Scotstoun Stadium

History

Opening

The facility first opened in 1915 as Scotstoun Showgrounds after the land was developed by the Glasgow Agricultural Society as a venue for agricultural shows. It was soon being used as a venue for sporting events and as a result the Grandstand was erected. The facility underwent a huge renovation in 2008 and on completion was re-opened on 14 January 2010 by the Princess Royal.

Recent history

The stadium forms part of the wider Scotstoun Sports Campus which in addition to being a leisure centre open to the public, includes high-quality facilities for racquet sports (hosting the 1997 IBF World Championships, 1997 Sudirman Cup and 2007 Sudirman Cup in badminton, and the table tennis and squash events at the 2014 Commonwealth Games), as well as a swimming pool which was the venue for the Synchronised swimming competition forming part of the multi-sport 2018 European Championships held in Glasgow and Berlin. In September 2018, the venue became the host site for the Murray Trophy – Glasgow, a new indoor hard court event on the ATP Challenger Tour in men's tennis.

Renovation

Renovations involved building new stadium facilities housing new office space, meeting rooms, an indoor 100-metre sprint track, as well as resurfacing the outdoor 400-metre track with a full size rugby pitch in the in-field. The stands were extended creating a north stand and south stand which together can seat up to 5,000.

2010 also saw the introduction of new synthetic pitches and rugby training pitches located at the far end of the stadium. In addition to these, the stadium has a strength and conditioning suite for athletes.

Events

Scotstoun Stadium was used as a training venue for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and is regularly used for premier athletics events attracting world class athletes from all over the UK. It is expected to host the athletics events of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

It became the training base for the Glasgow Warriors rugby team in 2009 who subsequently started playing home games at the venue in September 2012, moving from their previous home at Firhill. Scotstoun Stadium first hosted the Scottish leg of the IRB World Sevens Series in May 2012, and continued to host the event until it was moved to France in 2016. It is also the home ground of Hyndland RFC

Victoria Park City of Glasgow Athletics Club also trains at Scotstoun.

2026 Commonwealth Games

The stadium is expected to host the athletic events at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, hosted by Scotland in the city of Glasgow. Temporary seating will be poised around the perimeter of the stadium, increasing the seating capacity to between 10,000-11,000 people. The stadium is expected to undergo further works to improve the stadium prior to the games. It will serve as one of the main stadiums during the duration of the games.

References

References

1. (2008-02-22). "Barr tipped for first Commonwealth Games win". Building.
2. "Occupant Capacity of Scotsoun Stadium".
3. https://web.archive.org/web/20170930174927/http://www.glasgowwarriors.org/match-report/glasgow-warriors-vs-leicester-tigers-fri-14102016-1945
4. (2011-09-30). "Statement From Glasgow Warriors And Scottish Rugby On Scotstoun Stadium". Glasgow Warriors.
5. "Pro12: Glasgow Warriors". [[Pro14.
6. (2011-12-09). "World Series moves to Glasgow". irbsevens.com.
7. (22 October 2024). "Glasgow 2026 to boost Scotstoun's athletics legacy".
8. [https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSE01441&t=2 Scotstoun Showground, 1955 (Burrell Collection Photo Library, 1955 Survey)], The Glasgow Story
9. "Scotstoun Sports Campus". [[2014 Commonwealth Games.
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11. (15 May 2004). "Sudirman date is huge filip for Smillie". [[The Scotsman]].
12. (15 May 2014). "Glasgow bids to host badminton's 2017 Sudirman Cup". [[BBC Sport]].
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14. "Squash". Glasgow 2014.
15. (7 March 2017). "Europe's top synchronised swimmers set to make a splash at Scotstoun Sports Campus". Culture and Sport Glasgow.
16. [https://www.lta.org.uk/major-tennis-events/trophy-series/murray-trophy-glasgow/ Murray Trophy - Glasgow], [[Lawn Tennis Association]]
17. (20 Apr 2009). "Glasgow Warriors to train at new Scotstoun Stadium". Health Club Management News.
18. (7 September 2012). "Glasgow Warriors 13-18 Scarlets". BBC Sport.
19. "Victoria Park City of Glasgow Athletics".
20. (22 October 2024). "Glasgow 2026 to boost Scotstoun's athletics legacy".
21. (22 October 2024). "Commonwealth Games could be scaled back further if costs were to rise".
22. "Glasgow 2026 - Scotstoun Stadium".