Keke's St. Andrew's Stadium 1996-1999


The pace of change at St. Andrew's has increased dramatically in recent years.
St. Andrew's in 1996
The outside of the new Spion Kop. The wasteland between the ground and the Coventry Road has been transformed into a car park, surrounded by railings and impressive gates. To the east, where the ground rises, a rock garden has been established.
The Spion Kop in 2000
The new stand's height is underplayed by the three white horizontal stripes. Unlike many new stands, the cantilever structure supporting the roof, is hidden from view. This gives the stand a clean, purposeful look; more like an office block than a football stand. Some of the cantilevering is visible above the roof line, and outside the Main Reception. This allows the reception to be free of unsightly steel intrusions, another common feature of new stands.
		Outside the Kop, there is a generous amount of space for the fans to gather before taking up their seats. The Kop houses the main ticket office, the main reception of course, plus a club museum. Further up the hill, there is a large modern club shop, similar to those now commonly found at football stadia all over the country. A closer inspection reveals that the bricks underfoot have been laid in a pattern to represent the club logo, the globe above a football.


Further along from the logo, there are two areas of special devotion. What at first seemed a cheap marketing trick, has developed into an excellent memorial. Bricks can be bought by the public to remember their departed loved ones. Every match, crowds of bluenoses read these bricks in virtual silence. There is something wonderfully touching about the respect paid by the fans, and this has elevated the memorial above the tawdry. Closer to the car park, is a second memorial walkway. (above) Amongst the many bricks, previous managers of the club are remembered.

The new Kop and Tilton Stands
This view is taken from the the Kop Corner (formerly the Family enclosure) at the City end of the Kop. The unobstructed view extends across the whole length of the stand. A nice feature is the sunken gangway. The stewards (in yellow) are well below the level of the first row of seats, a major advantage over the Riverside / Pride Park design, which were also built by Taylor Woodrow. Nevertheless, the railings near the exits still obscure the nearest side of the pitch. The boxes are fully enclosed, with no seats in front for use of box holders. The leading edge of the lightweight roof is transparent, although ultra violet light will still probably be filtered out. As yet, there has been no obvious problem with the pitch.
The Directors' Box
In the middle of the Spion Kop, towards the rear on the halfway line, is the Directors Box. Effectively part of the main sweep, there is just a spare row of the terrace, some lightweight railings, and different coloured seats to distinguish it from the rest of the stand. The seats are generously padded and a darker blue than the standard plastic seats. The central exit gives access to the corporate side of the club.

The decision to build a wrap-around stadium was apparently taken after Karren Brady visited Old Trafford. Like Old Trafford, the most dramatic view of the ground is presented by the curve of the seats, reflected by the curve of the roof above. Looking at this view of the Kop, and remembering what it was once like, fills a bluenose with pride. I personally don't like the white diagonal stripes on the seats. What are they? Why are they there? Some of the newer stands in the country have reverted to plain coloured seating. It looks much better to my eye.

The effect of designing a wrap-around stadium on a single tier, is that everyone in the ground can see everyone else. This means that in a very literal way, no one is above anyone else. More esoterically, this means that the stadium is very democratic. There is a greater sense of "us", of being part of one large crowd, than when a ground is split into two separate tiers. Moods are shared round the ground instantly, chants can be started anywhere, and picked up by anyone. It can create a real atmosphere. This democratic nature of the new stand has not meant a dumbing down. In fact, the stand is full of small pieces of quality, but they have to be searched for. For instance, every support for the hand railings in the stand is stamped BCFC. A small thing perhaps, but a nice thoughtful touch. (see right)

The Tilton Road End
There is little doubt where the heart and soul of the club lives. It lives on the Tilton. Adorned with the club's nickname, the stands sweeps round from the Kop, only to end abruptly before it reaches the old Main Stand. The Tilton is nearly always full, it's where the singing usually starts, and it's the end the team prefer to attack. Slighly shallower in the centre than on the wings, as yet there are no boxes built at the back.

Tilton Road with the new city crest

St. Andrew's 1996
This overhead view of the ground was designed to create a false impression. It cleverly left out the undeveloped City and Main Stands. In fact, for a while the ground looked like two halves of two different stadia. Nevertheless, it presents an impressive sight.

This is the same view, but taken from pitch level. It's an impressive sight, and left the fans waiting for further redevelopment. It is probably unfair to compare St. Andrew's with green field site stadia, the difficulties encountered with an existing site far out weighing those of the brand new grounds.

These difficulties became apparent in the planning of the new Railway End. The new Railway End stand differed from the Kop and Tilton sweep in three key respects. Firstly, it is a separate building. Secondly, it is two tiered in construction, with boxes half way up the stand, as opposed to being situated at the very back. Thirdly, although the lower tier is shallower than the wrap-around, the overall height is greater. These photos show the top deck, to be later named The Olympic Gallery, almost complete, with the seats being fitted. The lower deck still has the sunken gangway and the shallower raked front part of the stand to be built. The pitch had to be shortened by three yards during building. The halfway line did not match up with the tunnel in the Main Stand as a result.

The Olympic Gallery above is reserved for the exclusive use of bluenoses. It provides a magnificent view of the ground. Approached via an internal staircase, first impressions are quite utilitarian. The railings are decorated with 3D panels, identical to those used externally at Pride Park. Perhaps a Taylor Woodrow design motif? Once at the top of the stairs, a large gallery extends the full width of the stand. Because there are so few seats on the upper deck, this is probably the best area in the ground for facilities.
The Railway End
From the Kop, the stand looks magnificent. The angled side-screens add a real sense of drama to the stand. The small depth of the Upper Tier is not so apparent from a distance. The diagonal stripes used on the Kop are repeated at the Railway End. Their angle doesn't quite match the angle of the two side tunnels. I'm still not convinced by those stripes. Far more successful is the use of the old style BCFC lettering in the centre of the main tier.

The new Railway End is divided between home and away supporters. As is the current fashion, black netting divides the area allocated to the two sets of fans on the lower tier. The design of the stand is in keeping with, but not identical to the rest of the stadium. The rear of the stand is quite dramatic. The internal staircases protrude outwards, overhanging the railway embankment at the back. As this is the view of the stadium as seen from the City Centre, I think it would be a great idea for a club crest to be fitted in the middle of the "V" defined by the staircases. Wouldn’t it be great to bring back the old club crest, and see it there, illuminated at night!

A full St. Andrew's, the Blues 3-1 up, and the crowd singing "Keep Right on to the End of the Road", the best place in the world.