St Andrew's (stadium) - Structure and Facilities

Structure and Facilities

The stadium has four stands. The Main Stand (renamed the Garrison Lane Stand from 2010 to 2012), a free-standing structure on the north side of the playing area, was completed in 1954 and has seating for fewer than 5,000 spectators. The upper tier contains the media area and an area of corporate seats as well as standard seating. The lower tier, known as the Paddocks, consists of a few rows of seats placed on the uncovered terraced area in front of the stand; the view from this area can be obstructed by the central tunnel and the dugouts. A row of executive boxes was added at the back of the Paddocks in the 1970s. The family area is divided between the eastern end of the Main Stand and the Paddock beneath. The club planned £1.3 million worth of restructuring and refurbishment work on the stand, which contained hospitality areas and offices, during the 2009 closed season, and seating was replaced in 2010. The broadcasting gantry is situated in the roof of this stand.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Jeff Hall's death, the club commissioned a memorial clock to replace the original which did not survive the 1990s renovations. Placed centrally above the Main Stand, it was unveiled in September 2008 by Hall's teammates Alex Govan and Gil Merrick. However, adverse reaction to the clock's size and position provoked the club into ordering a larger replacement to be incorporated in a proposed big screen.

The Railway Stand, on the west side of the stadium nearest to Birmingham city centre, is also free-standing. It was opened in 1999 and holds some 8,000 spectators in two tiers; the upper tier, a small area known as the Olympic Gallery, overhangs the lower, at the back of which is a row of executive boxes. From the 2009–10 season, the Railway Stand was renamed the Gil Merrick Stand, in honour of the club's appearance record-holder and former manager. Visiting supporters are housed in the lower Railway Stand, segregated from home fans by plastic netting over the seats.

The Kop Stand and the Tilton Road Stand, opened in 1994, form a continuous L-shaped single-tier stand, with seating capacity for nearly 17,000 spectators, round the remaining half of the pitch. A walkway separates back and front sections. The Kop seating includes the directors' box and a row of executive boxes, within the stand are a number of function rooms and hospitality areas, and there are electronic perimeter advertising boards in front. The stadium has floodlight pylons only on the north side; the south side is lit by a row of lights along the front of the Kop roof. The Tilton Road Stand has 9,000 seats, and is the only one of the four without hospitality boxes.

The various function rooms and corporate boxes are available for hire for business or social events, and the stadium is licensed as a venue for civil weddings. There are wheelchair areas in all parts of the stadium, and commentary headsets for visually impaired spectators are available.

The pitch measures 100 by 66 metres (109 yd × 72 yd). It was relaid three times in 2007. The first attempt, made because the surface had deteriorated to a dangerous condition, was unsuccessful because of freak rainfall which resulted in the postponement of the next match – the first time such an event had happened in senior English football. The work had to be repeated, and then done for a third time in the closed season. The postponement of an FA Cup-tie in January 2009 highlighted the lack of under-soil heating; work started on its installation in May 2009.