Stadium

• Stadium Name: The Hawthorns
• Year Opened: 1900
• Capacity: 26,804

History of the stadium

Welcome to the home of West Bromwich Albion Football Club, The Hawthorns. West Brom moved here in 1900 after spending their first 22 years of existence playing at five other grounds: Cooper’s Hill, Dartmouth Park, Bunn’s Field, Four Acres and Stoney Lane. Albion struggled to make somewhere their home in those first couple of decades, but after seeking a more spacious home just outside West Bromwich, they settled on a site that was covered in hawthorn bushes on the borders of Handsworth and Smethwick. West Brom signed a lease for the land in May 1900 before buying the freehold from Sandwell Park Colliery in June 1913.

The Hawthorns opened on 3 September 1900 with West Brom drawing 1-1 against Derby County in front of a crowd of 20,104. Derby’s Steve Bloomer scored the first ever goal at the new stadium before Chippy Simmons became the first Baggies star to score there. In March 1937, an official record attendance of 64,815 was set when West Brom beat Arsenal 3-1 in the FA Cup quarter-finals. In 1954, it’s believed that over 80,000 people turned up to watch an FA Cup clash with Newcastle. However, the official figure only 61,088. West Brom’s record league attendance at home came against Black Country rivals Wolves in March 1950 when 60,945 people watched a 1-1 draw.

West Brom were forced to reduce the capacity of The Hawthorns to around 25,000 in the 1990s due to the Taylor Report, which made clubs adopt all-seater stadiums. The Smethwick End and Birmingham Road End terraces were both demolished as Albion redeveloped their increasingly dilapidated home.

Renovations continued in 2001 when the East Stand replaced the famous old Rainbow Stand, which was originally built in 1964.

The Hawthorns will turn 125 years old later in 2025, making it the 29th-oldest of all the stadiums in the top four divisions of English football.

The Hawthorns’ stands

West Stand (aka Halfords Lane)

• Constructed: 1979-1982
• Refurbished: 2008
• Capacity: 4,725

Birmingham Road End

• Constructed: 1994
• Capacity: 8,286

Smethwick End

• Constructed: 1994
• Capacity: 5,200

East Stand

• Constructed: 2001
• Capacity: 8,791

Notable matches at The Hawthorns

• West Brom 1-1 Derby, 1900 – The first ever match at The Hawthorns.
• Derby 1-1 v Sheffield United, 1902 – FA Cup semi-final.
• West Brom 4-0 Chelsea, 1920 – Albion end their 1919/20 title-winning season with a huge victory.
• England 2-0 Ireland, 1922 – England play at The Hawthorns for the first time in the British Home Championship.
• West Brom 3-1 Arsenal, 1937 – All-time record attendance of 64,815.
• Wolves 1-0 Aston Villa, 1960 – FA Cup semi-final.
• West Brom 5-2 DOS BV Utrecht, 1966 – The Hawthorns hosts European football for the first time as Albion beat Dutch side Utrecht in the 1966/67 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
• West Brom 2-0 Valencia, 1978 – Albion qualify for the UEFA Cup quarter-finals with a historic win over Valencia thanks to goals by Derek Statham and the legendary Tony Brown.
• England Women 1-2 Italy Women, 1998 – England’s Lionesses make their one and only appearance at The Hawthorns.
• West Brom 2-0 Crystal Palace, 2002 – Gary Megson’s Baggies win promotion to the Premier League for the first time, ending a 16-year absence from the top flight.
• West Brom 2-0 Portsmouth, 2005 – Albion complete the Great Escape in front of a modern all-seated record attendance of 27,751.
• West Brom 5-5 Manchester United, 2013 – West Brom and Man United share the record for the highest-scoring draw in Premier League history in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final game.
• West Brom 2-2 QPR, 2020 – West Brom win promotion to the Premier League in an empty stadium due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• West Brom Women 1-3 Wolves Women, 2022 – West Bromwich Albion Women make their first appearance at The Hawthorns.

How to get to The Hawthorns

The Hawthorns is served by The Hawthorns station, which is both a West Midlands Metro tram stop and a railway station. Line 1 of the Midland Metro serves the station, as well as National Rail, which operates from Birmingham and Kidderminster. The station is accessible from Halfords Lane, a short walk away from the stadium.

The Hawthorns can also be accessed by bus with the number 74 operating along the A41 Birmingham Road.

West Brom’s home is also – infamously – accessible from Junction 1 of the M5, meaning that traffic on matchdays can be pretty horrific. Albion’s weeknight matches at home always kick off at 8pm due to issues with getting there on time.

Address: West Bromwich Albion Football Club, The Hawthorns, Birmingham Road, West Bromwich, B71 4LF