Stadium
The club plays its home games at Welford Road Stadium, the address of which is actually Aylestone Road. The ground was opened in 1892 and the first stands accommodated 1100 spectators. The Members' and Crumbie Stands were built after the First World War. The Alliance and Leicester Stand was opened at the Welford Road end in 1995. The total ground capacity is currently 24,000 (2009/10 season).
On 23 November 2004, the club announced that it had entered into a 50–50 joint venture with the city's main football club, Leicester City, to purchase City's current ground, Walkers Stadium. If the purchase had gone through, the Tigers would have surrendered their lease on Welford Road and moved into Walkers Stadium. However, after several months of talks, the two clubs could not agree as to which side would have priority at Walkers Stadium, and they ended any ground share plans in July 2005.
On 11 June 2007 the club announced plans that it was working with AFL, who were involved in redeveloping Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium for a redevelopment plan which will raise the capacity of their Welford Road stadium from 17,498 to 25,000 by 2011.
A new temporary stand at the clubhouse end increased the ground capacity to 17,498 from the 2007/08 season.
On 20 February 2008 Leicester Tigers received planning consent for the £60million redevelopment of their Welford Road home.The first phase of the development would include space for 10,000 supporters in a new North Stand (Granby Halls side), taking capacity up from 17,498 to 24,000. After full renovation it will have a capacity of above 30,000.
In the summer of 2008 Work began on the construction of the new North Stand – called the "Caterpillar Stand" after the club's main sponsor. The work was completed for the first home game of the 2009/10 season against Newcastle Falcons. The Caterpillar Stand has room for 10,000 spectators along with a 1,000 seat hospitality suite. On the ground floor of the Caterpillar stand is the Final Whistle bar where no ticket is required for entry.
At the end of the 2008/09 season three home games were played at the Walkers Stadium due to demolition of the old north stand.
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Famous quotes containing the word stadium:
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—Charles Sanders Peirce (1839–1914)
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—Walter Wellesley (Red)