Welford Road Stadium - History

History

The Leicester Tigers moved there in 1892 and the first stands accommodated 1,100 spectators. The club house is located on Aylestone Road, where a small temporary stand is erected, with the other sides having permanent stands built on them.

The Crumbie Stand was built in the 1920s with the terrace being added later. The stand is named after the club's secretary who built the stand, Tom Crumbie. The members' stand – now replaced by the Caterpillar stand – was built on the side of the ground adjoining the former Granby Halls site; this stand was also built in the twenties. This expansion almost bankrupted the club but it helped attract top players and laid the foundations for Leicester first glory years in the 1920s and 1930s as well as their subsequent success. The stand is now sponsered by Holland and Barratt and is also commonly known by the same name. The stand allows for standing and seating capacity at the stadium.

The Alliance and Leicester Stand was opened at the Welford Road end in 1995. In 2010 this was renamed the Goldsmiths stand.

In 2004, the Tigers announced a plan to abandon Welford Road in favour of a groundshare at Walkers Stadium with the city's main football club, Leicester City F.C. However, the two clubs could not agree on which one would have priority at Walkers Stadium, and formally shelved the plan in 2005.

Leicester purchased the freehold to land adjacent to the ground in 2006. Plans have now been approved for the ground to be radically altered. It will eventually see capacity expanded from 16,815 to 30,000. In 2008, phase I of the redevelopment started with the construction of the Caterpillar Stand on the north side that increased capacity to 24,000. The stand opened on 19 September 2009 with a capacity crowd watching a match between Leicester Tigers and Newcastle Falcons.

An official opening ceremony took place on 6 November 2009 when Tigers played South Africa.