Vicarage Road Stadium

Stadium

What is recorded here

Vicarage Road Stadium is recorded as a named stadium in Watford. It is mapped for football. The point is the centre supplied by the public map.

Read the whole record

Vicarage Road Stadium is recorded as a named stadium in Watford. It is mapped for football. The point is the centre supplied by the public map.

Vicarage Road became Watford Football Club's home in 1922 when growing crowds outstripped Cassio Road. Greyhound racing, another football club and Saracens rugby later shared the ground. New seated stands gradually replaced older terraces, and the 2014 stand named for former club chairman Elton John finally closed a long unfinished side.

Why it was built

Vicarage Road Stadium was built in 1922 when Watford Football Club moved from Cassio Road to make room for growing crowds. The club has remained there ever since. The larger site also allowed greyhound racing and, in later years, ground-sharing by another football club and a rugby team.

People and work

The stadium hosted various teams including Wealdstone F.C. between 1991-1993 and rugby side Saracens from 1997 until 2013. It also featured greyhound racing for many years, ending in 1978 due to stadium improvements.

How it changed

New seated stands at the Vicarage Road and Rookery ends helped turn the ground from terraces into a fully seated stadium. Greyhound racing ended in 1978 when building work took priority. In 2014 the Sir Elton John Stand replaced the old main stand, ending years in which that side remained partly closed and unfinished.

What survives

Four seated stands surround the pitch and hold about 22,200 people. The oldest surviving stand is the Graham Taylor Stand, while the newest bears Elton John's name. Boxes, modern floodlights and rebuilt supporter areas sit on the same ground that also held greyhound racing and was shared by Wealdstone football club and Saracens rugby.

Why it mattered

The ground records Watford's growth from a club needing more room in 1922 to one able to rebuild every side of its home. Sharing it with greyhounds, Wealdstone and Saracens brought different crowds through the same gates. The later seated stands also show how national football-safety changes reshaped the way local supporters watched matches.