Filbert Street - The Legendary Home of Leicester City Football Club

[Foxile]

It's a shame.

 

It was a shithole, but it was our shithole.

 

I have grown to the Walkers/King Power/Filbert Way, but do think it still lacks that sense of community. Of home. Whilst we do call it Filbert Way etc it's never had it's own real identity. It has had transient sponsorships. You can't identify with the stands either. I was a season ticket holder in the cowshed for 3 years at Filbo and Filbert Street end for 2. I can identify with the unique view, arrangements and layout of the stands. I've sat in every stand in the new ground over the last decade, they're completely interchangeable. There's no charm there for me.

 

It does feel, this season, a bit more homely, but I put that down to the clappers and the fact we're still on a high, attendance wise. Maybe the addition of a new stand, with a bespoke design, would allay some of these feelings. 

 

That being said, it's still our identikit stadium. It's still our generic sports event bowl.

[Izzy]

It's a shame.

 

It was a shithole, but it was our shithole.

 

I have grown to the Walkers/King Power/Filbert Way, but do think it still lacks that sense of community. Of home. Whilst we do call it Filbert Way etc it's never had it's own real identity. It has had transient sponsorships. You can't identify with the stands either. I was a season ticket holder in the cowshed for 3 years at Filbo and Filbert Street end for 2. I can identify with the unique view, arrangements and layout of the stands. I've sat in every stand in the new ground over the last decade, they're completely interchangeable. There's no charm there for me.

 

It does feel, this season, a bit more homely, but I put that down to the clappers and the fact we're still on a high, attendance wise. Maybe the addition of a new stand, with a bespoke design, would allay some of these feelings. 

 

That being said, it's still our identikit stadium. It's still our generic sports event bowl.

 

Well said mate 

[Sol thewall Bamba]

I'd much prefer a double tiered Kop over another tier on the East stand, but with the way the ground is built I would assume it would be difficult to do that, plus it would probably only add 4-5K seats rather than 6-7K you'd get on top of the East stand. 

[Len Finsbury]

It's a shame.

 

It was a shithole, but it was our shithole.

 

I have grown to the Walkers/King Power/Filbert Way, but do think it still lacks that sense of community. Of home. Whilst we do call it Filbert Way etc it's never had it's own real identity. It has had transient sponsorships. You can't identify with the stands either. I was a season ticket holder in the cowshed for 3 years at Filbo and Filbert Street end for 2. I can identify with the unique view, arrangements and layout of the stands. I've sat in every stand in the new ground over the last decade, they're completely interchangeable. There's no charm there for me.

 

It does feel, this season, a bit more homely, but I put that down to the clappers and the fact we're still on a high, attendance wise. Maybe the addition of a new stand, with a bespoke design, would allay some of these feelings. 

 

That being said, it's still our identikit stadium. It's still our generic sports event bowl.

 

I used to like the East stand. The main advantage being that you couldn't see the East stand, making the stadium look better than it really was - similar to the story of MON bringing potential new signings out through the tunnel backwards   

[Guest CityFan 06]

I'd much prefer a double tiered Kop over another tier on the East stand, but with the way the ground is built I would assume it would be difficult to do that, plus it would probably only add 4-5K seats rather than 6-7K you'd get on top of the East stand.

Exactly my thoughts. A double decker kop would look superb but like you said there would be a shorter number of seats available for fans. Either way whenever the time is right for an expansion on one of the stands of the ground it will hopefully add a bit more uniqueness.

[Fox in the Forest]

I like to move the hyphen in King-Power Stadium and call it the King Power-stadium. Makes much more sense

;-)

[StanSP]

I like to move the hyphen in King-Power Stadium and call it the King Power-stadium. Makes much more sense

;-)

 

there's never been a hyphen anyway...

[Matt]

The Telegraph - The top 10 football grounds we miss the most:
 

 

Filbert Street

The hunting horns that used to herald the Foxes' arrival on to the pitch, the white wall in front of the Main Stand and the anti-frost balloon that covered the field in the mid-Seventies had long gone by the dawn of the Premier League era but Filbert Street retained some of its quirky charm. On one side, the towering £5m Carling Stand. On the other, the minuscule Popular Side that had to be accessed through a row of terraced houses. In 2002, City finally flew the nest to their new £37m stadium.

 

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/picturegalleries/12046034/The-top-10-football-grounds-we-miss-the-most.html?frame=3392051

[davieG]

Filbert Street: Leicester City's forgotten former home turned into a dumping ground

By PA_Warzynski  |  Posted: April 02, 2016

 

Filbert Street is a shadow of its former self, reduced to a dumping ground for people's rubbish

 

 Comments (5)

A few hundred yards from the heart-pounding buzz of the King Power Stadium is the site of Leicester City's former Filbert Street home; demolished, desolate and a stark contrast to the modern-day success of the Foxes.

Week in, week out, 32,000 fans are on the edge of their seats at the King Power as City inch closer and closer to Premier League glory.

Filbert Street resident Mark Harrison, however, is watching plastic bath tub blow down the street and lodge itself underneath the bumper of his car.

 

The demolished former stadium and surrounding area have become dumping grounds for broken settees, torn mattresses and the odd trampoline - more likely to attract the other kind of foxes.

Residents who are greeted by the mounds of junk say they have nothing to celebrate as they watch the eyesore grow outside their homes.

"It's been like this since the site went up for sale 15 years ago," said Mark, 24. "It's become a disgrace - just a dumping ground for people's rubbish.

"We've had broken scooters, trampolines, push chairs, clothes, mattresses.

"Last weekend, the wind was rolling a bath tub down the street past my window."

Mark said he and others have complained to Leicester City Council, but nothing is ever done.

"Me and some neighbours went out on Easter Sunday putting all the rubbish into bin bags, but it shouldn't just be left to us," he said. "It's like the council has forgotten about this place now the football ground isn't here anymore."

Inside the fenced off boundary, which takes up half of the old Leicester City stadium, the mountains of rubbish are piling up - discarded electric fires, twisted shopping trolleys, dismantled wardrobes and a troupe of rubbish-filled plastic bags.

"People are getting into the grounds round on Lineker Road," said Mark. "The wooden panels have gone so it's easy to throw things in there."

The site was earmarked for development in 2013, when Filbert Property Holding, based in Guernsey, had a planning application for 43 homes conditionally approved.

However, there has been no sign of any construction since.

The Mercury tried to contact the company via the agent, but could not track anyone down.

Leicester City Council said it had gone out last week to collect the rubbish, which the Mercury photographed, from the streets.

A spokeswoman added that officers would contact the site owners and urge them to remove the abandoned junk piles.

She said: "The land on the corner of Filbert Street and Lineker Road is privately owned.

"We are in the process of serving a formal notice requiring the owners to tidy the site.

"If they fail to do so, we may take the landowner to court, and/or tidy the land for them and charge the landowners for the cost of the clean-up."

Read more: http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Filbert-Street-Leicester-City-s-forgotten-home/story-29033486-detail/story.html#ixzz44f1SvtvY 

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[fuchsntf]

What makes this worse..many, many years ago LCFC offered to buy up the houses to extend

develope and improve Filbert street.There were only a few dissenters, who often complained

on match days, plus a couple of generations councils refused to support the idea.

60s,70s,80s had FC, shopping, night-club (like Baileys of old) with serious suggestions even with

plans and sketches......

Now we have FFS a peoples made dump, officially supported by the council, because they put

no protection or ignored the dumping ground for yonks.Oh yes the council are just as much to

blame..!!! Maybe 2 golfing buddies bought the land for speculation.

If I remember right, the group who bought and built the Fosseshopping complex, were the same

who wanted to invest with LCFC.

Before the KP , the council were very negative towards suggestions of Complex developements

for City, and other Leisure come shopping areas. One reason we never grew as a city.

[yorkie1999]

Surely it wouldn't be that hard to turn it into a car park until the people who own it want to build on it. I bet it'd pay for itself in a couple of games. 

[Steve_Walsh5]

Shame the owners can't buy it and turn it into something for fans. A few bars, stalls that sell food, big screen to watch old highlights.

[fuchsntf]

You know where you can throw your beer fans, and donut wrappings tomorrow.

The hammers are coming in 2 weeks.

Collect the rubbish set up a couple of stalls, Hammer fans most likely buy alot

of the stuff, especially if one sets up antique stalls...

[mickythehoss]

http://www.modelstadia.co.uk/index.php/this-year-s-model-the-carling-stand

[kushiro]

Leicester v Spurs, May 2001

 

I took these photos from Bentley's roof:

 

1) The kop goes wild as Sturridge scores (spot the canal)

 

 

 

2)  Savage penalty

 

 

 

3) The Family Stand (I posted this a while back hoping to find out who these three people were - any idea?)

 

[ithuriel]

I was in the upper tier of the double decker for that match.

[MC Prussian]

The last ever match to be played at Filbert Street:

Just watch the star-studded line-up at the very end (from 4:49 onwards - the Birch calls them up one by one).

[davieG]

The last ever match to be played at Filbert Street:

Just watch the star-studded line-up at the very end (from 4:49 onwards - the Birch calls them up one by one).

Wow how the memories fade, I was there but don't remember much of it.

 

I must have seen all those play, would be good to have a list of all those that were there.

[Gerard]

60,000 state of the art stadium on the old Filbert Street ground please.

 

Lets have a real go at being a top club.

 

Build and they will come..........

[Guest CityFan 06]

60,000 state of the art stadium on the old Filbert Street ground please.

 

Lets have a real go at being a top club.

 

Build and they will come..........

 

If this were to ever happen, what would the stadium be called / what would you like it to be called? I'd much prefer us to have a name more Leicester related (traditional). Filbert, Fosse - something along those lines would be nice in my opinion.

[Wymsey]

The last ever match to be played at Filbert Street:

Just watch the star-studded line-up at the very end (from 4:49 onwards - the Birch calls them up one by one).

Out of the ex-players, Lennon looks the most different now and Ritchie Norman looks exactly the same.

[Jace]

60,000 state of the art stadium on the old Filbert Street ground please.

 

Lets have a real go at being a top club.

 

Build and they will come..........

 

 

Considering the old site could only fit the old Filbert St stadium on it and has now reduced in size due to the Uni housing thats been built on it I think it may be slightly too small for that unfortunately 

[ozleicester]

Time to let it go, it was our history and amazing, but its time we just enjoy the memories and move forward with the new stadium.

 

There has never been a better time to be a City fan and for the youngsters the comparisons are pointless, this season has shown that the new stadium can be the best atmosphere in the country, lerts just focus on continuing and growing that.

 

Filbert St is dead, long live Freemans Wharf? ...Raw Dykes? ...  King Power?... whatever it is

[Vlad the Fox]

Took my kids round there Saturday, pointing out where the stands were, where I went in and the pitch, then shown them photos of what it was like. Teach them about our history.

Regarding the land round there, taking into consideration the land the KP stands on, the car park and land across the road (if we could purchase it) and the land just purchased for the fans village, you could take out the road and it's a large area you could do something with.

[kushiro]

Taken from inside the Liberty Building, 2001.