rights to the home of the Stanleys for three years . The Crown Ground is called Wham Stadium . The company pays £ 200,000 for this . In addition, the partner company PlasticBoxShop will be a shirt sponsor for three years. Previously, the stadium had other sponsor names. On the one hand, the name of the logistics company Interlink Express until 2009 . This was followed by the Fraser Eagle coach company until 2013 . For two years from 2013 to 2015, the rental warehouse company Store First gave its name.

history

The facility opened in 1968. Two years later, today's home club Accrington Stanley bought the venue. For the 1970/71 season opening of the Lancashire Combination, the new home side played their first game against FC Formby in front of 620 spectators . In the early to mid-1970s, there were repeated problems with the pitch. In the 1972/73 season a league game against FC Nelson had to be relocated to the former home of Peel Park . After persistent problems, the club even considered a full return to their former home in the 1975/76 season. In the 1986/87 season the venue received a floodlight system .

The Stanley's stadium has four bleachers. On the south side is a two-part tier, half of which consists of the main grandstand Jack Barrett Memorial stand , which was named after Jack Barrett in 2013. Barrett, the last living founding member of the Reds from 1968, passed away in 2013. The other half, called Thwaites Stand , is also known as John Smith's Stand . They are fully equipped with seats and the roof is held in place by massive steel girders. The club's fan shop is on the back of the tier . On the back straight is Whinney Hill Terrace , also known as Cowshed , and about two thirds of it is protected by a roof. The narrow tier has three rows of seats in addition to the standing room on a small part. The white plastic seats complemented the Cowshed prior to the 2009/10 season in order to achieve the minimum of 2,000 seats required by the Football League . On the roof there is a parking space for the television camera on a tubular steel frame for television reports. At the east end of the Cowshed is part of the seats for the opposing fans.

The Sophia Khan stand , or Clayton End , in the west is reserved for home fans of the Reds . It was given a roof before the 2007/08 season. Five rows of seats with red plastic seats are installed in the front area; Behind it, there are more standing areas, as with the other standing room areas, with breakwaters as partitions. The Coppice End behind the gate in the east is the guest gallery. The standing crossbar in the open air runs two thirds of the width of the playing field.

Grandstands

  • The Jack Barrett Memorial Stand & Thwaites Stand - Main Stand , South, Split, Seating, Covered
  • Whinney Hill Terrace (Cowshed) - Opposite stand, north, seating and standing room, partially covered, guest area
  • Sophia Khan Stand (Clayton End) - back grandstand, west, seating and standing, covered
  • Coppice End - rear grandstand, east, standing room, uncovered, guest area

Average attendance and visitor record

With its 5,450 seats, the Crown Ground is currently one of the smallest stadiums in English professional football , alongside Broadfield Stadium in Crawley and Kingsmeadow in Kingston upon Thames . The biggest crowd attracted the 4th round game of the 2018/19 FA Cup between Accrington Stanley and Derby County to the Crown Ground on January 26, 2019 . The game in front of 5,397 visitors ended in a 0-1 defeat.

  • 2011/12: 1,785 ( Football League Two )
  • 2012/13: 1,675 (Football League Two)
  • 2013/14: 1,606 (Football League Two)
  • 2014/15: 1,611 (Football League Two)
  • 2015/16: 1,834 (Football League Two)
  • 2016/17: 1,699 (EFL League Two)
  • 2017/18: 1,979 (EFL League Two)
  • 2018/19: 2,827 ( EFL League One )

gallery

  • Club sign on the stadium

  • The main stand

  • The fan shop at the stadium

Web links

Commons : Wham Stadium  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ accringtonobserver.co.uk: Wham! Accrington Stanley renames stadium in £ 200,000 sponsorship deal Article dated August 4, 2015
  2. ↑ stadionwelt.de: New sponsorship deal in England, article from August 5, 2015
  3. ^ Club History ( Memento of December 30, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
  4. ↑ Club History Summary ( Memento from March 31, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
  5. ↑ lancashiretelegraph.co.uk: Stand named in honor of Accrington Stanley hero Jack Barrett article from September 2, 2013 (English)
  6. ↑ footballgroundguide.com: average attendance and record attendance (English)