ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
Another view of Surrey Docks Stadium,
showing the unusual corner pavilion and
towers in the distance
Photo: Paul Claydon
On the north side of the Thames, within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, the nearest senior ground to Canary Wharf is the MILE END STADIUM. The stadium has hosted a
number of East London teams over the
years,
including
Crown & Manor and
Beaumont Athletic.
It is currently the
shared home ground
for
Essex
Senior
League sides Sporting Bengal United
and Tower Hamlets.
Opened in 1967,
Mile End Stadium is
primarily an athletics
venue but does boast an impressive grandstand complete with bench seating and a cantilever roof. There is a section of open terracing alongside the stand but due to the track,
this is a long way from the football action and is rarely used by spectators. This is a very
much a community sports hub and as well as athletics there is a large sports hall on the
opposite side to the stand, a swimming pool in a building next to the stand and a number
of floodlit 3G pitches behind one end. The openness of the site does not make it the best
place to watch a game, but the experience can be enhanced by taking in a night game. It
is during the hours of darkness that the towers of Canary Wharf can be best viewed. Lit up
against the night sky, the towers almost seem to grow out of the gloom behind the southern end of the stadium, providing an impressive and dramatic backdrop.
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Groundtastic - The Football Grounds Magazine