Ground
| The Grove | |
|---|---|
| Location | Old Hawne Lane, Halesowen |
| Opened | 1871 |
| Owner | The Grove Trust |
| Operator | The Grove Trust |
| Surface | Grass |
| Tenants | |
|
|
|
According to the club's records, it has played at The Grove since its formation in 1873. The ground was originally a cricket pitch and was therefore a three sided stadium. In the 1930s, a small wooden stand was constructed along the perimeter of the James Grove Button Factory (now housing).
During the 1950s, the Old Hawne Lane end was constructed along with changing rooms, built on the site of former tennis courts. During this time players had to change in the Waggon and Horses public house on Stourbridge Road.
In the 1980s, the three sided ground was converted to four with the addition of the uncovered terracing along the Recreation Park side of the ground. In 1987, the 420 seater Harry Rudge Stand was completed on the site of the 1930s vintage wooden cover, whilst at the same time the rest of the ground received a face lift. The stand was extended in 1998 and again in 2000.
The floodlights which the club won in 1983 lasted until 2001 when a new set were installed and officially inaugurated at a friendly match against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Read more about this topic: Halesowen Town F.C.
Famous quotes containing the word ground:
“One need not be a great beau, a seductive catch, to do it effectively. Any man is better than none. To shrink from giving so much happiness at such small expense, to evade the business on the ground that it has hazards—this is the act of a puling and tacky fellow.”
—H.L. (Henry Lewis)
“I saw young Harry with his beaver on,
His cuisses on his thighs, gallantly armed,
Rise from the ground like feathered Mercury,
And vaulted with such ease into his seat
As if an angel dropped down from the clouds
To turn and wind a fiery Pegasus,
And witch the world with noble horsemanship.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“If there were one who lived wholly without the use of money, the State itself would hesitate to demand it of him. But the rich man—not to make any invidious comparison—is always sold to the institution which makes him rich.... Thus his moral ground is taken from under his feet.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)