The Boulevard is a multi-purpose stadium in Hull, England. The venue was saved from demolition and reopened on 25 October 2007 as the home of greyhound racing in the city. It can also be used as a community stadium hosting amateur rugby league matches.[1]
History
In the past the ground was used mostly for rugby league matches and was the home stadium of Hull FC prior to the opening of KC Stadium. The main entrance was on Airlie Street, giving rise to Hull's nickname as 'the Airlie Birds'. When it closed, the stadium's capacity was 10,500 people. It hosted four matches in various Rugby League World Cups.
The stadium has also been used for football with Hull City A.F.C. using the ground at times for their home matches.
The ground consisted of three stands, the most popular being the Threepenny stand, where the majority of singing and chanting occurred. It was given its name when the stadium opened as it was 3 old pence for entry. The ground has a strong connection with the city's former fishing industry being not far from Hessle Road. A plaque was unveiled on the 'new' threepenny stand some years ago by STAND and Hull FC. Now rescued, the plaque will be returned as the Boulevard moves to a new era, not forgetting its past.
In 2000 the after Hull FC left its home ground a new promoter gained a lease from Hull City Council for two years with the intention of running greyhounds once again. Whilst they were negotiating for a possible third year the stadium's future looked in doubt due to a hostile takeover by a well known Stainforth promoter and an accountant Philip Webster of Cherry Burton. He failed to file a new lease and do repairs the council considered necessary so they refused to extend the lease.
On 25 October 2007 The Boulevard reopened for greyhound racing for the first time in 28 months. There were eight races in total. The stadium will also be used for reserve rugby league games.
Closure
On 17 June 2009 it was announced that the Boulevard will close to greyhound racing once again after less than 2 years. After going to once a week racing, promoter Dave Marshall pulled the plug on funding for the stadium. It is unknown what will happen to the stadium after its closure.[2]
References
- ^ "Dogs back on track at Boulevard". BBC News Online. BBC. 2007-10-25. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/humber/7061265.stm. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
- ^ "Hull to close Saturday", Racingpost.com, 25 June 2009
|
|||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
