Fir Park facts for kids
| Fir Park | |
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 Fir Park Stadium
Location in North Lanarkshire
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| Location | Motherwell, North Lanarkshire |
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| Coordinates | 55°46′48″N 3°58′48″W / 55.78000°N 3.98000°W |
| Owner | Motherwell F.C. |
| Capacity | 13,677 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1895 |
| Renovated | 1995 (Davie Cooper Stand) |
| Architect | Bill Dickie (Davie Cooper Stand & Tommy McLean Stand) |
| Tenants | |
| 1896–present 2007–2008 |
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Fir Park Stadium is a famous football stadium in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It's the home ground for Scottish Premiership team Motherwell. The club has played here since 1896. For a short time in 2007-2008, another team called Gretna also used Fir Park as their home.
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Fir Park's History and Features
Motherwell F.C. started in 1886. They played at other places before Fir Park opened in 1895. The stadium was built in a wooded area. The land belonged to Lord Hamilton of Dalzell. His racing colours were claret and amber. Motherwell F.C. liked these colours and made them their own!
The biggest crowd ever at Fir Park was 35,632 people. This was for a game against Rangers in 1952. Motherwell actually won the cup that year!
The Stands at Fir Park
Fir Park looks a bit unique. It has one very large stand and three smaller ones. One of the smaller stands doesn't even go the whole length of the pitch. Since the 1990s, it has been an all-seater stadium. This means every fan has a seat. The stadium can hold 13,677 people.
For most of the 1900s, Fir Park had one main stand and standing areas around the rest of the pitch. In 1990, a new rule said all top football clubs needed stadiums where everyone could sit. This led to big changes at Fir Park. The club built new stands and added seats everywhere.
The Phil O'Donnell Main Stand
Building a new main stand started in 1962. It cost a lot of money, about £92,000. This was paid for by selling two players, Pat Quinn and Ian St John. The stand was built over the old one.
However, the stand stopped short of one end of the pitch. A local resident didn't want it to block light to their garden. So, a part of the stand's frame was left unfinished. The club later bought the house and used it for their offices.
In the 1990s, the main stand got a new look. It was updated to match the newer parts of the stadium. It also has special rooms for guests. In 2008, this stand was renamed the Phil O'Donnell Stand. This was to remember the Motherwell captain who sadly passed away on the pitch. A special tribute to him was added in 2011.
The John Hunter (East) Stand
This stand used to be an open area where fans stood. In 1954, a roof was added. Big floodlights were put on its roof and the main stand's roof. This allowed games to be played at night.
To follow the new rules, this stand was changed to have seats in the early 1990s. It cost £750,000. The money partly came from the club winning the Scottish Cup in 1991. This stand is where many of the loudest home fans sit.
In 2016, the East Stand was renamed the John Hunter Stand. This honoured the manager who led the club to win the Scottish Football League title in 1932. The stand has been updated several times, including new seats in 2021. This was possible after the club sold player David Turnbull.
The Tommy McLean (South) Stand
The South Stand is named after former manager Tommy McLean. It's a very tall stand that you can see from far away. It holds 4,856 fans and opened in 1993. From the top, you can see a great view of Motherwell and the distant hills.
This stand usually hosts the fans of the visiting team. It's special because it has corporate boxes between its two levels. It also has a gym and a warm-up area. In 2021, it was officially renamed the Tommy McLean Stand. Tommy McLean managed Motherwell from 1984 to 1994 and won the Scottish Cup in 1991.
The Davie Cooper (North) Stand
The Davie Cooper Stand looks similar to the South Stand. However, it only has one level and can hold 2,373 people. The club wanted to build a two-level stand here, but they couldn't get permission.
This stand opened in 1995. It is named after former player Davie Cooper, who passed away that year. It has the club shop, a special suite, and hospitality boxes.
The Pitch at Fir Park
The football pitch at Fir Park is a bit unusual. It slopes about 6 feet from one side to the other! This can cause problems with water draining and how well the grass grows. The tall South Stand also casts a shadow over the grass for much of the day.
In the late 2000s, the pitch had some issues. It was often muddy or frozen, and games had to be cancelled. This even made Gretna, who were sharing the stadium, play a game somewhere else.
The club spent a lot of money, £350,000, to fix the pitch in 2009. They kept working on it, even replacing the entire surface in 2010. They added special sand fibres to make it stronger.
In recent years, the pitch at Fir Park has become one of the best in the UK! It even won an award for the best pitch in the Scottish Premiership in 2018. This happened because of new lights to help the grass grow and a lot of hard work from the groundskeeping team.
Between 2021 and 2022, Motherwell invested more money into the pitch. They installed a new hybrid surface. This means it's mostly real grass but strengthened with synthetic fibres. Fir Park is now one of only a few stadiums in Scotland with this type of pitch.
Other Uses for Fir Park
Fir Park isn't just for Motherwell F.C. In the 2007-2008 season, Gretna used it for almost all their home games. They even played a European game there in 2006.
The stadium has also hosted several important cup finals and semi-finals. In 2011, it was the location for the opening ceremony of the International Children's Games. The Scotland women's national football team also played some of their qualifying games for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup at Fir Park.
The Future of Fir Park
For a while, there were talks about Motherwell F.C. possibly moving to a new stadium. However, the club decided that staying at Fir Park was the best option. It would cost too much money, around £15 million, to build a new ground.
In 2019, the club's chief executive said they might need to think about a new stadium in the future. This was because some parts of Fir Park were getting old. But in 2021, they started making big improvements to the John Hunter Stand. They plan to update the other stands too. This shows they are committed to keeping Fir Park as their home for a long time.
Getting to Fir Park
It's easy to get to Fir Park! Motherwell railway station is about a 15-minute walk away. There's also Airbles railway station, which is even closer.
If you're coming by car, you can use the M74 motorway and take junction 6. The A723 and B754 (Airbles Road) roads lead right to Fir Park. You can find parking on the streets around the stadium.
See also
In Spanish: Fir Park para niños
- Stadium relocations in Scottish football
