KC Stadium
Encyclopedia
The KC Stadium, often shortened to the KC, is a multi-purpose facility in the city of Kingston upon Hull
(Hull), England. Conceived as early as the late 1990s, it was completed in 2002 at a cost of approximately £44 million. It is named after the stadium's sponsors, telecommunications provider KC, formerly Kingston Communications, a subsidiary of the KCOM Group. The stadium is owned by Hull City Council
and operated by the Stadium Management Company (SMC), who are looking to expand the stadium up to 32,000.
The bowl-shaped stadium contains a continuous single tier of seats with a second tier on the west side. Its current capacity is 25,404. The stadium accommodates fans of its two tenants, association football
club Hull City A.F.C.
, which moved there from Boothferry Park
, and rugby league football
club Hull F.C., relocated from the Boulevard
. The ground also hosts international association football
and rugby league football
competitions and acts as a venue for concerts by musical artists, such as Elton John
and The Who
.
The idea of a new stadium for Kingston upon Hull
, whose professional football club Hull City had played at Boothferry Park
since 1946, was first mooted in 1997, but funds to finance such a project only became available when the city council
sold a portion of its holdings in Kingston Communications
. The council provided most of the funds, more than £42 million, with the rest stemming from government single regeneration budget grants and from the Football Stadium Improvement Fund.
The council appointed John Topliss to head the stadium construction project. He and his team partnered with consulting firm Drivers Jonas
to explore preliminary issues such as stadium location, seating capacity
, and facilities offered. Stated Mr. Topliss: "We had a totally blank canvas and, working with consultants, made a thorough assessment of what was needed."
The project team considered over a dozen sites, inside and outside of the city, before settling on The Circle in West Park. Factors contributing to the decision include transport guidance, central government planning guidelines, existing athletic facilities, isolation from residential areas, and council ownership.
The final recommendation of Drivers Jonas
included additional facilities for both indoor and outdoor sports for the people of West Hull in addition to the main stadium, planned to seat from 25,000 to 30,000 spectators. Professional services firm Arup Associates
provided initial concept proposals for the stadium. The Miller Partnership, an architectural and interior design firm, adopted these proposals during the stadium's design.
In spite of a number of obstacles during the course of the project, including Hull City A.F.C.
's receivership in 2001 (just after the granting of planning permission), the stadium complex was completed on time (in fourteen months) and on budget (at approximately GB£
44 million). The stadium opened its doors on 18 December 2002. Hull City beat Sunderland A.F.C.
1–0 in a friendly match
to mark the occasion. Steve Melton
scored the goal, the first at the KC Stadium.
The all-seater stadium consists of a single-tier, asymmetrical bowl that can seat approximately 20,000, with a second tier on the Cranswick plc West Stand that can seat approximately 5,000. Current capacity is 25,404. Plans provide for future expansion to a capacity of approximately 30,000 by the addition of a second tier on the Neil Hudgell Solicitors Community East Stand. Each stand has a name for corporate sponsorship purposes. On 4 July 2011, Hull City revealed that the stadium's west stand would be sponsored by the local Cranswick plc under a new two year agreement.
On 5 July 2011 it was announced the east stand would be sponsored by Neil Hudgell Solicitors and become known as the Neil Hudgell Solicitors Community East Stand.
Corporate hospitality is provided by 28 executive boxes located between the two tiers of the Cranswick plc West Stand, while security of the stadium is handled using 57 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras that cover the stadium. Over the summer of 2007, SMC installed an LED screen in the Smith & Nephew North Stand to replace the old electronic scoreboard. The screen has an area of approximately 40 m² (430 ft.²) and displays such content as live home game feeds, match highlights, interviews, and action replays.
The stadium's seats are mostly black, with a band of white and amber seats around the circumference. White and amber seats form the word Hull
in the north and south stands. In the Neil Hudgell Solicitors Community East Stand, the seats form an image of a coronet
, a symbol of the city that also appears in the club crest for Hull and in the coat of arms
of the city council. Black, white, and amber were chosen in order to remain neutral toward the colours of its two tenants: black and white for Hull and black and amber for Hull City A.F.C.
The blue and gold of owner Hull City Council
appear in the stadium's four external columns.
The size of the playing surface is 114 x 74 metres (125 x 81 yd
) and made of rye grass with a 3% additive of artificial grass. This provides ample room for a FIFA
-regulation association football pitch of 105 x 68 metres (115 x 74 yd
) and a standard rugby league football pitch of 100 x 68 metres (109 x 74 yd
). The playing surface has an automated watering system and below-surface heating.
Set within Hull's West Park, the stadium is the first in England to be built in a parkland setting. The stadium complex also includes the 1,500 seat Bonus Arena, a skate park, two multi-use all weather pitches, a community learning zone complete with classrooms, a health & fitness suite, a cyber cafe, and a library
.
The KC Stadium has received several honours. It was named the chief new development in Yorkshire at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
Pro-Yorkshire Awards It was also on the shortlist for the Prime Minister's Award for Better Public Building and received a high commendation in the British Construction Industry Awards in the Best Value category. In a 2005 poll that was carried out by Drivers Jonas
and decided by football fans from across the country, the KC Stadium was rated highest in comfort, services and view among all grounds in the Football League and was also rated the most-improved venue.
as home to Hull City A.F.C.
, and was the backdrop for the club's recent climb through the English Football League
. It first hosted the club's home games during the second half of the 2002–03 season; the first competitive match was against Hartlepool United
, a game that Hull City won by a score of 2–0. Hull City, nicknamed the Tigers, attracted an average attendance of almost 17,000 in their first full season at the KC Stadium, 2003–04. This figure is more than three times the average Third Division attendance for that season, and was only matched or exceeded by clubs in the Premier League and the First Division
. However, the level of support was not matched by on-field performances; the Tigers finished 13th in their first season at the KC Stadium. However, in 2003–04 (their first full season at the new ground), Hull won promotion as Third Division
runners-up, securing their place in the newly-named League One
(previously the Second Division). A second successive promotion to the Championship
, again as runners-up, followed in 2004–05.
Attendances for Hull City's league games at the KC Stadium have averaged above 16,000 in each full season they have played there. The stadium hosted Premier League football in the 2008–09 and 2009–10 seasons, with all 20,500 available season ticket
s selling out shortly after Hull City's Championship play-off
victory at Wembley Stadium
. The record attendance for a Premier League match is 25,030 set on 9 May 2010 for the last match of the season against Liverpool
beating the previous record of 25,023 set on 13 March 2010 against Arsenal
. While playing in the Championship, the record stood at 24,350 on 26 April 2008 for the visit of Crystal Palace
, beating that of 24,311 on 30 January 2007 for the visit of local rivals Leeds United
. Segregation between home fans and away fans prevents the stadium's stated capacity from being reached.
Plans were drawn up for the potential extension of the stadium following Hull City's promotion to the Premier League. 4,500 seats could be added in a second tier to the east stand, and 2,000 seats each in the north and south stands, giving the stadium a capacity of approximately 34,000. In 2011 the new Tigers owner Assem Allam
stated that he wants to buy the stadium from the current owners Hull City Council and expand it to a capacity of around 38,000.
. During their time at the KC Stadium, they have consistently ended each season on a high note: in 2003, the team just missed play-off qualification; in 2004, the club finished third. They finished fourth in 2005, and enjoyed even greater success in the Challenge Cup
, in which they beat the Leeds Rhinos
in the final. Hull FC reached the Super League
Grand Final in 2006. Attendances average around 14,000, but are often well above that figure when the club hosts local rivals Hull Kingston Rovers
, this local derby
producing a record crowd of 23,004 for the 2 September 2007 fixture.
association football games; in fact, a crowd of 25,280 attended one under-21 match between England and the Netherlands
in early 2004. The KC Stadium is now also a regular venue for international rugby league
games, and has hosted Great Britain
matches in both the Tri-Nations
and the Ashes
competitions. The stadium hosted the 2004 Tri-Nations match in which New Zealand lost by a score of 26–24. The stadium also hosted the Tri-Nations game between Great Britain and Australia in 2005; the final score was 26–14 to Australia.
In 2009, the KC Stadium was shortlisted as a possible venue for games at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
should England win the right to host it, but when the list of venues was announced on 16 December that year, the KC Stadium was not included.
It has also played host to two exhibition Twenty20 cricket matches between Yorkshire CCC and a Lashings World XI.
, Bryan Adams
, R.E.M.
, Bon Jovi
, and The Who
.
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
(Hull), England. Conceived as early as the late 1990s, it was completed in 2002 at a cost of approximately £44 million. It is named after the stadium's sponsors, telecommunications provider KC, formerly Kingston Communications, a subsidiary of the KCOM Group. The stadium is owned by Hull City Council
Hull City Council
Hull City Council is the governing body for the unitary authority and city of Kingston upon Hull. It was created in 1972 as the successor to the Corporation of Hull, which was also known as Hull Corporation....
and operated by the Stadium Management Company (SMC), who are looking to expand the stadium up to 32,000.
The bowl-shaped stadium contains a continuous single tier of seats with a second tier on the west side. Its current capacity is 25,404. The stadium accommodates fans of its two tenants, association 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...
club Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
, which moved there from Boothferry Park
Boothferry Park
Boothferry Park was a football stadium in Kingston upon Hull, and was home to the football club Hull City for over 50 years from 31 August 1946 until December 2002, when they moved to the Kingston Communications Stadium....
, and rugby league football
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
club Hull F.C., relocated from the Boulevard
The Boulevard (Stadium)
The Boulevard was a multi-purpose stadium in Hull, England. The venue was saved from demolition and reopened on 25 October 2007 as the home of greyhound racing in the city. It can also be used as a community stadium hosting amateur rugby league matches...
. The ground also hosts international association 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...
and rugby league football
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
competitions and acts as a venue for concerts by musical artists, such as Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
and The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
.
History
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, whose professional football club Hull City had played at Boothferry Park
Boothferry Park
Boothferry Park was a football stadium in Kingston upon Hull, and was home to the football club Hull City for over 50 years from 31 August 1946 until December 2002, when they moved to the Kingston Communications Stadium....
since 1946, was first mooted in 1997, but funds to finance such a project only became available when the city council
Hull City Council
Hull City Council is the governing body for the unitary authority and city of Kingston upon Hull. It was created in 1972 as the successor to the Corporation of Hull, which was also known as Hull Corporation....
sold a portion of its holdings in Kingston Communications
Kingston Communications
KCOM Group , formerly known as Kingston Communications, is a UK communications and IT services provider. Its headquarters is in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, where subsidiary business unit KC serves local residents and businesses with Internet and telephony services...
. The council provided most of the funds, more than £42 million, with the rest stemming from government single regeneration budget grants and from the Football Stadium Improvement Fund.
The council appointed John Topliss to head the stadium construction project. He and his team partnered with consulting firm Drivers Jonas
Drivers Jonas
Drivers Jonas was a longstanding private partnership of chartered surveyors in the United Kingdom. It was among the oldest firms of its kind in the world, having been founded in 1725. It was known for its public sector work, with contracts in defence, county councils, government offices and...
to explore preliminary issues such as stadium location, seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
, and facilities offered. Stated Mr. Topliss: "We had a totally blank canvas and, working with consultants, made a thorough assessment of what was needed."
The project team considered over a dozen sites, inside and outside of the city, before settling on The Circle in West Park. Factors contributing to the decision include transport guidance, central government planning guidelines, existing athletic facilities, isolation from residential areas, and council ownership.
The final recommendation of Drivers Jonas
Drivers Jonas
Drivers Jonas was a longstanding private partnership of chartered surveyors in the United Kingdom. It was among the oldest firms of its kind in the world, having been founded in 1725. It was known for its public sector work, with contracts in defence, county councils, government offices and...
included additional facilities for both indoor and outdoor sports for the people of West Hull in addition to the main stadium, planned to seat from 25,000 to 30,000 spectators. Professional services firm Arup Associates
Arup
Arup is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom which provides engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment. The firm is present in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, East Asia, Europe and the...
provided initial concept proposals for the stadium. The Miller Partnership, an architectural and interior design firm, adopted these proposals during the stadium's design.
In spite of a number of obstacles during the course of the project, including Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
's receivership in 2001 (just after the granting of planning permission), the stadium complex was completed on time (in fourteen months) and on budget (at approximately GB£
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
44 million). The stadium opened its doors on 18 December 2002. Hull City beat Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
1–0 in a friendly match
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
to mark the occasion. Steve Melton
Steve Melton
Steve Melton is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Grantham Town. Melton played as a professional in the Football League from 1996 until 2006, featuring for Nottingham Forest, Stoke City, Brighton & Hove Albion, Hull City and Boston United...
scored the goal, the first at the KC Stadium.
Structure and facilities
| Stand | Location | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Smith & Nephew Smith & Nephew Smith & Nephew plc is a global medical devices company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest producer of arthroscopy products, second-largest producer of advanced wound management products, third-largest producer of trauma and clinical therapy products and... |
North | 4,000 |
| Neil Hudgell Solicitors Community | East | 6,000 |
| MKM | South | 4,000 |
| Cranswick plc | Lower West | 6,000 |
| Upper West | 5,000 |
The all-seater stadium consists of a single-tier, asymmetrical bowl that can seat approximately 20,000, with a second tier on the Cranswick plc West Stand that can seat approximately 5,000. Current capacity is 25,404. Plans provide for future expansion to a capacity of approximately 30,000 by the addition of a second tier on the Neil Hudgell Solicitors Community East Stand. Each stand has a name for corporate sponsorship purposes. On 4 July 2011, Hull City revealed that the stadium's west stand would be sponsored by the local Cranswick plc under a new two year agreement.
On 5 July 2011 it was announced the east stand would be sponsored by Neil Hudgell Solicitors and become known as the Neil Hudgell Solicitors Community East Stand.
Corporate hospitality is provided by 28 executive boxes located between the two tiers of the Cranswick plc West Stand, while security of the stadium is handled using 57 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras that cover the stadium. Over the summer of 2007, SMC installed an LED screen in the Smith & Nephew North Stand to replace the old electronic scoreboard. The screen has an area of approximately 40 m² (430 ft.²) and displays such content as live home game feeds, match highlights, interviews, and action replays.
The stadium's seats are mostly black, with a band of white and amber seats around the circumference. White and amber seats form the word Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
in the north and south stands. In the Neil Hudgell Solicitors Community East Stand, the seats form an image of a coronet
Coronet
A coronet is a small crown consisting of ornaments fixed on a metal ring. Unlike a crown, a coronet never has arches.The word stems from the Old French coronete, a diminutive of coronne , itself from the Latin corona .Traditionally, such headgear is – as indicated by the German equivalent...
, a symbol of the city that also appears in the club crest for Hull and in the coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of the city council. Black, white, and amber were chosen in order to remain neutral toward the colours of its two tenants: black and white for Hull and black and amber for Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
The blue and gold of owner Hull City Council
Hull City Council
Hull City Council is the governing body for the unitary authority and city of Kingston upon Hull. It was created in 1972 as the successor to the Corporation of Hull, which was also known as Hull Corporation....
appear in the stadium's four external columns.
The size of the playing surface is 114 x 74 metres (125 x 81 yd
Yard
A yard is a unit of length in several different systems including English units, Imperial units and United States customary units. It is equal to 3 feet or 36 inches...
) and made of rye grass with a 3% additive of artificial grass. This provides ample room for a FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
-regulation association football pitch of 105 x 68 metres (115 x 74 yd
Yard
A yard is a unit of length in several different systems including English units, Imperial units and United States customary units. It is equal to 3 feet or 36 inches...
) and a standard rugby league football pitch of 100 x 68 metres (109 x 74 yd
Yard
A yard is a unit of length in several different systems including English units, Imperial units and United States customary units. It is equal to 3 feet or 36 inches...
). The playing surface has an automated watering system and below-surface heating.
Set within Hull's West Park, the stadium is the first in England to be built in a parkland setting. The stadium complex also includes the 1,500 seat Bonus Arena, a skate park, two multi-use all weather pitches, a community learning zone complete with classrooms, a health & fitness suite, a cyber cafe, and a library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
.
The KC Stadium has received several honours. It was named the chief new development in Yorkshire at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is an independent, representative professional body which regulates property professionals and surveyors in the United Kingdom and other sovereign nations....
Pro-Yorkshire Awards It was also on the shortlist for the Prime Minister's Award for Better Public Building and received a high commendation in the British Construction Industry Awards in the Best Value category. In a 2005 poll that was carried out by Drivers Jonas
Drivers Jonas
Drivers Jonas was a longstanding private partnership of chartered surveyors in the United Kingdom. It was among the oldest firms of its kind in the world, having been founded in 1725. It was known for its public sector work, with contracts in defence, county councils, government offices and...
and decided by football fans from across the country, the KC Stadium was rated highest in comfort, services and view among all grounds in the Football League and was also rated the most-improved venue.
Tenants
| Season | League | Attendance |
|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | Championship Football League Championship The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League... |
21,168 |
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 24,390 |
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 24,816 |
| 2007–08 | Championship Football League Championship The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League... |
18,024 |
| 2006–07 | Championship Football League Championship The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League... |
18,583 |
| 2005–06 | Championship Football League Championship The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League... |
19,841 |
| 2004–05 | League One | 18,027 |
| 2003–04 | Division Three | 16,846 |
Hull City A.F.C.
The stadium replaced Boothferry ParkBoothferry Park
Boothferry Park was a football stadium in Kingston upon Hull, and was home to the football club Hull City for over 50 years from 31 August 1946 until December 2002, when they moved to the Kingston Communications Stadium....
as home to Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
, and was the backdrop for the club's recent climb through the English Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
. It first hosted the club's home games during the second half of the 2002–03 season; the first competitive match was against Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
, a game that Hull City won by a score of 2–0. Hull City, nicknamed the Tigers, attracted an average attendance of almost 17,000 in their first full season at the KC Stadium, 2003–04. This figure is more than three times the average Third Division attendance for that season, and was only matched or exceeded by clubs in the Premier League and the First Division
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....
. However, the level of support was not matched by on-field performances; the Tigers finished 13th in their first season at the KC Stadium. However, in 2003–04 (their first full season at the new ground), Hull won promotion as Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
runners-up, securing their place in the newly-named League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
(previously the Second Division). A second successive promotion to the Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
, again as runners-up, followed in 2004–05.
Attendances for Hull City's league games at the KC Stadium have averaged above 16,000 in each full season they have played there. The stadium hosted Premier League football in the 2008–09 and 2009–10 seasons, with all 20,500 available season ticket
Season ticket
A season ticket is a ticket that grants privileges over a defined period of time.-Sport:In sport, a season ticket grants the holder access to all regular-season home games for one season without additional charges. The ticket usually offers a discounted price over purchasing a ticket for each of...
s selling out shortly after Hull City's Championship play-off
Football League Play-Offs
The Football League play-offs are an annual series of football matches to determine some of the promotion places within the Football League. Essentially, each division of the league offers a certain number of automatic promotion places to the top two or three clubs. A further promotion place is...
victory at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
. The record attendance for a Premier League match is 25,030 set on 9 May 2010 for the last match of the season against Liverpool
Liverpool 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...
beating the previous record of 25,023 set on 13 March 2010 against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. While playing in the Championship, the record stood at 24,350 on 26 April 2008 for the visit of Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
, beating that of 24,311 on 30 January 2007 for the visit of local rivals Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
. Segregation between home fans and away fans prevents the stadium's stated capacity from being reached.
Plans were drawn up for the potential extension of the stadium following Hull City's promotion to the Premier League. 4,500 seats could be added in a second tier to the east stand, and 2,000 seats each in the north and south stands, giving the stadium a capacity of approximately 34,000. In 2011 the new Tigers owner Assem Allam
Assem Allam
Dr.Assem Allam is an East Riding of Yorkshire-based, Egyptian-born businessman, owner of Allam Marine, an industrial generator manufacturer, and owner of Football League Championship side, Hull City.-Background:...
stated that he wants to buy the stadium from the current owners Hull City Council and expand it to a capacity of around 38,000.
| Season | Attendance |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 13,731 |
| 2009 | 13,244 |
| 2008 | 13,432 |
| 2007 | 14,606 |
| 2006 | 10,866 |
| 2005 | 10,604 |
| 2004 | 11,458 |
| 2003 | 11,598 |
Hull FC
Hull play their home games at the stadium, having relocated from the BoulevardThe Boulevard (Stadium)
The Boulevard was a multi-purpose stadium in Hull, England. The venue was saved from demolition and reopened on 25 October 2007 as the home of greyhound racing in the city. It can also be used as a community stadium hosting amateur rugby league matches...
. During their time at the KC Stadium, they have consistently ended each season on a high note: in 2003, the team just missed play-off qualification; in 2004, the club finished third. They finished fourth in 2005, and enjoyed even greater success in the Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
, in which they beat the Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
in the final. Hull FC reached the Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
Grand Final in 2006. Attendances average around 14,000, but are often well above that figure when the club hosts local rivals Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers or Hull KR is an English professional rugby league football club based in Hull, England. The club formed in 1882 and currently competes in Super League, having won promotion from National League One in 2006...
, this local derby
Local derby
In many countries the term local derby, or simply just derby means a sporting fixture between two, generally local, rivals, particularly in association football...
producing a record crowd of 23,004 for the 2 September 2007 fixture.
Other sporting events
The stadium has hosted several England Under-21sEngland national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
association football games; in fact, a crowd of 25,280 attended one under-21 match between England and the Netherlands
Netherlands national under-21 football team
The Netherlands national under-21 football team is the national under-21 team of the Netherlands and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association. The team competes in the European Under-21 Championship, held every two years....
in early 2004. The KC Stadium is now also a regular venue for international rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
games, and has hosted Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
matches in both the Tri-Nations
Rugby League Tri-Nations
The Rugby League Tri-Nations was a rugby league tournament involving the top three nations in the sport: Australia, Great Britain and New Zealand...
and the Ashes
Rugby League Ashes
The Ashes is the name given to the trophy awarded to the winner of a best-of-three series of rugby league football test series between Great Britain and Australia...
competitions. The stadium hosted the 2004 Tri-Nations match in which New Zealand lost by a score of 26–24. The stadium also hosted the Tri-Nations game between Great Britain and Australia in 2005; the final score was 26–14 to Australia.
In 2009, the KC Stadium was shortlisted as a possible venue for games at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
2018 FIFA World Cup
The bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups was the process by which the locations for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups were selected. The process began officially in March 2009; eleven bids from thirteen countries were received, including one which was withdrawn and one that was...
should England win the right to host it, but when the list of venues was announced on 16 December that year, the KC Stadium was not included.
It has also played host to two exhibition Twenty20 cricket matches between Yorkshire CCC and a Lashings World XI.
Concerts
As well as serving as a sporting venue, the KC Stadium also hosts musical events, including such artists as Sir Elton JohnElton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
, R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
, Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
, and The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
.