Key Information about Loftus Road
Loftus Road was renamed on 7 June 2019 as the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium after the club had gifted the naming rights to the charity set up in honour of the former QPR youth player.
The West London located stadium has an all-seater capacity of 18,439 and comprises four famous stands; the Loftus Road End (The Loft), Ellerslie Road Stand, South Africa Road Stand, and the School End.
A history of Loftus Road
The football ground was initially used by Shepherd’s Bush FC after it opened in 1904, and it was not until 1917 that Queens Park Rangers moved to Loftus Road after their former home of Park Royal was commandeered by the army in 1915.
At the time of moving in, the ground was just an open field with a pavilion, and one of the stands from Park Royal was dismantled and re-erected at Loftus Road to form the Ellerslie Road stand in 1919 which remained as the only covered stand until 1968, and it was redeveloped in 1972. QPR moved out of Loftus Road at the start of the 1931-32 season, moving to White City Stadium; however, after a loss of £7,000, the club moved back to their former home ahead of the 1933-34 season.
After winning the Third Division South title in 1948, the Rs purchased the freehold of the stadium in addition to 39 houses in Loftus Road and Ellerslie Road for £26,250 which was financed by shares. Floodlights were first installed at Loftus Road in October 1953, and this meant that QPR could play night-time fixtures in darker conditions for the first time. Once again, in 1962 the Rs moved to White City Stadium, though moved back to Loftus Road after a few months.
The record attendance set at Loftus Road still stands at 35,353 from a game against Leeds United on 27 April 1974. Loftus Road became the first stadium in British professional football to have an artificial pitch installed in 1981, and this remained until 1988 when natural grass was reintroduced.
Moving on to recent years, following nominations and a fan vote from a shortlist in 2019, it was announced by the club that Loftus Road would, in fact, be re-named as the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium, in honour of former QPR youth team member Kiyan Prince who was fatally stabbed in 2006. The foundation was set up by his father and has been a very influential figure in and around the football club by giving motivational speeches and talks to players and fans.
The re-naming did not go well with some of the older die hard QPR fans at first; however, people have realised how powerful the name change really is and that the stadium will always be known as Loftus Road in one way or another.
Tickets to Watch Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road
Adults can purchase tickets from £15-34, under-18s from £5-17, and seniors and young adults can go for just £9. Season tickets are on sale from as little as £225 for adults whereas under-8s can go for completely free.
Related Links
https://www.qpr.co.uk/ – Official website of Queens Park Rangers
https://www.qpr.co.uk/tickets/pricing/ – Queens Park Rangers Ticket Office
