Celtic Park facts for kids
|
"Parkhead"
"Paradise" |
|
Aerial view of Celtic Park
|
|
 Celtic Park
Location in Glasgow council area
|
|
| Location | The Celtic Way Parkhead, Glasgow, Scotland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 55°50′59″N 4°12′20″W / 55.84972°N 4.20556°W |
| Owner | Celtic (1897–present) |
| Capacity | 60,411 |
| Record attendance | 83,500 v Rangers 1 January 1938 |
| Field size | 114 x 74 yards (104.2 x 67.7 metres) |
| Surface | Desso Grass Hybrid (2017–present) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 20 August 1892 |
| Renovated | 1994–98 |
| Construction cost | £35,628 (Main Stand, 1929) £40M (1994–98 rebuild) |
| Architect | Duncan and Kerr (Main Stand, 1929) Percy Johnson-Marshall Associates (1994–98 rebuild) |
| Tenants | |
| 1892–present | |
Celtic Park is a famous football stadium in Glasgow, Scotland. It's the proud home of Celtic, a well-known team in the Scottish Premiership. With space for 60,832 fans, it's the biggest football stadium in Scotland and one of the largest in the United Kingdom. People often call it "Parkhead" or "Paradise."
Celtic Football Club started in 1887. Their first stadium, also called Celtic Park, opened in 1888. The club moved to its current location in 1892 because the rent on the old site became too expensive. The new stadium was built with a big oval shape and lots of standing areas for fans. On January 1, 1938, a record 83,500 people watched a game there.
Between 1957 and 1971, roofs were added to the standing areas and bright floodlights were installed. In the early 1990s, new rules said that all major stadiums needed to have seats for everyone. Celtic was having money problems then, so big changes didn't happen until Fergus McCann took charge in 1994. The old standing areas were knocked down, and a brand new stadium was built in stages, finishing in August 1998. In 2016, a special section with "rail seating" was added, allowing fans to stand safely.
Celtic Park is a top-rated stadium by UEFA, meaning it's great for big international games. It has hosted matches for the Scotland national football team and important Cup Finals when Hampden Park wasn't available. In the past, it was used for other sports like track and field and even cycling championships. It also held large outdoor church services and events to encourage people to join the army during the First World War. More recently, Celtic Park hosted the exciting 2014 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony and has seen concerts by famous bands like the Who and U2.
Contents
Celtic Park's Story: A Look Back
The First Celtic Park (1888–1892)
Celtic was formed in November 1887. Volunteers built the first Celtic Park in just six months. The first game played there was on May 28, 1888, between Celtic and Rangers, which Celtic won 5–2. This stadium even hosted an international match between Scotland and Ireland in 1891. However, Celtic had to leave in 1892 because the landlord raised the yearly rent from £50 to £450.
Building a New Paradise (1892–1904)
The club found a new spot, an old brickyard, just a short distance from the first stadium. An Irish hero, Michael Davitt, laid the first piece of grass, which had been brought all the way from Ireland. He said the grass would "take root and flourish," but it was stolen soon after! A journalist said moving to the new ground was like "leaving the graveyard to enter paradise," which is how the stadium got its nickname, "Paradise." It's also often called "Parkhead."
The new Celtic Park opened on August 20, 1892, with a game against Renton. One journalist called it the best ground in Britain at the time. It quickly became popular, bringing in lots of money from ticket sales. In 1894, 45,107 fans watched Scotland play England there. Celtic bought the land for £100,000 in 1897.
The stadium first had standing areas for about 40,000 people. It was shaped like a long oval, with tracks for running and cycling around the pitch. On one side, there was a pavilion and a seated stand. In 1894, Celtic built the first ever press box in a British football stadium. Later, a club director paid for a special stand with windows and padded seats, but fans had to climb four flights of stairs, and the windows often fogged up!
Fires and Rebuilding (1904–1957)
In May 1904, a fire destroyed the older North Stand and damaged the pavilion. This led Celtic to buy the newer Grant Stand. The North Stand was rebuilt by the next year.
By 1927, the Grant Stand was unsafe and was taken down. A new Main Stand, designed by Duncan and Kerr, was built in its place in 1929. This stand cost £35,000 and had 4,800 seats. Before it was finished, the old pavilion on the other side of the field also burned down in March 1929, destroying some of the club's old records. Celtic had to play the rest of their games that season at a nearby stadium.
Even though it was only the third biggest stadium in Glasgow, the rebuilt Celtic Park could hold more fans than any club stadium in England. The record attendance for a Celtic game at Celtic Park was on New Year's Day 1938, when about 83,500 people watched a derby match against Rangers.
Modernizing the Stadium (1957–1990)
.jpg)
Many improvements were made between 1957 and 1971, partly because Celtic was very successful under manager Jock Stein. A roof was added to the western standing area in 1957, and floodlights were installed in 1959. The northern standing area, known as the "Jungle," got a concrete surface and a new roof in 1966. By 1967, the eastern standing area also had a roof. This meant Celtic had more covered standing areas than almost any other stadium in Britain. There were 4,800 seats in the Main Stand, and the total capacity was 80,000. More seats were added in 1971, and a new roof for the Main Stand cost £250,000.
New safety rules in 1975 reduced Celtic Park's capacity to 56,500, but the club later increased it to 67,000 by adding more standing room. In 1986, £1 million was spent on replacing the roof of the western standing area. The front of the Main Stand was updated in 1988, and new lounges and offices were added. Even with these changes, most of Celtic Park was still standing areas, unlike many other big stadiums that were adding more seats. This became a problem when new rules said all major clubs needed stadiums with only seats.
Challenges and All-Seater Stadiums (1990–1994)
In the early 1990s, Celtic faced financial difficulties. The club's leaders argued about how to follow the new rules for all-seater stadiums. One idea was to build a new 52,000-seat stadium in a different area, but there were doubts about how the club would pay for it.
The deadline for all major stadiums to have only seats was August 1994. Since the new stadium plan wouldn't be ready in time, Celtic added 5,033 seats to the "Jungle" standing area in 1993. This cost £350,000. Adding seats to the "Jungle" was a big emotional moment for fans.
Celtic continued to struggle financially. The Bank of Scotland demanded that the club reduce its debt, threatening bankruptcy. At the last minute, the club's leaders agreed to sell control to a Scottish-Canadian businessman named Fergus McCann.
Building a New Celtic Park (1994–2011)
.jpg)
Fergus McCann quickly decided against the plan for a new stadium elsewhere. Instead, he planned to rebuild Celtic Park to meet the new seating rules. If they had just added seats to the existing standing areas, the capacity would only be 34,000. McCann believed the club could fill a much larger stadium, so he decided to build an almost entirely new one.
In the summer of 1994, the "Jungle," East Terracing, and West Terracing were all demolished. Only the Main Stand was kept. Celtic played their home games at Hampden Park during the 1994–95 season, which cost the club £500,000 in rent. Celtic raised over £26 million to pay for the work through two sales of shares. Many ordinary fans bought shares, and season ticket sales jumped from 7,000 to 26,000.
The detailed plans for a 60,000-seat stadium were finalized in December 1994. The first part, the new North Stand, opened on August 5, 1995, with a friendly game against Newcastle. This stand held 26,970 fans. The East Stand, with 13,006 seats, opened in August 1996. The final parts, the South West Corner and the Jock Stein Stand (on the old West Terracing site), opened in 1998. This brought the total capacity of the new Celtic Park to 60,411. The entire rebuilding project cost £40 million, making Celtic Park the biggest club stadium in Britain. In the 1998–99 season, the average attendance was 59,224, and over 53,000 season tickets were sold, the highest number in Britain at the time.
Safe Standing (2011–Present)
In September 2011, Celtic began looking into creating a safe standing section at Celtic Park. In June 2015, they received approval to install "rail seating." A section with 2,975 rail seats was put into the Lisbon Lions Stand in 2016. This allows fans to stand safely during games.
Stadium Design and Features
How Celtic Park is Designed
Celtic Park used to be an oval stadium, but it has been changed into a rectangular shape. This design helps create an exciting and loud atmosphere for big games. The stadium has four main sections: the North, Jock Stein (West), Lisbon Lions (East), and Main (South) Stands. The North, East, and West stands connect to form a continuous two-level loop. The two end stands each hold 13,000 fans, while the North Stand holds 27,000. The Main Stand has just under 8,000 seats, making the total capacity 60,411. In 2002, fans voted Celtic Park as their favorite sports venue in the United Kingdom in a BBC poll.
The Stands of Celtic Park
The North Stand is built in a tight space next to a cemetery. Part of its upper level hangs over the graveyard. To save money, fourteen support pillars were put inside the stand. Some local people were worried about the shadow cast over the cemetery, but officials approved the plans because Celtic found the best possible solution. Between the two levels of the North Stand, there are 18 special executive boxes and a restaurant. About 1,600 seats in the lower part of this stand have a heating element that fans can turn on with a foot switch.
The Main (South) Stand is the oldest part of the stadium, first built in 1929. It got a new roof in 1971 and its front was rebuilt in 1988. Clear panels were added to the roof in 1998 to let more sunlight reach the pitch. A glass-fronted box, which used to be for the press, is now two executive boxes.
The East Stand opened in 1996. In 2000, it was renamed the Lisbon Lions Stand, after the famous Celtic team that won the 1967 European Cup Final. Visiting team fans sit in the Lisbon Lions Stand, in the south-east corner. Some seats have a slightly blocked view because of a support pillar from the Main Stand, and Celtic offers these seats at a lower price.
Around the stadium, there have been many improvements, especially before the 2014 Commonwealth Games. New housing and sports facilities were built nearby. Since 2005, statues of important Celtic figures like Brother Walfrid, Jimmy Johnstone, Jock Stein, and Billy McNeill have been placed outside the Main Stand.
In 2015, the outside of the stadium was decorated with large banners. These green banners, 21 meters high, spell out 'Paradise' and show pictures of 58 famous players from Celtic's history. Other banners show important moments and trophy wins.
Future Plans for Celtic Park
Celtic has thought about making Celtic Park even bigger by redeveloping the Main Stand. A fully two-tiered stadium could hold nearly 75,000 fans. However, club officials have said that adding another 8,000 seats would cost too much money, possibly up to £100 million.
In 2017, Celtic shared plans for a hotel and museum near the Main Stand. These plans were approved, and updated plans were submitted in 2020.
Other Uses for Celtic Park
.jpg)
Celtic Park has hosted the Scotland national football team more than 20 times, second only to the national stadium, Hampden Park. Scotland qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup with a 2–0 win against Latvia at Celtic Park. In 2006, they beat the Faroe Islands 6–0 there when Hampden was busy with a concert.
The stadium most recently hosted a Scotland game in November 2014, a Euro 2016 qualifier against the Republic of Ireland, which Scotland won 1–0. This happened because Hampden Park was being used for athletics during the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Celtic Park also hosted both national cup finals in the 2013–14 season for the same reason.
Before the First World War, Celtic Park was used for many different events. It hosted the first ever composite rules shinty-hurling match in Scotland in 1897. Track and field events were held every summer, and the only World Cycling Championship ever held in Scotland took place at Celtic Park in 1897. An early experimental floodlit football game was played on Christmas Day 1893, but it wasn't very successful.
Celtic Park has also been a concert venue for famous artists like the Who (1976), Bryan Adams (1992), Prince (1992), and U2 (1993). A Wet Wet Wet concert in 1997 had to be moved by a day because of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. American preacher Billy Graham held a large outdoor event there in 1991.
Celtic Park was chosen to host the opening ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, which was opened by Queen Elizabeth II. Because Hampden Park was also being used for the Games, Celtic played some European matches at Murrayfield Stadium instead.
In 2019, Celtic Park hosted the final of the Pro14 rugby union competition, which was the first rugby union match played at the ground.
Getting to Celtic Park
The main train stations in Glasgow, Central and Queen Street, are about a 45-minute walk from Celtic Park. Local trains from Glasgow Central stop at Dalmarnock, which is about a 10-minute walk away. Fans also use Duke Street, Bellgrove, and Bridgeton stations, which are all within a mile.
Celtic Park is right next to the A74 (London Road) and close to the M74 and M8 motorways. Visitors can park in the streets around the stadium. The new Glasgow East End Regeneration Route, which connects the two motorways, also runs nearby.
See also
In Spanish: Celtic Park para niños
- Stadium relocations in Scottish football
- List of football stadiums in Scotland
- Lists of stadiums
