Favourite quirks of Scottish stadiums.

[Salvo Montalbano]

those almost executive boxes that comprise the sticky oot bit of the Dundee North End Social club! 

Now that is a favourite quirk of a Scottish football ground. Well done, sir.

[Ylf]

those almost executive boxes that comprise the sticky oot bit of the Dundee North End Social club! 

Cracking junior ground. Decent social club as well but the blinds get closed during a game unfortunately

[RandomGuy.]

23 hours ago, tamthebam said:

Fair point well made but a damn sight more value than the  £28 for Hearts V Hamilton that I was charged the other week. I dare say if you plotted a graph of inflation against football prices over the last 25 years it would make for grim reading...

I'm fairly sure if you look at "price of Scottish football v Average working class wage", prices are better now than they've ever been.

[Ken Fitlike]

I'm fairly sure if you look at "price of Scottish football v Average working class wage", prices are better now than they've ever been.

I always judge this comparison stuff with 1973.... Pint = 16p, standard admission to Pittodrie South terrace = 33p. (recent introduction of 10% vat)
Today a pint £3.20 compares with £28 for the fitba.

[topcat(The most tip top)]

4 hours ago, Mr. X said:

Hearts attendances in 57/58 was 8.64% of total.  In 2017/18 the attendances were 7.88% of total. Not a massive drop compared to some.

Especially if you consider that 2017/18 was a disappointing but respectable season while 1957/58 was probably the greatest season in Hearts History 

Edited January 9, 2019 by topcat(The most tip top)

[Monkey Tennis]

18 hours ago, Ken Fitlike said:

I always judge this comparison stuff with 1973.... Pint = 16p, standard admission to Pittodrie South terrace = 33p. (recent introduction of 10% vat)
Today a pint £3.20 compares with £28 for the fitba.

Yes, in real terms, football has definitely been cheaper than it currently is at plenty of points.

Pints have also been more expensive, mind.

[Squirrelhumper]

22 hours ago, Ken Fitlike said:

I always judge this comparison stuff with 1973.... Pint = 16p, standard admission to Pittodrie South terrace = 33p. (recent introduction of 10% vat)
Today a pint £3.20 compares with £28 for the fitba.

That's not really accurate though is it? You'll do well to get a pint for £3.20 in 95% of pubs but £28 is top end for SPFL football (minus Old Filth derbys)

For example, there are no SPFL games at RP that are as much as £28 and most as £20-£22 for adults.

[Nowhereman]

2 hours ago, Squirrelhumper said:

That's not really accurate though is it? You'll do well to get a pint for £3.20 in 95% of pubs but £28 is top end for SPFL football (minus Old Filth derbys)

For example, there are no SPFL games at RP that are as much as £28 and most as £20-£22 for adults.

Even if a pint is taken at a fiver and football at £20 its still four times as much today compared with twice as much in 1973. And inflation wise 33p is about £3.00 today. So football prices are running at seven or eight times the rate of inflation

[ONeils4Oyarder]

3 hours ago, Squirrelhumper said:

That's not really accurate though is it? You'll do well to get a pint for £3.20 in 95% of pubs but £28 is top end for SPFL football (minus Old Filth derbys)

For example, there are no SPFL games at RP that are as much as £28 and most as £20-£22 for adults.

Nit-picking?

 

The price of a pint of lager is £3.60, the UK average for 2018. Taking £20 as the (very) least you'll pay on the gate to enter a Premier league match in Scotland. You can clearly see that the costs haven't risen at the same (or even a similar) rate for both.

In the 1970s (apparently), you could watch a top division match for the cost of two pints. You can have almost 6 pints for the cheapest tickets these days...AND in my opinion the price of a pint is fucking ridiculous.

[Squirrelhumper]

18 minutes ago, ONeils4Oyarder said:

Nit-picking?

 

The price of a pint of lager is £3.60, the UK average for 2018. Taking £20 as the (very) least you'll pay on the gate to enter a Premier league match in Scotland. You can clearly see that the costs haven't risen at the same (or even a similar) rate for both.

In the 1970s (apparently), you could watch a top division match for the cost of two pints. You can have almost 6 pints for the cheapest tickets these days...AND in my opinion the price of a pint is fucking ridiculous.

 

1 hour ago, Nowhereman said:

Even if a pint is taken at a fiver and football at £20 its still four times as much today compared with twice as much in 1973. And inflation wise 33p is about £3.00 today. So football prices are running at seven or eight times the rate of inflation

Football back then didn't have the same costs to enable you to run a club.

Clubs now spend a hell of a lot more on stadium upkeep, sports science, training facilities etc. It's not comparing like for like.  Back in the 70s the stadiums were shiteholes, sometimes unsafe shiteholes and majority of teams trained on public parks!

I don't think £20 for an SPFL game is OTT. It's even less when you have a season ticket. 

Out of interest, how much was a cinema ticket in 1973 as I was robbed for £12 the other day!

I could understand folk moaning if clubs were paying players OTT money and making a big profit, but they aren't. A lot of SPFL players will be on less than a lot of the guys in the stand watching and only have 15 years at most at that level.

Clubs are lucky to break even as it is, I don't see any benefit of lowering the prices as it's been tried and makes next to no difference in crowd size in the long term.

Kids however should be free with an adult.

Edited January 10, 2019 by Squirrelhumper

[Desp]

1 hour ago, Squirrelhumper said:

 

Out of interest, how much was a cinema ticket in 1973 as I was robbed for £12 the other day!

 

Oi Oi!  Casanova is getting back on the horse...

[The Mantis]

Always loved this

 

[Flybhoy]

Not sure whether to post in the Photographic History thread or in here but found this picture on Facebook of post match from the final match Stirling Albion played at Annfield, a 2-0 win against Clydebank in May 1992, a game I was at, might even be in that photo somewhere. 

[tamthebam]

1 hour ago, Flybhoy said:

Not sure whether to post in the Photographic History thread or in here but found this picture on Facebook of post match from the final match Stirling Albion played at Annfield, a 2-0 win against Clydebank in May 1992, a game I was at, might even be in that photo somewhere. 

I was at the last game on grass there, which was funnily enough my first away trip. Stirling won 3-1 against Meadowbank Thistle but results went Thistle's way and they were promoted that day. Stood on the open air Annfield Kop in the first half when it sleeted (on May 2nd too...) and we swapped ends with the Stirling fans to the covered terrace at half time. Needless to say it was sunny in the second half.. 

Obscure fact: Annfield was also the ground where Meadowbank reserves played their first competitive match in the Reserve League East. A folded over A4 sheet was produced for the game. 

Annfield today, looking towards Annfield House. 

[Monkey Tennis]

1 hour ago, Flybhoy said:

Not sure whether to post in the Photographic History thread or in here but found this picture on Facebook of post match from the final match Stirling Albion played at Annfield, a 2-0 win against Clydebank in May 1992, a game I was at, might even be in that photo somewhere. 

What was the feeling around that?

Was there regret that they were moving to the edge of town, or was the promise of the shiny new place suitably seductive?

[Flybhoy]

Where that picture is taken from would be roughly where the club offices and dressing rooms etc were.

Ironically the pictured Annfield House was the base for office and changing rooms, showers, boardroom et al till the 1970's when a building was built and incorporated into the stadium infrastructure for those facilities  Annfield House was then mothballed and lay derelict for 20 odd years till the ground was demolished, it was then subsequently gutted and renovated, upgraded etc and is now an old folks home.

[Flybhoy]

15 minutes ago, Monkey Tennis said:

What was the feeling around that?

Was there regret that they were moving to the edge of town, or was the promise of the shiny new place suitably seductive?

A bit of both really, the death knell sounded for Annfield when the first plastic pitch in Scotland was laid there in the late 80's , the council bought the ground a few years earlier to save the club from going under and laid said pitch for community use and a return on their investment, only catch was it was horrific, ten times worse than even the poor ones today and the Scottish League said no more after five years of it.

As it was an area of prime real estate the council sold the land for a hefty sum to Cala Homes, they built Forthbank with that and some Football Trust grant money, including outside astro turf pitches .

In the 25 years since it was built the area around Forthbank has been heavily developed, including The Peak sports centre and swimming pool and as a general facility and sports village, Forthbank and its surroundings are pretty impressive. 

As far as the new build grounds of the last twenty years or so go it's one of the better ones in my opinion as it isnt a one stand soulless hole like many of its ilk, it doesn't compare sadly though for me to Annfield, it's town centre location and general layout etc was perfect for a club like Stirling Albion,  I get very nostalgic for it and miss it to this day, many great memories from my youth are of Annfield, as an actual ground at the time it was fine other than the horrendous and subsequently outlawed plastic pitch  and, even today would be perfect for that level of football,  Forthbank is okay but it just isnt the same.

Edited January 11, 2019 by Flybhoy

[Monkey Tennis]

3 minutes ago, Flybhoy said:

A bit of both really, the death knell sounded for Annfield when the first plastic pitch in Scotland was laid there in the late 80's , the council bought the ground a few years earlier to save the club from going under and laid said pitch for community use and a return on their investment, only catch was it was horrific, ten times worse than even the poor ones today and the Scottish League said no more after five years of it.

As it was an area of prime real estate the council sold the land for a hefty sum to Cala Homes, they built Forthbank with that and some Football Trust grant money, including outside astro turf pitches .

In the 25 years since it was built the area around Forthbank has been heavily developed, including The Peak sports centre and swimming pool and as a general facility and sports village, Forthbank and its surroundings are pretty impressive. 

As far as the new build grounds of the last twenty years or so go it's one of the better ones in my opinion as it isnt a one stand soulless hole like many of its ilk, it doesn't compare sadly though for me to Annfield, it's town centre location and general layout etc was perfect for a club like Stirling Albion,  I get very nostalgic for it and miss it to this day, many great memories from my youth are of Annfield, as an actual ground at the time it was fine and, even today would be perfect for that level of football,  Forthbank is okay but it just isnt the same.

Thanks.

I only went to Annfield once and it was in the era of the plastic pitch.  I can confirm that it was indeed hellish, as the players slithered around in trainers.   It was nice to wander there from town centre pubs though.

I'm less of a fan of Forthbank, but I've not been there for a long time, so haven't seen the surrounding development.  You're right that it beats the one stand new builds of clubs of similar size like Dumbarton and East Fife.  Indeed, it's got four sides with shallow terracing behind the goal, but I don't know how much of the ground is routinely opened.

It sounds like circumstances did make this one kinda necessary.  Looking at the pictures though, it still feels regrettable from this distance.

[tamthebam]

I've also just remembered being unimpressed on my first visit to Annfield by the 6 foot nettles growing out of the urinals when I went for a pish. As Meadowbank fanzine AWOL put it "watch yer whanger..." 

[GordonD]

40 minutes ago, tamthebam said:

Obscure fact: Annfield was also the ground where Meadowbank reserves played their first competitive match in the Reserve League East. A folded over A4 sheet was produced for the game. 

I remember that - we ran a bus, much to the astonishment of the home fans who had never seen travelling support for a reserve game. IIRC it was our Dave Baxter who produced the programme, presumably with Albion's permission.