The Boulevard (Stadium)
Encyclopedia
The Boulevard was a multi-purpose stadium
Multi-purpose stadium
Multi-purpose stadiums are a type of stadium designed in such a way as to be easily used by multiple sports. While any stadium could potentially host more than one sport, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy that stresses multi-functionality over specificity...

 in Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. The venue was saved from demolition and reopened on 25 October 2007 as the home of greyhound racing
Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....

 in the city. It can also be used as a community stadium hosting amateur rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

 matches. It has since closed and was due for demolition in August 2010.

History

In the past the ground was used mostly for rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

 matches and was the home stadium of Hull prior to the opening of KC Stadium
KC Stadium
The KC Stadium, often shortened to the KC, is a multi-purpose facility in the city of Kingston upon Hull , England. Conceived as early as the late 1990s, it was completed in 2002 at a cost of approximately £44 million. It is named after the stadium's sponsors, telecommunications provider KC,...

. The main entrance was on Airlie Street, giving rise to Hull's nickname as 'the Airlie Birds'. When it closed, the stadium's capacity was 10,500 people. It hosted four matches in various Rugby League World Cup
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...

s. The ground had a strong connection with the city's former fishing industry being not far from Hessle Road.

The stadium has also been used for football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 with Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...

 using the ground at times for their home matches.

In 1970, British League Division Two speedway was introduced and proved to be exceedingly popular with large crowds cheering on the Hull Vikings each Wednesday. Hull had the dubious distinction of being the very last league speedway team ever to appear at the famous West Ham Stadium, on 23 May 1972, when they beat the closing Hammers 40-38. Subsequent years saw their promotion to the first division and the inclusion of former world champions Barry Briggs and Ivan Mauger to ride for the team. Promotional changes, falling crowds and financial problems eventually saw the Vikings demise until their resurrection some years later at Craven Park.

The ground consisted of three stands, the most popular being the Threepenny stand, where the majority of singing and chanting occurred. It was given its name when the stadium opened as it was 3 old pence for entry. In July 1985, Hull's threepenny stand closed for safety reasons. A plaque was unveiled on the 'new' threepenny stand some years ago by STAND and Hull FC. It has since been rescued.

In 2003 after Hull FC left its home ground a new promoter gained a lease from Hull City Council for two years with the intention of running greyhounds once again. Whilst they were negotiating for a possible third year the stadium's future looked in doubt due to a hostile takeover by a well known Stainforth promoter and an accountant Philip Webster of Cherry Burton. He failed to file a new lease and do repairs the council considered necessary so they refused to extend the lease.

On 25 October 2007 The Boulevard reopened for greyhound racing for the first time in 28 months. There were eight races in total. The stadium will also be used for reserve rugby league games.

Closure and demolition

On 17 June 2009 it was announced that the Boulevard will close to greyhound racing once again after less than 2 years. After going to once a week racing, promoter Dave Marshall pulled the plug on funding for the stadium. On 22 August 2010, BBC Humberside reported that the stadium was in the process of being demolished after a council inspection due to safety concerns.
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