{"id":26,"date":"2016-02-16T18:52:45","date_gmt":"2016-02-16T18:52:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.football-stadiums.co.uk\/the-hawthorns\/"},"modified":"2024-01-18T15:10:02","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T15:10:02","slug":"the-hawthorns","status":"publish","type":"grounds","link":"https:\/\/www.football-stadiums.co.uk\/grounds\/england\/the-hawthorns\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hawthorns"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Hawthorns has been the home of West Bromwich Albion since its doors first opened on the third of September 1900. It was the first Football League ground to be built in the 20th Century and its construction took just four months. That isn\u2019t the only first that the Black Country ground lays claim to either, it was also the first stadium to introduce electronic turnstile aggregators!<\/p>\n

The Midlands club have long prided themselves on not only being a club of tradition but also of moving with the times and they revolutionised the way grounds are accessed once more when they introduced the Stilecard system in 2002. That year also saw them become the first club to have big screens in a widescreen format at their stadium.<\/p>\n

As for the Baggies themselves, they\u2019ve had a mixed history. They won the First Division championship in 1920, the only time in the club\u2019s history they\u2019ve won the top league, but have spent roughly half of their existence in the second tier of English football. They gained promotion to the Premier League for the 2010-2011 season and have bounced between the top flight and the Championship since.<\/p>\n

Stats<\/h2>\r\n\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n
The Hawthorns Stats<\/th>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n \r\n
Year Opened<\/td>\r\n 1900<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n \r\n \r\n
Capacity<\/td>\r\n 26688<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n \r\n \r\n
Average Attendance<\/td>\r\n 22929<\/td> \r\n <\/tr>\r\n \r\n \r\n
Record Attendance<\/td>\r\n 64815 (West Brom v Arsenal (1937))<\/td>\r\n <\/tr> \r\n \r\n \r\n
Pitch Size<\/td>\r\n 105 x 68 (7140)<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n
Owner<\/td>\r\n West Bromwich Albion F.C.<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n
Clubs Hosted<\/td>\r\n West Bromwich Albion FC<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n \r\n \r\n
First Fixture<\/td>\r\n West Brom v Derby County (03\/09\/1900)<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n \r\n \r\n<\/table>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n
West Bromwich Albion Stats<\/th>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n \r\n
Year Founded<\/td>\r\n 1878<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n \r\n \r\n
Nickname<\/td>\r\n The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n \r\n \r\n
Club Mascot<\/td>\r\n Baggie Bird<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n \r\n \r\n
Rivals<\/td>\r\n Birmingham City, Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n \r\n \r\n
Previous Stadiums<\/td>\r\n Stoney Lane Ground<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n \r\n \r\n
Kit<\/td>\r\n Navy Blue & White Stripes (Home) \/ Navy & Red (Away)\r\n \r\n \/ Lime (Third)\r\n \r\n <\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n \r\n \r\n
Training Ground<\/td>\r\n West Bromwich Albion Training Ground<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n \r\n \r\n
Shirt Sponsor<\/td>\r\n ideal Heating<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n \r\n \r\n
Team Owner<\/td>\r\n Lai Guochuan<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n \r\n \r\n
Record Goalscorer<\/td>\r\n Tony Brown (279)<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n \r\n \r\n
Record Appearances<\/td>\r\n Tony Brown (720)<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n \r\n <\/table>\r\n\r\n\n

The Hawthorns Photos<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n
\r\n \"The\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n The throstle\r\n \r\n
\r\n By Tony Hisgett (originally posted to Flickr as Throstle) [CC BY 2.0<\/a>]<\/em>\r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n
\r\n
\r\n \"Crowd\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n Crowd scenes following The Great Escape\r\n \r\n
\r\n By The original uploader was Garrytowns at English Wikipedia(Original text: Garry Towns) (Own work (Original text: self-made)) [GFDL<\/a> or CC-BY-SA-3.0<\/a>]<\/em>\r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n
\r\n
\r\n \"Jeff\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n Jeff Astle celebrating his winning goal in the 1968 FA Cup Final\r\n \r\n
\r\n By Cutler at English Wikipedia [Public domain]<\/em>\r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n
\r\n
\r\n \"Hawthorns\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n Hawthorns Exterior\r\n \r\n
\r\n By Jameboy (Own work) [GFDL<\/a> or CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>]<\/em>\r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n
\r\n
\r\n \"Hawthorns\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n Hawthorns Interior\r\n \r\n
\r\n By Tony Hisgett (originally posted to Flickr as Albion 4) [CC BY 2.0 (http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0)]<\/em>\r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n
\r\n
\r\n \"Halfords\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n Halfords Lane entrances\r\n \r\n
\r\n Row17 [CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>]<\/em>\r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\n\r\n

The Hawthorns Seating Plan and Where to Sit<\/h2>\r\n \r\n
<\/div>\r\n \r\n
From West Brom FC<\/div>\r\n \r\n \r\n

The Hawthorns is a fully enclosed stadium with stands on each side and the corners of the ground. It can look a bit strange as you approach it as two of the stands are higher than the other two, giving it a slightly lopsided look. There is no running track, meaning that the crowd is right next to the pitch, allowing for an intimidating atmosphere during matches when the supporters are in the mood.<\/p>\n