Griffin Park facts for kids

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Griffin Park
Construction

Full name	Griffin Park
Location	Braemar Road BrentfordTW8 0NT
Coordinates	51°29′17.46″N 0°18′9.50″W / 51.4881833°N 0.3026389°W / 51.4881833; -0.3026389
Public transit	Brentford
Owner	Brentford F.C.
Capacity	12,300
Field size	110 x 73 yd (100 x 67 metres)
Built	January–September 1904
Opened	September 1904
Closed	August 2020
Tenants
Brentford F.C. (1904–2020) London Broncos (2002–2006) Chelsea F.C. Reserves (2007–2010)

Griffin Park was a famous football stadium in Brentford, England. It was the home of Brentford F.C. for 116 years. The stadium opened in September 1904 and closed in August 2020. It was special because it was the only English football stadium with a pub on each corner! The name "Griffin Park" came from the griffin (a mythical creature) on the logo of Fuller's Brewery. This company used to own the land where the stadium was built.

Griffin Park's Story: Building a Home

How Griffin Park Was Planned and Built

Before 1904, Brentford FC played at five different places. In 1903, the club found a great spot. It was an orchard (a field with fruit trees) owned by a local company called Fuller, Smith and Turner. The club got to rent the land for 21 years for a very small fee. They also had the chance to buy it later for £5,000.

Work on the stadium started in January 1904. Local volunteers helped cut down the trees. The stadium was designed to hold 20,000 people. It could even be made bigger for up to 40,000 fans. A stand from an older ground was moved and made larger. It could then hold 1,500 people. Underneath this stand were changing rooms for players and offices. Griffin Park officially opened on 1 September 1904.

The Very First Football Matches

The first official game at Griffin Park was on 1 September 1904. It was a Western League match against Plymouth Argyle. The changing rooms weren't ready yet. So, the players had to change at public baths nearby! Plymouth scored first, but Brentford tied the game 1-1. About 4,000 to 5,000 fans watched this first match.

The first Southern League game was on 3 September 1904. Brentford drew 0-0 with West Ham United. Brentford's first win at the stadium was on 22 October 1904. They beat Millwall 2-0. The first Football League match happened on 30 August 1920. Brentford won 1-0 against Millwall.

A Moment of Crowd Trouble

Griffin Park was only closed once because of crowd problems. This happened after a match against Brighton & Hove Albion on 12 September 1925. The football association (FA) closed the stadium for 14 days. The next home game was moved to a different stadium.

Surviving Wartime Bombings

Griffin Park was lucky during World War I. It was not hit by bombs. But during World War II, two bombs hit the stadium. This happened in 1940 and 1941. Some matches had to be stopped or delayed during these times.

The "Great Fire of Brentford"

On 1 February 1983, a big fire broke out at Griffin Park. It started in the Braemar Road Stand. The fire spread quickly through the wooden parts of the stand. The stadium's groundskeeper, Alec Banks, was saved by a player and his wife. About 60 people living nearby had to leave their homes. The fire caused about £150,000 worth of damage. This included 800 seats, the away changing room, and the gym. After the fire, the players' tunnel was moved to a new spot.

"Fortress Griffin Park": A Strong Home Record

Brentford set an amazing English football record in the 1929–30 season. They won all 21 of their home games! This record still stands today. In 2014, Brentford also had the best home record in the Football League. They won 17 out of 23 games at Griffin Park.

Inside Griffin Park: The Stands

Griffin Park had four main stands where fans watched the games:

Braemar Road Stand: This stand had two levels of seats. It also held the changing rooms, a bar for supporters, and club offices. The club shop and ticket office were outside this stand.
New Road Stand: This stand had one level of seats. It was later named the Bill Axbey Stand. This was to honor the club's oldest fan. The main TV camera for games was located here.
Ealing Road Terrace: This was a standing area at one end of the stadium. It didn't have a roof for many years. A roof was finally added in 2007.
Brook Road Stand: This stand had seats on the top level and a standing area below. It was built in the mid-1980s. Fans sometimes called it 'the Wendy House' because of how it looked.

Bright Lights: Griffin Park's Floodlights

Brentford was one of the first clubs to use floodlights for night games. In 1954, they spent £5,345 to put up lights around the stadium. At first, the Football League didn't allow competitive games at night. So, Brentford played friendly matches to earn money. These games were very popular! In 1963, new, taller floodlight towers were installed. The lights were made even brighter in 2015.

Moving On: A New Stadium

Brentford FC started looking for a new stadium in the 1970s. In 2007, they found a good spot nearby at Lionel Road. However, the plan was stopped in 2010 due to money problems. In 2012, the club bought the land. The plan for a new stadium was finally approved in 2014.

Work on the new stadium began in March 2017. It was completed in August 2020. Both Brentford FC and the rugby team London Irish now play at the new Community Stadium. It can hold 17,250 fans.

The Final Matches at Griffin Park

The 2019–20 season was Brentford's last at Griffin Park. The very last first-team match was on 29 July 2020. It was a Championship play-off semi-final against Swansea City. Brentford won 3-1. The final goal for Brentford at the stadium was scored by Bryan Mbeumo. The absolute last match played at Griffin Park was a London Senior Cup semi-final on 26 August 2020. Brentford B team won 6-3.

Griffin Park's Records and Visitors

Attendance Records

Griffin Park saw many fans over the years.

The most people ever at a game was 38,678. This was for an FA Cup match against Leicester City in 1949.
The most people for a Football League game was 38,535. This was against Arsenal in 1938.
In the 1936–37 season, the average number of fans per game was 27,716.

Other Teams That Played Here

Griffin Park wasn't just for Brentford FC.

The London Broncos rugby league team played their home games here from 2002 to 2006.
Chelsea's reserve and youth teams also played their home games at Griffin Park from 2007 to 2010.

Other Sports at Griffin Park

Besides football, Griffin Park hosted other sports too!

The first event with paying fans was a sports meeting in 1904. It included a wrestling match.
Athletics, tennis, and Gaelic football were also played there.
A baseball team called Heinz played at the stadium in the early 1900s.

Advertising and Media Appearances

Ads on the Roof

Griffin Park was located right under the flight path for London Heathrow Airport. 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 huge advertisements. Companies like KLM, Ericsson, and Qatar Airways had their logos on the roofs.

Griffin Park in Movies and TV

Griffin Park was a popular spot for filming movies and TV shows.

The film The Winning Goal (1920) shot scenes of a football match here.
The Great Game (1954) also filmed inside and around the stadium.
The TV show Minder (1984) used the stadium for football training scenes.
In the film Goal! (2005), Griffin Park was shown as the home ground for Newcastle United Reserves.
The TV show Mike Bassett: Manager (2005) used Griffin Park as the home stadium for a made-up team called Wirral County.

The Famous "Pub on Every Corner"

Griffin Park was famous for having a pub (a type of bar) on each of its four corners. These pubs were:

The Griffin
The Princess Royal
The New Inn
The Brook (which used to be called The Royal Oak)

The Griffin pub was even used as a filming location in the 2005 movie Green Street.

Who Owned Griffin Park?

Brentford FC first rented Griffin Park. In 1936, the club was able to buy the land. This meant they owned the stadium outright.

In 1968, when Brentford FC was having money problems, another club's chairman tried to buy Griffin Park. He wanted to move his team there. But a former Brentford chairman stepped in and gave the club a loan to save it.

Later, in 1998, the club's chairman Ron Noades bought the stadium through his company. There was a worry that the stadium might be sold for building houses. But in 2006, a group of supporters called Bees United bought his shares. This helped keep the club and stadium safe. In 2020, the ownership of the stadium was transferred to EcoWorld, a partner in building the new Community Stadium.

Images for kids

The forecourt behind the Braemar Road stand, pictured in January 2015, with the club offices and bar visible.
Sheffield Wednesday supporters on the uncovered Ealing Road terrace during the 2005 League One playoffs. A temporary Sky Sports TV gantry is located at the back of the stand.