Ground History
Broadhall Way
Broadhall Way was built by the Stevenage Development Corporation in 1960, funded with £12,000 from the SDC, £4,000 from Stevenage Town FC, and £1,000 from the FA. Part of the land had previously been home to a sewage works.
It hosted its first game on August 26, 1961, when Ware were the visitors in the Delphian League.
In the very early days, it used stands brought over from the old London Road ground.
Soon, though, both sides of the ground - East and West - were home to stands. The main problem with the ground was the pitch itself - full of mud and stones and not much else.
Floodlights were installed in 1964, but otherwise the ground remained largely untouched until 1976.
In that year, with Stevenage Athletic in financial difficulties, a group of enthusiasts who had founded Stevenage Borough attempted to use the ground for a match. They found that a trench had been dug across the pitch, from one goalmouth to the other.
No senior football was played at the ground until 1980, when Stevenage Borough became tenants.
With Stevenage Borough's rise up the leagues came some rapid ground developments, turning Broadhall Way from a small non-league ground to a modern Football League stadium.
West Stand
The first grandstand on the West side of the ground was built after Southern League entry, in 1964. It was a propped, cantilevered structure with six steps of terracing at the front and an elevated seating area above it, holding 440 people.
The original West Stand continued in service until 1994, when it was replaced with a 460-capacity all-seater stand.
After Stevenage FC won the Conference in 1996, the West Stand was then expanded to run the entire length of the ground, increasing its capacity to 1,800.
East Stand, 1974
Photo: Bob Lilliman
East Stand, 1974
Photo: Bob Lilliman
East Stand, 1975
Photo: Bob Lilliman
East Stand, 1979
Photo: Bob Lilliman
East Stand, mid 1980s
Photo: Bob Lilliman
East Terrace, 1996
Photo: Groundtastic
East Terrace, 1996
East Terrace, 2010
Photo: Groundtastic
East Stand
When the ground was first built, a cantilevered East Stand was constructed, costing £2,500. It could seat 230 people on benches, and was built in brick with an asbestos roof.
On either side of the main East Stand were sections of cover that had previously seen use at the London Road ground, with a couple of steps of terracing underneath them. These were later replaced by small, uncovered terraced steps.
The original East Stand lasted until 1996, when it was knocked down and the East Terrace, running the entire length of the pitch, was constructed to replace it.
A roof was added to the East Terrace in autumn 1998.
North Stand
In the early days, the North end of the ground was home to a clubhouse and changing rooms, and would see several rows of terraced steps installed for spectators.
The first proper stand was built around 1994, with a terrace that was covered in the middle and initially uncovered on either side.
This lasted until its demolition in January 2018 after Tifosy, a sports investment platform, had been used to raise an additional £500,000 that was needed for constructing a new North Stand
More than 200 fans contributed to the fundraising, which reached its goal within five weeks and brought in an additional £100,000.
The new North Stand was officially opened in December 2019 with a capacity of 1,428.
South Stand
From the opening of Broadhall Way until the 1990s, the South end of the ground remained a simple grass bank.
Change came around 1994, with the construction of a small, terraced stand that was covered in the middle and uncovered on either side - almost an exact replica of the stand built at the same time at the North end of the ground. The cover in the middle section was removed in 1996.
A seated stand was constructed at the South end, and began to be used during the 2001-02 season. Since its construction, it has been used to house away fans at Broadhall Way.
London Road
Originally the home of Stevenage Cricket Club, London Road witnessed the first ever organised football match in Stevenage - between Stevenage FC and Biggleswade in 1884.
Throughout the 1880s and 1890s, it was used off and on by Stevenage FC and their successor club, Stevenage Wanderers, who became Stevenage Town.
It did not become their permanent home until 1900, however, after the cricket club had moved out to their present home near King George V playing fields.
Development of the ground - which was immediately adjacent to the old Our Mutual Friend pub - began in earnest during the 1902-03 season, when a pavilion was built, costing £8 - though it didn't last long, with the roof blown off by strong winds in March 1903, and vandals breaking the windows in January 1904.
Further improvements were delayed by the demise of Stevenage Town in 1910, but resurrected in 1919 when the club was re-founded and returned to its home ground.
In the inter-war years, Stevenage Town leased the ground from Stevenage Urban District Council for eight months of every year - with the pitch also used for grazing horses and sheep.
1920 saw significant improvements made to the ground, with the pitch now surrounded with a wire fence and wooden posts. It marked a key moment in turning a field into a football ground. Sections of the fence were later upgraded to corrugated iron.
Later years would see two stands built at London Road, as detailed below. Earth banking and timber stands were erected during the 1953-54 season, bringing the ground's capacity to an estimated 4,000 to 5,000.
Its time as the town's football ground began to come to an end from 1959, when the Stevenage Development Corporation announced that they would take the ground over for redevelopment.
The last match at London Road was a Delphian League game against Hertford Town on April 24, 1961.
The pitch at London Road was roughly where the new Stevenage Bus Interchange sits, as shown in one of the above images.
West Stand
The West Stand at the London Road ground was first constructed by the Stevenage Town Supporters' Club in 1948. It was made of corrugated iron, recycled from Anderson shelters constructed during the Second World War.
East Stand
The East side saw the construction of the first stand at the ground, in 1932.
Stevenage Town FC were then preparing to join the Spartan League - a step up from the South Midlands League - and built the new 100-seat grandstand as part of their preparations.
It was built by W. Austin & Sons, with the timber donated by ESA and construction funded by George 'Fishy' Furr, among others. It cost £169, 15 shillings and sixpence, with work beginning in February 1932.
The stand was officially opened by Mr A W Redford, Chair of Stevenage Urban District Council, on March 5, 1932, when the Grenadier Guards were welcomed for a friendly match that Stevenage won 7-1.
After the Second World War, a special restoration fund was set up as the stand had fallen into disrepair.