Vale Park
Encyclopedia
Vale Park is a football stadium in Burslem
, Stoke-on-Trent
, England
. It is the home ground of Port Vale F.C.
, who have played at the ground since 1950.
The ground has seen its capacity go up and down, its peak being 42,000 in 1954 against Blackpool
, although a club record 49,768 managed to squeeze in for a 1960 FA Cup
fifth round fixture against Aston Villa
. It now has a notional capacity of around 22,000; however with all the developments and a switch to an all-seater stadium in recent years, it is more likely around 19,000 once the Lorne Street stand is completed.
it is the eleventh highest ground in the country, and second highest in the Football League
. The pitch is clay
underneath the grass, rather than sand
. These two factors make the pitch vulnerable to freezing temperatures. There is also a coal
seam under the pitch, and numerous mine shafts
dotted around the local area, including many under the park opposite the ground. The Head Groundsman is Steve Speed, as of September 2011. He was one of three groundsmen nominated for the League Two Groundsmen of the Year award in 2009.
The Vale Park pitch is one of the widest in the Football League
.
by Stoke-on-Trent City Council, plans for a new stadium in a new area began to be made. In 1944 Hamil Road – the site of a former clay pit – was chosen, a site opposite Burslem Park, where the club had played its football in the early years of its existence. The development became known as The Wembley of the North
due to the planned size of the stadium, plans which included an 80,000 capacity with room for 1,000 parked cars. The club's leadership had not allowed the club's third tier status or their lack of money to curb their ambition. Life-time seats were sold for £100 (the price of admission for roughly 200 matches) but less than 100 fans bought them. Also costing £100, the pitch was the most expensive ever laid in the country at the time.
The ground opened in 1950 having eventually cost £50,000, and boasting a capacity of 40,000 (360 seated). The original ground consisted of just two stands (Railway stand and the Lorne Street main stand) with banks of terracing at the Bycars and Hamil ends of the ground. The first match was a 1–0 victory over Newport County
on 24 August 1950
in front of 30,196 rain-soaked spectators. Walter Aveyard
took the honour of being the first to score at the ground. On the same day the stadium's name was revealed for the first time – Vale Park.
Vale Park initially had problems with drainage, leaving many games of the 1950–51
to be postponed. The problem was finally resolved in summer 1960
, when new drains were installed to help ease the winter mud spots.
In summer 1951
, 578 seats were installed on the Railway Terrace, bringing the seated capacity of Vale Park to 1,010. In 1954 the Railway Stand was built, as capacity gradually increased to 50,000 by the end of the decade. On 24 September 1958
, Vale Park saw its first match under the new £17,000 floodlights
, as the club beat West Bromwich Albion
5–3.
In summer 1973
, the club erected a 2.5 feet high steel fence around the Bycars End to help combat hooliganism. A rare event occurred on 17 January 1976
, when the Vale directors permitted rivals
Stoke to play a home game to Middlesbrough
at Vale Park. This happened because a severe gale severely damaged the Victoria Ground
, whilst the gale also caused £2,000 worth of damage to Vale Park, the damage to Stoke's ground was much more severe. A crowd of 21,009 saw Stoke win 1–0.
In summer 1985
new safety regulations reduced Vale Park's capacity down to 16,800, and later again to 16,300. The summer of 1988
saw Vale Park given a £40,000 upgrade to repair the floodlights and a £20,000 electronic scoreboard
was installed at the Hamil End. Three executive boxes were also purchased from Newcastle United
, whilst facilities were opened to the local community. The following year
the stadium was upgraded at a cost of £250,000, though grants helped to halve the cost for the club itself. In November 1989 a £100,000 disabled stand was installed –the first purpose built enclosure of its kind in the country. Despite this effort, inspectors closed the Bycars End down due to safety issues, and reduced the stadium's capacity to 12,000 after cutting the capacity of the Railway Paddock by two-thirds. In summer 1990
, 3,750 yellow and white seats were fitted in the Railway Paddock, and 1,121 seats were added to the upper tier of the Bycars End. The Bycars End roof was also removed for safety reasons, whilst a police box was constructed between the Railway Paddock and the Hamil End. The paddock at the front of the Railway Stand was later made into an all-seated area, with just the Lorne Street side left as a standing area. Vale fans stood for the last time on Lorne Street at the end of the 1997–98
season, with the stand being demolished before work began on a new £3 million structure. Work has yet to been finished on this, due to lack of finances and a change in ownership of the club.
The Valiant 2001 Charter stated that Bratt's management team would invest £400,000 to install under-soil heating in mid-2002, and to also quickly complete the Lorne Street stand. However, as of 2011, both these procedures remain in the planning stage.
fifth round fixture against Aston Villa
. Other historic matches include the defeat of two reigning FA Cup champions in the competition, as Stanley Matthews
' Blackpool
were beaten 2–0 in February 1954, and then 42 years later holders Everton
were dumped out 2–1.
The biggest victory in a competitive match came in December 1958 when Gateshead
were pushed aside 8–0.
The stadium has hosted three England under-18
games. The first was a 7–2 win over Switzerland in November 1992 (which saw a Robbie Fowler
hat-trick); the second was a 1–1 draw with Romania in September 1993; and the third was a goalless draw with Norway in June 2005.
The Lorne Street Stand is relatively new, seating 5,000, with 48 executive boxes, however it is yet to be completed. At the time of the stadium's construction it was intended to be the grandstand stadium.
The away stand has a capacity of 4,500. It holds the electronic scoreboard.
, Mahogany Rush
, Triumph
, Riot
and Vardis
. Around 20,000 attended the concert, raising £25,000 for the club.
In 1985 local American football
team the Stoke Spitfires used the ground to play their sport.
Burslem
The town of Burslem, known as the Mother Town, is one of the six towns that amalgamated to form the current city of Stoke-on-Trent, in the ceremonial county of Staffordshire, in the Midlands of England.-Topography:...
, Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
, 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 is the home ground of Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
, who have played at the ground since 1950.
The ground has seen its capacity go up and down, its peak being 42,000 in 1954 against Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
, although a club record 49,768 managed to squeeze in for a 1960 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...
fifth round fixture against Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
. It now has a notional capacity of around 22,000; however with all the developments and a switch to an all-seater stadium in recent years, it is more likely around 19,000 once the Lorne Street stand is completed.
Overview
At 520 feet above sea levelSea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
it is the eleventh highest ground in the country, and second highest in the 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...
. The pitch is clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
underneath the grass, rather than sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
. These two factors make the pitch vulnerable to freezing temperatures. There is also a coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
seam under the pitch, and numerous mine shafts
Shaft mining
Shaft mining or shaft sinking refers to the method of excavating a vertical or near-vertical tunnel from the top down, where there is initially no access to the bottom....
dotted around the local area, including many under the park opposite the ground. The Head Groundsman is Steve Speed, as of September 2011. He was one of three groundsmen nominated for the League Two Groundsmen of the Year award in 2009.
The Vale Park pitch is one of the widest in the 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...
.
History
Following the club being informed that they would be kicked out of The Old Recreation GroundThe Old Recreation Ground
The Old Recreation Ground was a football stadium, located in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent and home to Port Vale for almost 40 years. The Rec had been Vale's home between 1913 and 1950 and was the sixth ground the club used.-Structure and facilities:...
by Stoke-on-Trent City Council, plans for a new stadium in a new area began to be made. In 1944 Hamil Road – the site of a former clay pit – was chosen, a site opposite Burslem Park, where the club had played its football in the early years of its existence. The development became known as The Wembley of the North
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
due to the planned size of the stadium, plans which included an 80,000 capacity with room for 1,000 parked cars. The club's leadership had not allowed the club's third tier status or their lack of money to curb their ambition. Life-time seats were sold for £100 (the price of admission for roughly 200 matches) but less than 100 fans bought them. Also costing £100, the pitch was the most expensive ever laid in the country at the time.
The ground opened in 1950 having eventually cost £50,000, and boasting a capacity of 40,000 (360 seated). The original ground consisted of just two stands (Railway stand and the Lorne Street main stand) with banks of terracing at the Bycars and Hamil ends of the ground. The first match was a 1–0 victory over Newport County
Newport County A.F.C.
Newport County Association Football Club are a professional football club based in the city of Newport, south Wales, who currently play in the Conference National, the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
on 24 August 1950
1950–51 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1950–51 season was Port Vale's thirty-ninth season of football in the Football League, and their sixth full season in the Third Division South. It was the first season to be played at Vale Park, and Roy Sproson also made his debut for the club. In the FA Cup there was excitement as the Vale...
in front of 30,196 rain-soaked spectators. Walter Aveyard
Walter Aveyard
Walter Aveyard was an English footballer who made more than 100 appearances in the Football League, playing for Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham City, Port Vale and Accrington Stanley.-Playing career:...
took the honour of being the first to score at the ground. On the same day the stadium's name was revealed for the first time – Vale Park.
Vale Park initially had problems with drainage, leaving many games of the 1950–51
1950–51 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1950–51 season was Port Vale's thirty-ninth season of football in the Football League, and their sixth full season in the Third Division South. It was the first season to be played at Vale Park, and Roy Sproson also made his debut for the club. In the FA Cup there was excitement as the Vale...
to be postponed. The problem was finally resolved in summer 1960
1960–61 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1960–61 season was Port Vale's forty-ninth season of football in the Football League, and their second season in the Third Division. Aiming for promotion, the club were disappointed with their eventual seventh place finish. The first season of the League Cup ended for Vale at the Second Round,...
, when new drains were installed to help ease the winter mud spots.
In summer 1951
1951–52 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1951–52 season was Port Vale's fortieth season of football in the Football League, and their seventh full season in the Third Division South. Manager Ivor Powell did not last long, and was replaced by Freddie Steele in December. Steele would later prove to be one of the club's greatest and...
, 578 seats were installed on the Railway Terrace, bringing the seated capacity of Vale Park to 1,010. In 1954 the Railway Stand was built, as capacity gradually increased to 50,000 by the end of the decade. On 24 September 1958
1958–59 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1958–59 season was Port Vale's forty-seventh season of football in the Football League, and their first season in the newly created Fourth Division following their relegation from the Third Division South. They scored a club-record 110 goals in 46 league matches to storm to the Fourth Division...
, Vale Park saw its first match under the new £17,000 floodlights
Floodlights (sport)
Floodlights are broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial lights often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions....
, as the club beat West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
5–3.
In summer 1973
1973–74 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1973–74 season was Port Vale's sixty-second season of football in the Football League, and their fourth successive season in the Third Division. They finished in twentieth spot, though were seven points clear of relegation...
, the club erected a 2.5 feet high steel fence around the Bycars End to help combat hooliganism. A rare event occurred on 17 January 1976
1975–76 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1975–76 season was Port Vale's sixty-fourth season of football in the Football League, and their sixth successive season in the Third Division. Manager Roy Sproson brought Mick Cullerton back to Vale Park, and Cullerton was to become the top-scorer for the season with 21 goals...
, when the Vale directors permitted rivals
Potteries derby
The Potteries derby is the football local derby in Stoke-on-Trent between Port Vale and Stoke City. The fans of each club both consider the other to be their main rivals; this has led to a heated atmosphere at these matches, especially with the rise of football hooliganism and the 'Naughty Forty'...
Stoke to play a home game to Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
at Vale Park. This happened because a severe gale severely damaged the Victoria Ground
Victoria Ground
Victoria Ground may refer to:*Victoria Ground, the former name of Hartlepool United’s ground Victoria Park.*Victoria Ground, Stoke City’s ground from 1878 to 1997.*Victoria Ground, current home of Bromsgrove Rovers...
, whilst the gale also caused £2,000 worth of damage to Vale Park, the damage to Stoke's ground was much more severe. A crowd of 21,009 saw Stoke win 1–0.
In summer 1985
1985–86 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1985–86 season was Port Vale's seventy-fourth season of football in the Football League, and second successive season in the Fourth Division. John Rudge achieved his first success as manager, leading Vale to promotion into the Third Division with a fourth place finish...
new safety regulations reduced Vale Park's capacity down to 16,800, and later again to 16,300. The summer of 1988
1988–89 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1988–89 season was Port Vale's seventy-seventh season of football in the Football League, and third successive season in the Third Division. They achieved promotion to the Second Division with a 2–1 aggregate win over Bristol Rovers in the two-legged play-off Final...
saw Vale Park given a £40,000 upgrade to repair the floodlights and a £20,000 electronic scoreboard
Scoreboard
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...
was installed at the Hamil End. Three executive boxes were also purchased from Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
, whilst facilities were opened to the local community. The following year
1989–90 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1989–90 season was Port Vale's seventy-eighth season of football in the Football League, and first season back in the Second Division following their promotion from the Third Division. They were playing in the second tier, and at the same level as rivals Stoke City, for the first time since...
the stadium was upgraded at a cost of £250,000, though grants helped to halve the cost for the club itself. In November 1989 a £100,000 disabled stand was installed –the first purpose built enclosure of its kind in the country. Despite this effort, inspectors closed the Bycars End down due to safety issues, and reduced the stadium's capacity to 12,000 after cutting the capacity of the Railway Paddock by two-thirds. In summer 1990
1990–91 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1990–91 season was Port Vale's seventy-ninth season of football in the Football League, and second successive season in the Second Division. For the first time since 1926–27 they played in a league above rivals Stoke City...
, 3,750 yellow and white seats were fitted in the Railway Paddock, and 1,121 seats were added to the upper tier of the Bycars End. The Bycars End roof was also removed for safety reasons, whilst a police box was constructed between the Railway Paddock and the Hamil End. The paddock at the front of the Railway Stand was later made into an all-seated area, with just the Lorne Street side left as a standing area. Vale fans stood for the last time on Lorne Street at the end of the 1997–98
1997–98 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1997–98 season was Port Vale's eighty-sixth season of football in the Football League, and fourth successive season in the First Division. John Rudge managed to mastermind a final day escape from relegation, as rivals Stoke City instead lost their second tier status, leaving Vale as the top...
season, with the stand being demolished before work began on a new £3 million structure. Work has yet to been finished on this, due to lack of finances and a change in ownership of the club.
The Valiant 2001 Charter stated that Bratt's management team would invest £400,000 to install under-soil heating in mid-2002, and to also quickly complete the Lorne Street stand. However, as of 2011, both these procedures remain in the planning stage.
Historic matches
A club record 49,768 managed to squeeze in for a 1960 FA CupFA 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...
fifth round fixture against Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
. Other historic matches include the defeat of two reigning FA Cup champions in the competition, as Stanley Matthews
Stanley Matthews
Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE was an English footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the English game, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers'...
' Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
were beaten 2–0 in February 1954, and then 42 years later holders Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
were dumped out 2–1.
The biggest victory in a competitive match came in December 1958 when Gateshead
Gateshead F.C.
Gateshead Football Club are a professional Association football club, based in Gateshead, England. They currently play in the Conference National, the fifth level of the English football league system.Ian Bogie is the current manager....
were pushed aside 8–0.
The stadium has hosted three England under-18
England national under-18 football team
-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the friendly match against Slovakia.-Recent call-ups:The following players have also been called up to the England under-18 squad and remain eligible.-References:...
games. The first was a 7–2 win over Switzerland in November 1992 (which saw a Robbie Fowler
Robbie Fowler
Robert Bernard Fowler is an English footballer who is currently player/manager for Thai Premier League club Muangthong United....
hat-trick); the second was a 1–1 draw with Romania in September 1993; and the third was a goalless draw with Norway in June 2005.
Stands
The current stadium holds 19,052 supporters and has four stands: Lorne Street opposite to The Railway Paddock, and The Bycars End facing the Hamil Road End.The Lorne Street Stand is relatively new, seating 5,000, with 48 executive boxes, however it is yet to be completed. At the time of the stadium's construction it was intended to be the grandstand stadium.
The away stand has a capacity of 4,500. It holds the electronic scoreboard.
Other events
On 1 August 1981, Vale Park hosted a one-off rock concert, dubbed "Heavy Metal Holocaust", featuring Motörhead, Ozzy Osbourne BandOzzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
, Mahogany Rush
Mahogany Rush
Mahogany Rush is a Canadian rock band led by guitarist Frank Marino. The band had its peak of popularity in the 1970s, playing such venues as California Jam II together with bands such as Aerosmith, Ted Nugent and Heart....
, Triumph
Triumph (band)
Triumph is a Canadian hard rock power trio that was popular in the late 1970s through the 1980s. Eight of the band's albums were certified gold or higher, and Triumph was nominated for multiple Juno Awards, including Group of the Year Award in 1979, 1985, 1986 and 1987.Like their fellow Canadians...
, Riot
Riot (band)
Riot is an American heavy metal band founded in New York City in 1975 by guitarist Mark Reale. Reaching a peak in popularity in the early 80s, the band has continued a long-running successful career....
and Vardis
Vardis
Vardis were an influential three-piece heavy metal band from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, who enjoyed hits between 1978 and 1986.They formed a prominent part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene, then prevalent in the United Kingdom. They consisted of frontman Steve Zodiac on guitar and lead...
. Around 20,000 attended the concert, raising £25,000 for the club.
In 1985 local American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team the Stoke Spitfires used the ground to play their sport.
External links
- Vale Park page at footballgroundguide.com