Filbert Street
Filbert Street was the home of
Leicester City Football Club from
1891 to
2002. The actual title of the stadium was "The City Stadium," but like many football stadia, it was known almost exclusively by its address.
The club, then named Leicester Fosse, moved to Filbert Street in 1891, after playing at five other locations since the club was formed. It became all-seater in December 1993 on the completion of the Carling Stand, which held 9,500 seated spectators and cost £6million. The remaining terraces were filled with seats and this gave Filbert Street an all-seated capacity of 21,500. Following the success of the club under
Martin O'Neill, the stadium's capacity was inadequate.. A new stadium was required for higher attendances and better facilities. Although expansion of Filbert Street was considered, the club made the decision to relocate to Filbert Way, only a few hundred metres from Filbert Street. Expansion of Filbert Street would have been very difficult, as two of the stands joined onto housing which would have been expensive to place under a compulsory purchase order in the event of expansion.
Work began on a 32,500 seater stadium named The
Walkers Stadium (because of a sponsorship deal with long running sponsors
Walkers Crisps) in June 2001. It was completed in August 2002, at a cost of £37 million. Demolition of Filbert Street was completed in 2003. The site is now home to the 'Filbert Village' development, built as accommodation for students for the nearby
De Montfort University and
University of Leicester.
The last game to be played at Filbert Street was the last game of the 2001/2002 season, a 2-1 victory over
Tottenham Hotspur. Matthew Piper scored the winner, the last goal scored at the ground.
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Filbert Street history*
Filbert Street Gallery and Information @worldstadia.com
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Demolition of Filbert Street
