Filbert Street

Filbert Street

City Business Stadium (official)
The south end of Filbert Street, known as the "Double Decker".
Full name	Filbert Street
Location	Filbert Street, Leicester
Coordinates	52°37′25″N 1°8′26″W / 52.62361°N 1.14056°W / 52.62361; -1.14056Coordinates: 52°37′25″N 1°8′26″W / 52.62361°N 1.14056°W / 52.62361; -1.14056
Owner	Leicester City F.C.
Capacity	22,000 (at closure) 47,298 (record)
Field size	110 x 76 yards
Construction
Opened	1891
Closed	2002
Demolished	2003
Tenants
Leicester City FC (1891–2002)

Filbert Street was a football stadium in Leicester, England, which served as the home of Leicester City FC from 1891 until 2002. Although officially titled the "City Business Stadium" in the early 1990s, it remained known almost exclusively by its address, like many English football stadia.

Leicester City was formed in 1884. The club was then named Leicester Fosse, as its founders mostly lived in the west end of the city, through which the Fosse Way ran. In 1884–85 it played at a ground known as the Racecourse, before sharing Victoria Park with the Leicester Tigers rugby club for two years. Leicester Fosse played at the Belgrave Road Cycle Track for a year, but returned to Victoria Park after the rugby club offered a higher rent to the owners of the Cycle Track.

Leicester Fosse became a professional club in 1889 and laid out its own ground at Mill Lane, just north of Filbert Street. The club was soon forced to move, however, as the local Corporation requested the land for development. The site of what was to become Filbert Street was prepared during the summer of 1891, while Leicester Fosse temporarily played at the Aylestone Road Cricket Ground. Local legend suggests that the new ground was identified by a Miss Westland, the niece of one of the club's founders, Joseph Johnson.

The ground initially consisted of simple earth banks and a small main stand on the west side, until 1921, when a new and much larger main stand was built. In 1927, a new stand was built at the south end (known as the Spion Kop), and became known as the "Double Decker". The roof which had previously covered the Kop was rebuilt at the north, or Filbert Street end of the ground. It was in this form that Filbert Street saw its record attendance of 47,298 for the Fifth Round FA Cup tie, against Tottenham Hotspur, on 18 February 1928. This game also saw many more spectators watch the match from the roof of the Filbert Street end. The first phase of ground development concluded with the covering of the East or Popular side in 1939.

The middle section of the Main Stand suffered bomb damage in 1940, and was later further damaged by a serious fire. By 1949, the stand had been rebuilt, with much of the labour, ironically, being supplied by German POWs at a nearby camp. The ground's maximum capacity was now around 42,000. Floodlights were installed and first used for a match against German club Borussia Dortmund in October 1957.