Filbert Street
Encyclopedia
Filbert Street, in Leicester
, England
, was a football stadium, and the home of Leicester City
from 1891 to 2002. Although officially titled "The City Business Stadium" in the early 1990s, it remained known almost exclusively by its address, like many English football stadia.
The ground initially consisted of simple earth banks and a small Main Stand on the west side, until 1921, when a new and much larger Main Stand was built. In 1927, a new stand was built at the south end (known as the Spion Kop), and became known as the "Double Decker". The roof which had previously covered the Kop was rebuilt at the north, or Filbert Street end of the ground. It was in this form that Filbert Street saw its record attendance of 47,298 for the Fifth Round FA Cup
tie, against Tottenham Hotspur, on 18 February 1928. This game also saw many more spectators watch the match from the roof of the Filbert Street end. The first phase of ground development concluded with the covering of the East or Popular side in 1939.
After just surviving a council vote to terminate their lease in the late 1940s, City purchased the freehold of the ground in 1962, for the sum of £30,500. In 1971, the first moves towards an all-seater stadium were taken, as the North and East sides were converted to seating. Four years later, 20 basic executive boxes
were added to the North Stand. A pioneering polythene cover was introduced to protect the pitch in 1971, with mixed results.
, after considering relocating to a new stadium, and a total redevelopment of Filbert Street which would have seen the pitch rotated by 90 degrees, onto the car park behind the Main Stand, City opted to build a new Main Stand.
Completed in December 1993, the Carling Stand held 9,500 seated spectators and expanded corporate facilities, costing £6million. In 1994, the final terraced area - the Kop - was converted to seating giving Filbert Street an all-seated capacity of 21,500, and bringing it into compliance with the Taylor Report
which required all Premier League and Division One
teams to have all-seater capacity.
Following the success of the club under Martin O'Neill
during the later part of the 1990s, an expanded stadium was required for higher attendances and to provide better facilities. Expansion of Filbert Street would have been very difficult, the North and East Stands backed onto housing which would have been expensive to place under a compulsory purchase order in the event of expansion. Although expansion was considered, in 1998, the club made the decision to relocate.
), the club purchased Freeman's Wharf, a former power station site 200 yards south of Filbert Street. Work began on a 32,500 seater stadium named Filbert Way. However the naming rights were sold and it became the Walkers Stadium
(because of a ten year sponsorship deal with long running sponsors Walkers
Crisps) in June 2001. It was opened in August 2002. The original name chosen for the stadium was the Walkers Bowl, but this was abandoned as the name did not prove popular with City fans.
The last game to be played at Filbert Street was the last game of the 2001/2002 season
, a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur
. Matt Piper
scored the winner, the last goal scored at the ground, bringing to an end 111 years of football there.
Demolition of Filbert Street was completed in the summer of 2003. The site is now home to the 'Filbert Village' development, built as accommodation for students for the nearby De Montfort University
and University of Leicester
. The road running through the development is called Lineker Road, after Gary Lineker
, one of Leicester City's most famous players.
In the autumn of 2002, Rotherham United
had expressed interest in purchasing the Carling Stand and moving it to their Millmoor
stadium, but these plans were abandoned and the Carling Stand (barely 10 years old) was demolished with the rest of Filbert Street several months later.
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, was a football stadium, and the home of Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
from 1891 to 2002. Although officially titled "The City Business Stadium" in the early 1990s, it remained known almost exclusively by its address, like many English football stadia.
Early years
The club, then named Leicester Fosse, moved to Filbert Street in 1891, after playing at five other locations since its formation in 1884. Local legend suggests that the ground was identified by a Miss Westland, the niece of one of the club's founders, Joseph Johnson, after the Corporation had not renewed Fosse's lease on their previous ground at nearby Mill Lane, only weeks before their debut season in the Midland League.The ground initially consisted of simple earth banks and a small Main Stand on the west side, until 1921, when a new and much larger Main Stand was built. In 1927, a new stand was built at the south end (known as the Spion Kop), and became known as the "Double Decker". The roof which had previously covered the Kop was rebuilt at the north, or Filbert Street end of the ground. It was in this form that Filbert Street saw its record attendance of 47,298 for the Fifth Round FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
tie, against Tottenham Hotspur, on 18 February 1928. This game also saw many more spectators watch the match from the roof of the Filbert Street end. The first phase of ground development concluded with the covering of the East or Popular side in 1939.
World War 2 and after
The middle section of the Main Stand suffered bomb damage in 1940, and was later further damaged by a serious fire. By 1949, the stand had been rebuilt, with much of the labour, ironically, being supplied by German POWs at a nearby camp. The ground's maximum capacity was now around 42,000.After just surviving a council vote to terminate their lease in the late 1940s, City purchased the freehold of the ground in 1962, for the sum of £30,500. In 1971, the first moves towards an all-seater stadium were taken, as the North and East sides were converted to seating. Four years later, 20 basic executive boxes
Luxury box
A Luxury box is a special seating section located within stadiums, arenas and other sporting and entertainment venues. They are typically located in the midsection of a stadium grandstand, usually providing the best views of the event...
were added to the North Stand. A pioneering polythene cover was introduced to protect the pitch in 1971, with mixed results.
All-seater stadium
At the beginning of the 1990s1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
, after considering relocating to a new stadium, and a total redevelopment of Filbert Street which would have seen the pitch rotated by 90 degrees, onto the car park behind the Main Stand, City opted to build a new Main Stand.
Completed in December 1993, the Carling Stand held 9,500 seated spectators and expanded corporate facilities, costing £6million. In 1994, the final terraced area - the Kop - was converted to seating giving Filbert Street an all-seated capacity of 21,500, and bringing it into compliance with the Taylor Report
Taylor Report
The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster Inquiry report, better known as the Taylor Report is a document, whose development was overseen by Lord Taylor of Gosforth, concerning the aftermath and causes of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. An interim report was published in August 1989, and the final...
which required all Premier League and Division One
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
teams to have all-seater capacity.
Following the success of the club under Martin O'Neill
Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, OBE, is a Northern Irish football manager and former player.Until resigning the post on 9 August 2010, he was manager of Aston Villa. Starting his career in his native Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playing career with Nottingham...
during the later part of the 1990s, an expanded stadium was required for higher attendances and to provide better facilities. Expansion of Filbert Street would have been very difficult, the North and East Stands backed onto housing which would have been expensive to place under a compulsory purchase order in the event of expansion. Although expansion was considered, in 1998, the club made the decision to relocate.
Relocation and demolition
After a failed attempt to build a 40,000 all-seater stadium at Bede Island South (on the other bank of the nearby River SoarRiver Soar
The River Soar is a tributary of the River Trent in the English East Midlands.-Description:It rises near Hinckley in Leicestershire and is joined by the River Sence near Enderby before flowing through Leicester , Barrow-on-Soar, beside Loughborough and Kegworth, before joining the Trent near...
), the club purchased Freeman's Wharf, a former power station site 200 yards south of Filbert Street. Work began on a 32,500 seater stadium named Filbert Way. However the naming rights were sold and it became the Walkers Stadium
Walkers Stadium
The King Power Stadium is a football stadium which hosts home matches of English football club Leicester City. The all-seater stadium, inaugurated in July 2002, holds 32,500 and has the 19th largest stadium capacity in England. The stadium is named after King Power, a company owned by club owner...
(because of a ten year sponsorship deal with long running sponsors Walkers
Walkers (snack foods)
Walkers is a British snack food manufacturer operating mainly in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland and to a lesser extent on the European continent. They are best known for manufacturing crisps. They hold 47 per cent of the British crisp market...
Crisps) in June 2001. It was opened in August 2002. The original name chosen for the stadium was the Walkers Bowl, but this was abandoned as the name did not prove popular with City fans.
The last game to be played at Filbert Street was the last game of the 2001/2002 season
2001-02 in English football
The 2001-02 season was the 122nd season of competitive football in England.-Arsenal cruise to title glory:In what had earlier been one of the most closely fought Premiership title races for years, Arsenal won the championship by seven points. Their crown was won in the penultimate game of the...
, a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
. Matt Piper
Matt Piper
Matthew James "Matt" Piper is an English former footballer. He played as a winger. He is now coaching the Leicester Under 15's....
scored the winner, the last goal scored at the ground, bringing to an end 111 years of football there.
Demolition of Filbert Street was completed in the summer of 2003. The site is now home to the 'Filbert Village' development, built as accommodation for students for the nearby De Montfort University
De Montfort University
De Montfort University is a public research and teaching university situated in the medieval Old Town of Leicester, England, adjacent to the River Soar and the Leicester Castle Gardens...
and University of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
. The road running through the development is called Lineker Road, after Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
, one of Leicester City's most famous players.
In the autumn of 2002, Rotherham United
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
had expressed interest in purchasing the Carling Stand and moving it to their Millmoor
Millmoor
Millmoor is a stadium in Rotherham, England. It was built and was used for football matches, and until the end of the 2007–08 season was the home ground of Rotherham United F.C., until a dispute over ownership forced them to move to the Don Valley Stadium in nearby Sheffield.The stadium was...
stadium, but these plans were abandoned and the Carling Stand (barely 10 years old) was demolished with the rest of Filbert Street several months later.