Key information about Bloomfield Road

Bloomfield Road was built in 1899 and is now the home of Blackpool FC. The ground is located in the city of Blackpool in Lancashire and was the 68th stadium in the country to host a Football League match.

Its current capacity stands at 16,220 and it has a pitch that measures 102m by 67m. The surface is covered with grass but there is no undersoil heating installed nor a running track surrounding it.

The record attendance of 38,098 was set during Blackpool’s clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 17 September 1955.

A history of Bloomfield Road

Bloomfield Road was constructed way back in 1899 and has been housing Blackpool ever since the club moved into the stadium in 1901. Before then, they were actually settled at two different grounds: Raikes Hall Gardens and Athletic Grounds.

It’s also interesting to note that Bloomfield Road was originally known as Gamble's Field after the farmer who owned the land but was renamed shortly after Blackpool FC merged with South Shore F.C. in mid-December 1899 and then moved into the stadium, which was then owned by the latter team.

The first clash after the merger was on 23 December with the hosts beating a 10-man Horwich R.M.I 8-0. There was not much to see at the stadium back then with only a small wooden grandstand with about 300 places and a perimeter fence surrounding the pitch. Interestingly, Blackpool would move in and out of the ground in the following years, alternating between Raikes Hall Gardens and Bloomfield Road, until finally, at the start of the 1901/02 campaign, the latter would become their official home.

In the years and decades after that, the stadium would gradually improve, most notably boosting the capacity to over 20,000 by the time the mid-1920s arrived. In the 1930s, the club also erected the Spion Kop, adding more space and increasing the total figure to over 30,000. But most of the improvements in the 1920s were indeed prompted by the big fire of 1917 that destroyed the entire southern end along with the offices, a lot of silverware and documentation.

Still, after the 1920s and 1930s, the development stopped and wouldn’t resume until the 1950s when the East Paddock was extended. In the following decade, Bloomfield Road could host around 38,000 supporters but that figure would subsequently dip following the conversion of some areas into seating places and later due to safety requirements. Around that time, the Spion Kop was also partially covered..

As the new millennium approached, the ground deteriorated and was in dire need of renovation once again. Several initiatives were presented but it wouldn’t be until the early 2000s that big changes were undertaken.

The Spion Kop and West Stand were completely demolished and eventually replaced by new stands and in 2003 the East and South Stand followed suit. However, it would take the club until 2010 to finally replace the latter one while temporary structures were placed in the former and were then improved in 2011.

Around that time the pitch was also relaid and finally, in June 2019, Bloomfield Road came into the control of Simon Sadler, who bought a controlling 96.2% stake in Blackpool FC.

Tickets to watch Blackpool FC at Bloomfield Road

All tickets to watch Blackpool FC play at Bloomfield Road can be found and purchased on the club’s official website. The cheapest adult ticket in the standard area costs £20 while the most expensive ones in West Stand Blocks L & N are £28.

The club also offers season tickets for all of their fans. More information can be found on the aforementioned website.

https://www.blackpoolfc.co.uk/ - Official website of Blackpool FC

https://www.blackpoolfc.co.uk/tickets/ - Blackpool FC Ticket Office