Press coverage of the opening of the Vale Park stadium in 1950

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There were plenty of tributes, lots of people attended the opening and the name of the ground was debated – here’s a collection of press clippings during the time Port Vale opened their brand-new stadium.

More on the Vale Park stadium

This is just one article on the Port Vale stadium. We have a whole section about the ground including photo galleries of every stand, coverage of the opening match and much more besides. Visit it through the button below:

Dedicated Vale Park section

About Vale Park

Opened in 1950, Vale Park was built after the club were evicted from their Old Recreation ground by Stoke-on-Trent council. Situated on the site of an old marl pit, mine shafts and poor drainage have dogged the site since it was built. Originally enviosaged as the “Wembley of the North” the club (unsurprisingly) ran out of money and it opened in 1950, having eventually cost £50,000, and boasting a capacity of 40,000 (360 seated). The first match was a 1–0 victory over Newport County on 24 August 1950 in front of 30,196 rain-soaked spectators. Walter Aveyard took the honour of being the first to score at the ground.

Clippings

The following clippings were taken from July and August 1950 as the stadium was finally opened to the public:

Money and the name

A lack of finances was a constant theme during the build as this article mentions. The name of the ground was also subject of debate. The “Vale Park” name was not officially announced until the ground was officially opened before the Newport County game on the 24th August. As this article shows, the club and supporters also pondered some other names.

Nearly ready

The club promote a chance for fans to take a look around the ground as well as read the “Story of Port Vale” booklet brought out to promote the new stadium development. You can read that brochure here