1899
- Club moves from Abbey Park Ground.
- 2 stands dismantled and re-erected at Blundell Park. These are at the Cleethorpes End (Hazel Grove Stand) & Grimsby Road side.
- September 2 First Game at Blundell Park v Luton. 3-3 draw in front of 4,000 crowd.
- New stand built at Grimsby End.
1901
Main Stand opens on Harrington Street side, paid for by 150 subscriptions of £10.
1926
Wooden terracing built in Cleethorpes End corners.
1927
Alderman Frank Barrett give financial help to enable Grimsby Town to finally purchase Blundell Park.
1928
New stand is built and named after Alderman Barrett to replace original Grimsby Road stand.
1931
Main Stand extended to join up with Cleethorpes End.
1937
Highest recorded attendance at Blundell Park, as 31,651 see Town draw 1-1 with Wolves in FA Cup Round 5.
1939
Hazel Grove Stand at Cleethorpes End is replaced by new Osmond Stand at a cost of £4,500.
1940 to 1944
Due to the Second World War, Grimsby Town’s home games are switched to the Old Show Ground, Scunthorpe.
1953
The first set of floodlights are installed at Blundell Park. They are not of sufficient standard and are only used for Reserve games & Friendlies.
1958
Last ever Christmas Day fixture at Blundell Park, Town lose 2-1 to Sheffield United.
1960
Plans are announced to investigate moving the Club to land at the junction of Cambridge Road/Littlecoates Road. Beginning as a training facility, The Mariners were expected to move from Blundell Park within 15 years but the plan came to nothing.
Replacement floodlights are purchased by Supporters Club. This was at a cost of £9,000 and the lights were originally at Wolverhampton Wanderers. September 20th sees first floodlit League match v Newport County, a 2-1 win to Town.
1961
The Supporters Club lead the funding towards the building of the new Pontoon Stand, first used for the visit of Torquay on Sept 22 1962, a 3-2 defeat.
1980
- The Main Stand loses it’s standing paddock and becomes all-seater.
- The Osmond Stand also has it’s seating replaced.
1981
- The aging Barrett Stand is condemned and a new stand must be built. Original plans for a £1m stand were diluted by cautious Board members but Findus stepped in with financial support and the present stand with executive boxes, restaurant & office facilities began construction. The Dressing Rooms were to remain in the Main Stand.
- The “Lower” was the first part to open and was originally standing only.
1982
The Findus Stand comes into full use for the game versus Leeds United on August 28th 1982, a 1-1 draw.
1985
In a very unpopular move, as requested by the Police to improve crowd safety, the Club swap the “Home End” from the Pontoon Stand to the Osmond Stand.
1987
After just two seasons, Town are able to restore their supporters to their traditional home, the Pontoon Stand.
1988
The first scoreboard appears at Blundell Park, attached to the front of the Osmond Stand.
1995
The end of standing at Blundell Park. The corner terracing is flattened and tarmacked. The Pontoon and the Lower have seating installed.
2002
After two years of discussion, the final planning hurdles are removed and it is announced that Town will move into the 21,000 seat Conoco Stadium at Great Coates for the 2003-04 season. However, retail backers pulled out and the project stalled.
2006
New plans are announced for a 20,000 seat stadium on the same site. Outline planning permission was obtained but by 2010 this had expired and the plan fell by the way-side.
2016
The Peaks Parkway project is revealed for a 14,000 seat stadium plus ice rink. However the project again stalled and by 2018 N E Lincs Council declared the plans “off the table”.
2019
The floodlight pylons are reduced in size and more efficient, brighter LED lights are installed.
2023
With no imminent prospect of leaving Blundell Park, the new Club owners face a challenging list of improvements and remedial work to ensure that the ground is safe, legal and fit for League football. In the week leading up the start of 2023-24 season, the Pontoon roof has to be entirely replaced.
Acknowledgments & Sources
Grimsby Town A Complete Record by Les Tiggs, David Hepton & Sid Woodhead. Published 1989. The Breedon Books Publishing Company
Grimsby Town Football Club A Pictorial History by Geoff Ford. Published 1989. Archive Publications Ltd
We Only Sing When We’re Fishing – Grimsby Town The Official History 1878-2000 by Dave Wherry. Published 2000. Yore Publications
Grimsby Live Website. Articles of various dates
