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Favourite quirks of Scottish stadiums.


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Raith - when the trains go past, also tht dodgy corner stand.

Alloa - glorious view over the Hills.

East Fife - used to be the power plant, Simpsons'esque.

Dumbarton - that big fucking rock. The bleak view you get sitting in your seat is still pretty cool. The water and the old boats, crumbling buildings etc.

Arbroath - the sea/cliffs etc, also find the trampolining thing at pleasureland quite quirky, kids occasionally popping up behind the wall at the pleash end.

Brechin - the hedge, also find the entrance to the away turnstiles quite quirky, wee quiet obscure path way through the trees past the cemetery.

Dundee - entrance to the Derry and indeed that whole side of the ground. Big messy hill, looks like a dump from the street.

United - shed end corner. Allotments at the back of the ET too.

Albion Rovers - the ground in general, absolutely bizarre wee place. Terracing across from the main stand probably the standout, throwback to the 70s.

Hamilton - the bus, and the entrance for away fans, through that weird wee tunnel.

Cowdenbeath - that big fence, the track, like some dodgy Eastern European ground

Can't think of many more but a lot of really interesting grounds in this country, hope it stays that way and clubs don't go down the EF/Dumbarton route. Even if they do have their own wee quirky features.



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Still astonishes me to think that Central Park, little changed from today, once had a capacity of 35,000 and a record attendance of 25,586.

Of course if their work on transforming it into an 80,000 capacity stadium between 1949 and 1951 had been completed, who knows what the future might have held.

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Still astonishes me to think that Central Park, little changed from today, once had a capacity of 35,000 and a record attendance of 25,586.

Of course if their work on transforming it into an 80,000 capacity stadium between 1949 and 1951 had been completed, who knows what the future might have held.



I think Hearts had similar plans in the inter-war years to built a 100,000 capacity stadium too.
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Reposted from an old thread - these were the capacities of SFL stadiums just before the outbreak of war in 1939.

City Park is the same ground people will recall Spartans playing Livingston and St Mirren on a few years ago.


EDIT: I've also put the record attendances. In some cases - notably Hibs and QotS - grounds were expanded post-war.
 

First Division

Pittodrie, Aberdeen......... 42,000 ... 45,061 (v Hearts)

Cliftonhill, Coatbridge..... 28,000 ... 27,381 (v Rangers)

Recreation Park, Alloa...... 20,000 ... 15,467 (v Celtic)

Gayfield, Arbroath.......... 15,000 ... 13,510 (v Rangers)

Somerset Park, Ayr.......... 28,000 ... 25,225 (v Rangers)

Celtic Park, Glasgow........ 95,000 ... 83,500 (v Rangers)

Shawfield, Glasgow.......... 55,000 ... 48,000 (v Rangers)

Central Park, Cowdenbeath... 35,000 ... 25,586 (v Rangers)

Brockville, Falkirk......... 35,000 ... 23,100 (v Celtic)

Douglas Park, Hamilton...... 30,000 ... 26,890 (v Hearts)

Tynecastle, Edinburgh....... 60,000 ... 53,396 (v Rangers)

Easter Road, Edinburgh...... 35,000 ... 65,850 (v Hearts)

Rugby Park, Kilmarnock...... 35,000 ... 35,995 (v Rangers)

Fir Park, Motherwell........ 38,000 ... 35,632 (v Rangers)

Firhill, Glasgow............ 70,000 ... 49,838 (v Rangers) - ground record 54,723 (Scotland v Northern Ireland)

Palmerston Park, Dumfries... 12,000 ... 26,552 (v Hearts)

Ibrox Park, Glasgow........ 100,000 .. 118,567 (v Celtic)

Muirton Park, Perth......... 30,000 ... 29,972 (v Dundee)

Love Street, Paisley........ 50,000 ... 47,438 (v Celtic)

Cathkin Park, Glasgow....... 45,000 ... 45,591 (v Rangers)

Second Division

Broomfield Park, Airdrie.... 28,000 ... 26,000 (v Hearts)

Glebe Park, Brechin.......... 5,000 .... 8,123 (v Aberdeen)

Boghead, Dumbarton.......... 15,000 ... 18,001 (v Raith Rovers)

Dens Park, Dundee........... 40,000 ... 43,024 (v Rangers)

Tannadice Park, Dundee...... 25,000 ... 28,000 (v Barcelona)

East End Park, Dunfermline.. 20,000 ... 28,816 (v Celtic)

Bayview, Methil............. 20,000 ... 22,515 (v Raith Rovers)

Firs Park, Falkirk.......... 12,000 ... 12,000 (v Partick Thistle)

City Park, Edinburgh........ 30,000 .... 6,000 (v St Bernard's)

Station Park, Forfar........ 10,000 ... 10,780 (v Rangers)

Old Forthbank, Stirling..... 10,000 .... 8,911 (v Airdrieonians)

Old Meadowbank, Edinburgh... 22,000 ... 21,000 (v Celtic)

Links Park, Montrose........ 10,000 ... 8,983 (v Dundee)

Cappielow, Greenock......... 25,000 ... 23,500 (v Celtic)

Hampden Park, Glasgow...... 183,388 ... 95,772 (v Rangers) - ground football record 149,547 (Scotland v England)

Stark's Park, Kirkcaldy..... 35,000 ... 31,301 (v Hearts)

Royal Gymnasium, Edinburgh.. 40,000 ... 15,000 (v Hearts)

Ochilview, Larbert........... 8,000 ... 12,500 (v East Fife)

 

Edited by HibeeJibee
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2 hours ago, HibeeJibee said:

Still astonishes me to think that Central Park, little changed from today, once had a capacity of 35,000 and a record attendance of 25,586.

Of course if their work on transforming it into an 80,000 capacity stadium between 1949 and 1951 had been completed, who knows what the future might have held.

It has changed since those days though HJ. A shitty stock car track, much narrower pitch and a new stand. When I first went in the 70s the terrace was much closer to the pitch and pre 1970 it also went further back so no real surprise that it had a large capacity back in the day.

I was at a cup tie v Rangers in 1984 when the official crowd was declared at 9920 or something but was much more I believe and there was lots of space on the terrace.

In the 1960s Fife Council wanted to buy the place and turn it into a Meadowbank type multi sports stadium/complex in hindsight it may have been a good thing.

Edited by cowdenbeath
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10 hours ago, Jimboyjones1976 said:

I've been told by quite a few folk in the know that the 4th stand hasn't been built because it's within the blast zone of a major incident at Grangemouth Chemicals. The rest of the stadium and the line that marks the boundary goes through it.

Dear lord.

Please read the Hearts new stand thread where this got discussed.

It will be somewhere in the last 3 pages to save you hunting.

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Rugby Park is at an angle to the main street beside it, hence the East Stand reduces at the north side.

They also rebuilt the stadium but with the rear gates of the gardens on the main street still there. So there are a number of residents who simply have to open their back gate and walk into the stadium, without having to negotiate any turnstiles.

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11 hours ago, CityDave said:

When I visit Central Park I always stand in the same spot, the sweet spot. There's probably about 6 square foot of terracing at Central Park where you can be as close to the pitch as you can get, see all four corners of the pitch without any obstacle like the track boundary fence in your vision field and happy days - get an unspoiled view of the football match.

Where is this? Everywhere is rubbish.

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1 hour ago, HibeeJibee said:

Fair point, but even in old photos it certainly doesn't look the sort of ground you'd think would've been signed-off for 35,000 or actually accommodated 25,000. Equally true of others, though, tbf.

SPW040396.jpg

SPW040397.jpg

airfountain.jpg

It was the days before H&S though HJ they just crammed folk in. You can also say the same about Starks Park it would have been tight getting 35000 in there. Central Park would have been quite spacious by comparison.

The stand also held 3500 when it was built.

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11 hours ago, Jimboyjones1976 said:

I've been told by quite a few folk in the know that the 4th stand hasn't been built because it's within the blast zone of a major incident at Grangemouth Chemicals. The rest of the stadium and the line that marks the boundary goes through it.

Falkirk should build a terrace with a segregation fence along that side of the ground and fortify it with sandbags for when the inevitable explosion occurs.

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There used to be some good rocks for climbing between the main stand and north stand terracing at Fir Park. Better than being bored by the football when I was a wean.

 

At Tannadice it is strange to me they charge more for the upper tier in the away end when you end up with a restricted view of the corner next to the tunnel where as you can see the whole park from the lower seats. Plus you get a good position to shout at the manager which can't be said for most other away grounds.

 

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