McDiarmid Park facts for kids
View from the Main (West) Stand
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 McDiarmid Park
Location in Perth and Kinross
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| Location | Tulloch, Perth, Scotland |
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| Coordinates | 56°24′35″N 3°28′37″W / 56.40972°N 3.47694°W |
| Public transit | Stagecoach bus routes 1, 1A, 15 and 15A |
| Owner | St Johnstone F.C. |
| Capacity | 10,696 |
| Field size | 115 x 75 yards (105 × 68.5 metres) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | August 19, 1989 |
| Construction cost | £4.9 million |
| Architect | Percy Johnson-Marshall |
| Main contractors | Miller Construction |
| Tenants | |
| 1989–present 1996–1998 2018-present |
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McDiarmid Park is a cool stadium located in Perth, Scotland. It's mostly used for association football, which is what we call soccer. Since it opened in 1989, it has been the home ground for the Scottish Premiership team, St Johnstone.
This stadium is special because all its seats are covered. It can hold 10,696 fans! Besides St Johnstone's games, McDiarmid Park has hosted the final of the Scottish Challenge Cup nine times. It has also been used for rugby union matches. This includes a big international game between Scotland and Japan in 2004.
Contents
The Story of McDiarmid Park
Moving to a New Home
Before McDiarmid Park, St Johnstone played at a stadium called Muirton Park since 1924. By the 1980s, Muirton Park was getting old and needed a lot of repairs. St Johnstone was a smaller club then and didn't have enough money to fix it.
In 1986, something exciting happened! A supermarket company, Asda, wanted to buy Muirton Park. They planned to build a new supermarket there. In return, St Johnstone would get a brand-new stadium built for them, at no cost.
A Generous Gift of Land
A local farmer named Bruce McDiarmid helped a lot. He gave 16 acres of his land for the new stadium. This land was part of his farm, where he grew berries and barley. The land was worth a lot of money, but Bruce McDiarmid saw it as a gift to the people of Perth. He became an honorary president of the club.
Building the Stadium
The stadium was designed by Percy Johnson-Marshall. Miller Construction built it. Work began in December 1988 and was ready for the football season in 1989.
The very first game at McDiarmid Park was on August 19, 1989. St Johnstone won 2–1 against Clydebank. For the official opening, a special match was played on October 17, 1989. St Johnstone played against the famous English club Manchester United.
Manchester United brought their top players, including Alex Ferguson (who used to play for St Johnstone) as their manager. The stadium was almost full with 9,780 fans. During the game, the lights went out for a short time because of an electricity problem!
Early Success and Big Crowds
St Johnstone did very well after moving to McDiarmid Park. They won promotion to the top football league in their first season there. The average number of fans at games grew to 6,000. This was about three times more than at their old stadium!
Because so many people came, the club added 600 more seats. This made the stadium's capacity over 10,700. The biggest crowd ever at McDiarmid Park was 10,721 fans. This happened during a game against Rangers on February 26, 1991.
McDiarmid Park also hosted games for the Scotland under-21 team and the Scotland women's national team.
Plans for Change
In 2011, there were ideas to remove one of the stands, the North Stand. This would have made space for a new road. However, the local council decided not to approve these plans.
What McDiarmid Park Looks Like
McDiarmid Park was the first stadium in the United Kingdom built with all seats covered. It has four main sections, called stands. You can park up to 1,000 cars and 100 buses there. There's also a special training field next to the stadium.
The Main Stand, on the west side, is a bit taller than the others. It has more space for your legs between rows of seats. It also has special padded seats for club officials and season ticket holders. In the north-east corner, there's a scoreboard that was updated in 2024. The big lights that light up the field are the same ones used at the old Muirton Park!
The Ormond Stand
The South Stand is called the Ormond Stand. It's named after Willie Ormond, a very successful manager for St Johnstone. He later managed the Scottish national team.
The club's souvenir shop is in the Ormond Stand. It's open on game days. This stand is often used for families and can also host visiting fans.
Other Cool Uses for the Stadium
Scottish League Challenge Cup Final
McDiarmid Park often hosts the final game of the Challenge Cup. This is because it's a good size and is in a fair location for many teams in the SPFL. Other stadiums also host this final, but McDiarmid Park is a popular choice.
Rugby Union Games
A professional rugby team called Caledonia Reds used to play some of their home games here. This was before they joined with another team in 1998.
On November 13, 2004, the Scotland national rugby union team played Japan at McDiarmid Park. Scotland won by a huge score of 100–8! It was the first time the Scottish rugby team scored 100 points in a game. A player named Chris Paterson scored 40 points by himself!
The stadium has also hosted several games for Scotland's "A" team (a team for developing players).
Other Events and Concerts
For many years, McDiarmid Park hosted a big convention for Jehovah's Witnesses. Thousands of people came to Perth every summer for this event. In 2009, they even held a mass baptism using a large pool. The convention moved to Glasgow in 2012.
On July 6, 2008, the famous musician Elton John played a concert at the stadium. He was the first musician to perform there!
See also
In Spanish: McDiarmid Park para niños
- Stadium relocations in Scottish football
