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"The Hawthorns", has been the home of West Bromwich Albion Football Club for over 100 years and
was one of the first Football League grounds to be built in the 20th century. It
was officially opened on the 3rd September 1900 for Albion's First Division
clash with Derby County after being completed within four months of laying the
initial foundations.
Derby's, Steve
Bloomer scored the first ever goal during the first match at "The
Hawthorns" whilst  'Chippy'
Simmons (left) became the first Baggies player to score at "The Hawthorns" when he grabbed the equalising goal.
The game finished
1-1 in front of 20,104 fans.
The lease on Albion's previous ground in Stoney Lane, had
expired in 1899,
and the fact that
Albion didn't own the ground meant the directors of the club were unwilling to
spend money on improving what had become
reportedly one of the
worst grounds in the football league. However a one extension of the lease was
required whilst the ground committee with Harry Keys, found a more suitable site
to build the future Albion home ground upon.
Then on the 14th May 1900, the club officially sealed a new
fourteen year lease on the ground you and I now know so affectionately as "The
Hawthorns". Why the Hawthorns name, though?, Well according to the
surveyors map, some reports suggest that the area surrounding the new site was
referred to as the Hawthorns estate, along with many Hawthorn bushes which
flourished on the site before work commenced so it became the obvious choice and
nearing the end of the lease
In 1913,
Albion purchased the freehold of The Hawthorns for £5,350.
With the club now owning the
ground and due to the money raised through the teams success on  the
pitch ground improvements were carried out over a number of years taking the
capacity up to around the 70,000 figure although the highest gate to assemble at
the ground was some 5,000 short of that when 64,815 watched the FA Cup game with
Arsenal in 1937. Over the years the capacity has gradually fallen and today
stands at around the 28,003. The Hillsborough
disaster in 1989, changed the face of football grounds forever including The
Hawthorns. In 1994 due to the Taylor Report both the Birmingham Road End and
Smethwick End terraces were demolished and replaced by new all seated stands.
The new look
Hawthorns was completed with the construction of a new East Stand in 2001.
View the
new look Hawthorns
construction Gallery by clicking here. Facts & Stats:
At 551 feet above
sea level The Hawthorns is the highest league ground in the UK. Vale Park, home
of Port Vale is second highest closely followed by Boundary Park, Oldham.
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