Matchroom Stadium
Encyclopedia
Brisbane Road, currently referred to as the Matchroom Stadium for sponsorship purposes and originally known as Osborne Road, is a football stadium
in Brisbane Road, Leyton
, east London
, England
. It has been the home ground of Leyton Orient F.C.
since 1937, prior to which it was the home of amateur football team Leyton F.C.
, who moved to the Hare and Hounds ground. The highest attendance at the ground was 34,345 for the visit of West Ham United
in the 1964 FA Cup
. It has hosted a number of England U-16
and England women’s team
matches in the past. In 2008, it hosted the women’s League Cup final. It is also home of the Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
reserves.
Brisbane Road has seen several developments in its history, but due to the Second World War the first major improvement was the levelling of a grass bank and crash barrier installation in 1949. The terracing behind the goals was improved again in 1952, 1959 and 1960. In 1956 a small seated stand was dismantled and replaced with a stand from the decrepit Mitcham Stadium, which held 2,600 fans. In 1962, with Leyton Orient gaining promotion to the First Division, another wing was added to the main stand making the seating total 3,500. In 1978 the West Stand was converted into all-seating. In 1996 the terracing at the southern end of the ground was demolished, and used as a car park while Lottery
funding to build a stand was (unsuccessfully) sought. The South Stand was eventually built in 1999, and was renamed The Tommy Johnston
Stand on 5 September 2008.
The ground is named after Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn
's sports promotion company, Matchroom Sport
, prior to which it was officially the Leyton Stadium, though fans still refer to it as Brisbane Road. The club registered an interest into moving into the Olympic Stadium
following the 2012 Olympics, as the original plan was for this to have a capacity of about 25,000; however, the club's average attendance of about 5,000 meant that this was in no way a probable move. The eventual bids from both West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur to move into the Stadium, with capacity nearer 60,000, effectively ended Orient's interest. Brisbane Road is in very close proximity to both the Olympic Park
and also Hackney Marshes
.
The West Stand is the new main stand at Brisbane Road and currently seats home supporters only. It has a capacity of 2,918 (also 23 disabled supporters + 23 helpers). The letters L O F C are marked into the seats in black. It is also home to the club's offices, and the club superstore and ticket office are at the back of this stand. There is also a row of executive seating (the Director's Balcony) above the main seating which overhangs the rest of the stand, and the Olympic Suite which offers corporate hospitality. This stand also has premium seating (with its own bar) in its centre, known as the Gallery. It has two refreshment outlets at either end underneath the stand and it is accessed by turnstiles at either end via Oliver Road, or via the main reception for Gallery members and Olympic Suite diners.
The players' changing rooms are also located underneath this stand and players emerge from the tunnel here. The dugouts are also located at the front of this stand after being moved from the opposite East Stand for the start of the 2006-07 season.
The East Stand, previously the main stand, is the oldest stand at Brisbane Road and is used by both home and away supporters. When an away team is allocated the entire stand for safety or other reasons, Orient fans in the North half of the stand are required to move elsewhere to accommodate the extra away fans. The capacity of the Northern end of this stand is 2,133 and the Southern end is 1,459. There are also executive seats in the middle of the stand (the old directors' box, now known as the Wyvern Suite) but these are not ordinarily used by any supporters.
The recently built North Stand was completed for the start of the 2007-08 season and is currently used as a family stand. It replaces a former open terrace and now has a large block of flats behind the stand. It has a capacity of 1,351 plus provision for 15 disabled supporters and 15 helpers, and has the letters L O F C marked into the seats in black. Access to this stand is by turnstiles at each end of the stand and there are two refreshment outlets located underneath the stand.
This stand was built in 1999 and was formerly called the South Stand. It was re-named in 2008 in memory of Leyton Orient's record goalscorer Tommy Johnston
. It is currently for home supporters only and has a capacity of 1,336. It has a refreshment outlet and a bar underneath the stand and is accessed through turnstiles from Buckingham Road. It has the word ORIENT marked into the seats in white.
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 Brisbane Road, Leyton
Leyton
Leyton is an area of north-east London and part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, located north east of Charing Cross. It borders Walthamstow and Leytonstone; Stratford in Newham; and Homerton and Lower Clapton in the London Borough of Hackney....
, east London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 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...
. It has been the home ground of Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
since 1937, prior to which it was the home of amateur football team Leyton F.C.
Leyton F.C.
Leyton Football Club are an English association football club based in Leyton, in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. As of January 2011, they are not in a senior league, after withdrawing from the Isthmian League Division One North...
, who moved to the Hare and Hounds ground. The highest attendance at the ground was 34,345 for the visit of West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
in the 1964 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...
. It has hosted a number of England U-16
England national under-16 football team
-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the Victory Shield match against Scotland.-Recent call-ups:The following players have also been called up to the England U-16 squad and remain eligible.-External links:*...
and England women’s team
England women's national football team
The England women's national football team represents England in international women's football. The side has been quite successful of late, qualifying for three World Cups, 1995, 2007 and 2011...
matches in the past. In 2008, it hosted the women’s League Cup final. It is also home of the Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
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....
reserves.
Brisbane Road has seen several developments in its history, but due to the Second World War the first major improvement was the levelling of a grass bank and crash barrier installation in 1949. The terracing behind the goals was improved again in 1952, 1959 and 1960. In 1956 a small seated stand was dismantled and replaced with a stand from the decrepit Mitcham Stadium, which held 2,600 fans. In 1962, with Leyton Orient gaining promotion to the First Division, another wing was added to the main stand making the seating total 3,500. In 1978 the West Stand was converted into all-seating. In 1996 the terracing at the southern end of the ground was demolished, and used as a car park while Lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
funding to build a stand was (unsuccessfully) sought. The South Stand was eventually built in 1999, and was renamed The Tommy Johnston
Tommy Johnston
Thomas Bourhill "Tommy" Johnston was a Scottish-born footballer.Johnston was the top scorer of Division 2 for the 1957–58 season with 43 goals for Leyton Orient and Blackburn Rovers....
Stand on 5 September 2008.
The ground is named after Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn
Barry Hearn
Barry Hearn is an English sporting events promoter, and the founder and chairman of promotions company Matchroom Sport. He is currently the chairman of Leyton Orient F.C., and the Professional Darts Corporation and was also until July 2010 chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker...
's sports promotion company, Matchroom Sport
Matchroom Sport
Matchroom Sport is a sport event promotions company founded by the English entrepreneur Barry Hearn. It first came to attention in the sports of snooker and boxing and is also involved in pool, bowling, golf , fishing, darts and poker...
, prior to which it was officially the Leyton Stadium, though fans still refer to it as Brisbane Road. The club registered an interest into moving into the Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium (London)
The London Olympic Stadium will be the centrepiece of the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. The stadium is located at Marshgate Lane in Stratford in the Lower Lea Valley and has capacity for the Games of approximately 80,000 making it temporarily the third largest stadium in Britain behind...
following the 2012 Olympics, as the original plan was for this to have a capacity of about 25,000; however, the club's average attendance of about 5,000 meant that this was in no way a probable move. The eventual bids from both West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur to move into the Stadium, with capacity nearer 60,000, effectively ended Orient's interest. Brisbane Road is in very close proximity to both the Olympic Park
Olympic Park, London
The Olympic Park in London is a new sporting complex currently under construction, adjacent to the Stratford City development in Stratford, Bow, Leyton & Homerton in East London for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics....
and also Hackney Marshes
Hackney Marshes
Hackney Marshes is an area of grassland on the western bank of the River Lea in the London Borough of Hackney. It was incorporated into the Lee Valley Park in 1967...
.
West Stand
Capacity: 2,918The West Stand is the new main stand at Brisbane Road and currently seats home supporters only. It has a capacity of 2,918 (also 23 disabled supporters + 23 helpers). The letters L O F C are marked into the seats in black. It is also home to the club's offices, and the club superstore and ticket office are at the back of this stand. There is also a row of executive seating (the Director's Balcony) above the main seating which overhangs the rest of the stand, and the Olympic Suite which offers corporate hospitality. This stand also has premium seating (with its own bar) in its centre, known as the Gallery. It has two refreshment outlets at either end underneath the stand and it is accessed by turnstiles at either end via Oliver Road, or via the main reception for Gallery members and Olympic Suite diners.
The players' changing rooms are also located underneath this stand and players emerge from the tunnel here. The dugouts are also located at the front of this stand after being moved from the opposite East Stand for the start of the 2006-07 season.
East Stand
Capacity: 3,636The East Stand, previously the main stand, is the oldest stand at Brisbane Road and is used by both home and away supporters. When an away team is allocated the entire stand for safety or other reasons, Orient fans in the North half of the stand are required to move elsewhere to accommodate the extra away fans. The capacity of the Northern end of this stand is 2,133 and the Southern end is 1,459. There are also executive seats in the middle of the stand (the old directors' box, now known as the Wyvern Suite) but these are not ordinarily used by any supporters.
- East Stand North: 2,133 (also 15 disabled supporters + 15 helpers)
- East Stand South (away): 1,459 (also 7 disabled supporters + 7 helpers)
North Family Stand
Capacity: 1,381The recently built North Stand was completed for the start of the 2007-08 season and is currently used as a family stand. It replaces a former open terrace and now has a large block of flats behind the stand. It has a capacity of 1,351 plus provision for 15 disabled supporters and 15 helpers, and has the letters L O F C marked into the seats in black. Access to this stand is by turnstiles at each end of the stand and there are two refreshment outlets located underneath the stand.
Tommy Johnston Stand
Capacity: 1,336This stand was built in 1999 and was formerly called the South Stand. It was re-named in 2008 in memory of Leyton Orient's record goalscorer Tommy Johnston
Tommy Johnston
Thomas Bourhill "Tommy" Johnston was a Scottish-born footballer.Johnston was the top scorer of Division 2 for the 1957–58 season with 43 goals for Leyton Orient and Blackburn Rovers....
. It is currently for home supporters only and has a capacity of 1,336. It has a refreshment outlet and a bar underneath the stand and is accessed through turnstiles from Buckingham Road. It has the word ORIENT marked into the seats in white.
Men's Football
Women's Football
External links
- Brisbane Road on leytonorient.com
- Picture Gallery Brisbane Road on londonfootballguide.com