Tims 92

Hull City

Boothferry Park

With Wolves due to play Hull at their new KC Stadium, it gave the perfect opportunity to visit their former home, Boothferry Park. Unfortunately I never had the chance to see a match here, and with news that demolition may start some time in the summer, I was looking forward to having a good look round on the morning of our game.

On arriving in Hull and walking up to the ground, from at least a mile away you can see the six floodlights standing tall, guiding you towards the ground. Passing the KC Stadium on my way, when I arrived at Boothferry Park, it really was a good contrast of how grounds have changed in recent times, with BP not being the most modern of grounds.

The first end you come to is the North Stand, which has had a supermarket built into the back of it, but doesn’t look too bad because of it, with the football clubs colours still being a strong feature of the building, and the Boothferry Park sign, perhaps surprisingly, being dominant above that of Kwiksave and Iceland.

As with a lot of old grounds, it really is hemmed in by houses, with only small alleyways offering a glimpse of the West and South Stands. The East Stand was equally difficult to see, with a railway line running directly behind it, cutting off any access there. After looking around for a way to get in, I eventually found a bit of fence that had a panel missing, so was able to get in through there, and up through the West Stand into the ground itself. Having visited Feethams recently, it was good to see that this ground had remained relatively vandal free, with other than the overgrown parts and general wear and tear, it being pretty much as it would have been as when Hull left it 3 years previously.

Entering through the West Stand, to the left was the North Stand, which had been used for away fans. This was a small open terrace, with the supermarket behind it restricting any development. Opposite, was the East Stand, which was a good sized terrace, wrapping around both corners, but with the main part of the stand being under cover in the centre. Towering over the rest of the ground was the South Stand. I had for some reason expected this stand to be relatively modern, but on closer inspection, it was clear that it dated back to at least the 60s, with a sizable lower tier of terracing below an upper tier which featured wooden seating, with an excellent view. Finally, the stand that I’d come in through, was the West Stand, which again was two tiered, with a very small section of terracing at the front, followed by seats above that, which included the directors box and players tunnel.

Taking the time to go all around the ground, it was obvious as to why the club had chosen to move, as despite its character, it had seen better days, and with limited facilities, sadly it had been left behind by other more modern grounds. Overall though, it will be sad to see it go, as it is probably one of the few (if perhaps only) grounds left that give you a glimpse back to times gone by.

Rear of the North Stand

Visitors Turnstiles

My Garden Shed...

Side of the West Stand

Rear of the West Stand

Rear of the South Stand

The North Stand

Steps down to the North Stand from the Turnstiles

The East Stand

The North Stand

Looking across the South Stand Upper Tier

The South Stand Concourse

The West Stand

Looking across the South Stand

Seating in the West stand

The West Stand