Roots Hall
Encyclopedia
Roots Hall is a multi-use sports stadium
in Southend-on-Sea
, Essex
, England
, primarily used for football
games and is the home of the Football League Two
club Southend United
. With a capacity of 12,392 Roots Hall is the largest football stadium in Essex, and is the current venue for the final of the Essex Senior Cup
. Southend United are due to move out of Roots Hall into a new 22,000 seat stadium, though work has yet to begin on the new stadium.
and Roots Hall became a tipping site.
, Sir Stanley Rous
. The ground remained the youngest in the Football League until the opening of 's Glanford Park
in 1988.
Roots Hall's construction had not been completed when the ground was opened with some stands only running for a short distance along the touchline and others waiting to be concrete
d over. In addition to these problems the pitch's drainage was unsuitable and by the end of the 1955–56
season it had to be completely relaid.
in action in the FA Cup.
Development since has been mainly concentrated on the ground's facilities, in recent years the club opened a new ticket office and club shop, replaced the old style turnstiles with modern electronic ones and extended executive accommodation at the rear of the east stand.
. In January 2007, the club received planning permission from both Southend
and Rochford
councils for the stadium, retail outlets, a hotel and new training facilities but this was subject to rubber-stamping from the Secretary of State
. The Department for Communities and Local Government gave broad approval to the plans in March 2008 and planning permission
was granted later the same month for the HOK-designed new stadium.
below, it was converted to an all seater stand in the 1990s. The stand also contains executive boxes and, in the back, the Club offices. The dugouts
are cut into the stand, covered by the main roof. The stand was originally much smaller and evidence of its extension along the touchline can be seen in the density of moss
on the roof.
, originally used in the nearby Victoria Plaza shopping centre, in the centre. The North Stand is designated for away supporters
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority area, town, and seaside resort in Essex, England. The district has Borough status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff-on-Sea. The district is situated...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, 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...
, primarily used for football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
games and is the home of the Football League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
club Southend United
Southend United F.C.
Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...
. With a capacity of 12,392 Roots Hall is the largest football stadium in Essex, and is the current venue for the final of the Essex Senior Cup
Essex Senior Cup
The Essex Senior Cup is a knock-out system football competition that has been running since 1884, and is the most prestigious cup competition in the county of Essex. The competition is run mainly for non-league clubs in the region, although league sides have been known to enter the competition,...
. Southend United are due to move out of Roots Hall into a new 22,000 seat stadium, though work has yet to begin on the new stadium.
Pre-Roots Hall
The site now occupied by Roots Hall is where Southend United had originally played their home games on their formation in 1906. Upon the outbreak of the First World War the area was designated for storage and Southend were forced out. After the war the club elected to move to a new ground at the KursaalKursaal
Kursaal is an original novel written by Peter Anghelides and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
and Roots Hall became a tipping site.
Relocation
By the early 1950s Southend had moved once more to Southend Greyhound Stadium off Sutton Road. The club did not own the ground and the dog track which encircled the pitch was not suitable for use as a football stadium. In 1952 the wasteland at the old Roots Hall site was purchased to build a new stadium for the club. Work on the ground could not begin immediately due to the large quantities of rubbish which had been dumped on the site in the club's absence which took nearly a year to clear. On 20 August 1955 Roots Hall hosted its first match, against Norwich City. The ground was declared open by the Secretary of the Football AssociationThe Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
, Sir Stanley Rous
Stanley Rous
Sir Stanley Ford Rous, CBE was the 6th President of FIFA, serving from 1961 to 1974. He also served as secretary of the Football Association from 1934 to 1962 and was an international referee.-Early Life:...
. The ground remained the youngest in the Football League until the opening of 's Glanford Park
Glanford Park
Glanford Park is a football stadium in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England, and the current home of Scunthorpe United. It is the smallest stadium by capacity in the Championship ....
in 1988.
Roots Hall's construction had not been completed when the ground was opened with some stands only running for a short distance along the touchline and others waiting to be concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
d over. In addition to these problems the pitch's drainage was unsuitable and by the end of the 1955–56
1955-56 in English football
The 1955–56 season was the 76th season of competitive football in England. The First Division was won by Manchester United, the fourth time they had won that particular accolade.-Awards:Football Writers' Association...
season it had to be completely relaid.
Ground development
With the pitch issue dealt with, Southend could concentrate on the matter at hand: completing the ground. The west bank roof, originally set back from the pitch, was extended forwards to the touchline creating a double-barrel effect, while work also commenced on finishing the terracing. The job was finally finished in 1964, after all 72 steps of the giant south bank had been concreted. The East stand was extended in both directions so it ran the full length of the touchline in 1966, and around the same time the club installed floodlighting. Finally the ground was finished, and had its finest day in 1979, when a ground record 31,033 fans packed the Hall to watch LiverpoolLiverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
in action in the FA Cup.
Recent work
By the middle of the 80's, though, the club were struggling badly. In an effort to keep the wolves from the door, most of the South bank was sold off, and eventually the remainder was replaced in 1994 by a small two tiered all-seater stand. All this came after the west and east stands saw work in 1992: the west bank was turned into an all-seated stand and the paddocks in the east had seating attached. The final stage of development at the Hall came in 1995, when the west stand roof was extended at either end to meet the south and north stands, with seating being installed in the north-west corner of the ground.Development since has been mainly concentrated on the ground's facilities, in recent years the club opened a new ticket office and club shop, replaced the old style turnstiles with modern electronic ones and extended executive accommodation at the rear of the east stand.
The future
Southend United plans to leave Roots Hall to a proposed new ground at Fossetts FarmFossetts Farm Stadium
Fossetts Farm Stadium is the provisional name for a stadium proposed to be built in Southend-on-Sea as a new home for Southend United F.C. to replace Roots Hall Stadium. The name may change if sponsorship for the stadium is secured...
. In January 2007, the club received planning permission from both Southend
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority area, town, and seaside resort in Essex, England. The district has Borough status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff-on-Sea. The district is situated...
and Rochford
Rochford (district)
Rochford is a local government district in Essex, England. It is named for one of its main settlements, Rochford, though the major centre of population in the district is the town of Rayleigh...
councils for the stadium, retail outlets, a hotel and new training facilities but this was subject to rubber-stamping from the Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
. The Department for Communities and Local Government gave broad approval to the plans in March 2008 and planning permission
Planning permission
Planning permission or planning consent is the permission required in the United Kingdom in order to be allowed to build on land, or change the use of land or buildings. Within the UK the occupier of any land or building will need title to that land or building , but will also need "planning...
was granted later the same month for the HOK-designed new stadium.
The East Stand
The East stand is the main stand at Roots Hall, running along one side of the pitch. Originally designed as a section of seating with paddocks of terracingTerrace (stadium)
A terrace or terracing in sporting terms refers to the traditional standing area of a sports stadium, particularly in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
below, it was converted to an all seater stand in the 1990s. The stand also contains executive boxes and, in the back, the Club offices. The dugouts
Technical area
A technical area in association football, is where a manager, other coaching personnel and substitutes are allowed to occupy during a match.The area, where people may stand or sit, includes the dugout, bench and a marked zone adjacent to the pitch....
are cut into the stand, covered by the main roof. The stand was originally much smaller and evidence of its extension along the touchline can be seen in the density of moss
Moss
Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
on the roof.
The South Stand
Originally a 72-step terrace, financial troubles in the mid-1990s saw the old terrace reduced dramatically before being replaced by a two-tier stand.The West Stand
The West was also formerly a terrace, though it was converted into a stand by bolting seat onto the existing structure. Originally the terrace only ran the length of the touchline but when the ground was improved in the 1990s the north-west corner was filled-in. This section is sometimes used for away supporters, depending on demand. The roof has a unique double-barreled construction, originally the stand's cover was set back from the pitch, and when the Club constructed cover for the front section of the old terrace they built another identical span. A small section of the West Stand has been designated as the family stand, and the entire stand houses the "Blues Voice"The North Stand
The North Stand stand is another converted terrace. The roof has a semi-circular 'barrel' shape, similar to the West Stand's original roof, with a scoreboardScoreboard
A scoreboard is a large board for publicly displaying the score in a game or match. Most levels of sport from high school and above use at least one scoreboard for keeping score, measuring time, and displaying statistics. Scoreboards in the past used a mechanical clock and numeral cards to...
, originally used in the nearby Victoria Plaza shopping centre, in the centre. The North Stand is designated for away supporters