Top Facts about Bramall Lane, The 2nd Oldest Stadium in the World

Sheffield F.C. and Hallam F.C. played the ground's first football match on December 29, 1862. The game, which ended 0–0, was played to raise money for the Lancashire Distress Fund. As Sheffield's primary sporting arena, it hosted all of the city's major events.

The semi-final, final, and second-place playoffs of the 1867 Youdan Cup were held at Bramall Lane (won by Hallam). The Cromwell Cup, which was won by a newly established team called The Wednesday a year later, came next.

By 1877, The Wednesday had defeated Hallam in the Sheffield Challenge Cup in front of a crowd of 8,000. Between 1880 until the completion of their own stadium at Olive Grove in 1887, Bramall Lane effectively became The Wednesday's permanent home.

On December 2, 1871, the FA (commonly referred to as the London FA) and the Sheffield FA played their first inter-association match at Bramall Lane. The home team triumphed 3–1, and they also organized a number of games with other Associations, notably regular matches against the Glasgow FA (the first in 1874 and the last in 1957).

It was decided to form a home football side to play at Bramall Lane on March 22, 1889, six days after 22,688 spectators paid to attend the FA Cup semi-final between Preston North End and West Bromwich Albion. Sheffield United was named after the cricket squad.

Prior to the development of a national stadium in London, Bramall Lane was frequently utilized for international matches. On 14 October 1878, in front of a crowd of 20,000, the world's first floodlit football match took place at Bramall Lane.

The match between England and Scotland on March 10, 1883, was the first between the two countries outside of London or Glasgow. After the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham, it is the world's oldest football venue still capable of staging international matches.

Top Facts about Bramall Lane You Want to Know

Below we will be talking about the general information and the history of the arena.

Bramall Lane Overview

Bramall Lane is an English football stadium located in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.

plays their home games there.

During the 19th century, as Sheffield's largest stadium, it hosted many of the city's most important matches, including the world's first football tournament final, the first floodlit match, and several matches between the Sheffield and London Football Associations that led to the unification of their respective rules.

Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield F.C. also used it for significant matches. Sheffield United has called it home since the team was founded in 1889. It is the world's oldest major stadium still used for professional association football matches, one of the Top Facts about Bramall Lane.

The stadium is located on Bramall Road in Sheffield, which was named after the Bramall family (who were file and graver manufacturers). The Bramalls owned The Old White House on Bramall Lane and Cherry Street, and afterwards built the Sheaf House, which is still standing at the top of Bramall Lane as a public house.

Originally, the stadium served as a cricket ground. Sheffield F.C. and Sheffield Wednesday utilized it for football games in the 19th century, but Sheffield United has called it home since 1889.

Bramall Lane is one of only two stadiums (the other being the Oval) to have held England football internationals (five games prior to 1930), an England cricket test match (a solitary Test against Australia in 1902), and an FA Cup Final (the 1912 replay, in which Barnsley defeated

1–0). 

Between 1889 and 1938, it was also a regular home of FA Cup semi-finals and replays. The stadium has also hosted Sheffield Eagles rugby league games and had been chosen to host England vs Greece in the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.

In addition, one of the Top Facts about Bramall Lane is that the stadium hosted a Billy Graham Evangelist meeting in 1985, two Bruce Springsteen rock concerts in front of 88,000 fans in 1988, and a friendly match celebrating the 150th anniversary of the world's oldest football club Sheffield F.C. in 2007, where they faced

.

In addition to a Travis Pastrana Motorcross event in 2016, an IBF Welterweight title boxing match featuring Sheffield United fan Kell Brook in front of 27,000 fans in 2017, the Women's League Cup final, and a Rod Stewart concert in 2019, the venue hosted a Women's League Cup final and a Rod Stewart concert in 2019.

The stadium has also hosted friendly and competitive matches between

's senior and youth teams on various occasions. The stadium's record attendance is 68,287, which was recorded on February 15, 1936, during an FA Cup 5th Round match between Sheffield United and Leeds United.

Another one of the

Top Facts about Bramall Lane

is that following the Taylor Report, the stadium was completely renovated, with a total seating capacity of 32,050.

Bramall Lane Stands & Layout

Since 1994, the stadium has been an all-seater stadium, with four main stands and two corner infill stands in the northeast and southwest corners.

The Blades Enterprise Centre is located in the northwest corner (together with a large portion of the area under the John Street Stand).

A four-star hotel was built in 2008 on the southwest corner behind the Bramall Lane corner stand.

This two-tiered structure, which first opened in 1966 behind the goal at the Bramall Lane end, facing the Kop, is the oldest existing stand at Bramall Lane.

One of the Top Facts about Bramall Lane is that away fans usually fill the lower tier, while home fans fill the upper tier, which connects to the southwest corner infill stand (although part of the upper tier may be offered to away fans for cup fixtures if demand is sufficient).

The outside of the Bramall Lane Stand was recladded in red and white for the 2005–06 season, with the stand sponsors and the club emblem on the outside, and the upper tier's wooden seats were swapped with newer plastic seats with the words "BLADES" written into them. 

The roof above the Bramall Lane Stand was extended toward the pitch during the closed season to give better cover for the lower tier and to remove the supporting pillars from the upper tier when the corner infill stand was completed.

The upper tier has around 2,700 seats, while the lower tier has 2,990 seats, for a total capacity of 5,680.

Between the upper and lower levels of this stand had been a basic LCD scoreboard and clock for many years, but at the start of the 2006–07 season, both were replaced by a new color video scoreboard.

Following the 2012 Olympics, the stand was called the "Jessica Ennis Stand," but in 2015, it was renamed after sponsors.

Following a protest over the club's decision to re-sign Ched Evans after his release from prison, Ennis-Hill threatened to take her name off the stand, another one of the Top Facts about Bramall Lane.

Bramall Lane Stands & Layout - The Tony Currie Stand

The Tony Currie Stand, which is located off Cherry Street, first opened its doors in August 1975. Tony Currie, a Sheffield United legend, was honored with the naming of the stand in 2018.

The Stand is also known as the "South Stand," while many older fans refer to it as the "Laver Stand" (after the stand's long-term sponsors in the 1990s) or even the "New Stand" because there was no stand on the South end of the pitch until 1975 when it was used as the cricket pitch's outfield.

This stand was rebuilt during the 2005–06 season, with the outside of the stand being recladded and the old wooden seats being replaced with newer red and white plastic chairs making a symbol of two swords. The box seats have been renovated as well.

This stand holds approximately 7,500 fans, and most of the ground's amenities, including the box office, newly expanded and renovated for the 2006–07 season Blades Superstore, Platinum Suite, "Legends of the Lane" museum, "1889" award-winning restaurant (formerly known as Bosworth's of Bramall Lane).

Other renewed facilities include former police control center (now relocated to the Blades Enterprise Centre between the Bramall Lane and John Street Stands), newly refurbished reception, press box, players entrance, administrative offices and television gantry attached to the roof of the stand.

The bottom of the stand, overlooking the club parking lot, has been turned into a "Wall of Fame" for fans, one of the

Top Facts about Bramall Lane.

Each one is imprinted with an individual supporter's name or nickname and is made of the ground's trademark red bricks.

The club began offering the wall as a commercial venture in the 1990s, and it is still available for various areas of the stadium today.

In 2010, sculptures honoring Joe Shaw, the club's all-time attendance leader with 714 appearances, and Derek Dooley, the club's former chairman, were built in the car park close to the Cherry Street stand.

The club announced intentions to extend the Tony Currie Stand in December 2017. More than 5,400 additional seats, new executive boxes, and a media center were among the proposals.

The plans call for the stand to be extended into a portion of the Cherry Street parking lot.

Bramall Lane Stands & Layout - The Kop & John Street Stands

Shoreham Street is where you'll find this establishment. The Kop has been seated since 1991, and it is where the rowdiest home fans gather.

One of the Top Facts about Bramall Lane is that former assistant manager (1999–2003) and manager (2008–10) Kevin Blackwell dubbed the noise coming from this stand the "Bramall Roar" after the Blades' 4–3 win over Nottingham Forest in the 2003 play-off semi-final second leg.

Kennedy's Law is presently sponsoring the stand, which was previously sponsored by Hallam FM. The stand is built into a hillside behind the goal at the stadium's east end, behind the goal.

As a result, the stand is located along Shoreham Street, hence the frequently heard chorus of "Hello! Hello! We are the Shoreham Boys" during matchdays, comes from this stand.

It holds 10,221 supporters and features the club's initials "SUFC" engraved on the seats, making it the largest stand at Bramall Lane.

Although an outdoor bar was added in September 2007 to supplement the fast-food takeaway, the Kop's amenities are of poorer quality due to the lack of an interior concourse; still, it remains a solid favorite with the fans and is generally filled on matchday. 

The club revealed its plans to enlarge the Kop by 3,500 seats (making it the country's largest 'kop'), modernize all facilities, and cover the concourse areas at a Shareholders' meeting in November 2007.

Former chief executive Trevor Birch has since stated that the extension will not be considered until the club achieves and maintains Premier League status, another one of the Top Facts about Bramall Lane.

In 2015, United submitted a revised application for the reconstruction of the stand, which could add 3,215 seats to the existing capacity.

The John Street stand, which opened in 1996 and serves as a family enclosure for home fans, is located on the north side of the pitch and provides excellent views of the game.

The Maltese Tourist Board sponsored it in a combined stand and jersey sponsorship arrangement, with the name "BLADES" printed in the seats and capacity for slightly under 7,000 fans.

This is also where the disabled supporters of the home team may sit. The Marstons & Malta Executive Suites and "Tunnel Bar" are located in the stand, which also has a small club shop.

Along the back of the stand, there is a row of 31, individual executive boxes with private facilities and balconies.

Bramall Lane Stands & Layout - The Corner Stands

The John Street Corner stand, also known as the Northeast Corner and formerly known as the Pukka Pies Stand due to a sponsorship deal, was completed in 2001 and is located between the Kop and the John Street stand.

It is entirely connected to the John Street Stand and serves as a family enclosure for about 900 people (after the 2006–07 season, new restricted-view seats were installed).

The lower portion of this part of the ground was originally utilized as a family standing enclosure until it was removed as part of the major Kop redevelopment.

Bramall Lane Corner Stand, also known as the "new" corner infill, is located in the stadium's southwest corner, between the Bramall Lane Stand and the South Stand, and was sponsored by Westfield Health.

It shares facilities, turnstiles, and exits with the Bramall Lane Stand (upper tier). It is always occupied by home supporters and is said to provide the best views of the stadium, one of the

Top Facts about Bramall Lane.

Approximately 2,000 people can be accommodated at the stand. A four-star hotel has been constructed directly behind the stand.

The Blades Enterprise Centre, located in the northwest corner, is one of several examples of United expanding their off-the-field activities to maximize revenue sources.

The Enterprise Centre, which opened in 2002, provides office space for small and emerging businesses in the block between the John Street and Bramall Lane Stands, as well as beneath the John Street Stand.

Bramall Lane Developments

The stadium is in a fantastic central location in the city center. In June 2007, construction on a 158-room 4-star Millennium and Copthorne Hotel behind the new Westfield stand began in order to maximize the stadium's income potential. In November 2008, the new hotel opened its doors.

The club revealed its intention to extend the back of the Kop stand with an additional 3,200 seats and remove the pillars holding up the roof at the Shareholders' Meeting in November 2007.

The revised capacity of the stand was expected to be at 13,400, which is slightly less than the Holte End at Villa Park.

In addition, the club planned to renovate the Kop and cover the concourse areas, as well as construct student housing at the back of the Kop and a big business center (office complex) between the Kop and the South stand.

In the same meeting, the club disclosed its long-term plans to add 6,000 seats to the main South (Valad) Stand, bringing the total stadium capacity to slightly over 44,000. 

However, this expansion would be contingent on Premiership demand and any potential 2018 World Cup host bid.

United PLC Chairman Kevin McCabe has said that he will develop Bramall Lane's extensions to any FA criteria, with the goal of the stadium hosting matches if England's World Cup bid is successful.

In the event that England is given a World Cup and Sheffield is chosen as a host city, the FA confirmed on December 16, 2009, that Hillsborough Stadium (home of rivals Sheffield Wednesday) will be Sheffield's venue.

Following this announcement, Trevor Birch, Sheffield United's Chief Executive, stated that all planned redevelopment work would be placed on hold until the club was able to reclaim and maintain Premiership status, one of the Top Facts about Bramall Lane.

Work on the installation of a state-of-the-art Desso pitch began in May 2015, bringing to an end the nearly 153 years of football played on a traditional surface at the world's oldest professional football stadium.

In 2017, fresh plans were disclosed for the currently open corner between the Kop and the South Stand, which included the construction of a block of residential flats and a larger club shop.

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