Haig Avenue

Last updated

Haig Avenue
Haig Avenue Main Stand.jpg
Location map United Kingdom Southport.svg
Red pog.svg
Haig Avenue
Location in Southport
Former namesAsh Lane (1905–1921)
Location Blowick, Southport,
Merseyside,
PR8 6JZ
Coordinates 53°38′17″N2°58′44″W / 53.63806°N 2.97889°W / 53.63806; -2.97889
Owner Sefton Council (freeholder)
Operator Southport F.C. (long leaseholder)
Capacity 6,008 (1,537 seated) [1]
Field size115 × 78 yards
SurfaceGrass
Opened1905
Tenants
Southport
Everton Reserves

Haig Avenue (currently known as The Big Help Stadium for sponsorship reasons and originally known as Ash Lane) is a football stadium in Blowick, Southport, Merseyside, England, that holds 6,008 people (1,537 seated, 4,471 standing) [1] [2] Since its opening in 1905 it has been the home ground of Southport [3] [4] Everton Reserves also use the stadium for home games.

Contents

Location

The ground is situated in Blowick, which is just inside the east boundary of Southport near the A570, [5] the main road from Southport to Ormskirk and the M58 motorway. It is sited at the edge of a residential area, adjoining school playing fields.

Stadium

Haig Avenue now has a capacity of 6,008 but its record attendance is 20,010 for two matches played by Southport, against Newcastle United in the fourth round of the FA Cup in 1932 and against Everton in a 1968 FA Cup tie. Since Southport lost Football League status in 1978, the ground has seldom operated at more than a quarter full, although nearly full houses were registered for key matches such as the 1998 FA Trophy semi-final against Slough Town, which Southport won to reach their first ever Wembley final, and their 2010 FA Cup third round home tie against Sheffield Wednesday.

The ground has a covered main stand on the north side of the ground (the entrance to it is from Haig Avenue, the road) called "the Sam Shrouder Main Stand". This is opposite an uncovered terrace on the south side, known as "the Poplar Terrace". Behind the goals, the west (Scarisbrick) end is covered and this is where the majority of the home fans congregate. The west stand is called the "Jack Carr Stand", after a popular director at the club, and was named shortly after his death. The east (Blowick) end, used mainly by away team supporters, is open to the elements. The north and west sides of the ground back onto residential property and the uncovered south and east sides onto the playing fields of the nearby Meols Cop High School. Haig Avenue is a thoroughfare linking Scarisbrick New Road (A570) with Meols Cop Road and Norwood Road. [6]

There are limited car parking facilities and these are reserved for home, away and match officials. [5] There is usually ample parking in local streets.

History

Southport (in yellow) vs Kidderminster Harriers, 2005, with the Jack Carr Stand in the background. Southport vs Kidderminster Harriers 1.jpg
Southport (in yellow) vs Kidderminster Harriers, 2005, with the Jack Carr Stand in the background.

Southport F.C. moved to what is now called Haig Avenue in 1905 (then called Ash Lane). The road the ground is situated on and the ground itself were officially renamed Haig Avenue after Earl Haig in 1921. [6]

The grandstand that now stands at Haig Avenue was opened in August 1968, two years after the original main stand had burnt down. [6] The wooden structure, which had been purchased from the Southport Flower Show, caught fire on 27 December 1966, [6] destroying the stand, dressing rooms and offices. [7] The fire began at around 5am and destroyed most of the club's possessions, including kits, with only the club safe, holding some of the takings from the previous day's victory over Wrexham surviving. Following the fire, the club appealed for donations to help towards the £70,000 restoration costs. [8] A temporary main stand was put up instead during the season Billy Bingham's side won promotion to the Third Division. Eric Morecambe presented the club with a trophy to commemorate their achievement. [6]

In April 1973, following his first Grand National victory, Red Rum was presented to the crowd at half time during a match against Lincoln City. [9]

Today there is open terracing at the "Blowick" away end and on the "Popular Side" opposite the Main Stand. Covered terracing for about 10,000 spectators on the Popular Side and Scarisbrick End was demolished following legal action against the football club by Sefton Council under the Safety of Sports Grounds legislation.

On 10 September 2012, it was announced that Merseyrail had agreed a sponsorship deal that would see Haig Avenue renamed the "Merseyrail Community Stadium". [3]

After years of procrastination, the club said that in the summer of 2014, with the financial assistance of the Trust in Yellow supporters' trust, County Insurance and a grant from the football authorities, it would erect new corner floodlights to replace those erected along the sides of the pitch over 40 years previously. While some preparatory work on the project started in May/June 2014, just within the deadline set in the town planning conditions, the club has since revised the completion date to November 2014.

Everton Reserves currently play their home games at the stadium.

On 4 August 2019, it was announced that the stadium would now be known as The Pure Stadium after Pure Business Group offered a three-year naming deal.

It was revealed on 24 April 2023, that the charity, Big Help Project, will become a "Strategic Partner" [10] to Southport FC, and that they are now the stadium sponsors for the 2023/24 season, which will see the Haig Avenue Stadium being renamed "The Big Help Stadium". [11]

Events

The ground has played host to youth internationals in the past and has also been home to both Liverpool and Everton [12] Reserves. It has also numerous hosted FA Women's Cup ties. Everton Ladies played the first half of the 2018-19 season at the ground.

For the coronation of George VI in 1937, an estimated attendance of 15,000 packed into the ground for the celebrations. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merseyside</span> County of England

Merseyside is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Welsh county of Flintshire across the Dee Estuary to the southwest, and the Irish Sea to the west. The largest settlement is the city of Liverpool.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anfield</span> Football stadium, home of Liverpool F.C.

Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, England, which has a seating capacity of 60,725, making it the fifth largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. It was originally the home of Everton from 1884 to 1891, before they moved to Goodison Park after a dispute with the club president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southport</span> Town in Merseyside, England

Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2021 census, it had a population of 94,421, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edgeley Park</span> Football stadium in Edgeley, Stockport, England

Edgeley Park is a football stadium in Edgeley, Stockport, England. Built for Stockport RFC, a rugby league club, in 1891, by 1903 the rugby club was defunct and Stockport County Football Club moved in. The ground is set to be increased to a capacity of around 19,900 with the start of the project in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodison Park</span> Association football stadium in Liverpool

Goodison Park is a football stadium in the Walton area of Liverpool, England, 2 miles (3 km) north of the city centre. It has been the home of Premier League club Everton since 1892 and has an all-seated capacity of 39,414.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scarisbrick</span> Human settlement in England

Scarisbrick is a village and civil parish in West Lancashire, England. The A570, the main road between Ormskirk and Southport, runs through Scarisbrick, and much of the village lies along it. As a result, it does not have a traditional village centre, though the junction with the A5147 is close to the geographic centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blowick</span> Human settlement in England

Blowick is a suburb on the east side of the town of Southport, Merseyside, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southport F.C.</span> Association football club in Southport, England

Southport Football Club is an association football club based in Southport, Merseyside. The club compete in the National League North, the sixth level of the English football league system. They play their home matches at Haig Avenue, which has a capacity of 6,008. They are known by their nickname "the Sandgrounders".

Runcorn F.C. Halton was an English football club that played in Runcorn, Widnes and Prescot at various points during its existence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bescar Lane railway station</span> Railway station in Lancashire, England

Bescar Lane railway station is on the Manchester to Southport Line, 4.5 miles (7.2 km) east of Southport in the village of Scarisbrick. Bescar Lane is an old cottage-style station, operated by Northern Trains. Its remote location, some distance from the centre of Scarisbrick Parish, is considered to be "problematic".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meols Cop railway station</span>

Meols Cop railway station serves the Blowick suburb of the coastal town of Southport, Merseyside, England. The station has an island platform and is served by Northern Trains‘ Manchester Victoria/Manchester Piccadilly - Southport via Wigan Wallgate branch services, on which it is the last stop before the terminus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandhills railway station</span> Railway station in Liverpool, England

Sandhills railway station is a railway station in Kirkdale, Liverpool, England, located to the north of the city centre on the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network. It was built by the Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway Company and now stands at the junction between the branch to Southport and the branch to Ormskirk and Kirkby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halton Stadium</span> Sports stadium in Widnes

The Halton Stadium is a multi-purpose rugby league, football and American football stadium in Widnes, Cheshire, England. It is the home of Rugby League side Widnes Vikings of the Betfred Championship, football team Widnes Football Club of the Northern Premier League who play their home games at the stadium, and also the American football side Halton Spartans of the BAFA National Leagues, the Halton Spartans having competed in the BAFANL national American football league since 2015. The stadium is all seater and has a total capacity of 13,350.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prenton Park</span> Football stadium in Birkenhead, England

Prenton Park is a large outdoor seated association football stadium in Birkenhead, England. It is the home ground of Tranmere Rovers, as well as Liverpool's women and reserves teams. The ground has had several rebuilds, with the most recent occurring in 1995 in response to the requirement of the Taylor Report to become all-seater. Today's stadium holds 16,587 in four stands: the Kop, the Johnny King Stand, the Main Stand and the Cowshed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brisbane Road</span> Football stadium in East London

Brisbane Road, currently known as the Gaughan Group Stadium for sponsorship reasons and originally known as Osborne Road, is a football stadium in Brisbane Road, Leyton, East London, England. It has been the home ground of Leyton Orient since 1937, before which it was the home of amateur football team Leyton, who moved to the Hare and Hounds ground. Since 2022 it has also been home to Tottenham Hotspur Women. The highest attendance at the ground was 34,345 for the visit of West Ham United in the 1964 FA Cup. It has hosted a number of England U-16 and England women's team matches. It hosted the 2007–08 FA Women's Premier League Cup final. It was also home of the Tottenham Hotspur Reserves. In 2012 Brisbane Road hosted the final of the inaugural NextGen series, a competition for the academy sides of elite clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banks, Lancashire</span> Human settlement in England

Banks is a large coastal village in Lancashire, England, south of the Ribble estuary four miles (6 km) north-east of Southport. The village is administered by West Lancashire Borough and North Meols Parish Council. It is in the South Ribble parliamentary constituency. At the 2001 census the population of the North Meols civil parish was 3,792, rising to 4,146 by the 2011 census.

Whaddon Road, known as the Completely-Suzuki Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Cheltenham, England. It is the home ground of Cheltenham Town F.C. It has a total capacity of 7,066, with a mixture of seating and terracing. The ground's official name was the Victory Sports Ground until April 2009 when it was renamed the Abbey Business Stadium through a sponsorship deal. It was announced on 13 July 2015 that the club had agreed a three-year deal to rename the stadium The World of Smile Stadium, but the deal ended after only one year and the stadium was renamed LCI Rail Stadium in 2016–17, before being named "Jonny-Rocks Stadium" in 2018–19, and "Completely-Suzuki Stadium" in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everton F.C. (women)</span> Football club

Everton Football Club is an English women's association football team based in Liverpool, England, that competes in the FA Women's Super League, the top division of English women's football. Formed in 1983 as Hoylake W.F.C., it is now part of Everton F.C. and has played home games at Walton Hall Park in Walton since February 2020. The team has won the Premier League National Division once, the Premier League Cup once, and the Women's FA Cup twice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kew, Merseyside</span> Human settlement in England

Kew is a suburb and ward of Southport, a seaside town in Sefton, Merseyside, England. It makes up the southeastern edge of the town, bordering Scarisbrick in West Lancashire. It is a middle class area of mostly modern development, and one of Southport's smallest suburbs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019–20 FA WSL</span> Ninth season of the top English womens association football league

The 2019–20 FA WSL season was the ninth edition of the FA Women's Super League (WSL) since it was formed in 2010. It was the second season after the rebranding of the four highest levels in English women's football and the twelve teams contesting the season was the greatest number in the league's history to date, following a steady increase from the original eight. It is the first under the new Barclays title sponsorship following a landmark multi-million pound investment.

References

  1. 1 2 "Southport Merseyrail Community Stadium". footballgroundguide.com. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  2. ↑ "Merseyrail Community Stadium (Haig Avenue) – StadiumDB.com".
  3. 1 2 "PORT PROUD TO ANNOUNCE MERSEYRAIL COMMUNITY STADIUM SPONSORSHIP". southportfc.net. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  4. ↑ "Haig Avenue". Soccerway. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  5. 1 2 "Directions to Haig Avenue". Port Online. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "History of Haig Avenue". Port Online. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  7. ↑ "Business as usual at Haig Avenue". Liverpool Echo. 31 December 1966. p. 24 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Southport F.C. want £70,000 to restore stand". Liverpool Echo. 28 December 1966. p. 9 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Red Rum is a soccer draw!". Liverpool Echo. 13 April 1973. p. 34 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Big Help Project invests £100,000 in Southport FC's infrastructure and becomes official stadium sponsor". Eye on Southport. 24 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  11. ↑ "Exciting New Partnership With Big Help Project". Southport Football Club. 24 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  12. ↑ "Everton Reserves 3, Man Utd Reserves 2" . Retrieved 16 September 2012. Everton Reserves beat Manchester United Reserves at Haig Avenue.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.