Highbury Stadium, Fleetwood

Infobox Stadium
stadium_name = Highbury Stadium


location = Park Avenue, Fleetwood, FY7 6TX
fullname = Highbury Stadium
nickname = Highbury
built = 1934
opened = 1934
renovated = 2007–present
expanded =
closed =
demolished =
owner = Wyre Borough Council
surface = Grass
seating_capacity = 3,497 (official 2007-08)
tenants = Fleetwood Town F.C.
Blackpool F.C Reserves
dimensions = 115 x 71 yards (Google Earth)

Highbury Stadium is a football stadium in Fleetwood, Lancashire, England with Wyre Borough Council as the landlords. It is is the home ground of Fleetwood Town and is also used for home matches by Blackpool F.C. reserves. Before recent ground improvements, the stadium had a capacity of 3,497 people.

History

The ground was opened in 1934, at the culmination of the most successful three year period in the club's history, having completed a hat-trick of Lancashire Combination Cup wins. Until then the club had played on a ground next to the North Euston Hotel. It is situated on the south-west corner of the Memorial Park, just behind Highbury Avenue, for which it is named.

An unusual feature of the stadium was the 'setback' on the west side of the ground. Both the main stand and the long covered standing area known as the "Scratching Shed" were set back from the pitch by a large gap. This was the legacy of the short period from 1948 to 1952, when the stadium was used for speedway with Fleetwood Flyers riding in the Second Division of the National Speedway league.cite news
title = Fleetwood Town's stand hit by hold-up
publisher = Blackpool Gazette
date = 2006-10-03
url = http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=64&ArticleID=1801146
accessdate = 2007-09-16 ] cite news
title = Motorbiking ace dies at 90
publisher = Blackpool Gazette
date = 2003-08-08
url = http://www.blackpooltoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=62&ArticleID=572864
accessdate = 2007-09-16 ] Fleetwood Flyers started the 1948 season as Wigan Warriors but moved to Fleetwood after racing a few away fixtures billed as Wigan. The Flyers raced in the National League Division Two from 1948 to 1951 without enjoying any great success. In 1952 the venue staged a number of open events with the team re-named the Fleetwood Knights.cite web
title = The Speedway Researcher, Fleetwood
publisher = The Speedway Researcher
url = http://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/fleetwood.html
accessdate = 2007-09-16 ]

Ground redevelopment

In February 2007 the new "Percy Ronson Stand" was opened. A £200,000-plus development the stand is all terracing, and holds 1,243. This was the first new stand at the Highbury Stadium since 1939. The stand, at the south side of the ground runs about two-thirds the width of the pitch.cite news
last= Young
first= Mike
title= A Stand-out day
publisher= Blackpool Gazette
date= 2007-02-09
url= http://www.blackpooltoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=64&ArticleID=2039196
accessdate= 2007-07-31]

On 31 July, 2007, Fleetwood Town announced the "Stadium Development Plan"cite web
title = Stadium Development Plan
publisher = Fleetwood Town F.C.
date = 2007-07-31
url = http://www.fleetwoodtownfc.com/documents/Docs_2007_08/Stadium%20Development%20Plan.htm
accessdate = 2008-02-06 ] which includes -

#The demolition of the Scratching Shed, to be replaced by a new west terrace similar to the Percy Ronson Stand, and also positioned close to the pitch.
# Demolition of the current terrace at the north end of the ground with another terrace similar to the Percy Ronson Stand. However this stand would run virtually the full width of the pitch unlike the Percy Ronson Stand.
#Demolition of the current social club at the east side of the ground, and development of a new 1,000 all-seater stand incorporating new changing rooms, four executive boxes, dining facilities, a supporters bar, a first floor cafeteria, an IT suite, ground floor community room, new club offices and a club shop.

The total cost of this three-staged final phase of the ground development is expected to be over £2M.

The plan was finalized in December 2007, with construction being planned in two phases.cite web
title = Highbury Stadium Redevelopment
publisher = Fleetwood Town F.C.
date = 2007-12-26
url = http://www.fleetwoodtownfc.com/news_archives/News/news_2007_08/06_december_07/Redevelopment_Plans.htm
accessdate = 2008-04-10 ]

* "Phase One": This involves the first two items of the above plan - the demolition of the Scratching Shed, and the construction of the north and west terraces (tentatively named the "Park End Stand" and the "West Stand"), together with temporary seating in the West Stand, car parking, and new Football League standard floodlights.

* "Phase Two": This involves the third item in the above plan, the construction of the new Main Stand on the east side of the ground with social and changing facilities. The current main stand, a small construction set back from the pitch on the west side of the ground next to the Scratching Shed, will remain until the completion of Phase 2, as it holds the changing rooms.

Planning permission for Phase One was granted by Wyre Borough Council on 4 March, 2008.cite web
title = News Archive - March 2007-08
publisher = Fleetwood Town F.C.
date = 2008-03-09
url = http://www.fleetwoodtownfc.com/news_archives/News/news_2007_08/09_march_08/March%202008.htm
accessdate = 2008-04-10 ] Building work began on 28 April, 2008 with clearing work behind the Park End Stand and continued with the demolition of the Scratching Shed, removal of the existing floodlights and clearance work on the main stand.cite web
title = Highbury Redevelopment
publisher = Fleetwood Town F.C.
date = 2008-04-28
url = http://www.fleetwoodtownfc.com/xtra_pages/webcam.htm
accessdate = 2008-05-23 ] . On 23 August, 2008 the new stands were opened for Fleetwood's inaugural Conference North match against Vauxhall Motors F.C.. The West Stand, with its temporary seating, has a capacity of 550, wile the Park End Stand has a capacity of almost 2000.

Phase Two, the construction of the new East Stand, should begin during the close season in 2009.

ee also

Fleetwood Town F.C.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.fleetwoodtownfc.com Fleetwood Town]