Best/Worst League one Stadium

[EFFC1938]

Best- Station Park, Forfar. A proper wee fitbaw ground that generates a decent atmosphere with a good view of the pitch.

Worst- Bayview I'm afraid, soulless ground with very little atmosphere. Leaving old Bayview was a no brainer at the time but what a downgrade...

[Blue1870]

14 hours ago, Gordon EF said:

Stair Park definitely lost something when they put plastic seats over the benches in the away section. Absolutely maniac level decision making from them. It was the one wee edge a trip to stranraer had considering it's miles away from everywhere. A great wee shed to generate a bit of atmosphere in. Now it's just the same as everywhere else.

Thing is it before the wooden benches in the cooshed it was just concrete terracing. Then before that railway ash with wooden sleepers as terracing. Its just the regulations clubs need to do. I wish either side of the cooshed was covered with just high banks of terracing. That would be really good addition. Then the young team might be allowed to sing and create some atmosphere away from the moaning old farts in the plastic seats.

[As Easterly as it gets!]

8 hours ago, Ingo ohne Flamingo said:

Forfar is a cracking wee ground and plenty of boozers nearby. No contest! 

I do like Balmoor as well, fucking brilliant grass pitch there and a decent wee boozer in the ground, just a shame the town is full of **** which I just cannot understand how considering its 3 1/2 hours away from Glasgow (in a car) and they probably have the cheek to call us weegies as well. Grounds that have fans right round the pitch wins it for me. All this all in one stand efforts like airdrie, East Fife, Dumbarton, ourselves I just don't like, leads to no atmosphere. 

Albeit I haven't been this season and I notice we were in the railway end which helps but I always hated Starks Park. 2 huge stands behind the goals with that daft pokey effort on the corner and the wee railway end.

Falkirks a decent stadium but like Broadwood it's far too open. St Mirren got it right with their wee stadium. 

If you travel along the Moray coast you'll find infestations there too. Buses leaving for Glasgows blue side every week.

As for the best ground, it has to be Furfar. 

[Scary Bear]

None of these stadiums strike me as a ‘worst place to watch football’. Nothing much in it.

As for best place, I haven’t ever watched a game at Dumbarton but I’ve taken in the views from the top of Dumbarton Castle rock and its pleasant enough. Haven’t been to Stranraer either but I’ve passed the park it’s located in. From the rest, it’s not an inspiring bunch. I don’t particularly like grounds which only have one stand, such as East Fife, but the view from the stand over Largo Law is nice and the views of the football match on their inferior plastic pitch is also adequate. Went to Forfar for the play-offs last season and their plastic pitch also looks shite. I haven’t been to Links Park since 1992 or Broadwood since a 4v1 away win over Airdrie in the cup in 1997. I liked my visit to Falkirk’s 3-sided affair as we won 4-2. However, the winner is...Stark’s Park, Kirkcaldy! Where else? Fix? What do you mean ‘fix’?

[roman_bairn]

I don’t get all the criticism of Stair Park. Sitting in the away stand is shite, but if the weather is ok, behind the goals are great as you feel really close to the action when your team are attacking.

Clyde is the worst for me. It’s not a bad stadium at all, it’s just the Baltic experience I don’t enjoy (plus we tend to lose there a bit too often [emoji16]).....

 

[Blue1870]

I find it bizarre as well. You can watch the game from all parts of the ground unless there is segregation. Even then you can watch from 3 sides of the away end. OK cooshed view is rubbish. For a home fan we can watch from anywhere. 

U goto some grounds and you are stuck away in a corner miles from pitch. 

Maybe fans basing it on bring stuck out in open terrace. If I was an away fan at stair Park I would just move about the whole of the away end.

[Specky Ginger]

22 minutes ago, Blue1870 said:

I find it bizarre as well. You can watch the game from all parts of the ground unless there is segregation. Even then you can watch from 3 sides of the away end. OK cooshed view is rubbish. For a home fan we can watch from anywhere. 

U goto some grounds and you are stuck away in a corner miles from pitch. 

Maybe fans basing it on bring stuck out in open terrace. If I was an away fan at stair Park I would just move about the whole of the away end.

That looks like quite an impressive crowd for a Scottish Cup tie against Buckie Thistle. 

[bullyweehutch]

Best this season for me was probably Starks park. Enjoyed my first visit there despite getting gubbed.

Worst is definitely Bayview. I hate one stand efforts that dont have any terraces around the other sides.

[Nowhereman]

Love league one fans criticising grounds for having no atmosphere. It’s hard to have an atmosphere with a few hundred folk. If the crowd is big enough there will be an atmosphere

[Shadwell Dog]

Worst thing I remember about Stair Park was the midges but it's a wee while since I've been.

[CALDERON]

Starks Park isn't great in League 1. Typically low travelling supports and around 1500 home fans split over 2 stands that hold about 5k combined. 

Would love for both sets of fans to be in the Railway stand, but alas that can't really happen. 

It's decent enough with a good attendance in the ground, and if Rovers are shooting towards the South Stand second half whilst chasing the game it can get loud. 

I like Falkirks ground especially the Main Stand, it's pretty spectacular to be honest. Would be a fantastic ground if there was something in the other side, even a small stand. 

[The Moonster]

1 hour ago, Nowhereman said:

Love league one fans criticising grounds for having no atmosphere. It’s hard to have an atmosphere with a few hundred folk. If the crowd is big enough there will be an atmosphere

No no no, the SOUL and CHARACTER of the bricks that make up these stadiums generates atmosphere, not people. 

[tongue_tied_danny]

2 hours ago, CALDERON said:

 

I like Falkirks ground especially the Main Stand, it's pretty spectacular to be honest. Would be a fantastic ground if there was something in the other side, even a small stand. 

I've always thought that Falkirk' s ground would be pretty good if it had a covered terrace with a segregation fence opposite the main stand. That would create a decent atmosphere for big games.

[Blue1870]

9 hours ago, Shadwell Dog said:

Worst thing I remember about Stair Park was the midges but it's a wee while since I've been.

That must have been one of the few summer evenings without wind lol.

[Forest_Fifer]

Bayview would be improved immensely if they'd built what they originally wanted, with another 1000 seater stand opposite the main stand.
It would be substantially improved nkw f they built full screen ends on the main stand, to stop the wind and the rain getting in so much. It might help keep the sound in a bit as well. Why they only did half a job is beyond me, it can't have saved them that much.

[Reggie Perrin]

Bayview would be improved immensely if they'd built what they originally wanted, with another 1000 seater stand opposite the main stand.
It would be substantially improved nkw f they built full screen ends on the main stand, to stop the wind and the rain getting in so much. It might help keep the sound in a bit as well. Why they only did half a job is beyond me, it can't have saved them that much.

I also think the Falkirk Stadium suffers from having inadequate wind breaks particularly on the main stand.

[ShaggerG]

47 minutes ago, Reggie Perrin said:

I also think the Falkirk Stadium suffers from having inadequate wind breaks particularly on the main stand.

Agree with that. I think that whatever eventually goes up on the east side needs to be connected to the two end stands in some way. 

[Replays]

What I’ll say about Broadwood is it’s 10x better than it used to be. Not fantastic by any means but far better than previously. The gym has helped massively in making it slightly less cold than it once was.

[Sergeant Wilson]

3 hours ago, Forest_Fifer said:

Bayview would be improved immensely if they'd built what they originally wanted, with another 1000 seater stand opposite the main stand.
It would be substantially improved nkw f they built full screen ends on the main stand, to stop the wind and the rain getting in so much. It might help keep the sound in a bit as well. Why they only did half a job is beyond me, it can't have saved them that much.

Another stand would have cost a few bob they could ill afford. No club builds much more than they'll actually need now. Look at the white elephants in other towns.

It amazes me supporters still say "we should build another stand,  til in the corners, or we should convert to safe standing" etc. It's a complete failure to see the reality of club finances.

[San Starko Rover]

Worst either Bayview or Dumbarton, both decent enough stands but I’m just not a fan of one stand better to have two smaller stands like Peterhead.

Best probably Forfar choice of seats or standing and the views were decent, I like the fact it has stands on all sides too.

Ours, Falkirk and Airdrie are all too big for this division and end up with away supports rattling around in amongst hundreds of seats. Glad we got the Railway stand for most away supports these days.