Boundary Park
Boundary Park is a football stadium in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. Its name originates from the fact that it lies at the northwestern extremity of Oldham, with Royton and Chadderton lying immediately north and west respectively. Boundary Park was originally known as the Athletic Ground when it was opened in 1896 for Oldham's first professional football club, Oldham County F.C.. When County folded in 1899, Pine Villa F.C. took over the ground and changed their name to Oldham Athletic. Oldham Athletic A.F.C. have played their home games here since the stadium was opened. Oldham RLFC left their traditional home, Watersheddings, in 1997 and moved to Boundary Park, although they briefly moved to Hurst Cross in Ashton-under-Lyne in 2002, where they played until 2009, when the football club decided that they no longer wanted them as tenants. Overview The Lookers Stand on the Broadway side was knocked down as part of a proposed redevelopment (see below). Oldham Borough Council confirmed planning approval for the new North Stand in April 2013. This will have capacity for 2,671 spectators, plus a health and fitness suite, supporters' bar and event facilities. The hardcore Oldham fans are usually considered to be in the Chadderton Road End (Chaddy End); a traditional, small, one-tiered stand. Opposite that is the Rochdale Road End, where one third of the stand is given to away supporters, and home fans the rest, except when the opposition has a large away following, when the situation is reversed. In these cases, season ticket holders have to be reallocated. The main stand has existed since the time when the stadium was originally built, and is a small two-tiered structure. Terracing disused since the conversion to an all-seater can still be seen towards the end of this stand. Capacity The stadium currently has an all-seated capacity of 13,512. It became an all-seater venue during the 1994–95 season – the season after Oldham Athletic's relegation from the top flight of English football. In the early days, the stadium could hold nearly 50,000 people. The highest crowd ever recorded at Boundary Park is 47,671, for an FA Cup tie between Oldham and Sheffield Wednesday in 1930. The highest attendance for a league match was also recorded during the same season against Blackpool, with 45,304 attending for the promotion clash. Ownership Historically, Boundary Park was owned by the football club which has occupied it since 1904, Oldham Athletic. This arrangement changed in 1999 when the then owners of the football club sold the stadium to Oldham Property Partnerships, Oldham Council’s joint venture company. The football club entered administration in 2003 and a takeover by Simon Blitz, Simon Corney and Danny Gazel was completed in early 2005. Blitz and Gazel purchased the football club through their company Oldham Athletic (2004) Association Football Club Limited and subsequently completed the purchase of Boundary Park through a separate company, Brass Bank Limited, with that purchase completing in June 2005. The ownership of the football club and its stadium was again split in