East End Park
| East End Park | |
|---|---|
 View of the ground | |
  | |
| Location | Dunfermline, Scotland |
| Coordinates | 56°04′31.11″N 3°26′30.86″W / 56.0753083°N 3.4419056°W |
| Opened | 1885 |
| Owner | East End Park Limited[1] |
| Surface | Grass |
| Capacity | 11,480[2] |
| Field dimensions | 105 x 64 yards (pitch) |
| Tenants | |
| Dunfermline Athletic F.C. | |
East End Park is a football stadium situated in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland with a seating capacity of 11,480.
The stadium plays host to the home matches of Scottish League One side, Dunfermline Athletic F.C. It currently comprises four stands: the East Stand, the Main Stand, the North Stand and the Norrie McCathie Stand. The stadium is all seater and has under-soil heating.
History
East End Park was first used in 1885, the same year as the club was formed.[3] The original stadium was situated slightly to the west. In 1920, the Board of Directors purchased 3 acres (12,000 m2) of land from the North British Railway company for £3,500, and the present position of the ground was laid out.[3] A wooden stand with a low roof and a pavilion were built on the southern side, backing onto Halbeath Road (A907).[3] Terrace banks were extended to give a capacity of 16,000 when the club was promoted to the First Division in 1926.[3] Relegation and the effects of the Great Depression forced East End Park to be used for greyhound racing in the early 1930s.[3] The rent from this activity helped keep the club afloat, but the dog track cut across the corners of the pitch.[3] Dunfermline were promoted in 1934 and a roof was built over the northern terrace.[3] One year later, the eastern terrace was improved using wood salvaged from the liner Mauretania, which was being broken up in the Rosyth Dockyards.[3]
Polish and British army units were stationed at East End Park during the Second World War.[3] Dunfermline received £329 in compensation, but the ground remained quite primitive.[3] Crush barriers were not installed until 1951, after a 20,000 crowd had attended a match.[3] East End Park was greatly developed between 1957 and 1970, a period in which the club qualified several times for European competition.[3] A two-tier Main Stand was constructed in 1962, funded by the club winning the 1960–61 Scottish Cup.[3] The terracing was also improved, with an L-shaped roof formed over the western and northern sections.[3] The record attendance for a Dunfermline Athletic home game of 27,816 was against Celtic on 30 April 1968.[3] There was some chaotic crowd scenes, as people scaled the stand roof and floodlight pylons to gain access.[3] One person died from his injuries after falling.[3]
In the late 1990s, East End Park was converted to an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 12,509. But since then, the capacity has been downgraded to the present 11,480. Since then there have been sell-outs against Rangers in the Scottish Cup and against Raith Rovers in a title decider for the 2010–11 Scottish First Division.[4] An artificial playing surface was installed at East End Park in 2003, as part of an experiment by UEFA.[5] Opposing mangers and players expressed reservations at the time that the surface could lead to injuries. The pitch was subsequently replaced with grass two seasons later.[5] The 2006–07 Scottish Junior Cup Final between Kelty Hearts and Linlithgow Rose was held at East End Park on 3 June 2007. Dunfermline announced in November 2011 that the North Stand was to close, in order to reduce operating costs.[6] However, in July 2012 the club announced it planned to reopen the stand.[7]
References
- ↑ http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/liquidation-threat-grows-as-dunfermline-braced-for-winding-up-order-from-hmrc.20501814
- ↑ http://spfl.co.uk/clubs/dunfermline-athletic/
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 Inglis 1996, p. 442
- ↑ "Hardie double wins thrilling comeback". BBC Sport (BBC). 23 April 2011.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Dunfermline lose SPL pitch vote". BBC News. 10 March 2005. Retrieved 17 January 2008.
- ↑ "Dunfermline to close North Stand to reduce costs". BBC Sport (BBC). 16 November 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
- ↑ "Pars ditch 'fake support' and re-open NW Stand". Dunfermline Press. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
- Sources
- Inglis, Simon (1996). Football Grounds of Britain. Collins Willow. ISBN 0-00-218426-5.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to East End Park. |
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