Home of Watford FC
Opened 1922
Capacity 22,200
★★★★★
★★★★★
Nice ground. Around 30k in capacity. Away end not brilliant; very cramped in the stands/seats and also in the concourse. Unable to get food or drink in the concourse and also not aloud out for air or a smoke during Half Time. Stewarding bit of a mess. Definitely over sold on away tickets where an extra block could have been released to ease up room and make it safer. A nice stadium over all. One of the stands reminds me of Lyon's ground with the curved roofing. Not a bad away day. Spoons 5 mins up the road. Loads of places to get food and never any trouble from home fans
a month ago
Great club and nice venue. It is only a 15 minute walk from the city center so plenty of pubs in the vicinity of the stadium for some pre-match drinks. The football itself was so so but the atmosphere in and around the stadium was friendly. Tickets are with QR code and NFC so requires some preparation but entry was smooth. Nice to see how the Sir Elton John stand has some nice outings of the rocket man.
6 months ago
The stadium was modern and spacious and entry into the stadium was quick and efficient.
As a vegan, I often struggle to find vegan food and drinks at football stadiums, but all of the beers at the bars were vegan (correct as of 2023), and there was a vegan pie (sweet potato, spinach and coconut) - super delicious.
I was also pleased to see that there were free sanitary products in the ladies toilets.
One of the best stadium I've been to!
5 months ago
What a fantastic place. Staff could not be more helpful. Every time I visited I am in awe. My boys absolutely love it here and as a member of the Junior Hornets have been spoilt with a tour and have met a few of the players all of whom have been so approachable, friendly and have inspired them to want to play professionally.
Hot dogs are a must.
They even supply free toiletries for the ladies. Fantastic place, fantastic club.
8 months ago
Watford FC certainly deserves a five star ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 🌟 ⭐️ for having such a fantastic venue , not to mention the outstanding evening of entertainment. Food is generally expensive at almost every football ground in England these days and Watford is no exception. I love the beauty of the old stadium 🏟. Seats are spacious with plenty of leg room to feel comfortable. Everything seems to work well at Watford, well at least for an outsider looking in. Big shout out to the fans for their passionate support too… I definitely will be returning!!
a year ago
History (from Wikipedia)
Vicarage Road Stand[edit]
The Vicarage Road Stand was built following the conclusion of the 1992–93 season. Previously an open terrace, the all-seater stand was built to comply with the Taylor Report and raise the standard of the ground. It cost £2.3 million to build and had a capacity of 5,800 people. Construction was largely funded by the £1.2m sale of Bruce Dyer in 1994.[9][10]
Originally a mere earth bank when the club moved to the ground, it was gradually transformed into a conventional terrace. In 1978, an electronic scoreboard was put up, which became an iconic symbol of Watford's eighties heyday. In a display of solidarity with the home support, Graham Taylor maintained that the benches for the coaching staff and substitute on the side of the pitch would remain exposed to the elements until such time as the home end was covered.
Its final game as a terrace was a 1–0 loss to Oxford United on 8 May 1993. It opened to the public once more on 18 September 1993, with Watford defeating Notts County 3–1.[11]
Previously the home stand, it now houses the away support. A partition was subsequently added, meaning that both home and away support could be put in the stand. Half of the stand is given to away fans, and the other half is used as the family area for home fans. It also houses wheelchair supporters of both teams. Since August 2012, the stand has been home to the Hornets Shop.[12]
The Rookery Stand[edit]
The Rookery Stand was built over the course of the 1994–95 season. Another former terrace, the all-seater Rookery stand has a capacity of 6,960. Larger than the Vicarage Road stand, it has facilities on two levels and also holds most of the club's administrative areas. The stand cost £1.6 million to build, approximately £300,000 of this figure was contributed by the Football Trust, with the remaining money coming from the £2.3m sale of Paul Furlong by then-owner Jack Petchey in 1994.[9][13]
When Watford moved from Cassio Road, this end of the ground featured a roof over a cinder bank, and over the years the roof eventually had to be removed for safety reasons. The Supporters' Club eventually raised funds to enable the Rookery End to feature concrete terracing under cover, and this aim was realised in 1959.
The new stand, replacing the 1959 model was used by Watford supporters for the first time on 22 April 1995, for the visit of Bristol City. As part of redevelopment work in conjunction with the Watford Health Campus, 164 units of affordable housing, known locally as The Wrap, were built on and around the Rookery end. Construction finished in 2009.[14]
The Rookery is the "home end". It lends its name to the Watford fans' podcast, From The Rookery End.[15] The stand was known as the Rover South for Saracens matches.[16]
The Graham Taylor Stand[edit]
The Graham Taylor Stand was renamed for the 2014–15 season, taking its name from the club's most successful manager Graham Taylor.[17] It was previously named after former FIFA president Sir Stanley Rous. The official renaming ceremony took place on 29 November 2014.[18]
The stand with its distinctive wavy roof runs along the side of the pitch, on the west side of the ground. It is a two-tiered stand, with executive boxes and a TV camera gantry. Built in 1986, it replaced the Shrodells Stand. The £3 million development was partly funded via a loan from Elton John. The upper tier, complete with executive boxes, was constructed first, and temporary seats forming a lower-tier were added later. These were later replaced with permanent seats, first used for a game against Notts County on 18 September 1993.
When the club moved from Cassio Road in 1922, the Union Stand was transported and reconstructed on this side of the ground. It was replaced by the Shrodells Stand, which was constructed during the 1930s. It was extended in 1979 with a further 2,200 seats replacing the standing enclosure in front of the stand.
The final match for the Shrodells Stand was a 1–1 draw against Manchester United on 3 May 1986, the Graham Taylor Stand opened on 23 August 1986, when Oxford United visited Vicarage Road, with Watford coming out 3–0 winners.
The Sir Elton John Stand[edit]
The Sir Elton John Stand sits on the east side of the ground, and contains the changing rooms & tunnel. The stand was fully opened on 13 December 2014, in a ceremony attended by Sir Elton John.[19]
Prior to the development of the Sir Elton John Stand, the east side of the ground was home to the Main Stand, which was constructed in 1922 following Watford FC's move from Cassio Road. The Main Stand was closed in 2008 due to safety concerns.[20]
Following the acquisition of Watford FC by the Pozzo family in 2012, the club were able to finance the development of a new stand to replace the Main Stand. The redevelopment of the east side of the stadium began in 2013, with the aim of developing a 3,000 seater capacity stand which would also house the players changing rooms, television gantry and tunnel.[21][22]
In May 2014, it was announced the stand will be known as The Watford FC Community Stand. However the club announced in November 2014 that the new stand would instead be named after former chairman Sir Elton John.[23] The changing rooms were used for the first time in a friendly match between Watford and Udinese on 2 August 2014.
On 8 June 2015, the club confirmed that 700 extra seats were being installed in the recently built Sir Elton John Stand.[3] This number was revised a day later to around 1000 extra seats, following the announcement of an expansion in the north-east corner.[3]
The Vicarage Road Stand was built following the conclusion of the 1992–93 season. Previously an open terrace, the all-seater stand was built to comply with the Taylor Report and raise the standard of the ground. It cost £2.3 million to build and had a capacity of 5,800 people. Construction was largely funded by the £1.2m sale of Bruce Dyer in 1994.[9][10]
Originally a mere earth bank when the club moved to the ground, it was gradually transformed into a conventional terrace. In 1978, an electronic scoreboard was put up, which became an iconic symbol of Watford's eighties heyday. In a display of solidarity with the home support, Graham Taylor maintained that the benches for the coaching staff and substitute on the side of the pitch would remain exposed to the elements until such time as the home end was covered.
Its final game as a terrace was a 1–0 loss to Oxford United on 8 May 1993. It opened to the public once more on 18 September 1993, with Watford defeating Notts County 3–1.[11]
Previously the home stand, it now houses the away support. A partition was subsequently added, meaning that both home and away support could be put in the stand. Half of the stand is given to away fans, and the other half is used as the family area for home fans. It also houses wheelchair supporters of both teams. Since August 2012, the stand has been home to the Hornets Shop.[12]
The Rookery Stand[edit]
The Rookery Stand was built over the course of the 1994–95 season. Another former terrace, the all-seater Rookery stand has a capacity of 6,960. Larger than the Vicarage Road stand, it has facilities on two levels and also holds most of the club's administrative areas. The stand cost £1.6 million to build, approximately £300,000 of this figure was contributed by the Football Trust, with the remaining money coming from the £2.3m sale of Paul Furlong by then-owner Jack Petchey in 1994.[9][13]
When Watford moved from Cassio Road, this end of the ground featured a roof over a cinder bank, and over the years the roof eventually had to be removed for safety reasons. The Supporters' Club eventually raised funds to enable the Rookery End to feature concrete terracing under cover, and this aim was realised in 1959.
The new stand, replacing the 1959 model was used by Watford supporters for the first time on 22 April 1995, for the visit of Bristol City. As part of redevelopment work in conjunction with the Watford Health Campus, 164 units of affordable housing, known locally as The Wrap, were built on and around the Rookery end. Construction finished in 2009.[14]
The Rookery is the "home end". It lends its name to the Watford fans' podcast, From The Rookery End.[15] The stand was known as the Rover South for Saracens matches.[16]
The Graham Taylor Stand[edit]
The Graham Taylor Stand was renamed for the 2014–15 season, taking its name from the club's most successful manager Graham Taylor.[17] It was previously named after former FIFA president Sir Stanley Rous. The official renaming ceremony took place on 29 November 2014.[18]
The stand with its distinctive wavy roof runs along the side of the pitch, on the west side of the ground. It is a two-tiered stand, with executive boxes and a TV camera gantry. Built in 1986, it replaced the Shrodells Stand. The £3 million development was partly funded via a loan from Elton John. The upper tier, complete with executive boxes, was constructed first, and temporary seats forming a lower-tier were added later. These were later replaced with permanent seats, first used for a game against Notts County on 18 September 1993.
When the club moved from Cassio Road in 1922, the Union Stand was transported and reconstructed on this side of the ground. It was replaced by the Shrodells Stand, which was constructed during the 1930s. It was extended in 1979 with a further 2,200 seats replacing the standing enclosure in front of the stand.
The final match for the Shrodells Stand was a 1–1 draw against Manchester United on 3 May 1986, the Graham Taylor Stand opened on 23 August 1986, when Oxford United visited Vicarage Road, with Watford coming out 3–0 winners.
The Sir Elton John Stand[edit]
The Sir Elton John Stand sits on the east side of the ground, and contains the changing rooms & tunnel. The stand was fully opened on 13 December 2014, in a ceremony attended by Sir Elton John.[19]
Prior to the development of the Sir Elton John Stand, the east side of the ground was home to the Main Stand, which was constructed in 1922 following Watford FC's move from Cassio Road. The Main Stand was closed in 2008 due to safety concerns.[20]
Following the acquisition of Watford FC by the Pozzo family in 2012, the club were able to finance the development of a new stand to replace the Main Stand. The redevelopment of the east side of the stadium began in 2013, with the aim of developing a 3,000 seater capacity stand which would also house the players changing rooms, television gantry and tunnel.[21][22]
In May 2014, it was announced the stand will be known as The Watford FC Community Stand. However the club announced in November 2014 that the new stand would instead be named after former chairman Sir Elton John.[23] The changing rooms were used for the first time in a friendly match between Watford and Udinese on 2 August 2014.
On 8 June 2015, the club confirmed that 700 extra seats were being installed in the recently built Sir Elton John Stand.[3] This number was revised a day later to around 1000 extra seats, following the announcement of an expansion in the north-east corner.[3]
Things to do near the stadium.
Nascot Arms.
Great thai food. One of the best restaurants in Watford. Service is fast, portions are big. I recommend pad thai. Read More
Cassiobury Park.
Watford needs and deserves a nice park and Cassiobury hits the spot. As well as the plethora of football pitches (none seem that big mind), tennis courts,... Read More
Cassiobury Park is a really beautiful place and has something for everyone. There is a lot of open space with shady trees. In the summer the paddling pools... Read More
Excellent park! Opposite Watford Metropolitan line tube station, so very accessible. Beautiful for walking around, has a few children's play areas. IN the... Read More