Firhill Stadium
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 Facade of Old Stand at Firhill, viewed from Springbank Street |
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| Location | Glasgow, Scotland |
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| Opened | 1909 |
| Owner | Partick Thistle |
| Surface | Grass |
| Capacity | 10,887 |
| Tenants | |
| Partick Thistle F.C. (1909–Present) Clyde F.C. (1986–1991) Hamilton Academical F.C. 1994–1997, 1999–2001) Glasgow Warriors (2005–Present) |
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Firhill Stadium is the home ground of the Scottish football club, Partick Thistle F.C.
In December 2005 Firhill temporarily also became the home of Glasgow's professional Rugby Union team, Glasgow Warriors, when they moved from their previous base at Hughenden. The Glasgow Warriors took up a two-year residency at Firhill from the start of the 2007-08 Magners League season. This was extended in April 2009 for a further five years. [1] [2] Past ground-sharing agreements have also seen Firhill act as a temporary home for two more football clubs, Clyde and Hamilton Academical.
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[edit] Capacity
The current capacity of the ground is 10887 and is all seated. There are 3 stands, of which 2 are usually used on matchdays.
[edit] Record attendances
Located on Firhill Road in the Maryhill district of Glasgow, the record attendance for a Thistle game was against Rangers in 1922 when 49,838 people attended. The record attendance at the ground for a football game though was for a Scotland-Ireland game when around 55,000 people attended.
[edit] Structures
The ground currently comprises three seated stands, with an unused area at the south end.
[edit] Old Stand
The old stand, running along one side of the ground, was the first of the stands to be constructed. It was built with an original capacity of 6,000, but now holds somewhere closer in the region of 2,900 seats. There is a small enclosure of terracing at the front of the stand. In January 2006, the club announced that the old stand would no longer be used on matchdays due to high maintenance and stewarding costs. There have been exceptions, however, including the Scottish Cup match against Rangers and the final match of the league season against Greenock Morton. On both occasions away fans were seated in the North Stand and the old stand.
[edit] Jackie Husband Stand
All home fans are now housed in the stand opposite the old stand, the Jackie Husband Stand. This is an impressive large cantilever stand which was built on the site of a huge section of enclosed terracing nicknamed "the Shed" by supporters of Partick Thistle. The stand was constructed in 1994 with a capacity of 6,263 and is named after former Thistle player Jackie Husband.
[edit] North Stand
The newest stand is the North Stand, at one end of the ground. This was built in 2002 to meet the Scottish Premier League criteria on stadium capacity, which stated at the time that member clubs must have 10,000 seats in their ground. Ironically this criteria was changed at a later date to only 6,000 seats, which not only allowed for the relegation of Partick Thistle, but meant they had spent much of their resources on a stand that under new regulations was unnecessary.
Originally, the stand only ran for two thirds the length of the pitch. It was extended in 2003 so that it ran the full length of the pitch with a capacity of 2,014. It replaced a large bank of terracing. The construction of this stand was assisted by the sale of some land to allow the construction of student flats which now lie behind the stand.
[edit] City End
Thistle had announced plans to replace the disused terracing at the south end of the ground, commonly known as the "City End" with a new structure that would consist of a 1,000-seat stand as well as residential and office accommodation. However, planning permission from Glasgow City Council was not forthcoming,[3] and it is currently unclear what the club's next move will be. Nevertheless, they have pressed ahead with the demolition of the former south end and that section of the ground is now completely removed.
[edit] Rugby
In 1996, Firhill was the site of the Scottish national rugby league team's first game on home soil, a victory over their Irish counterparts. Rugby League, very much a minority sport in Scotland, has returned to the ground on several occasions since, including for the 2000 World Cup.
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Firhill pitch can cope with rugby, insists chairman, stv interview, 21 June 2007
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Partick Thistle F.C.
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Coordinates: 55°52′53.60″N 4°16′10.70″W / 55.8815556°N 4.2696389°W
