Barnet Copthall

Allianz Park

Allianz Park
Location	Hendon London, NW4 England
Coordinates	51°36′12.62″N 0°13′25.11″W / 51.6035056°N 0.2236417°W / 51.6035056; -0.2236417Coordinates: 51°36′12.62″N 0°13′25.11″W / 51.6035056°N 0.2236417°W / 51.6035056; -0.2236417
Public transit	Mill Hill East Mill Hill Broadway
Owner	Barnet Council
Capacity	10,000
Surface	SIS - Rugger
Construction
Renovated	2013
Tenants
Saracens Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers Barnet & District Athletic Club

Barnet Copthall Stadium in 2006 before renovation

Barnet Copthall is a leisure complex in Hendon, London NW4, near the border with Mill Hill. At its centre is a stadium known for sponsorship reasons as Allianz Park, the home ground of rugby union Premiership side Saracens^[1] since February 2013.

Today, the complex houses a local authority-owned swimming pool and gymnasium facilities next to the new Allianz Stadium which is primarily used for Rugby and Athletics. It is also used by some local schools for sports training sessions. There is also a private golf driving range on the site.

To arrive by public transport at Barnet Copthall (Allianz Park) the nearest tube & rail station is Mill Hill East tube station which is on the Northern Line. On match days a Saracens Shuttle Bus runs from Edgware tube station, Mill Hill East tube station and Mill Hill Broadway railway station to within walking distance of the stadium. A regular bus service, the 221, stops at the same bus stop near the stadium (Pursley Road).

History

Prior to the involvement of Saracens, the complex perhaps achieved its greatest fame when London Crusaders (now the London Broncos) made the athletics stadium their home for two seasons of second division professional rugby league between 1993 and 1994.

The stadium is today home to two athletics clubs, Barnet & District AC and Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers. Before Saracens took over the stadium, it was also home to non-league football club Kentish Town.

In November 2010, Saracens, searching for a new home after their landlord Watford F.C. activated a break clause in their groundshare agreement, revealed they were in discussions with Barnet Borough Council about a move to the stadium. Under the plan, Saracens would redevelop the stadium into a modern facility with 3,000 permanent seats. Demountable stands would allow a capacity of 10,000 for rugby matches whilst retaining the stadium's ability to host athletics events. Finally, the plans called for the use of an artificial pitch, the first in English rugby union.^[2]

Since final approval from Barnet Council was still required in May 2011, Saracens and Watford agreed to a one-season extension of the groundshare agreement.^[3] The project was approved in February 2012.^[4] The stadium opened in January 2013, after Saracens began the 2012–13 season as a nomadic club, using 6 different venues for home matches across all competitions (Twickenham, Wembley, Vicarage Road, Stadium MK, Goldington Road and King Baudouin Stadium). A sponsorship deal with German financial services company Allianz that included stadium naming rights, worth £8 million over six years, was announced on 24 July 2012.^[1]

On 25 January 2013, the newly renovated ground had its "soft opening", hosting its first Saracens match against the Cardiff Blues with Saracens winning 19-11 in the LV=Cup before a crowd limited to 3,500.^[5] The new artificial pitch was reported to be very good after the game.^[6] The full opening came on 16 February, with Saracens defeating Exeter Chiefs 31–11 in a Premiership match before a capacity crowd of 10,000.^[7]

On 15 March 2015, it hosted the start and finish of the first edition of the North London Half Marathon, which ran to Wembley Stadium and back ^[8]

Notes and references

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Barnet Copthall.

• Barnet Copthall Stadium UK Running Track Directory
• Allianz Park