General |
Vicarage Road | ||
"The Vic" | ||
Full name | Vicarage Road | |
Owners | Watford F.C. | |
Location | Vicarage Road, Watford, WD18 0ER | |
Built | 1922 | |
Opened | 30 August 1922 | |
Renovated | 2015–2017 | |
Tenants | Watford F.C. (1922–present) Wealdstone F.C. (1991–1994) Saracens F.C. (1997–2013) | |
Capacity | 22,200 | |
Field dimensions | 115 x 75 yards | |
Surface | Desso GrassMaster |
Vicarage Road, a stadium in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, is the home of the football club Watford of the Premier League. An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 23,700 following the completion of the new Sir Elton John Stand in 2014, and expansion work in 2015 and again throughout 2016 and 2017, this includes the expansion of the football pitch.
History[]
It has been the home of Watford since 1922, when the club moved from Cassio Road. The ground was officially opened by Col. Charles Healey of Benskins Brewery for the visit of Millwall on 30 August 1922. In addition to being Watford's home since opening, the stadium was also home to Wealdstone F.C. between 1991 and 1993, and to rugby union side Saracens from 1997 until they moved to their new home of Copthall Stadium in north London in February 2013.
After purchasing the freehold of the stadium from Benskins in January 2002, Watford's financial situation forced them to sell and lease back the stadium later that year. However, after a campaign entitled 'Let's Buy Back The Vic' with donations coming from fans, as well as celebrity former owner Elton John donating the entire proceeds of a concert held at the venue, the club was able to repurchase the stadium in September 2004.
On 1 September 2011 it hosted England under-21s 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group 8 match against Azerbaijan under-21s. The hosts thrashed the visitors 6 – 0 with braces from Craig Dawson and Henri Lansbury and single goals from Jordan Henderson and Martyn Waghorn. There were 7,738 in attendance.
External links[]
- General
- Vicarage Road stadium layout. Watford Football Club. Accessed 2 May 2014.
- Ground changes. Watford Football Club. Accessed 2 October 2011.
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