Falkirk Stadium
{{Short description|Football stadium in Falkirk, Scotland}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox venue
| name = Falkirk Stadium
| nickname = Westfield
| logo_image =
| logo_caption =
| image = 300px
| caption = Falkirk Stadium in 2018
| pushpin_map = Scotland Falkirk
| pushpin_mapsize = 250
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Falkirk
| pushpin_label_position = left
| fullname = Falkirk Stadium
| former_names =
| city = Falkirk
| country = Scotland
| location = Westfield
Falkirk
Scotland
| coordinates = {{coord|56|00|19|N|3|45|10|W|type:landmark_region:GB-FAL|display=inline,title}}
| broke_ground = 2003
| built =
| opened = 2004
| renovated =
| expanded = 2004–2005 (North stand)
2009 (South stand)
| closed =
| demolished =
| owner = Falkirk Community Stadium Ltd
| operator = Falkirk F.C.
| surface = synthetic pitch
| scoreboard =
| cost =
| architect = Falkirk Council
| project_manager =
| structural engineer =
| services engineer =
| general_contractor =
| main_contractors = Mowlem (North stand and West stand)
Ogilvie (south stand)
| capacity = {{SPFL-stadiums|falkirk}}
| suites =
| record_attendance = 7,926 (Falkirk v Dundee United, 19 May 2017)
| dimensions = 109 x 79 yards
| acreage =
| volume =
| tenants = Falkirk F.C. (2004–present)
Stirling University F.C. (2016–2018)
East Stirlingshire F.C. (2018–present)
Queen's Park F.C. (2021)
| embedded =
| website = {{URL|www.falkirkstadium.co.uk}}
}}
The Falkirk Stadium is an all-seater football stadium in Falkirk, central Scotland, which is the home ground of Scottish Premiership club Falkirk and Lowland Football League club East Stirlingshire since 2018. The stadium has a capacity of {{SPFL-stadiums|falkirk}}{{cite web |url=http://spfl.co.uk/clubs/falkirk/ |title=Falkirk Football Club|publisher=Scottish Professional Football League |access-date=11 November 2013}} and currently consists of three fully completed stands.
The stadium was opened in 2004 with the main stand completed. It became the home of Falkirk in the same year after the club ground shared Ochilview Park for the 2003–04 season whilst the stadium was being constructed. The north and south stands were built and opened in 2005 and 2009 respectively. East Stirlingshire have shared the ground since 2018, when they ended their own groundshare at Ochilview to return to Falkirk.
History
{{See also|Falkirk F.C.#History|label 1=History of Falkirk F.C.}}
Work began on building the stadium in 2003[https://archive.today/20130422062906/http://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/news/local-headlines/falkirk_stadium_approved_now_work_begins_1_292118 Falkirk Stadium approved ... now work begins], Falkirk Herald. 20 March 2003. Retrieved 10 January 2012. after Brockville Park, the club's town centre home since 1885, was sold and demolished.[http://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/news/local-headlines/163_9_million_deal_agreed_for_brockville_1_291666 £9 million deal agreed for Brockville]{{Dead link|date=November 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Falkirk Herald. 19 July 2002. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
The project of building the stadium was a partnership between Falkirk Football Club and Falkirk Council who set up the Falkirk Community Stadium Ltd which provided the funds to construct and run the stadium.{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/7923473.stm |title=Football stadium venture to end |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC|date=4 March 2009 |access-date=10 January 2012}} Falkirk Council estimated £6.1 million would be required for the first stage of the Community Stadium build and would contribute £3.1 million initially. The sale of Brockville Park amounted to £9 million pounds for the club, of which £2.8 million went towards the build, whilst £200,000 came from sportscotland.
The first stage of the stadium was completed in time for the 2004–05 football season and Falkirk moved in after spending the previous year ground-sharing with local rivals, Stenhousemuir at their Ochilview Park home.
File:Falkirk Stadium West Stand.jpg
Falkirk's first ever game at the stadium was a friendly in July 2004 against Dundee resulting in a 2–1 defeat.{{Cite web|url=http://www.scottishgrounds.co.uk/falkirk.htm#Falkirk%20Stadium%20-%20External%20View|title = Scottish Football Ground Guide - Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk Football Club}} A month later the first league game was hosted in the stadium with visitors Hamilton Academical drawing 1–1.[http://www.freewebs.com/waxoylfanclub/FFC/index.html News] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106031528/http://www.freewebs.com/waxoylfanclub/FFC/index.html |date=6 January 2014 }}, The Falkirk Stadium. 25 July 2004. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
In October 2004 construction work commenced for the building of a second stand to the north of the pitch. The stand has a capacity of 2,000. After completion, the £1.58m[https://archive.today/20130420063657/http://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/news/local-headlines/work_to_start_on_new_stand_1_297980 Work to start on new stand], Falkirk Herald. 29 April 2004. Retrieved 12 January 2012. facility would bring the stadium's capacity to over the Scottish Premier League's 6,000 seating criteria meaning Falkirk would be allowed automatic promotion[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/f/falkirk/4387279.stm Falkirk stadium gets green light], BBC Sport. 31 March 2005. Retrieved 11 January 2012. from the First Division. The stand received its safety certificate in late March 2005, shortly before the SPL's deadline for a stadium which met the seating criteria. By May of the same year the north stand was fully completed.[http://www.falkirk.gov.uk/services/development/design/building_design/community_design/community_stadium.aspx Falkirk Stadium building design] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020144224/http://www.falkirk.gov.uk/services/development/design/building_design/community_design/community_stadium.aspx |date=20 October 2013 }}, Falkirk Council. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
Construction of the south stand began in December 2008 by contractors Ogilvie.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/7762501.stm Work on third stand gets underway], BBC News. 3 December 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2012. A £2m pledge from Sandy Alexander, founder of Schuh and Falkirk supporter, helped fund the project. The south stand has a capacity of around 2,000 and is similar in appearance to the north stand of the stadium.[http://www.footballgroundguide.com/scotland/falkirk.html#Falkirk%20Stadium%20-%20External%20View What's The Ground Like?], Scottish Football Grounds Guide. 22 April 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2013. It was officially opened in August 2009 in a friendly game against Royal Antwerp FC of Belgium.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/8175104.stm Club debut for new stadium stand], BBC News. 30 July 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2012 This brought the capacity of the stadium to around 8,000 people without the inclusion of the temporary east stand.
The joint venture that was set up between Falkirk F.C. and Falkirk Council, ended in 2009, just a few months before the opening of the south stand. The football club took full control of the facilities such as the pitch, seats, under-soil heating and floodlights, whilst the council retained most of the development rights for the site and manages and receives rent from businesses set up the stadium's main west stand.
An artificial playing surface was installed at the stadium in June 2013.{{cite web |url=http://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/sport/falkirk-fc/falkirk-are-pitching-in-to-bring-the-bairns-back-to-town-1-2965280#.Ubm-OIhztV8.twitter |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130730174135/http://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/sport/falkirk-fc/falkirk-are-pitching-in-to-bring-the-bairns-back-to-town-1-2965280%23.Ubm-OIhztV8.twitter |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 July 2013 |title=Falkirk are pitching in to bring the Bairns back to town |work=Falkirk Herald |date=13 June 2013 |access-date=13 June 2013 |first=David |last=Oliver }} In 2016 Lowland Football League side Stirling University F.C. started playing their home matches at the ground, having moved from Stirling Albion's Forthbank Stadium.
Falkirk Stadium is situated opposite the fire station
In April 2018 it was announced that East Stirlingshire would begin playing their home matches at the Falkirk Stadium from the start of the 2018–19 season.{{cite web |url=https://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/sport/football/east-stirlingshire-fc/east-stirlingshire-are-back-in-town-after-decade-at-stenhousemuir-1-4718500 |title=East Stirlingshire are back in town after decade at Stenhousemuir |first=David |last=Oliver |work=Falkirk Herald |publisher=Johnston Publishing Ltd |date=4 April 2018 |access-date=5 April 2018}} The club had previously played in the centre of Falkirk at Firs Park until 2008, before spending a decade ground-sharing with Stenhousemuir at Ochilview Park. Queen's Park also moved in during the latter part of the 2020–21 season, after their lease on Hampden Park expired.{{cite news |url=https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/international/alan-pattullo-mystery-hangs-over-queens-parks-last-ever-game-at-hampden-park-on-what-should-be-a-hugely-significant-occasion-for-scottish-football-3172702 |title=Mystery hangs over Queen's Park's last-ever game at Hampden Park on what should be a hugely significant occasion for Scottish football |first=Alan |last=Pattullo |newspaper=The Scotsman |date=20 March 2021 |accessdate=23 March 2021}}{{cite web |url=https://queensparkfc.co.uk/falkirk-stadium-venue-confirmed/ |title=Falkirk Stadium Venue Confirmed |website=queensparkfc.co.uk |date=26 March 2021 |accessdate=26 March 2021}}
Structure and facilities
File:Falkirk stadium stands.jpg
The Falkirk Stadium is an all-seater stadium which currently consists of three completed stands in the form of the main west stand and smaller north and south stands. Upon the stadium's construction the west stand was the first to be built, and subsequently completed in 2004. The north and south stands were completed in 2005 and 2009 respectively. The west stand has a capacity of roughly 4,200{{cite news |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/falkirk-keep-rising-from-the-rubble-in-more-ways-than-one-first-division-with-their-community-spirit-and-a-new-stand-the-promotion-favourites-are-planning-a-bright-future-finds-alan-campbell-1.59683 |title=Falkirk keep rising from the rubble in more ways than one |first=Alan |last=Campbell |newspaper=The Sunday Herald |date=20 March 2005 |access-date=3 September 2013}}[http://www.talkfootball.co.uk/guides/falkirk_fc_history.html New Home, New Standards], TalkFootball. Retrieved 11 January 2012. and hosts several facilities which have ranged from a nursery to a restaurant. The south stand features a bar called the Brockville Bar. A temporary east stand has been present on several occasions.
In June 2022, the South Stand was renamed to the Kevin McAllister Stand after the football player that played for the club.
Summer concerts
Since 2012, Falkirk Stadium has been hosting summer concerts, achieving up to 21,000{{cite web |url=https://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/news/opinion/chance-reflect-falkirk-stadiums-biggest-event-areas-police-commander-269570| title = A chance to reflect on Falkirk stadium's biggest event for the area's police commander |date=2 August 2018}} attendees per event.
^ The Killers were originally due to play at Falkirk Stadium on 28 May 2020 but this was postponed{{Cite web|url=https://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/the-killers-american-group-told-falkirk-stadium-they-were-spreading-peace-love-and-rock-and-roll-3722681|title=The Killers told Falkirk Stadium they were spreading 'peace, love and rock and roll'|date=7 June 2022}} to 8 June 2021 then again to 6 June 2022 because of COVID-19.
Westlife were supposed to perform at the stadium on 27 June 2020 for their "Stadiums in the Summer Tour" but this was cancelled due to COVID-19.
Rugby
As well as hosting Falkirk F.C., the stadium has also staged several youth level international rugby union matches. In 2008 the stadium was the venue chosen by the Scottish Rugby Union to host Scotland's home matches at the Six Nations Under 20s Championship which were played against England under-20s and France under-20s.[https://archive.today/20130201153718/http://www.rbs6nations.com/en/u20/u20s_match-centre_fixtures-results.php?includeref=740&season=2007-2008 U20's Six Nations Fixtures and Results], Retrieved 16 March 2012. Former Falkirk manager John Hughes had commented on the condition of the pitch which was previously damaged during rugby matches.{{cite news |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-15351971.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018221500/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-15351971.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 October 2016 |title=Hughes appeals for an end to rugby at Falkirk Stadium |first=Stewart |last=Fisher |newspaper=Sunday Herald |date=17 February 2008 |access-date=3 September 2013}}
Other uses
The stadium is also used on occasion by the Scotland women's national football team in World and Euro qualifying championships as well as in friendly matches.{{cite news|url=http://www.scotsman.com/sport/scots-women-buoyed-by-addition-of-baby-fleeting-to-the-squad-1-798328 |title=Scots women buoyed by addition of baby Fleeting to the squad|date=31 March 2010 |access-date=3 September 2013 |work=The Scotsman|publisher=Johnston Publishing}} Also in relation to football, the stadium has hosted the home matches of the Scotland national under-21 football team, the first happening in November 2004 in a game against Sweden.{{cite news |url=http://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/sport/local-sport/pitch-perfect-at-falkirk-stadium-1-298634 |title=Pitch-perfect at Falkirk Stadium |newspaper=Falkirk Herald |date=18 November 2004 |access-date=3 September 2013 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092837/http://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/sport/local-sport/pitch-perfect-at-falkirk-stadium-1-298634 |url-status=dead }}
Transport
The Falkirk Stadium is within a 30-minute walk of Falkirk Grahamston railway station which is on the main Edinburgh to Dunblane Line and Cumbernauld Line from Glasgow. During weekdays and Saturdays alternate trains between Glasgow and Cumbernauld call at Falkirk Grahamston.
Special match day bus services provided by McGill's Scotland East allow direct transport to the stadium from around the Falkirk area.[http://www.falkirkfc.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=112&Itemid=142 Falkirk FC - Parking and Travel], falkirkfc.co.uk. Retrieved 16 March 2012. The number 98 service from Brightons passes through Shieldhill, Hallglen and Laurieston before terminating at the stadium. Access from Larbert on match days is provided by the number 99 bus, which is destined for the stadium via Stenhousemuir, Carronshore and Bainsford.[http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/scotland_east/journey_planning/timetables/timetable.php?day=1&source_id=2&service=99&routeid=3649371&operator=25&source=sp South East and Central Scotland - Timetables for Service Number: 99]{{Dead link|date=November 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, First Scotland East Retrieved 16 March 2012. As well as the special match day routes, regular services are also provided by McGill's Scotland East from Falkirk bus station to Grangemouth (routes 3 and 4) and Bo'ness (route 2) which stop outside the stadium.[https://archive.today/20101111232203/http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/scotland_east/journey_planning/timetables/index.php?operator=25&page=1&redirect=no South East and Central Scotland - Timetables], First Scotland East Retrieved 16 March 2012.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Falkirk Stadium}}
- [http://www.falkirkstadium.co.uk/ Falkirk Stadium official site]
- [http://www.footballgroundguide.com/scotland/falkirk.html Falkirk Stadium at the Scottish Ground Guide]
{{Falkirk F.C.}}
{{East Stirlingshire F.C.}}
{{Queen's Park F.C.}}
{{Football venues in Scotland}}
Category:Football venues in Scotland
Category:Sports venues in Falkirk (council area)
Category:Rugby union stadiums in Scotland
Category:Scottish Premier League venues
Category:Scottish Football League venues
Category:Scottish Professional Football League venues
Category:Sports venues completed in 2004
Category:Buildings and structures in Falkirk