Spion Kop (or Kop for short) is a colloquial name or term for a number of single tier terraces and stands at sportsstadiums, particularly in the United Kingdom, the most famous example of which is the Kop Stand at Liverpool F.C.'s home ground, Anfield.[1]
A local newsman likened the silhouette of fans standing on a newly raised bank of earth to soldiers standing atop the hill at the Battle of Spion Kop. Two years later in 1906, Liverpool Echo sports editor Ernest Edwards noted of a new open-air embankment at Anfield:
"This huge wall of earth has been termed 'Spion Kop', and no doubt this apt name will always be used in future in referring to this spot."
The use of the name for the stand was given recognition at Anfield in 1928 when it was extended to a 27,000 capacity and a cantilever roof was added which amplified the roar of the crowd to create an intense atmosphere.[3] Traditionally, Liverpool's most vocal supporters congregate in this stand and are referred to as kopites.[4] Such is the reputation of the stand that it was claimed that the crowd in the Kop could suck the ball into the goal and it has become one of the most famous football stands in the world.[5]
Liverpool's Spion Kop (capacity 27,000, although crowds of 30,000+ have been recorded) was redesigned in 1994 (completed) to comply with requirements of the Taylor Report, which made all-seater stadiums obligatory in the highest two divisions of English football. A new Spion Kop was built in its place with 12,390 seats, making it the largest single-tier stand in the country at the time. This new Kop still stands and currently houses the club's museum.
Following the opening of the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Anfield's Kop ceased to be the largest single-tier stand in the country. The South Stand of the new stadium has 17,500 seats and has an incline of 34 degrees, making it one of the steepest stands in the country.[6]
Villa Park's old Holte End was historically the largest of all Kop ends, closely followed by the old South Bank at Molineux, both once regularly holding crowds in excess of 30,000.[3]
There is much debate about what type of stand constitutes a Kop.[citation needed] The size and location of the stand in the stadium varies; most are located behind the goal and are occupied by its club's most vocal supporters. It is usually a single-tiered stand and was traditionally terraced. In England, safety regulations brought into effect after the 1989 Hillsborough disaster required many to be made all-seated. A Kop is not necessarily the largest stand in the stadium and does not have to have a particularly large capacity; for example, Chesterfield's former stadium, Saltergate, had a Kop with a capacity of only a few thousand.
^"How Kop tuned in to glory days - Liverpool Echo".
^ ab"Showdown in Durban". The Globe And Mail. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
^ abcIrwin, Colin (2006). Sing When You're Winning. Andre Deutsch. p. 164. ISBN978-0233001845.
^"Football First 11: Stunning stadiums". CNN. from the original on 10 February 2009. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
^Burt, Jason (16 January 2011). "Liverpool 2 Everton 2: match report". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
^White, Jim (22 March 2019). "Tottenham Hotspur's new home sets benchmark for modern stadia". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
^Pearce, James (23 August 2006). . Liverpool Echo. Archived from the original on 10 February 2009. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
^Hadfield, Dave (3 September 1999). "Rugby League: Curtain falls on house of fame". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
^"Chesterfield". Football Ground Guide. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
^(PDF). Birmingham City F.C. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 March 2010. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
^"La tribune Ouest Kop". www.rcstrasbourgalsace.fr (in French). Retrieved 24 May 2017.
^"Bradford City". Football Ground Guide. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
^. Leicester City F.C. 22 September 2009. Archived from the original on 25 January 2010. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
^. Linfield F.C. 4 December 2008. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
^ >"Kop Of Boulogne, une histoire devenue légende". www.lagrinta.fr. 20 October 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
Sources
Inglis, Simon. The Football Grounds of England and Wales (Collins Willow, 1982)
Kelly, Stephen F. The Kop, (Virgin Books, 2005)
Pearce, James. , Liverpool Echo. 23 August 2006.
Chapple, Mike. Spion Kop's mixture of myth and magic Liverpool Daily Post, 25 August 2006.
External links
The incredible story behind the Kop Guided by local historian Raymond Heron, BBC Sport's Mark Lawrenson visits Spion Kop in South Africa.
March 03, 2023
spion, stadiums, spion, short, colloquial, name, term, number, single, tier, terraces, stands, sports, stadiums, particularly, united, kingdom, most, famous, example, which, stand, liverpool, home, ground, anfield, boer, soldiers, spion, hill, 1900, spion, man. Spion Kop or Kop for short is a colloquial name or term for a number of single tier terraces and stands at sports stadiums particularly in the United Kingdom the most famous example of which is the Kop Stand at Liverpool F C s home ground Anfield 1 Boer soldiers at Spion Kop hill 1900 Spion Kop Manor Ground Their steep nature resembles the Spion Kop hill near Ladysmith South Africa that was the scene of the Battle of Spion Kop in January 1900 during the Second Boer War Contents 1 History 2 Composition 3 Kops 4 References 5 Sources 6 External linksHistory Edit The Spion Kop hill near Ladysmith South Africa The first recorded reference to a sports terrace as Kop related to Woolwich Arsenal s Manor Ground in 1904 2 3 A local newsman likened the silhouette of fans standing on a newly raised bank of earth to soldiers standing atop the hill at the Battle of Spion Kop Two years later in 1906 Liverpool Echo sports editor Ernest Edwards noted of a new open air embankment at Anfield This huge wall of earth has been termed Spion Kop and no doubt this apt name will always be used in future in referring to this spot The use of the name for the stand was given recognition at Anfield in 1928 when it was extended to a 27 000 capacity and a cantilever roof was added which amplified the roar of the crowd to create an intense atmosphere 3 Traditionally Liverpool s most vocal supporters congregate in this stand and are referred to as kopites 4 Such is the reputation of the stand that it was claimed that the crowd in the Kop could suck the ball into the goal and it has become one of the most famous football stands in the world 5 Liverpool s Spion Kop capacity 27 000 although crowds of 30 000 have been recorded was redesigned in 1994 completed to comply with requirements of the Taylor Report which made all seater stadiums obligatory in the highest two divisions of English football A new Spion Kop was built in its place with 12 390 seats making it the largest single tier stand in the country at the time This new Kop still stands and currently houses the club s museum Following the opening of the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Anfield s Kop ceased to be the largest single tier stand in the country The South Stand of the new stadium has 17 500 seats and has an incline of 34 degrees making it one of the steepest stands in the country 6 Villa Park s old Holte End was historically the largest of all Kop ends closely followed by the old South Bank at Molineux both once regularly holding crowds in excess of 30 000 3 Many other English football clubs and some rugby league clubs such as Wigan s former home Central Park applied the same name to stands in later years citation needed Composition EditThere is much debate about what type of stand constitutes a Kop citation needed The size and location of the stand in the stadium varies most are located behind the goal and are occupied by its club s most vocal supporters It is usually a single tiered stand and was traditionally terraced In England safety regulations brought into effect after the 1989 Hillsborough disaster required many to be made all seated A Kop is not necessarily the largest stand in the stadium and does not have to have a particularly large capacity for example Chesterfield s former stadium Saltergate had a Kop with a capacity of only a few thousand Kops Edit Spion Kop at Anfield the home of Liverpool F C The Kop at Meadow Lane The Kop at St Andrew s The South Stand at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Ground Club StandAnfield Liverpool Spion Kop 7 Central Park demolished 1999 Wigan Warriors RLFC The Kop demolished 1999 8 Baseball Ground demolished 2003 04 Derby Popside Kop The Popside demolished 2003 04 9 Bloomfield Road Blackpool Mortensen Kop 10 Bramall Lane Sheffield United The Kop 11 County Ground Northampton Town Spion Kop 12 Deepdale Preston North End Bill Shankly Kop 13 Elland Road Leeds United The Kop 14 Molineux Wolverhampton Wanderers The Southbank Jack Harris stand Filbert Street demolished 2003 Leicester City Spion Kop Double Decker 15 demolished 2003 Fratton Park Portsmouth Spion Kop 16 renamed as The Milton End Highfield Road demolished 2006 Coventry City The Spion Kop Terrace 17 demolished 2006 Hillsborough Stadium Sheffield Wednesday Spion Kop 18 Home Park Plymouth Argyle Spion Kop demolished 2001 Knowsley Road demolished 2011 St Helens R F C The Kop demolished 2011 Manor Ground demolished c 1913 Woolwich Arsenal Spion Kop 2 demolished c 1913 Meadow Lane Notts County Spion Kop 19 Oakwell Barnsley Spion Kop 20 Prenton Park Tranmere Rovers Essar Kop Stand 21 Racecourse Ground Wrexham The Kop demolished 2023 Recreation Ground demolished 2012 Chesterfield Spion Kop demolished 2011 22 St Andrew s Birmingham City Spion Kop 23 Stade de la Meinau RC Strasbourg Ouest Kop 24 Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Tottenham Hotspur South Stand Park LaneWilderspool Stadium demolished 2014 Warrington Wolves Spion Kop demolished 2014 Valley Parade Bradford City The Kop End 25 King Power Stadium Leicester City The Kop Fosse Stand 26 Windsor Park Linfield Northern Ireland The Kop 27 Parc des Princes Paris Saint Germain Kop of Boulogne 28 Westfalenstadion Borussia Dortmund The Yellow WallReferences Edit How Kop tuned in to glory days Liverpool Echo a b Showdown in Durban The Globe And Mail Retrieved 25 June 2010 a b c Irwin Colin 2006 Sing When You re Winning Andre Deutsch p 164 ISBN 978 0233001845 Football First 11 Stunning stadiums CNN Archived from the original on 10 February 2009 Retrieved 29 October 2008 Burt Jason 16 January 2011 Liverpool 2 Everton 2 match report The Daily Telegraph London Retrieved 12 July 2011 White Jim 22 March 2019 Tottenham Hotspur s new home sets benchmark for modern stadia The Telegraph ISSN 0307 1235 Retrieved 24 February 2020 Pearce James 23 August 2006 How Kop tuned in to glory days Liverpool Echo Archived from the original on 10 February 2009 Retrieved 7 April 2010 Hadfield Dave 3 September 1999 Rugby League Curtain falls on house of fame The Independent London Archived from the original on 24 May 2022 Retrieved 6 April 2010 derbycountyfootballhistory co uk Archived from the original on 4 August 2013 Blackpool Football Ground Guide Retrieved 6 April 2010 Sheffield United Football Ground Guide Retrieved 6 April 2010 County Ground Northampton Football Ground Guide Archived from the original on 25 November 2009 Retrieved 9 April 2010 Preston North End Football Ground Guide Retrieved 9 April 2010 ARTISTS IMPRESSIONS ELLAND ROAD FOR WORLD CUP Leeds United AFC 1 December 2009 Retrieved 30 June 2010 Filbert Street Leicester City Football Ground Guide Archived from the original on 31 December 2009 Retrieved 13 April 2010 Fratton Park Portsmouth Football Addict 21 September 2018 Retrieved 30 July 2019 Highfield Road Coventry City Football Ground Guide Archived from the original on 28 March 2008 Retrieved 13 April 2010 The ASD Lighting Kop Sheffield Wednesday F C Archived from the original on 3 January 2011 Retrieved 7 April 2010 Notts County Club Meadow Lane Meadow Lane The Home Of Notts County FC Nottscountyfc premiumtv co uk Retrieved 7 April 2010 Oakwell Barnsley FC Football Ground Guide Tranmere Rovers Football Supporters Federation Archived from the original on 30 December 2010 Retrieved 9 April 2010 Chesterfield Football Ground Guide Retrieved 20 April 2010 St Andrew s Stadium Plan PDF Birmingham City F C Archived from the original PDF on 31 March 2010 Retrieved 7 April 2010 La tribune Ouest Kop www rcstrasbourgalsace fr in French Retrieved 24 May 2017 Bradford City Football Ground Guide Retrieved 7 April 2010 The Walkers Stadium Leicester City F C 22 September 2009 Archived from the original on 25 January 2010 Retrieved 7 April 2010 Alex Russell Stand reverts back to Kop Stand name Linfield F C 4 December 2008 Archived from the original on 30 September 2011 Retrieved 30 June 2010 gt Kop Of Boulogne une histoire devenue legende www lagrinta fr 20 October 2013 Retrieved 6 October 2015 Sources EditInglis Simon The Football Grounds of England and Wales Collins Willow 1982 Kelly Stephen F The Kop Virgin Books 2005 Pearce James How Kop tuned in to glory days Liverpool Echo 23 August 2006 Chapple Mike Spion Kop s mixture of myth and magic Liverpool Daily Post 25 August 2006 External links EditThe incredible story behind the Kop Guided by local historian Raymond Heron BBC Sport s Mark Lawrenson visits Spion Kop in South Africa Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Spion Kop stadiums amp oldid 1142440575, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
