 Hotels Near Windsor Park - Belfast Ireland
Hotels Near Windsor Park are listed below in the order of their distance. Search for cheap and discount hotel rates near Windsor Park in Belfast Ireland for your upcoming individual or group travel. We list the best motels and hotels close to Windsor Park so you can review the Belfast Ireland hotels below and find the perfect lodging. Need 5+ Rooms? Belfast Ireland Group Hotel Rates
Windsor Park, in Belfast, is the home ground of the Northern Irish football club, Linfield. It is also the home of the Northern Ireland national football team and Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals.
Windsor Park was first opened in 1905, with a match between Linfield and Glentoran. Most of the stadium, however, was designed and built in the 1930s, to a design made by the Scottish architect Archibald Leitch (who also worked on Stamford Bridge, Goodison Park, Celtic Park, Ibrox Park and Hampden Park). It had one main seated stand (the Grandstand, now known as the South Stand), with "reserved" terracing in front, and a large open terrace behind the goal to the west called the Spion Kop. To the north, there was a long covered terrace (the "unreserved" terracing) and behind the eastern goal at the Railway End another covered terrace. Windsor Park's peak capacity in this format was 60,000. In the early 1960s the Railway End terrace had seats put in (the Railway Stand), while in the early 1970s a social club/viewing lounge was constructed in the corner between the Railway Stand and the Grandstand. In the 1980s, the 'unreserved terrace' was demolished and replaced by a two tier, ,7000 seat North stand. In the late 1990s, the Kop terrace was demolished and replaced with a sleek 5000-seater West Stand, but still referred to in common parlance as the Kop Stand.
The current capacity of the ground is 20,000, of which 14,000 is seated. For most Linfield home games only the South Stand and Kop stand are opened. The North Stand is usually given to away supporters. The venue usually sees its biggest crowds for Northern Ireland internationals, from which Linfield receive 15% of the gate receipts.
The North stand will get a new roof for the 2010/11 season
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