How bet365 Stadium has changed as Stoke City confirm further work

There have now been 28 seasons of drama since Stoke City left the Victoria Ground for their new home in what is known as the bet365 Stadium.

Stoke had been playing at the Vic since March 1878 but the Taylor Report, written in the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster, required all clubs in the top two divisions to play in all-seater arenas. A renovation and upgrade was too difficult and expensive so, in January 1996, the club announced it was going to move a mile south to the site of the former Stafford No.2 Colliery. A plaque was later installed at the ground commemorating North Staffordshire’s mining heritage.

Work began on September 2, 1996 and the ground could be seen taking shape through the gap between the Boothen End and Butler Street at the Vic, where Stoke signed off with a win over West Bromwich Albion, who been their opponents on the first day of the first ever league season too, back in 1888. The new pitch was seeded in March and work on plumbing and electricity started in June while the 28,000 seats were being installed . But the work didn’t stop after the first game was played, in the League Cup against Rochdale, in August 1997.

There was a snippet of trivia a few years ago that Stoke were thought to be the only club who had signed a player for more than it cost to build their stadium (£14.7 million) – but that is to overlook some pretty major investments into infrastructure, perhaps particularly in the last few years and what is planned next. Big screens have been introduced, the south east corner was built in 2017, concourses have been expanded, seats replaced, bars renovated and suites overhauled.

Last summer was a hive of activity as a new fan zone was built behind the Boothen End, the away end was relocated and standing was introduced in the south stand. This week Richard Smith has confirmed that a project will start in the new year to look at expanding the concourses in the south, east and north stands while renovation work will be carried out in the west stand next close season.

We have been going through our library of photographs to look back at how headquarters has evolved, along with the biggest moments of celebration and heartbreak, and artists’ impressions of how it should look in the future.

What do you love or what would you like to change at the stadium? Tell us in the comments section