The Nightfly Posted September 6, 2016 Share Posted September 6, 2016 East Fife christened their floodlights at Bayview Park in 1954 in a friendly v Leeds United. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted September 6, 2016 Author Share Posted September 6, 2016 44 minutes ago, killiejim said: Killie actually experimented with floodlights as long ago as 1878 in a match against Kilmarnock Portland. I remember details of this being in Hugh Taylor's 1969 Centenary book Go Fame. My own copy was lost in a house fire many years ago but seem to remember the lights partially failed and several players were injured in the gloomy proceedings. The experiment was deemed a failure and not repeated. Believe other clubs tried similar experiments around the same time. There were various attempts at illuminated matches during Victorian times in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Kilmarnock, at least a couple of Border towns in rugby, and maybe Dunbartonshire (can't quite remember). Various techniques were employed including spotlights and searchlights, strings of electric bulbs suspended over the pitch, and even naptha flares! None had the performance desired and it was mainly a 'novelty' exercise. I have read about Inverness Caledonian somewhere before but this wasn't a permanent installation, presumably? It would pre-date the proper introduction of floodlights by 20yrs, and I can't imagine a provincial non-league club would be a trailblazer to that extent. I had read somewhere that the only British stadium with 'modern' floodlighting before WWI was White City in London. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CK Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 There were various attempts at illuminated matches during Victorian times in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Kilmarnock, at least a couple of Border towns in rugby, and maybe Dunbartonshire (can't quite remember). Various techniques were employed including spotlights and searchlights, strings of electric bulbs suspended over the pitch, and even naptha flares! None had the performance desired and it was mainly a 'novelty' exercise. I have read about Inverness Caledonian somewhere before but this wasn't a permanent installation, presumably? It would pre-date the proper introduction of floodlights by 20yrs, and I can't imagine a provincial non-league club would be a trailblazer to that extent. I had read somewhere that the only British stadium with 'modern' floodlighting before WWI was White City in London. Celtic and Clyde had a floodlit game on Christmas night 1893 which attracted around 5000 spectators. From the reports it seems there were 16 lamps strung up the middle of the field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Tennis Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 I've got to say that I prefer the idea of our wonderful floodlights (or drenchlights) being christened against 1950s Preston North End, as opposed to Preston Athletic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted September 7, 2016 Author Share Posted September 7, 2016 Oops . Confirmation that St Johnstone v West Ham Utd was on 16th December 1964. As with a couple of other cases, they'd been used towards the end of league games over the preceding fortnight. I can find no record of Dundee Utd having a proper first game. They were used toward the end of a league game on 10th November 1962 but no midweek starter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted September 7, 2016 Author Share Posted September 7, 2016 Third Lanark - friendly v Blackpool, 30th November 1959 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eednud Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 46 minutes ago, HibeeJibee said: I can find no record of Dundee Utd having a proper first game. They were used toward the end of a league game on 10th November 1962 but no midweek starter? 62/3 was the winter of the big freeze and also the season the DABS got the Arabs nickname after Scottish Cup tie v Albion Rovers when pitch was covered in sand to get the game played . The first full game under lights was probably a Scottish Cup replay v Queen's Park on 20 March 1963. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted September 7, 2016 Author Share Posted September 7, 2016 Bit of a sickener... That said the first postponements didn't start until December 15th and the first nearly-obliterated card was January 19th so they'd already left it a couple of months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nightfly Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 Forfar Athletic hosted Aberdeen on 11 October 1971 to celebrate their new floodlights. Not sure if these were replacements, but the date is close to the initial estimate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nightfly Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 Kilmarnock's friendly match v Man Utd was on 28 October 1953. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted September 8, 2016 Author Share Posted September 8, 2016 Confirmation on another thread that Meadowbank Thistle's was their Friday night opener after joining SFL, v Albion Rovers on 8th August 1974 in the League Cup. Albion Rovers had to wait until October 1968 to get floodlights - which they bought off the receivers of Third Lanark - so presumably their opener was around then. I'll ask on FitbaNorth about Peterhead, Ross County and the Inverness clubs. I'll ask in LL's sub-forum about East Stirlingshire (they had them pre-1965 as ES Clydebank took them to Kilbowie) and Gretna. Strange that our biggest gap of 'long-standing' clubs is Lanarkshire - Airdrie, Albion Rovers, Hamilton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamthebam Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 I thought you might have had a well thumbed copy of "The Football Grounds of Great Britain" by Simon Inglis which mentioned when floodlights were installed in the history of various Scottish grounds. Prior to Ross County and ICT being voted in the last Scottish League Clubs to get floodlights were Stranraer (1981) and Alloa (1979). I did a five part series on the history of floodlighting in last season's Edinburgh City programme- it was quite illuminating (a har har har) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamthebam Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 According to Inglis "Cliftonhill's floodlights were switched on with a match v Airdrie in October 1968 but track-side lights have long been used since greyhound racing began at Cliftonhill in 1931" Airdrie: "Floodlights were first switched on for a friendly v Blackburrn Rovers on 15th October 1956" Hamilton "...belated introduction of floodlights in March 1971. Gwardia Warsaw of Poland provided the first floodlit opposition". In the course of my research for the programme articles it emerged that Aberdeen FC were early floodlight sceptics, refusing to play Hibs under the Easter Road floodlights. This probably accounts for the relatively late installation of lights at Pittodrie compared to other clubs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen Archer (Raconteur) Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 2 minutes ago, tamthebam said: According to Inglis "Cliftonhill's floodlights were switched on with a match v Airdrie in October 1968 but track-side lights have long been used since greyhound racing began at Cliftonhill in 1931" Airdrie: "Floodlights were first switched on for a friendly v Blackburrn Rovers on 15th October 1956" Hamilton "...belated introduction of floodlights in March 1971. Gwardia Warsaw of Poland provided the first floodlit opposition". In the course of my research for the programme articles it emerged that Aberdeen FC were early floodlight sceptics, refusing to play Hibs under the Easter Road floodlights. This probably accounts for the relatively late installation of lights at Pittodrie compared to other clubs. Could this be due to former chairman Jan Stepek? I recall two or three skin headed Poles playing for Hamilton in the seventies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nightfly Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 I found reference to the Airdrie v Blackburn match from a different source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 On 08/09/2016 at 23:57, tamthebam said: According to Inglis "Cliftonhill's floodlights were switched on with a match v Airdrie in October 1968 but track-side lights have long been used since greyhound racing began at Cliftonhill in 1931" Airdrie: "Floodlights were first switched on for a friendly v Blackburrn Rovers on 15th October 1956" Hamilton "...belated introduction of floodlights in March 1971. Gwardia Warsaw of Poland provided the first floodlit opposition". In the course of my research for the programme articles it emerged that Aberdeen FC were early floodlight sceptics, refusing to play Hibs under the Easter Road floodlights. This probably accounts for the relatively late installation of lights at Pittodrie compared to other clubs. Bit strange considering how early it gets dark in Aberdeen during the winter. You'd have thought the Dons would have been in there sharpish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen Archer (Raconteur) Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 1 minute ago, Jacksgranda said: Bit strange considering how early it gets dark in Aberdeen during the winter. You'd have thought the Dons would have been in there sharpish. 'dea yea ken hoo much it costs tae run thae things?' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 10 minutes ago, Zen Archer said: 'dea yea ken hoo much it costs tae run thae things?' I had thought of that excuse! But would it not have been outweighed by increased attendances due (a) to the novelty factor and (b) people who worked a half day on Saturday being able to attend + the probablility of an increased away support? (Although that would possibly only really have applied to Dundee at that point, that point being the mid fifties.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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