Hereford United F.C. - Stadium

Stadium

Hereford United have played their home matches at Edgar Street since their formation in 1924, the ground was previously used by the amateur club Hereford City as well as for athletics. In far more recent years the ground has been central to Hereford's financial troubles, with the previous owners of the club handing the leases over to a development company; from whom they had borrowed £1 million. During the club's early years in the Conference the future of the ground was in doubt, and relocation was considered to the point that plans for a new 7,500 seater stadium were drawn up. A joint venture agreement was made between the club and the developers to redevelop both ends of the ground to include leisure facilities that would enable the debt to be settled. The area around the ground is subject to a substantial redevelopment plan, known as the Edgar Street Grid. The club and the developers were originally looking to submit redevelopment plans to the council by the end of 2007. Although the ground redevelopment is independent of the ESG, plans for the building of a cinema at the Blackfriars End drawn up by the club and developers were not supported by ESG and Herefordshire Council. Several months later, plans for the ESG itself were published which included a cinema.

The ground itself has changed little since the mid 1970s and is largely outdated and in need of urgent redevelopment; with the Blackfriars End failing a safety inspection in July 2009. The terraced end had fallen into a state of disrepair in recent years which steadily reduced the stadium capacity from nearly 9,000 to reportedly 7,100, although the capacity was officially confirmed as 7,700 in November 2007. Improvements have been made in recent years to ensure the ground met Football League standards; including new floodlights, dressing rooms and barriers on the terraces. The pitch itself was also completely relaid for the 2007–08 season, with a new sprinkler system installed for the 2008–09 season.