Griffin Park facts for kids
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| Full name | Griffin Park |
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| Location | Braemar Road Brentford TW8 0NT |
| Coordinates | 51°29′17.46″N 0°18′9.50″W / 51.4881833°N 0.3026389°W |
| Public transit |  Brentford |
| Owner | Brentford F.C. |
| Capacity | 12,300 |
| Field size | 110 × 73 yd (100 × 67 metres) |
| Construction | |
| Built | January–September 1904 |
| Opened | September 1904 |
| Closed | August 2020 |
| Demolished | 2021 |
| Tenants | |
| Brentford F.C. (1904–2020) London Broncos (2002–2006) Chelsea F.C. Reserves (2007–2010) |
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Griffin Park was a famous football stadium in Brentford, England. It was the home of Brentford F.C. for 116 years, from 1904 until 2020. The stadium was special because it was the only one in English league football to have a pub on each of its four corners! Its name came from the griffin (a mythical creature) in the logo of Fuller's Brewery, which once owned the land where the stadium was built.
Contents
The History of Griffin Park
Building the Stadium
Before Griffin Park, Brentford played at five different grounds. In 1903, the club found a great spot: an orchard owned by a local brewery. They got a long lease with an option to buy the land later.
Work began in January 1904. Local volunteers helped clear the orchard, and architects designed the new stadium. It was planned to hold 20,000 people, with room to grow to 30,000 or even 40,000. An existing stand was moved and made bigger, and new dressing rooms and offices were built. The stadium was named Griffin Park after a nearby pub, The Griffin. It officially opened on 1 September 1904.
The First Games
The very first competitive match at Griffin Park was on 1 September 1904. Brentford played Plymouth Argyle in a Western League game. The dressing rooms weren't quite ready, so the players had to change at the public baths! Plymouth scored first, but Brentford's Tommy Shanks scored a late goal, making it a 1-1 draw. About 4,000 to 5,000 fans watched this historic game.
Two days later, Brentford played their first Southern League match against West Ham United, which ended 0-0. Brentford had to wait until 22 October 1904 for their first win at home, beating Millwall 2-0. The first Football League game at Griffin Park was on 30 August 1920, where Brentford beat Millwall 1-0.
How Griffin Park Grew and Changed
Over the years, Griffin Park was updated many times. In the late 1920s, money from a successful FA Cup run helped build a new grandstand. This new stand was much longer than the old one.
In the 1930s, more improvements were made. Concrete steps for fans were added, and new stands were built. By the time Brentford played in the top division in 1935, the stadium could hold 20,000 people.
Not much changed for a long time after that, until the mid-1980s. New flats were built near the stadium, and one of the old stands was replaced with a new, two-tiered stand that fans called the 'Wendy House'. In 2006, the pitch was moved slightly, and a roof was added to the Ealing Road terrace in 2007.
When Brentford was promoted to the Championship in 2014, even more upgrades happened. These included better access areas, more CCTV cameras, new signs, and heated seats in the dugouts. LED advertising boards and goal-line technology were also installed in 2017.
Times of Trouble
Griffin Park was only closed once because of crowd trouble. This happened after a match against Brighton & Hove Albion in 1925. The FA closed the ground for 14 days, and Brentford had to play their next home game at another stadium.
During the Second World War, Griffin Park was hit by two bombs in 1940 and 1941. Luckily, it survived the war, though some matches had to be stopped or postponed.
The "Great Fire of Brentford"
On 1 February 1983, a fire broke out in the Braemar Road Stand. It might have been caused by an electrical problem. The fire spread quickly through the wooden parts of the stand. The Groundsman, Alec Banks, who lived under the stand, was bravely rescued by Brentford player Stan Bowles and his wife. The fire caused a lot of damage, destroying seats, a dressing room, and other club areas. After the fire, the players' tunnel was moved to a new spot.
"Fortress Griffin Park"
Griffin Park was known for being a very tough place for visiting teams to play. In the 1929–30 season, Brentford set an amazing English football record by winning all 21 of their home games! This record still stands today. In 2014, Brentford also had the best home record in the entire Football League, winning 17 out of 23 games.
Moving to a New Home
For many years, Brentford F.C. wanted to move to a new, modern stadium. In 2007, they got the chance to buy land at Lionel Road, not far from Griffin Park. The plan faced some delays, but in 2012, the club bought the land.
After getting approval from the local council and the Mayor of London, construction finally began in March 2017. The new stadium, called the Community Stadium, was finished in August 2020. Both Brentford F.C. and the London Irish rugby team started playing there for the 2020–21 season.
The Final Matches
The 2019–20 season was Griffin Park's last. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the final games were played without fans. The last first-team match at Griffin Park was a play-off semi-final against Swansea City on 29 July 2020, which Brentford won 3-1. Bryan Mbeumo scored the very last goal for Brentford at the stadium. The absolute final match ever played at Griffin Park was a cup semi-final between Brentford B and Erith Town on 26 August 2020.
What Happened Next
After Brentford moved out, Griffin Park was redeveloped. In 2015, plans were approved to build 75 new homes on the site. At the heart of the new development, there will be a special garden to remember the stadium.
Stadium Structure
When Griffin Park first opened, it didn't have proper seating or terraces. It just had grassy banks around the pitch. Over time, it grew to have four main stands.
The Stands of Griffin Park
- Braemar Road Stand: This was a two-tiered stand with seats. It also held the dressing rooms, a bar for supporters, and club offices.
- New Road Stand: This stand had one tier of seats. In its final years, it was named the Bill Axbey Stand, honoring the club's oldest fan. The main camera for TV broadcasts was located here.
- Ealing Road Terrace: This was a standing area for fans. It finally got a roof in 2007. It was usually for home fans, but sometimes away fans used it too.
- Brook Road Stand: This stand had seats on the top level and standing room below. It was built in the mid-1980s and was often called 'the Wendy House' because of its look.
Bright Lights: Floodlights
Brentford was one of the first clubs to use floodlights for night games. In 1954, they spent a lot of money to put up lights around the pitch. At first, the Football League didn't allow competitive games under floodlights, so Brentford played friendly matches to earn money. These lights were later upgraded with tall pylons in each corner of the ground.
How Many People Came to Watch?
Attendance Records
- The most people ever at Griffin Park for any game was 38,678. This was for an FA Cup match against Leicester City in 1949.
- For a league game, the record was 38,535 against Arsenal in 1938.
- The average attendance for a season was highest in 1936–37, with 27,716 fans per game.
Recent Attendances
In its final years, Griffin Park could hold about 12,573 people. One of the biggest crowds in its last seasons was 12,367 for a league match against Queens Park Rangers in 2018.
Other Teams and Events
Football Matches for Other Teams
Griffin Park was often used as a neutral ground for other important football matches. For example, the Netherlands and France played a friendly game there during World War II in 1942. It also hosted many FA Amateur Cup semi-finals.
Other Teams Who Played There
- The London Broncos rugby league team played their home games at Griffin Park from 2002 to 2006.
- Chelsea's reserve and youth teams also used Griffin Park for their home matches from 2007 to 2010.
Other Sports at Griffin Park
Besides football, Griffin Park hosted other sports too! The very first event there in 1904 was a sports meeting that included wrestling. Athletics, tennis, and even Gaelic football were played at the ground. A baseball team called Heinz also played there in the early 1900s.
Advertising at the Stadium
Griffin Park was located right under the Heathrow Airport flight path. This meant that planes flew low over the stadium. Because of this, the roofs of the New Road and Braemar Road stands were used for large advertisements. Companies like KLM, Ericsson, and Qatar Airways had their logos displayed there for everyone flying overhead to see.
"A Pub on Every Corner"
One of the most famous things about Griffin Park was that it had a pub on each of its four corners! These pubs were:
- The Griffin: Located at the corner of Braemar Road and Brook Road. This pub was even used as a filming location for movies like ... Street and Bohemian Rhapsody.
- The Princess Royal: Found at the corner of Braemar Road and Ealing Road. This pub closed in 2020 and was later turned into offices for a church.
- The New Inn: Situated at the corner of New Road and Ealing Road.
- The Brook: Located at the corner of New Road and Brook Road. Before 2019, it was known as The Royal Oak.
Who Owned Griffin Park?
Brentford F.C. first leased the land for Griffin Park. In 1936, the club was able to buy the land and become its full owners.
In the late 1960s, when Brentford was struggling financially, there was a plan for another club to buy Griffin Park. However, a former Brentford chairman stepped in and helped the club with a loan.
Later, in 1998, the club's chairman at the time, Ron Noades, bought the freehold of Griffin Park through his company. There was a worry that the stadium might be sold for housing. But in 2006, a group of supporters called Bees United bought his shares, helping to secure the club's future. The current owner, Matthew Benham, repaid Noades' loans in 2007. On 15 September 2020, ownership of the ground was transferred to EcoWorld, a partner in building the new Community Stadium.
See also
In Spanish: Griffin Park para niños
