Home Park

Infobox Stadium
stadium_name = Home Park
nickname = Theatre of Greens


fullname =
location = Plymouth, England
coordinates =
broke_ground =
built = 1893
opened = 1893
renovated = 2001
expanded =
closed =
demolished =
owner = Plymouth Argyle
operator = Plymouth Argyle
surface = Grass
construction_cost = £11 million (2001) [cite web |title=BBC Devon | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/sport/102001/18/home_park.shtml| accessdate=September 12 | accessyear=2007 ]
architect = Barr (2001)
structural engineer =
services engineer =
general_contractor= Barr (2001)
project_manager =
main_contractors =
former_names =
tenants =
Plymouth Argyle (1901 - Present)
seating_capacity =
19,500 [cite web |title=Football Ground Guide | url=http://www.footballgroundguide.co.uk/| accessdate=September 12 | accessyear=2007 ]
dimensions =
100.58 × 71 metres
110 × 72 yards

Home Park is an Association Football stadium located in Plymouth, England, and is home to Plymouth Argyle F.C., who currently play in the Football League Championship.

The History of Home Park

Home Park was originally used by Rugby team Plymouth Albion but following a dispute with the owners Albion left and for three years the ground was not used. In 1901 the Argyle Athletic club obtained a lease on the ground and staged its first event, an athletics meeting, there on Whit Monday 1901. The possession of such a fine ground helped Plymouth Argyle gain entry to the Southern League in 1903 following exhibition matches against several of the countries leading professional sides.

At the time that league football first came to Plymouth the ground had only one small wooden grandstand which had a capacity of 2,000. The remaining three sides of the ground were merely surrounded by slag-heap banking and a waist high fence. When Argyle joined the football league in 1920 several improvements were required. The wooden grandstand was demolished and replaced by a much larger and more modern structure and around the other three sides of the ground concrete terracing and crush barriers were introduced. In addition to this a roof was erected along with the main entrance at the Devonport end of the ground. The new grandstand also incorporated players changing rooms and club offices. Many of these facilities were built with funds raised by the supporters club. In 1936 a record 43,596 fans packed into the ground for the visit of Aston Villa.

Unfortunately, due to Plymouths naval and military importance, Home Park took quite a battering during the Second World War. The pitch was badly cratered and the grandstand all but destroyed during bombing raids in 1941. In order to be ready for the resumption of league football in 1945 emergency measures were needed. Disused Army huts, redundant trams and buses and railway sleepers were used as makeshift changing rooms, offices and terracing. In 1952 a new grandstand was completed and floodlights were installed in the mid 1950's. In 1964 a roof was erected on the Lyndhurst side of the ground and although due to safety reasons the Devonport End covering had to be removed in the late 1970s it was replaced in 1984 to leave three sides of the ground under cover.

The ground remained relatively unchanged until the 1990s when ambitious plans for re-development were announced. Although there were a lot of false starts and talk of a possible move to a different location in the city work commenced on the re-building of Home Park. An 18,500 capacity all-seater stadium, built in two stages on the site of the current ground, was planned. Phase 1 of the project, the redevelopment of the Devonport, Lyndhurst and Barn Park stands, was completed in February 2002. Phase 2 of the re-build, the new Grandstand, has been delayed amid rumours of revamped plans and financial difficulties. As of June 2007 the Mayflower terrace can no longer be used for standing as Argyle did not succeed in securing a government exemption from all-seater stadia rules. However, the board decided to install temporary seating on the terrace, to keep the capacity of the ground around the 20,000 mark. At the same time a new public address system was installed and improvements made to the floodlights on the Grandstand side of the ground, all suggesting that a start date for Phase 2 of the re-development has yet to be decided.

Notable games

Apart from the games of Plymouth Argyle, Home Park has staged a number of notable games
* 1914 England Amateur v Wales Amateur
* 1926 Tramway Strikers v Police. That day, both before and after the match, there were violent clashes between strikers and their supporters, and police during the general strike.
* 1951 South West Counties v New Zealand in a rugby union tour match.
* 1966 The Football League beat the Irish Football League 12-0. The Football League team contained seven of the 1966 World Cup winning team.
* 1970 England under-23 v Bulgaria under-23.
* 1973 England under-23 v Portugal under-23.
* 1977 Manchester United v AS Saint-Étienne in the Cup Winners' Cup. Manchester United were ordered to play the second leg at least 300km from Old Trafford after crowd disturbances in the first leg.
* 2004 Plymouth Argyle v Queens Park Rangers. A capacity attendance of 19,888 at Home Park saw Argyle clinch promotion and the Second Division title, when they beat QPR, second in the league at the time, 2-0, with goals from Mickey Evans and David Friio.
* 2004 Plymouth Argyle v Chesterfield F.C. A long-standing Football League record was broken, as Plymouth Argyle broke the record for the quickest five goals in history from kick-off - Argyle led 5-0 after 17 minutes and 32 seconds (goalscorers Lee Hodges (4 mins), Tony Capaldi (11 mins), Nathan Lowndes (12 mins, 17 mins), David Friio (16 mins). This was then followed by a 6th (David Friio 36) after a further 20 minutes). The match ended at 7-0, with David Friio completing a hat-trick.
* 2007 Plymouth Argyle F.C v Derby County F.C. FA Cup 5th Round match viewed by a sell-out crowd against Championship leaders Derby. Argyle won 2-0 with goals from on loan Kevin Gallen and on loan Scott Sinclair
* 2007 Plymouth Argyle v Watford. Plymouth Argyle played the Premiership's bottom side Watford in the quarter-final of the FA Cup. Argyle lost 1-0 to a Hameur Bouazza goal.

How to get to the ground

The ground is located at the north of Central Park, approximately half a mile from the main Plymouth railway station, and about a mile from the coach station.

Arriving by train

By bus

Turn immediately right out of the station, and cross the main road by footbridge. Any bus bound for Milehouse will drop you within 100 yards of the ground.

Walking

Turn immediately right out of the station, and right again under the railway bridge. You will arrive at a roundabout: in front of you will be a pub, the Pennycomequick. From here you can either walk up Alma Road to the top and turn right at the Britannia pub (the long way) or you can cut across the park about 50 yards up Alma Road, heading right. You will come to a concreted path, follow it uphill and it will bring you past the council-run pitch and putt golf course to Home Park itself.

Arriving by road

Arriving from the east you will (probably) be on the A38 Devon Expressway. As you approach Plymouth, there is a major exit, the Marsh Mills roundabout. Do not take this exit unless you fancy wasting time driving through city-centre traffic. The next exit, the Leigham roundabout, is also sub-optimal. The third exit which will be sign posted Plymouth Argyle F.C. as well as the A386 for Plymouth City Centre and Devonport is the one you want. Head in the direction of Plymouth city centre. (NB There are speed cameras along the length of this road and the police often have a mobile patrol laser-checking as well). The car-parks are well sign posted, however as Argyle have become progressively more successful, it has taken longer to leave these car-parks after the game...

Arriving by coach

Unless you are on a club coach explicitly bound for Home Park, you will be deposited at Breton Side Bus Station.

By bus

Any bus bound for Milehouse will drop you within 100 yards of the ground - disembark at Central Park. Cross the road from the bus stop and proceed into Central Park itself - the Mayflower Leisure Centre will be on your left, go past this and the ground will be ahead of you. The away supporters' entrance (Barn Park End) is on the eastern side of the ground.

Walking

Exit the bus station through either of the staircases. If you are immediately outside the Charles Cross Church (or what remains of it, as it was destroyed during the Blitz), then turn left and follow the signs for the railway station, and follow instructions as per arriving by rail. If you find yourself outside the Post Office, just head for the Charles Cross Church....

ee also

*List of English football stadiums by capacity

References

External links

* [http://www.pafc.co.uk Club Website]
* [http://www.footballgroundguide.co.uk/ Football Ground Guide]
* [http://www.greensonscreen.co.uk/stadium1.htm Pictures pre and post 2001 redevelopment]
* [http://www.greensonscreen.co.uk/sv-homeparkstory.asp Greens on Screen Home Park Page]