Hampden Park facts for kids
Hampden Park is a famous football stadium located in Glasgow, Scotland. It's known as Scotland's national football stadium. It's the home ground for Queen's Park F.C. and where the Scotland national football team plays its home matches. Besides football, Hampden Park also hosts big pop concerts and other exciting sports events.
The stadium was built in 1903 and has a long history. It's seen as a very important place for football around the world. In 2003, it celebrated its 100th birthday! The offices for the Scottish Football Association and the Scottish Professional Football League are also located here. Hampden Park was even used for football matches during the 2012 Summer Olympics. It has also hosted major European football finals, like the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.
Hampden Park was a key venue for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. It hosted the athletics events during the tournament. Glasgow was chosen to host these games in 2007.
Football at Hampden
Every year in May, the exciting Scottish Cup Final is played at Hampden. Teams compete to lift the world's oldest national trophy, the Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup, which was first made in 1873. Queen's Park was the first team to win it in 1874.
Hampden Park has hosted many memorable football matches. In 1960, over 130,000 fans watched Real Madrid beat Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3 in the European Cup final. This was one of the biggest crowds ever for a club game. The European Cup final returned in 1976, and again in 2002, when Real Madrid won the UEFA Champions League with a famous goal from Zinedine Zidane. In 2007, the UEFA Cup Final was also held here, with Sevilla winning the trophy.
The Scotland national football team has also had some great victories at Hampden. They beat Netherlands 1-0 in 2003 and France 1-0 in 2006. In a thrilling Scottish Cup Final in 2002, Rangers beat Celtic 3-2 with a last-minute goal. Even the legendary Diego Maradona made his first international appearance at Hampden Park and scored a goal!
Stadium Records
Hampden Park holds some amazing attendance records for stadiums in Britain and Europe:
- 1937 - 149,415 people watched Scotland play England. This was the highest attendance for any football match in Europe.
- 1937 - 146,433 people saw Celtic play Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup Final. This was the highest attendance for a club match in Europe.
- 1970 - 136,505 fans attended the European Cup Semi-Final between Celtic and Leeds United. This is the highest attendance for a UEFA competition match.
Other Sports and Events
Hampden Park isn't just for football. It has hosted other sports too. In American football, the Scottish Claymores used to play their games here from 1998 to 2004. The league's championship game, the World Bowl, was held at Hampden in 2003.
The stadium is also a popular venue for concerts. Many famous music artists have performed here. In 2000, it even hosted a boxing event with former world champion Mike Tyson. Sometimes, big concerts can affect the football schedule. For example, a Robbie Williams concert in 2006 meant the Scottish national team had to play a qualifier at a different stadium.
As mentioned, Hampden hosted the athletics events during the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Images for kids
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The remains of Cathkin Park, which was the site of the second Hampden Park.
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Honduras vs. Morocco at Hampden in the men's Olympic football tournament, 2012
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A contemporary cartoon depicting Scotland's victory against South Africa at Hampden in 1906. The bruised South African springbok (left) is drinking Scotch whisky.
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U2 in concert at Hampden in August 2009, as part of the 360° Tour. The pitch was damaged by the concert, resulting in a postponement of a Queen's Park football match.
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See also
In Spanish: Hampden Park para niños
