65-472: The Boleyn Ground , often referred to as Upton Park , was a football stadium located in Upton Park , East London. It was the home of West Ham United from 1904 to 2016, and was briefly used by Charlton Athletic in the early 1990s during their years of financial difficulty. The seating capacity of the ground at closure was 35,016. From the 2016–17 season, West Ham United have played their home matches at
130-407: A cost of £7.5 million for the land and building. This is in addition to a commercial property empire worth an estimated £500 million. His girlfriend is Ampika Pickston , star of The Real Housewives of Cheshire . Sullivan has two children, David and Jack with ex-girlfriend Emma Benton-Hughes (formerly known as Eve Vorley while working as a porn actress). Sullivan is a philanthropist and has been
195-646: A fight sanctioned by the Luxembourg Boxing Federation on 14 July 2012. The fight caused controversy at the time as neither fighter held a license from the British Boxing Board of Control . On 12 November 2014, a friendly game between Argentina and Croatia was played at the Boleyn Ground. The match finished 2–1 to Argentina and saw the return of former West Ham striker Carlos Tevez to the Boleyn Ground. The stadium
260-429: A month later. In September, the ground was used for the film Final Score and hosted a charity match on 27 September shortly before demolition commenced. 1,000 of 1,400 commemorative bricks were saved by Jonjo Heuerman when the wall they were in was taken down, and are available to be claimed by the fans who paid for them. The inscriptions were later reproduced in a pathway at the new ground. The record attendance at
325-559: A north–south axis, linking the A118 Romford Road in the north and the A124 Barking Road in the south, both major arterial routes linking central London to the eastern counties. Many shops in the area cater for east London's large Asian community. Queens Road Market is a covered food and clothing market on Queens Road, off Green Street near the tube station. It was formerly a large open-air street market until
390-624: A patron of Prostate Cancer UK for over 15 years. He is also an active supporter of the Teenage Cancer Trust along with several other charities nationwide. Sullivan celebrated West Ham's promotion to the Premier League in May 2012 by donating a five figure sum to a charity for children with autism . In October 2020, Sullivan donated £25,000 to help combat child food poverty. His donation was given to FareShare who contribute to
455-408: A sale price of £40,000,000. The developer's plans include 838 new homes, retail outlets and leisure facilities which will be available by 2018. The possibility of a statue of Bobby Moore and a landscaped garden named after him has also been revealed. The plans caused controversy for only including 51 "affordable" homes and no social housing. In March 2016, plans were approved for 800 homes to be built on
520-571: A search for potential developers for "informal discussions" about what would happen to the ground if it did take over the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games. On 11 February 2011, the Olympic Park Legacy Committee selected West Ham as the preferred club to move into the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games. The decision, in favour of West Ham's bid, was unanimous. On 3 March 2011, West Ham United's proposed move to
585-581: A significant role in turning around City's fortunes, joined the Hammers as vice-chairman. On the day the takeover was confirmed, an emotional Sullivan said: "It's going to take time to sink in. We've been wanting to sit here for 20 years and together we owned 27 per cent of the club 22 years ago and it's taken us 22 years to get to where want to be. Both me and David are supporters, I went to university here and I lived in Hornchurch. David lived 50 yards from
650-466: A third in the 80th minute to make it 3–2, the final score. It was West Ham's 384th Premier League match, their 990th in the top division, and their 1,662nd ever league match at the ground, the win signifying 601 home Premier League points won there. Mark Noble was named Man of the Match. The match was followed by a 45-minute display on the pitch in celebration of the history of the ground. The following day,
715-640: Is believed to have folded for the second and last time around 1911, while West Ham United were founded as Thames Ironworks F.C. in 1895, before reforming as West Ham in 1900, playing their first games at Upton Park, the Boleyn Ground, from 1904. On the London Underground network, the southern area near the Boleyn Ground is served by Upton Park tube station , in Green Street, on the District and Hammersmith and City lines. Many buses serve
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#1732772472839780-645: Is in the London Borough of Newham , but it is not the name of any of its electoral wards . It is roughly encompassed by the wards Green Street East/West in the north, and Plaistow North/South and Boleyn in the south. David Sullivan (businessman) David Sullivan (born 5 February 1949) is a British businessman and former pornographer . From 1986 to 2007, he owned the Daily Sport and Sunday Sport , which he sold for £40 million. According to The Sunday Times Rich List in 2019, Sullivan
845-496: Is located. In August 1944, a V-1 flying bomb fell on the south-west corner of the pitch. This forced West Ham to play its matches at other grounds while repairs were undertaken, but it did not affect performances as West Ham managed nine consecutive victories. Upon their return to the ground in December 1944, they lost 1–0 to Tottenham Hotspur . By 1990, West Ham were required to convert Upton Park into an all-seater stadium for
910-526: Is long over and we're at the divorce stage now, unfortunately. And I also feel we've had no support from Birmingham Council." After 16 years at the club, Birmingham managing director Karren Brady and chairman David Sullivan agreed to step down from their posts on completion of Carson Yeung 's takeover in Autumn 2009. The Birmingham manager at the time, Alex McLeish , praised the Sullivan-Gold duo in
975-486: Is the setting of the 2018 film Final Score . An ex-soldier, played by Dave Bautista , is forced into action to defend the packed stadium when armed Russian terrorists take control of it. Upton Park, London Upton Park is an area of the East London borough of Newham , centred on Green Street which is the boundary between West Ham and East Ham . West Ham United Football Club formerly played at
1040-461: Is worth £1.2 billion. He is the chairman and largest single shareholder of Premier League football team West Ham United F.C. , following the death of business partner David Gold in 2023. The pair were previously joint-chairmen of Birmingham City . Born in Cardiff , the son of an RAF serviceman, Sullivan grew up in a Penarth council house . When Sullivan was 10 years old, his father
1105-610: The 1994–95 season in order to comply with the requirements of the Taylor Report . The first stage of the redevelopment came in 1993, when the South Bank was replaced by a 9,000 seat, two-tier stand named in honour of former captain Bobby Moore , who had died earlier that year. The stand incorporated executive boxes as well as a digital clock. The North Bank was demolished in 1994 and a new 6,000 seat, two-tier stand named
1170-648: The 2012 Summer Olympics , with speculation increasing after new club chairman Eggert Magnusson confirmed he was interested in a move there. However, talks broke down between the club and the Olympic Committee after it was announced the Stadium would be reduced to a 25,000 capacity all-seater after the Olympic Games, which was 10,000 less than the Boleyn Ground's capacity, and the stadium would be keeping its running track, leaving supporters further from
1235-467: The Boleyn Ground , commonly known as Upton Park. The term 'Upton Park' first applied to a housing estate developed to the east of West Ham Park in the 1880s. The estate took its name from the adjacent village of Upton with the suffix 'Park' added for marketing reasons. The estate's developers paid for a new station to be built which was named after the estate. Consequently, the area surrounding
1300-586: The London Stadium in nearby Stratford . The last first-class match played at the Boleyn Ground was on 10 May 2016, a 3–2 West Ham United win in the Premier League against Manchester United . The stadium was demolished in 2016 to make way for a new development. West Ham United took up tenancy of the Boleyn Ground from local club Old Castle Swifts in 1904, after the two clubs amalgamated. West Ham rented Green Street House and grounds in East Ham from
1365-434: The supporters . On 26 March 2018, an HMRC tax tribunal ruled that Sullivan had used West Ham United to avoid paying £700,000 tax for his own family business, Conegate Ltd. Sullivan used Conegate to buy £2 million of shares in the holding company that owns West Ham. The same day the shares were converted to "deferred shares", deemed practically worthless and sold back for £1 back to the holding company. Conegate thereby used
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#17327724728391430-551: The "Centenary Stand" was opened on its site the following year; this was later renamed the "Sir Trevor Brooking Stand". The East Stand Lower was also converted into an all-seater stand. The final change came in 2000, when the West Stand was replaced by a 15,000 seat, two-tier stand named the " Dr. Martens Stand". The stand incorporated executive boxes on two levels as well as the West Ham United Hotel. This gave
1495-478: The 2016–2017 season. In July 2013, Sullivan became the largest single shareholder of West Ham United acquiring a further 25% of shares in the club. In March 2018, there were protests against Sullivan at the London Stadium during a 3–0 home defeat to Burnley . There were four pitch invasions and Sullivan was escorted from his seat before the end of the match. Sullivan was also hit by a coin thrown by one of
1560-475: The Boleyn Ground, on 7 May 2016. However, due to Manchester United 's involvement in the FA Cup on 23 April when they were due to play West Ham, the fixture was rearranged to 10 May 2016. The match was preceded by violence on Green Street when the coach carrying the players and staff of Manchester United was pelted with missiles resulting in broken windows. With the coach delayed, the players were late arriving at
1625-489: The East Stand; this would have brought the stadium's capacity over 40,000. Then, in 2010, new club owners David Gold and David Sullivan announced West Ham would move to the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Olympics after all. On 23 March 2010, the club announced it was working on a joint bid with Newham London Borough Council to move into the Olympic Stadium. On 30 September 2010, the club formally submitted its bid for
1690-598: The Olympic Stadium bidding. West Ham were offered a 99-year lease and hoped to move there in time for the 2016–17 season. In February 2014, West Ham announced the sale of the Boleyn Ground to the development company the Galliard Group, to be effected once the move to the Olympic Stadium was complete. When the Premier League fixtures were drawn-up at the start of the 2015–16 Premier League season, Swansea City were planned to be West Ham's final opponents at
1755-459: The Olympic Stadium was approved by the British government and London mayor Boris Johnson ; but due to ongoing legal challenges to the arrangement by Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton Orient , the deal to sell the Olympic Stadium to West Ham collapsed on 11 October 2011, West Ham announced plans to become tenants of the stadium and on 22 March 2013 after months of voting and negotiations, West Ham won
1820-422: The Olympic Stadium with a presentation at 10 Downing Street , and the world's largest live entertainment company Live Nation endorsed the club's Olympic Stadium plans on 8 October 2010. Three days after Live Nation's endorsement UK Athletics confirmed its formal support for West Ham United and Newham Council in their joint bid to take over the Olympic Stadium in legacy mode. In November 2010, West Ham commenced
1885-479: The Roman Catholic Church from around 1912. Green Street House was known locally as Boleyn Castle because of its imposing nature and an association with Anne Boleyn , who had either stayed at or, as some believe, owned the house. Hence the ground became known as the Boleyn Ground. However, over the years the ground was more often referred to as Upton Park, after the Upton Park, London area where it
1950-656: The Upton Park Area such as 5, 58, 104, 115, 147, 238, 330, 376 and N15 On the overground rail network, Forest Gate railway station on the Great Eastern Main Line served by the Elizabeth line , and Wanstead Park railway station on the Gospel Oak to Barking line served by London Overground , are both near the northern end of Green Street. On the road network, Green Street itself runs on
2015-521: The West Ham United Hotel. It was the largest single football stand in London. The stand's main feature was seen from the exterior of the stadium, with two large turrets built onto the stand with the club badge embedded on both, going with the theme of the club's badge. The terrace also had two scoreboards at both corners joining with the Centenary and Bobby Moore Stands, displaying the score and time of
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2080-839: The adult mail order market, and 150 shops. In the late 1970s, he produced several low-budget British sex movies including Come Play with Me (1977) (directed by Harrison Marks ). This was followed by The Playbirds (1978), Confessions from the David Galaxy Affair (1979) and Queen of the Blues (1979), all starring his then-girlfriend Mary Millington . After Millington's suicide in August 1979, he continued trading off her name with Mary Millington's True Blue Confessions (1980). Millington had also been intended to star in his next film, Emmanuelle in Soho (1981). In 1982, Sullivan
2145-419: The area, Upton Park FC , were early pioneers in the game, and represented Great Britain at the 1900 Summer Olympics football tournament , where they won the gold medal . They played their home games at West Ham Park , which was host to the first ever FA Cup goal, scored by Jarvis Kenrick for Clapham Rovers in a 3–0 victory over Upton Park on 11 November 1871. Upton Park F.C was founded in 1866, and
2210-402: The club and Graham's representatives, the crowd were allowed to use the pitch. On 12 February 2003, England played Australia at the Boleyn Ground in an international friendly, with Australia winning 3–1. The match is best known for marking Wayne Rooney 's international debut. On 9 May 2012, the Boleyn Ground was confirmed as the venue for the fight between David Haye and Derek Chisora ,
2275-621: The club condemned the violence aimed at the Manchester United coach, vowing to ban for life any person convicted. Three people were arrested on the night of the game, two for pitch incursion and one for throwing a bottle at the police. The following day, the Metropolitan Police issued pictures of four men they hoped to identify in connection with the coach attack. The sale of the Ground was completed on 15 July 2016, at
2340-474: The club splitting from their sponsorship with the car company back in 1997. The stand was also the only stand left at Upton Park to still have a small minority of wooden seats (at the time of demolition), in the middle of the upper tier. There were also plans to build a new East Stand soon after the Dr. Martens stand was completed in 2001, which would have seen the stadium's capacity rise from 35,345 to around 40,500, but
2405-689: The club's 100th season, after being formed in 1895 as Thames Ironworks . Its name was changed from the Centenary Stand to the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand in July 2009. The stand held around 6,000 seats, and had two tiers, with the upper-tier seating known as the family section, as supporters could only purchase tickets there if with a child. The lower tier behind the goal was split between home and away fans. West Ham initially gave around 2,500–3,000 tickets to away supporters, going from
2470-412: The current structure was built in the 1980s. Upton Park also contains a green space, Priory Park 51°32′6.26″N 0°2′31.1″E / 51.5350722°N 0.041972°E / 51.5350722; 0.041972 , extending from the north east corner of the Boleyn Ground. Green Street is a former tramway which divided the former Essex County Boroughs of East Ham and West Ham . The Upton Park area
2535-416: The furthest side to the left of the bottom tier right up to behind the goal. If the away side could not sell all their tickets, they were returned and re-sold to home supporters, as there was big demand from West Ham fans to purchase seats in the lower seating area. Home fans in the lower area generally preferred to stand during games and sing throughout. It was known as one of the more atmospheric sections of
2600-560: The game in process. The stand was so large, it was visible from the A406 North Circular Road and from the A13 Newham Way , where people could clearly make out the roof of the stand over the tower blocks. The stand was officially opened by HM The Queen , where Her Majesty was introduced to the manager and captain at the time, Glenn Roeder and Joe Cole . In 2009, following the end of Dr. Martens sponsorship,
2665-452: The ground and the scheduled 19:45 kick-off was moved to 20:15. In the 2,398th match played at the ground, with both sides looking to qualify for European football in the 2016–17 season, in front of a crowd of 34,907, West Ham took the lead in the tenth minute through Diafra Sakho , only for Manchester United to make the score 1–2 with two goals from Anthony Martial . However, Michail Antonio equalized for West Ham and Winston Reid scored
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2730-501: The ground for 20 years of his life and played for West Ham's youth team. We just want to be here where we've always wanted to be. There is no other club we would want to be at so for us we have come home and that's what it's all about." Within five months the Sullivan and Gold duo pledged a further commitment to the club and on 25 May 2010 they increased their stake to 60% (Sullivan with 30%). Vice-chairman Karren Brady later explained
2795-561: The ground was 42,322, against Tottenham in an old Division One match on 17 October 1970, when the North and South Banks were terraced, as was the old "Chicken Run" at the front of the East Stand. The Boleyn Ground became an all-seater stadium from the early 1990s because clubs had to meet new FA regulations for stadium safety after the Hillsborough Disaster in 1989. The record attendance after Upton Park became an all-seater
2860-560: The media for providing the club with financial stability, stating he respected them a lot for what they had achieved. On Sullivan's departure from Birmingham, he expressed his intentions to remain in football. Less than one year later in January 2010, he and David Gold acquired a 50% share in West Ham United giving them operational and commercial control and valuing the Premier League club at £105 million. Brady, who had also played
2925-556: The move gave the football club "the much-needed stability." In September 2012, Sullivan revealed that together with Gold they were personally funding the club's transfer business. As part of his long-term aspirations for the club, Sullivan backed West Ham's bid to move into the Olympic Stadium in Stratford. On 22 March 2013, West Ham secured a 99-year lease deal, with the stadium planned to be used as their home ground from
2990-530: The name of the stand was decided after the death of the club's legendary captain from the successful mid-1960s side in the same year of construction. The stand had two tiers, and spelt the words "WEST HAM UNITED" through the seats of both tiers. The lower tier of the Bobby Moore stand, like the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand, was well known for its supporters' passion and the atmosphere created through standing and singing. The stand had executive boxes situated between
3055-593: The new owners secure an 80% stake of the Midlands outfit. In 2007, Sullivan expressed his first desire to sell his share in Birmingham City and openly admitted three reasons for a possible departure. "One, the geographical distance. I've said for years the journey to Birmingham is killing me. Two, I think deep down the public have had enough of us. They think we should have mortgaged our houses to buy more players to compete with Chelsea and Arsenal. The honeymoon
3120-498: The original home ground of West Ham United FC . The club initially rented the land from Green Street House , known locally as Boleyn Castle because of its imposing nature and an association with Anne Boleyn . The football stadium was commonly known as Upton Park. After the 2015–16 season, West Ham relocated to the former Olympic Stadium in Stratford and the Boleyn Ground has now been demolished. An unrelated football club of
3185-491: The pitch and affecting the atmosphere within the stadium. Rumours suggested West Ham might move to a new stadium at the Parcelforce depot near to West Ham Underground/mainline station instead. Indeed, on 7 November 2007, Mayor of London Ken Livingstone announced a new site had been identified for West Ham's new stadium. However, in 2009, club CEO Scott Duxbury announced West Ham had obtained planning permission to expand
3250-469: The plans were put on hold after a combination of resistance from the local residents behind the stand and the club's relegation from the Premier League in 2003, which spiralled the club into debt at the time. The Bobby Moore Stand (formerly the South Bank) was built in 1993 and held up to 9,000 spectators, all seated. The stand was built originally to comply with new stadium all-seater regulations, and
3315-468: The site, 25% of which would be affordable housing . On 14 March 2016, the dismantling of the ground began with the removal of the John Lyall gates for transfer and reinstallation at the Olympic Stadium. By July, the seats had been removed from the ground and it was handed over to developers for demolition and redevelopment; the formal transfer of ownership of the site to Barratt London was completed
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#17327724728393380-470: The stadium a 35,000 all-seater capacity. There were plans to increase the capacity to approximately 40,500 through the building of a new larger East Stand, that would have used the spare space created when the Doctor Martens stand was built further West than the old West Stand. However, these plans never came to fruition. Through 2006, talk was rife of West Ham moving to the Olympic Stadium after
3445-404: The stadium, being built in 1969 and held only 5,000 seats due to its narrow width. The stand was known as the loudest and most intimidating stand at Upton Park. The stand was known as the 'Chicken Run', a name that had originally been applied to an earlier stand. This was an old wooden stand (standing room only) on the east side of the pitch. Unusually, the roof sloped down away from the pitch and it
3510-518: The stadium, especially with the two sets of supporters next to each other (separated by stewards and police). There was also one of two large LED video screens situated in the corner between the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand Stand and the East Stand. The East Stand was situated on the far side of the Boleyn Ground, opposite the West Stand which housed the offices and dressing rooms. The stand was the oldest and smallest stand in
3575-427: The stand resumed the old name of the West Stand. In 2011, the club signed a three-year agreement for the stand to be named "The Alpari Stand". In June 1989, evangelist Billy Graham hosted a three-day Christian mission to London to which free tickets were given away. He gave away more tickets than seats, not expecting them all to be used. In the event they were used and many were locked out. After negotiations between
3640-485: The station became known as Upton Park rather than the term being limited to the original housing estate. Originally a part of the hundred of Becontree , and part of the historic county of Essex , since 1965 , Upton Park has been part of the London Borough of Newham, a local government district of Greater London. The southern end of Green Street runs alongside the western edge of the former Boleyn Ground ,
3705-419: The upper and lower tiers, and a digital clock. The stand was renovated in 2001 after the construction of the new Dr. Martens Stands, with a second LED video screen in the stadium being introduced between the two stands and new seats added on the end of the stand to join with the new Dr. Martens Stand. The West Stand was the newest and by far the largest stand inside Upton Park, holding up to 15,000 spectators and
3770-578: The whole thing. I was a freedom fighter. I believe in the right of adults to make their own decisions". In 2003 Sullivan transferred his magazine portfolio to his business partners David and Ralph Gold . Sullivan operates an investment company, Conegate, which owns property in London including Russell & Bromley 's flagship shopbuildings in Oxford Street near to Bond Street tube station . In 1993, Sullivan bought into Birmingham City , with David Gold and Ralph Gold . The landmark deal saw
3835-744: The £2 million loss to reduce its tax bill. Hornchurch 's season in the Isthmian League Premier Division was suspended in November 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and they were unable to play any league football. During this time they were financially supported by Sullivan who once lived in Hornchurch. Sullivan lives in Birch Hall, near Theydon Bois , Essex. It was built by Ashby and Horner to Sullivan's design in 1992 and set in around 12 acres (49,000 m2) of land, at
3900-527: Was 35,550, on 21 September 2002 for a Premier League match against Manchester City . Before its closure, the ground had a total capacity of 35,016, all seated. Upton Park had four main stands, the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand, Bobby Moore Stand, East Stand and Betway Stand. The Sir Trevor Brooking Stand (formerly the North Bank then the Centenary Stand) was built in 1995 which coincided with
3965-412: Was convicted of living off immoral earnings of prostitutes. He successfully appealed and was released after serving 71 days in prison. Sullivan said that he did not feel embarrassed about the initial source of his early fortunes. "I've made a lot of people happy," he said. "If I was an arms manufacturer or a cigarette manufacturer, and my products killed millions of my clients, I'd have a bit of doubt about
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#17327724728394030-636: Was posted to Aden , now in Yemen, where they lived for a year before moving to England to live in Hornchurch , Essex . He attended the Abbs Cross school and gained ten O Levels . After his family moved to Hertfordshire he attended Watford Grammar School for Boys obtaining three A levels . He then read Economics at Queen Mary College, University of London , narrowly missing a first . With his business partner, David Gold , Sullivan's first venture
4095-535: Was renamed after Betway became West Ham's official sponsors. The stand was built in 2001 as the Dr. Martens Stand, bringing the stadium capacity up from around 26,000 to 35,647. The West Stand was the main stand in Upton Park, as it included two tiers for paying home supporters, separated by two tiers of executive boxes. The stand also hosted all the club's offices, board rooms, suites, dressing rooms, official shop, and
4160-480: Was selling softcore pornographic photos. They expanded into sex shops , adult magazines and several low-budget blue movies , making Sullivan a millionaire by the age of 25. Sullivan opened his first sex shop, called "Private Shop", in 1978, with plans to expand across the UK. By the late 1970s, he was in control of half of the UK adult magazine market, including major titles such as Playbirds and Whitehouse , 80% of
4225-406: Was surrounded by a similar sort of wire to that used on chicken runs, so when viewed from the opposite side of the ground it looked like a chicken run. The front of the stand was very close to the pitch. It was knocked down and rebuilt in 1969. The stand at one point had the words "DAGENHAM MOTORS" written into the bottom tier through the seats, but was only changed during the 2006–07 season, despite
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