Adams Park.
'Adams Park', (known previously as The Causeway Stadium while sponsored by Causeway Technologies) is a
football stadium in
High Wycombe,
Buckinghamshire that is the home ground of the
League Two team
Wycombe Wanderers. The ground is also rented out to
London Wasps, a
rugby union club that competes in the
Guinness Premiership.
The stadium shows just how far Wycombe Wanderers have come in a relatively short space of time. What 15 years ago was a rather basic non-league stadium just coming up to Football League specification is now a stadium for a club of Wycombe's stature to really be proud of.
History
'1990' - Situated right on the edge of the Sands Industrial Estate in High Wycombe, the stadium was opened in time for the 1990/91 season, originally having a capacity of 6,000 with 1,267 seats in the Main Stand. The move was financed almost solely by the sale of the club's former stadium
Loakes Park to the health authorities to facilitate the expansion of Wycombe General Hospital. It had come after a period of 30 years in which a site had been sought for a new stadium after Loakes Park had been earmarked for the site of the hospital development. Due to High Wycombe's hilly geography finding a suitably flat piece of ground that was also in a convenient place was not easy.
The new stadium coincided with an upturn in the club's fortunes as, under the guidance of
Martin O'Neill, they won the
FA Trophy at
Wembley thanks to a 2-1 win over
Kidderminster Harriers. This was no doubt helped by the fact the club had no loans to service due to the stadium construction. It was during this season before the original date of the
FA Cup 2nd Round tie against professional side
Peterborough United that the
infamous scene of football commentator
John Motson being engulfed by what can only be described as a blizzard that had suddenly come over the Chiltern Hills during a live television broadcast before the game.
Two seasons later, the stadium witnessed Wycombe do the double by not only storming to the
Conference title by a country mile, but also by winning the FA Trophy in a 4-1 win over
Runcorn at Wembley in front of around 28,000 Wycombe fans making the short trip down the railway line. Wycombe had reached the
Football League for the first time in their history, a significant achievement for a club that had been a bastion of amateur football for so many decades. It was during this season that Wycombe officially recorded a then record crowd at Adams Park (the record at Loakes Park was 15,850 against
St Albans City in 1950) of some 7,230 against Slough Town, though many eye-witness reports claim that as many 9,000 were let in due to concerns of overcrowding outside the stadium due to the huge interest from both sides' fans in the match. Many who couldn't get in the ground watched from the hills overlooking the stadium.
A few months after entering the Football League, the crush barriers on the terraces at Adams Park were upgraded, taking the capacity not far shy of the 10,000 mark. Promotion in the first season from the erstwhile
Division 3 (current
Coca-Cola League 2) via the play-offs was followed by 6th place in
Division 2, just one place off the play-offs. However, after this momentous run of success, the manager
Martin O'Neill left Wycombe for
Norwich and eventually ended up one of the most prominent managers in English and eventually Scottish football.
Wycombe however went into a steady decline after Alan Smith took over in the summer of 1995. Crowds fell away in disapproval of his rather negative tactics, which were in stark contrast to O'Neill's far more attractive and flowing style. It was ironic that at this time further expansion of the stadium was carried out. In the summer of 1996 the impressive 4,990-seater Woodlands Stand was built on the hill behind the erstwhile Woodlands Terrace. The Hillbottom Road end, where the visiting fans are accommodated, was seated, thus reducing its capacity from well over 2,000 standing spaces to a mere 1,049 seats. The latter development had created problems when large amounts of visiting fans came to the ground, outstripping the supply of seats in that end when sides like
Watford,
Birmingham City and
Manchester City came to town.
The capacity of the stadium was fixed at 10,000 to comply with council regulations, as the positioning of the stadium on a dead-end road was leading to problems when large crowds were leaving the ground, particularly with parking cars in the streets of the nearby residential suburb of Sands. This has hampered the ground since the club has been getting crowds over the 4 to 5,000 mark.
'2000' - The
2000/2001 season was one that will be forever remembered not only by Wycombe Wanderers fans, but also by fans of clubs around the country. Although progress in the league was largely unspectacular, Wycombe's incredible run to the semi-final of the
FA Cup will live long into the memory. At Adams Park there were two sell-out crowds of 9,617 (short of the 10,000 due to segregation measures) against
Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 4th round, and 9,650 against
Wimbledon (before they moved to Milton Keynes) in the 5th.
'2001' - In the summer of 2001 the Hillbottom Road end was extended by an extra 977 seats to take the capacity to 2,026. This was done mainly to be able to accommodate more away fans in one place when the need arose. However, the capacity was kept at 10,000 by reducing the official capacity of the standing areas at the Valley End and on the paddock in front of the main stand.
It was during this season that the crowd record was broken again, 9,921 witnessing what was nearly a major shock against
Premiership outfit
Fulham in the
FA Cup 3rd Round in a 2-2 draw. Fulham only equalised in the last minute after what seemed like a foul by Barry Hayles during the move that lead to the goal.
'2002' - The season after, the rugby union team from Sudbury,
London Wasps, became tenants to Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park because of
Fulham groundsharing with
Queens Park Rangers at
Loftus Road, where Wasps used to be tenants. Just like when Wycombe moved to Adams Park, Wasps enjoyed a season if immense success winning the Premiership title two seasons running.
'2003' - The summer of 2003 was one of indignation amongst not only the hardcore of Wycombe fans, but also generally amongst many people who wouldn't call themselves Wycombe fans. The cause was the 'rebranding' of the stadium's name to 'The Causeway Stadium'. For £100,000 over three years local technology company Causeway bought the
naming rights to the ground. Many fans had pointed out the ground was named Adams Park in honour of benefactor and former captain Frank Adams, and to rename it would be hugely disrespectful to his memory. Adams had bought the former ground Loakes Park for the club, whose sale crucially financed the move to the stadium fittingly named after him. He is fondly remembered by many people outside of the club in High Wycombe for his grand gesture and contribution to the town. The Causeway Technologies sponsorship expired at the end of the 2005-06 season and the ground has reverted back to its Adams Park roots. The club is seeking a new ground sponsor, but has stated that it will only sell the name if the supporters approve. It has been rumoured that the sports (mainly
rugby including
London Wasps) clothing company
Canterbury of New Zealand may be the next sponsor with a £1m+ deal. However, the Wycombe Wanderers Supporters' Trust has distributed a questionnaire for supporters regarding this issue, and the "ballpark" figure quoted in it was no more than £50k p.a. after consultation with WWFC MD Steve Hayes, making the rumoured £1m figure sound very fanciful.
'2004' - However, Wycombe were in a period of decline, culminating in relegation from
Division 2 (now
League 1), at the end of the 2003/2004 season
'2005' - The ground attendance record was broken again in July 2005, when
Premiership champions
Chelsea brought their star-studded team to play Wycombe in a pre-season friendly. For the first time, the crowd was officially recorded as a full-to-capacity 10,000.
At was during this season that the idea that Adams Park would be further expanded was mooted by senior figures at Wycombe Wanderers and Wasps so that it can comply to the
Rugby Football Union regulations for Premiership grounds in the future. These stipulate that stadia must have a capacity of at least 12,000 by 2007/08. It was initially suggested that a stand identical to the Woodlands Stand be built where the Main Stand is currently situated, though this would also require a large amount of road building to solve the current access difficulties. These plans never came to fruition, with the two clubs now exploring extending the Valley End of the stadium instead. In whichever form it was to take, expansion was definitely on the cards as Wasps signed an agreement that extends their stay in South Buckinghamshire by another two years, with a view to extending it long-term to 20 years afterwards.
Wycombe District Council also outlined long-term plans for the regeneration of the Abbey Barn area of the town which include a possible 20,000 capacity stadium near the current site of the Wycombe Heights dry ski slope. These would plans are in the very early stages and are not intended to be realised for around 20 years.
'April 2006' - Planning permission is given for a new club shop, on April 2nd 2006, to be built in the summer to replace the current one housed in a large
portakabin. This will be joined onto the offices in the back of the old main stand and free up space in the lower carpark. Plans were also announced for a, much needed, new front pedestrian entrance alongside the main vehicle front gates.
'July 2006' - Plans are also afoot at
London Wasps for a new access route to the ground, allowing the expansion up to 15,000.
Plans were handed over to WWFC by Wasps for expansion plans in July 2006. They include adding two tiers of seating onto the back of the existing Valley End terrace with them filling in the corner round to the large Woodlands Stand enclosing that section of the ground. The capacity will rise to 15,000 with this building work. There is also a revised access route planned to allow the safety certificate to let the extra 5,000 people in and out. The single access currently allows no more than 10,000 people in the ground regardless of the actual capacity.
Costs for the expansion are put at between £4-5 million.
When, or indeed ever were this project to be realised it would render the surrounding area of splendid green-belt countryside unrecognisable to what it was some 16 years ago, when the construction of the stadium first took place.
New club shop and office plans were submitted to Wycombe District Council at the same time. The revised plans include a second storey of offices for joint use between
WWFC and
London Wasps.
'August 2006' - The Valley Terrace has a new sponsor, after Jewson ended their sponsorship, in the name of MEWA. Giving us the MEWA Valley Terrace. MEWA also provided Wasps with a new short sponsor for a short time in the 2006/2007 season before disappearing for unknown reasons.
'September 2006' - It was announced at a
London Wasps fans forum at
Marlow RFC that plans for the ground expansion should be made public by the end of October
2006.
' October 2006' - Work has started on the new club shop and offices with the foundations going in. It is understood that Wasps will not be using the offices initially and that the new pedestrian entrance and car park layout may be added later, once the initial building work is complete (due by Christmas 2006). There may also be a, much needed, match day bar added under the Dreams Stand, where there is currently car parking.
Plans for the new 1st floor club offices were rejected on October 19th by a Wycombe District Council committee. The new club shop will be built and is expect to be open in December.
Also, the promised ground expansion plans that were due to be released in October failed to materialize, and, at the time of writing, the clubs have yet to elaborate on their plans for the redevelopment of the Valley End.
' December 2006 ' - The new club shop opens, allowing the old
portakabins to be removed, as their planning consent had expired. The shop was officially opened on the 7th by players and members of staff of both Wycombe Wanderers and Wasps.
Stadium expansion plans are now due in the 'new year' according to David Davies (Wasps CEO) at a stadium travel plan meeting.
' February 2007 ' - Update on Wasps stadium expansion plans at the
London Wasps fans forum in
Twickenham. The plans were altered after receiving comments from the
Safety Advisory Group (SAG) & the modified plans are currently being considered by SAG. Once they've approved the plans they will go to
WWFC for final approval. At this point the Club will need to consider how & when to submit the plans for outline planning permission.
' August 2007' - At a WWFC fans forum CEO Steve Hayes announces plans to build a new stadium in the High Wycombe area, with a capacity of 17,000 - 20,000 and to be the first UK stadium in modern times to have terracing. The new stadium would be joint owned by WWFC, London Wasps and Wycombe District Council. It will share a site with retail outlets, a hotel and conference facilities. Formal plans should be expected in 2 years, meaning if proceeded with the new complex would open in 2012.
Stands
BCUC Main Stand (North)
Built: 1990
Capacity: 1,267
Seats: 1,267
Contains the club offices, Vere Suite, changing rooms, team facilities and space for journalists and radio.
Originally had capacity for around 558 standing in the paddock below the seating, which will officially come into use again if the plans for improved access to the stadium are realised.
Dreams Stand - Hillbottom Road End (East)
Built: 1990
Expanded: 2001
Capacity: 2,026
Seats: 2,026
The away end for football matches.
Originally terraced when the ground was built, the stand become an all seater before being doubled in size to the current 2,026 seats.
Woodlands Stand (South)
Built: 1990
Expanded: 1996
Capacity: 4,940
Seats: Lower = 1,738 Upper = 2,842 Boxes = 360
Boxes: 20 + Woodlands Suite
Originally a single level terrace, like the Hillbottom Road End and the Vallley Terrace currently, the Woodland Stand was expanded into a two tier unit in 1996. This added desirable boxes for corporate hospitality and much more extra seating. The stand was briefly known as the Frank Adams stand while the stadium was under the Causeway Technologies sponsorship.
MEWA Valley Terrace (West)
Built: 1990
Capacity: 2,100 of which 1,750 used.
Seats: 0
The home and only remaining terrace in the stadium.
Plans are afoot to add a second tier to the back of the stand with seating and boxes sweeping around from the upper Woodlands Stand.
A view from the Valley Terrace.
Facilities
Vere Suite
No to be confused with DeVere. The Vere Suite is named after the Vere family who own and run the Verco furniture company based in High Wycombe, and Wanderers main sponsor when the ground was opened. Incorporated into the BCUC stand, towards the Valley end..
Scores Sport Bar
Recently refurbished, the sports bar used to be The Centre Spot public house. Incorpotated centrally into the back of the BCUC stand.
Club Shop
The new club shop was opened in 2006, replacing the portakabins that had housed it for the previous few years. The original club shop at the ground was situated where the current Ticket Office 1 is situated, in the corner of the ground between the BCUC and Dreams stands.
Woodlands Suite
Situated midway up the Woodlands stand, at the Valley end, the suite is available for hosting many events on both match and non-match days.
Details
Address
:Adams Park
:Hillbottom Road
:Sands
:High Wycombe
:Bucks
:HP12 4HJ
Email
ap@adamspark.co.uk
External links
★
The Adams Park Website
★
Wycombe Wanderers FC
★
London Wasps
★
Expansion 'key to Wasps future'
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