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Vicarage Road

Coordinates:51°38′59″N0°24′5″W/ 51.64972°N 0.40139°W/51.64972; -0.40139
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For the planned London Underground station, seeWatford Vicarage Road tube station.

Vicarage Road Stadium
"The Vic"
Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road
Map
LocationVicarage Road
Watford
WD18 0ER
Coordinates51°38′59″N0°24′5″W/ 51.64972°N 0.40139°W/51.64972; -0.40139
OwnerWatford
Capacity22,220[1]
Field size105 by 68 metres (115 by 74 yd)[1]
SurfaceDesso GrassMaster
Construction
Built1921
Opened30 August 1921
Renovated2015–2017
Tenants
Watford(1922–present)
Wealdstone(1991–1994)
Saracens(1997–2013)

Vicarage Roadis a stadium inWatford,England, and is the home stadium ofChampionshipclubWatford.An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 22,220.[1][2][3]

History[edit]

It has been the home of Watford since 1922, when the club moved fromCassio Road.[4]The ground was officially opened by Col. Charles Healey ofBenskins Breweryfor the visit ofMillwallon 30 August 1922. In addition to being Watford's home since opening, the stadium was also home toWealdstone F.C.between 1991 and 1993,[5]and torugby unionsideSaracensfrom 1997 until they moved to their new home ofCopthall Stadiumin north London in February 2013.[6]

After purchasing thefreeholdof the stadium from Benskins in January 2002, Watford's financial situation forced them to sell and lease back the stadium later that year.[7]However, after a campaign entitled 'Let's Buy Back The Vic' with donations coming from fans, as well as celebrity former ownerElton Johndonating the entire proceeds of a concert held at the venue, the club was able to repurchase the stadium in September 2004.[8]

On 1 September 2011 it hostedEngland under-21s2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group 8match againstAzerbaijan under-21s.The hosts thrashed the visitors 6 – 0 with braces fromCraig DawsonandHenri Lansburyand single goals fromJordan HendersonandMartyn Waghorn.There were 7,738 in attendance.

Vicarage Road Stand[edit]

Rugby game at Vicarage Road, 2005.

The Vicarage Road Stand was built following the conclusion of the 1992–93 season. Previously an open terrace, the all-seater stand was built to comply with theTaylor Reportand raise the standard of the ground. It cost £2.3 million to build and had a capacity of 5,800 people. Construction was largely funded by the £1.2m sale ofBruce Dyerin 1994.[9][10]

Originally a mere earth bank when the club moved to the ground, it was gradually transformed into a conventional terrace. In 1978, an electronic scoreboard was put up, which became an iconic symbol of Watford's eighties heyday. In a display of solidarity with the home support,Graham Taylormaintained that the benches for the coaching staff and substitute on the side of the pitch would remain exposed to the elements until such time as the home end was covered.

Its final game as a terrace was a 1–0 loss toOxford Unitedon 8 May 1993. It opened to the public once more on 18 September 1993, with Watford defeatingNotts County3–1.[11]

Previously the home stand, it now houses the away support. A partition was subsequently added, meaning that both home and away support could be put in the stand. Half of the stand is given to away fans, and the other half is used as the family area for home fans. It also houses wheelchair supporters of both teams. Since August 2012, the stand has been home to the Hornets Shop.[12]

The Rookery Stand[edit]

Part of a stadium, consisting of yellow and red seats. A grass football pitch is visible to the left.
The Rookery Stand.

The Rookery Stand was built over the course of the1994–95 season.Another former terrace, the all-seater Rookery stand has a capacity of 6,960. Larger than the Vicarage Road stand, it has facilities on two levels and also holds most of the club's administrative areas. The stand cost £1.6 million to build, approximately £300,000 of this figure was contributed by the Football Trust, with the remaining money coming from the £2.3m sale ofPaul Furlongby then-ownerJack Petcheyin 1994.[9][13]

When Watford moved from Cassio Road, this end of the ground featured a roof over a cinder bank, and over the years the roof eventually had to be removed for safety reasons. The Supporters' Club eventually raised funds to enable the Rookery End to feature concrete terracing under cover, and this aim was realised in 1959.

The new stand, replacing the 1959 model was used by Watford supporters for the first time on 22 April 1995, for the visit ofBristol City.As part of redevelopment work in conjunction with the Watford Health Campus, 164 units of affordable housing, known locally asThe Wrap,were built on and around the Rookery end. Construction finished in 2009.[14]

The Rookery is the "home end". It lends its name to the Watford fans' podcast,From The Rookery End.[15]The stand was known as theRover Southfor Saracens matches.[16]

The Graham Taylor Stand[edit]

A two-tiered seating area featuring red, yellow and black seats, running along the length of a football pitch.
The Graham Taylor Stand and incomplete south west corner (left), pictured in 2012.

The Graham Taylor Stand was renamed for the 2014–15 season, taking its name from the club's most successful managerGraham Taylor.[17]It was previously named after formerFIFApresident SirStanley Rous.The official renaming ceremony took place on 29 November 2014.[18]

The stand with its distinctive wavy roof runs along the side of the pitch, on the west side of the ground. It is a two-tiered stand, with executive boxes and a TV camera gantry. Built in 1986, it replaced the Shrodells Stand. The £3 million development was partly funded via a loan fromElton John.The upper tier, complete with executive boxes, was constructed first, and temporary seats forming a lower-tier were added later. These were later replaced with permanent seats, first used for a game againstNotts Countyon 18 September 1993.

When the club moved fromCassio Roadin 1922, the Union Stand was transported and reconstructed on this side of the ground. It was replaced by the Shrodells Stand, which was constructed during the 1930s. It was extended in 1979 with a further 2,200 seats replacing the standing enclosure in front of the stand.

The final match for the Shrodells Stand was a 1–1 draw againstManchester Unitedon 3 May 1986, the Graham Taylor Stand opened on 23 August 1986, when Oxford United visited Vicarage Road, with Watford coming out 3–0 winners.

The Sir Elton John Stand[edit]

The now demolished Main Stand.

The Sir Elton John Stand sits on the east side of the ground, and contains the changing rooms & tunnel. The stand was fully opened on 13 December 2014, in a ceremony attended bySir Elton John.[19]

Prior to the development of the Sir Elton John Stand, the east side of the ground was home to the Main Stand, which was constructed in 1922 following Watford FC's move from Cassio Road. The Main Stand was closed in 2008 due to safety concerns.[20]

Following the acquisition of Watford FC by the Pozzo family in 2012, the club were able to finance the development of a new stand to replace the Main Stand. The redevelopment of the east side of the stadium began in 2013, with the aim of developing a 3,000 seater capacity stand which would also house the players changing rooms, television gantry and tunnel.[21][22]

In May 2014, it was announced the stand will be known as The Watford FC Community Stand. However the club announced in November 2014 that the new stand would instead be named after former chairman Sir Elton John.[23]The changing rooms were used for the first time in a friendly match between Watford and Udinese on 2 August 2014.

On 8 June 2015, the club confirmed that 700 extra seats were being installed in the recently built Sir Elton John Stand.[3]This number was revised a day later to around 1000 extra seats, following the announcement of an expansion in the north-east corner.[3]

Floodlights[edit]

The first game underfloodlightsat Vicarage Road was played in 1953, when lights were installed on top of the Main Stand. These were replaced in 1960, with four pylons being built in the corners of the ground. Currently the floodlights are mounted on the top of the Vicarage Road and Rookery Stands. New LED floodlights have been added for the 2015/16 season including lights on the top of the Sir Elton John and Graham Taylor stands.

Railway stations[edit]

The old and new stations on the Croxley Rail Link near Vicarage Road

In 1982, Vicarage Road Stadium gained its own railway station,Watford Stadium Halt.It was introduced as a means ofmanaging the crowdsattending football matches, providing an alternative toWatford High StreetandWatford Junction,and was only open on match days. Development of the station was funded jointly by theFootball Trust,Watford Borough Council,Watford F.C. andBritish Rail.The station was officially opened on 4 December 1982 by Elton John andLord Aberdare,chairman of the Football Trust. The inaugural train rolled into the station five minutes late, bringing away fans ofManchester Unitedto Vicarage Road; the match that day ended with a 1–0 defeat for Watford.[24]

The station fell out of use whenBritish Railclosed the railway line in 1996 and has remained derelict ever since. A newLondon Undergroundstation,Watford Vicarage Road,was due to open in 2020 on the opposite side of the Vicarage Road bridge as part of theCroxley Rail Linkproject to extend theMetropolitan linetoWatford Junction.[25]However since March 2017 the project has been in doubt due to a significant shortfall in funding from various government entities.[26]

Greyhound racing[edit]

Greyhound racing initially began at Vicarage Road on 20 October 1928. The racing was held underNational Greyhound Racing Club(NGRC) rules and as many as four race nights per week were held every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7.45pm. However the provisional NGRC licence was cancelled as early as 1 November 1928, forcing the track to race independently (unaffiliated to a governing body).[27]

The racing would continue for many years alongside the football team and was still active for the next forty years before a temporary closure on 28 June 1969. On 14 October 1974 racing returned under NGRC rules under the organisation of the industry's leading promoter theGreyhound Racing Association.[28]Derby winning trainer Barbara Tompkins was attached to the track and won the Buckinghamshire Cup atSlough Stadiumin 1975 with Houghton Girl.[29]

The shape of track was very sharp due to the nature of the bend design around the football pitch corners and this led to criticism within the industry that it was not safe enough. Despite this a Bookmakers Afternoon Greyhound Service (BAGS) contract was established at the track. During 1977 the club announced plans to end the greyhound racing so that stadium improvements could go ahead.[30]The final race meeting took place on 30 October 1978. The last winner was a greyhound called Chad Supreme.[31]

References[edit]

General
  • Phillips, Oliver (1991).The Official Centenary History of Watford FC 1881–1991.Watford Football Club.ISBN0-9509601-6-0.
  • Vicarage Road stadium layout.Watford Football Club. Accessed 2 May 2014.
  • Ground changes.Watford Football Club. Accessed 2 October 2011.
Specific
  1. ^abc"Premier League Handbook 2019/20"(PDF).Premier League. p. 38.Archived(PDF)from the original on 27 July 2020.Retrieved27 July2020.
  2. ^Watford: Club infoArchived21 April 2012 at theWayback Machine.The Football League.1 August 2010. Accessed 30 September 2011.
  3. ^abc"Stadium Update: North-East Corner Transformation To Begin".Watford F.C. 9 June 2015.Retrieved10 June2015.
  4. ^Trefor Jones (1996).The Watford Football Club Illustrated Who's Who.T.G. Jones. p. 9.ISBN0-9527458-0-1.
  5. ^Wealdstone Football Club potted history.Wealdstone Football Club Supporters Club. Accessed 2 October 2011.
  6. ^Allnutt, Tom (22 January 2013)."Saracens: 'Thank you Watford FC'".Watford Observer.Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  7. ^David Conn(21 September 2002).New owners of Vicarage Road revealed as Watford wither.The Independent.Accessed 2 May 2014.
  8. ^Graham Simpson(31 March 2005).Watford Leisure PLC: Interim Results for the six months ended 31 December 2004.Watford Leisure PLC. Accessed 30 September 2011.
  9. ^abThe details are Petchey.Harrow Times.7 May 2003. Accessed 2 October 2011.
  10. ^Trefor Jones (1996).The Watford Football Club Illustrated Who's Who.T.G. Jones. p. 75.ISBN0-9527458-0-1.
  11. ^"The Stadium".wfc.net.Retrieved3 May2014.
  12. ^"RETAIL: New Home For The Hornets Shop".Watford Football Club. 10 August 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 3 May 2014.Retrieved3 May2014.
  13. ^Trefor Jones (1996).The Watford Football Club Illustrated Who's Who.T.G. Jones. p. 91.ISBN0-9527458-0-1.
  14. ^Alex Hill (4 November 2009).Mayor Dorothy Thornhill Wraps up Vicarage Road housing.Watford Observer.Accessed 2 October 2011.
  15. ^Watford fans podcast "From the Rookery End" call for supporters' memories.Watford Observer.1 August 2011. Accessed 1 October 2011.
  16. ^"Changes to the South West turnstiles".Saracens.10 January 2008. Archived fromthe originalon 3 April 2012.Retrieved2 May2014.
  17. ^"GRAHAM TAYLOR OBE: Hornets To Honour Former Manager With Stand Re-Naming".Watford Football Club. 1 May 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 3 May 2014.Retrieved3 May2014.
  18. ^"GALLERY: Graham Taylor Stand First Look".Watford Football Club. 28 November 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 1 December 2014.Retrieved29 November2014.
  19. ^"GALLERY: Sir Elton John Returns as Hornets Beats Latics".Archived fromthe originalon 5 March 2016.Retrieved2014-12-15.
  20. ^"East stand changes".Watford Football Club. 14 June 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 12 May 2012.Retrieved2 May2014.
  21. ^"East Stand IS Happening"Archived26 September 2013 at theWayback Machine.Watford Football Club. 23 September 2013. Accessed 24 September 2013.
  22. ^Smith, Frank (15 November 2013)."See a number of artist's impressions of Watford's new East Stand here".Watford Observer.Retrieved3 May2014.
  23. ^"Name Confirmed: The Watford FC Community Stand".Watford Football Club. 1 May 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 3 May 2014.Retrieved3 May2014.
  24. ^Crozier, David (11 January 2015)."Elton rides in to open soccer halt".Watford Observer.Archived fromthe originalon 12 August 2013.Retrieved12 August2013.
  25. ^"Croxley Rail Link".Archived fromthe originalon 2 November 2010.Retrieved11 January2015.
  26. ^"Metropolitan line extension could be axed due to £50m funding gap".Evening Standard.15 March 2017.Retrieved13 May2017.
  27. ^Genders, Roy (1981).The Encyclopedia of Greyhound Racing.Pelham Books Ltd.ISBN07207-1106-1.
  28. ^"Monthly Greyhound Star (Remember When 1973) February 2010 edition".Greyhound Star.
  29. ^Genders, Roy (1990).NGRC book of Greyhound Racing.Pelham Books Ltd.ISBN0-7207-1804-X.
  30. ^"Greyhound Star (Remember When November 1977)".Greyhound Star. 25 November 2018.
  31. ^Barnes, Julia (1988).Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File.Ringpress Books.ISBN0-948955-15-5.
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