Favourite quirks of Scottish stadiums.

[Swello]

40 minutes ago, Salvo Montalbano said:

I know I'm biased but it really was a cracking venue. Open and covered terracing, a biggish main stand, wee enclosure, the cage section on halfway and the iconic steps from the dressing room to the pitch. It's still one of the better redeveloped grounds IMO but when it was in its terraced prime there was just something special about it, especially when we played Falkirk and Airdrieonians.

The pre-Taylor East End was my favourite away ground as (because most of it was covered) it could have a great atmosphere with 5000 folk in it. Most other grounds were run-down dumps by the end of the 80's and EEP felt a cut above most of them to me.

If they had covered the away end too, it would literally be my perfect stadium as covered terracing > seats.

[Stellaboz]

It always looked to me that the away terrace could have held more than the West stand. 

[Otis Blue]

1 hour ago, Salvo Montalbano said:

I know I'm biased but it really was a cracking venue. Open and covered terracing, a biggish main stand, wee enclosure, the cage section on halfway and the iconic steps from the dressing room to the pitch. It's still one of the better redeveloped grounds IMO but when it was in its terraced prime there was just something special about it, especially when we played Falkirk and Airdrieonians.

Aye, it was a belter, one of the best.

[Salvo Montalbano]

2 hours ago, Swello said:

The pre-Taylor East End was my favourite away ground as (because most of it was covered) it could have a great atmosphere with 5000 folk in it. Most other grounds were run-down dumps by the end of the 80's and EEP felt a cut above most of them to me.

If they had covered the away end too, it would literally be my perfect stadium as covered terracing > seats.

Sadly for us we spent a shit load of money resurfacing the terracing, repainting the crush barriers, putting in new CCTV, catering facilities, upgrading the toilets etc... then soon after the SPL decided we needed to have all seated stadia. 

[HibeeJibee]

On 03/07/2023 at 11:47, Salvo Montalbano said:

Sadly for us we spent a shit load of money resurfacing the terracing, repainting the crush barriers, putting in new CCTV, catering facilities, upgrading the toilets etc... then soon after the SPL decided we needed to have all seated stadia. 

Pedantic point but contrary to popular myth this wasn't SPL.

Scottish Office + SFA + SFL agreed in 1994 that top division clubs would be all-seated with 10k+ capacity by 1998; later delayed to 1999.

Starting with McDiarmid numerous stadiums were built or rebuilt specifically designed to (just) meet expectation of 10,000 all-seater criteria from late 1980s through 1990s e.g. Excelsior, Almondvale, New Douglas Park, Stark's Park, Broadwood.

Clydebank declared their capacity as 9,950 to avoid stricter Sports Ground Act requirements which applied to 10k+ capacities.

Edited July 4, 2023 by HibeeJibee

[Monkey Tennis]

3 minutes ago, HibeeJibee said:

Pedantic point but contrary to popular myth this wasn't SPL.

Scottish Office + SFA + SFL agreed in 1994 that top division clubs would be all-seated with 10k+ capacity by 1998; later delayed to 1999.

I'd certainly been under the impression it was an SPL stipulation until you pointed out otherwise on here before.

I suppose the timings meant that the SPL were the ones charged with enforcement come the time.  The self preservation that was the body's raison d'etre as evidenced by 1 up;1 down, certainly chimed with the application of the 10,000 seat rule, even if the idea predated it.

I wonder how all that would have unfolded had the top flight remained part of the SFL.  I don't suppose we can ever know.

[Monkey Tennis]

14 minutes ago, HibeeJibee said:

Starting with McDiarmid numerous stadiums were built or rebuilt specifically designed to (just) meet expectation of 10,000 all-seater criteria from late 1980s through 1990s e.g. Excelsior, Almondvale, New Douglas Park, Stark's Park, Broadwood.
 

McDiarmid's construction came before the Taylor Report though.  

The subsequent ruling was surely led by that new ground's existence, rather than the other way round.

Was there really any expectation of making all grounds all seated before Hillsborough?

[buchan30]

Not sure I remember this right, but during the early 2000s did they not change it to it only having to 6 or 8,000? 

[Monkey Tennis]

8 hours ago, buchan30 said:

Not sure I remember this right, but during the early 2000s did they not change it to it only having to 6 or 8,000? 

It became 6,000 but it was a good few years into the new century I think.

[Salvo Montalbano]

9 hours ago, buchan30 said:

Not sure I remember this right, but during the early 2000s did they not change it to it only having to 6 or 8,000? 

 

1 hour ago, Monkey Tennis said:

It became 6,000 but it was a good few years into the new century I think.

It was changed for Inverness wasn't it? Had to groundshare which was also originally verboeten then they realised they were never going to be able to build or fill 10,000 seats so they relaxed that then. It had the added bonus of annoying Falkirk although it did mean the likes of Airdrie and Livingston had grounds with just over 10,000 seats when 6,000 probably would have been enough for them.

[DA Baracus]

The rule wasn't specifically changed for Inverness but they were the first to utilise it. They shared Pittodrie for the first half of the season whilst their ground was being sorted.

We were actually the first team to play them at their new ground, a hideously spineless performance on 29th January 2005 compounded by Brewster getting the second in a 2-0 win for them.

[Sergeant Wilson]

Everybody knows these rules were introduced and changed to halt Falkirk's rise to the top.

[topcat(The most tip top)]

16 hours ago, HibeeJibee said:

Clydebank declared their capacity as 9,950 to avoid stricter Sports Ground Act requirements which applied to 10k+ capacities.

A trick that Aberdeen would later use during Covid

[TheScarf]

22 hours ago, DA Baracus said:

The rule wasn't specifically changed for Inverness but they were the first to utilise it. They shared Pittodrie for the first half of the season whilst their ground was being sorted.

We were actually the first team to play them at their new ground, a hideously spineless performance on 29th January 2005 compounded by Brewster getting the second in a 2-0 win for them.

Gordon Ramsey was in the Dunfermline end that day.  He was in Inverness filming Kitchen Nightmares and he was filmed before the game at the burger van (one of those Hog Roast burger type ones) and was talking about it whilst being filmed in the ground and you could clearly see Dunfermline fans behind him the the stand he was sat in.

The clip is on YouTube I believe. 

[Stellaboz]

5 minutes ago, TheScarf said:

Gordon Ramsey was in the Dunfermline end that day.  He was in Inverness filming Kitchen Nightmares and he was filmed before the game at the burger van (one of those Hog Roast burger type ones) and was talking about it whilst being filmed in the ground and you could clearly see Dunfermline fans behind him the the stand he was sat in.

The clip is on YouTube I believe. 

I rather childishly took a seat home with me from that game, which lived under my bed for years before I decided to bin it. 

[TheScarf]

19 minutes ago, Stellaboz said:

I rather childishly took a seat home with me from that game, which lived under my bed for years before I decided to bin it. 

My word.

[bunglebonce]

42 minutes ago, TheScarf said:

Gordon Ramsey was in the Dunfermline end that day.  He was in Inverness filming Kitchen Nightmares and he was filmed before the game at the burger van (one of those Hog Roast burger type ones) and was talking about it whilst being filmed in the ground and you could clearly see Dunfermline fans behind him the the stand he was sat in.

The clip is on YouTube I believe. 

Haven’t seen the clip, but was that an episode about the restaurant at the Glenmoriston hotel? 

[TheScarf]

8 minutes ago, bunglebonce said:

Haven’t seen the clip, but was that an episode about the restaurant at the Glenmoriston hotel? 

That's the one.  Think it's just in the full hour episode you see it actually.  It's not an actual clip of him just at the game.

Found it.  16:50 onwards here - 

 

[Chippyminton]

On 04/07/2023 at 23:33, HibeeJibee said:

Clydebank declared their capacity as 9,950 to avoid stricter Sports Ground Act requirements which applied to 10k+ capacities.

They missed a wee trick there. They should have declared 9,999 to really make the point and take the absolute pish.

[Eder]

187 pages in, must have already been mentioned but anyway:

• Airdrie's pavilion at Broomfield. Iconic!
• Dundee United's steep covered terace. Brilliant place when full for both atmosphere and viewing - anyone that was in it when packed will know.
• Aberdeen's Beach End was something special too.