THE HAWTHORNS

A Modern Baggie Heaven

by Colin Peel

This article originally appeared in Issue 12

If he knew of its mundane surroundings - a council estate, a bakery and assorted & factories, with the M5 and a railway nearby - the first time visitor might not expect much of the home of West Brotnwich Albion.

But rising out of this fractured territory is a bright, stylish, redeveloped stadium that makes The Hawthorns one of the undoubted successes of the Taylor Report. 

The ground looks as good from the outside as it does from the stands. Leaning floodlight towers that extend off the end structures announce the ground for miles around, and the gleaming white steel adds an almost Continental dash of flair.

The transformation was achieved with the building of two new stands throughout 1994. The Birmingham Road Stand, notorious for its impenetrable seat pattern and blocks of seats in the upper wings where the screen ends obscure half the pitch, is the larger of the two and the sight of a mass 'Boing,Boing’ goal celebration is indeed magnificent. Also superb are the views off the back of the stand, right back into the centre of Birmingham. The Smethwick End opposite is smaller, cooler and shadier.

Should Albion somehow contrive to be promoted, we could well see the redevelopment of the 1960's Rainbow Stand to complete the picture by linking up to form a bowl. This being the East side, the club could build high (perhaps using a sharply angled roof to give shade to spectators, like Old Trafford) without seriously affecting the pitch.

The ground could even become a 'Big Match' venue, as it’s so well connected; 1998sees the Birmingham-Wolverhampton Midland Metro tramlink opening within 400 yards of The Hawthorns, and there's already the railway and M5