Upt.. The Boleyn Ground (Upton Park (West Ham FC))

Member Name: GeordieNick

Product:	Upton Park (West Ham FC)
Date:	02/07/09 (29 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Decent ground

Disadvantages: Run down area

Upton Park or the Boleyn Ground? Before my visit I was completely oblivious to the ground being called the Boleyn Ground as most people and the media call it Upton Park. After leaving the train station you can see the ground is located in a fairly run down area of London with a lot of small shops. The walk to the away end was particularly unpleasant, where we were sent down some small alleyway by the police, good job it was the middle of the day. Outside the ground it is a decent space with there being just about enough room for a few key facilities inside. There were enough pubs around for both sets of fans to be selective and be under control and happy.

The away stand was well kept and gave us a respectable view of the game and we were relatively close to the pitch. We were able to generate a good atmosphere even at 3-0 down on a blazing hot day and were rewarded with a little moment to shout about with Michael Owen getting a late consolation, for a bit some of us actually believed!

There wasn't too much noise from the home fans but they seemed like a decent set of supporters who obviously love their club. One of the home stands was an absolute mile away from the pitch, the pitch dimensions must have been made smaller somewhere down the line. On the whole though it is a decent size stadium in good nick.

They had a decent system outside the ground for getting back to the station although it did involve walking past all the home fans as you made your way to the back of queue as they celebrated their victory.

Upton Park, did i say Upton Park? I mean the Boleyn Ground gets a slap bang in the middle 3 star rating, mainly let down by location.

Summary: Decent ground for a decent set of supporters, located in a poor area.