The Airfield, also known by its sponsored name as the Hollingsworth Group International Airfield, is a football stadium in Broughton,

Flintshire , settlement_type = County , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms of Flint ...

, Wales. It is home to

Airbus UK Broughton F.C. Airbus UK Broughton Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Airbus DU Brychdyn) is a professional football club based in Broughton, Flintshire, Wales. They had their origins as the works team of the Airbus UK aerospace factory where the wings of th ...

, who play in the

Cymru Premier The Cymru Premier, known as the JD Cymru Premier for sponsorship reasons, is the national football league of Wales. It has both professional and semi-professional status clubs and is at the top of the Welsh football league system. Prior to 200 ...

. In 2014, the grass surface was replaced with a 3G synthetic pitch.

History

The Airfield is noted in Welsh football for having retractable floodlights due to the ground being located close to a working runway at

Hawarden Airport Hawarden Airport ( cy, Maes Awyr Penarlâg) , is an airport near Hawarden in Flintshire, Wales, near the border with England and west southwest of the English city of Chester. Aviation Park Group (APG) is based at the airport and provides han ...

. Steve Williams, chairman of the

Football Association of Wales The Football Association of Wales (FAW; cy, Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru) is the Governing bodies of sports in Wales, governing body of association football and futsal in Wales, and controls the Wales national football team, Welsh national foo ...

, stated that he wanted the

Wales national football team ) , Association = Football Association of Wales (FAW) , Confederation = UEFA (Europe) , Coach = Rob Page , Captain = Gareth Bale , Most caps = Gareth Bale (111) , Top scorer = Gareth ...

s to play more international matches in north Wales. The Airfield was suggested as a location for

friendlies An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

. The Airfield, however, does not meet UEFA standards, meaning the only international ground in north Wales is the

Racecourse Ground The Racecourse Ground ( cy, Y Cae Ras) is a football stadium in Wrexham, Wales. It is the home of Wrexham A.F.C. It is the world's oldest international football stadium that still hosts international matches, having hosted Wales' first home i ...

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

. Due to failing to meet UEFA standards, Airbus UK Broughton also have to play their home UEFA competition matches away from The Airfield. In 2004, Airbus UK Broughton were promoted from the

Cymru Alliance The Cymru Alliance League (known for sponsorship reasons as Huws Gray Alliance) was a football league in north and central Wales which formed the second level of the Welsh football league system. From the 2019/20 season onwards, it was replaced ...

into the League of Wales. However, The Airfield did not meet the LOW's standards. Airbus UK Broughton decided to groundshare at Conwy United's

Morfa Stadium Morfa Stadium was an athletics stadium in the Landore area of Swansea, Wales. Constructed and in use since 1980, it was officially opened as Morfa Stadium on 20 April 1989 by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. The stadium was subsequently ...

in order to partake in the league while they upgraded The Airfield. Airbus UK's first opponents in the League of Wales at The Airfield were Total Network Solutions. In 2012, Airbus UK Broughton sold the naming rights of The Airfield to the Hollingsworth Group and renamed The Airfield. Due to regular waterlogging of the pitch, The Airfield's grass surface was replaced with a 3G synthetic pitch in 2014. This came after funding was raised by UEFA, the FAW and the

Airbus Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European Multinational corporation, multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace manufacturer, aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft througho ...

Sports and Social Club.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Airfield Football venues in Wales Buildings and structures in Flintshire Stadiums in Wales Airbus UK Broughton F.C.