England
Molineux Stadium
The Molineux Stadium is a football stadium in Wolverhampton. It has been the home ground of Wolverhampton Wanderers FC since 1889. The total capacity of the ground is approximately 28 000. The Molineux name originates from Benjamin Molineux, a local merchant who purchased a plot of land in Wolverhampton in 1744. He built his home, later converted to the Molineux Hotel, within this. The estate was purchased in 1860 to convert the land into a pleasure park. Molineux Grounds, as it was titled, included a wide range of facilities including an ice rink, a cycling track, a boating lake and an area for football. The grounds were sold to the Northampton Brewery in 1889, who rented its use to Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, who had previously lacked a permanent home. The Molineux Stadium has hosted several England internationals. The first was a 6-1 win over the Republic of Ireland in 1891. In the days before the Taylor Report, which required British football stadiums to provide seating for all those attending, the ground had a larger capacity. The record attendance is 61 000 for a game against Liverpool FC in February 1939. In 1953, the club became one of the first to install floodlights.
