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Hampden Park (Queens Park FC stadium)
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Information
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Name: Hampden Park
Club: Queens Park FC
Inauguration: 31 October 1903
First match: Queens Park-Celtic 1-0
Capacity: 52,000 seats
Record Attendance: 149,415; Scotland-England,
1937
Address: Letherby Drive, Glasgow, G42 9BA |
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Stadium Pictures
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History
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Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland is
home to Queens Park F.C. and the Scottish national football
team. 'Hampden' is one of the homes of football and the world's
oldest international football ground that celebrated its
centenary on October 31, 2003.
Previous Hampden Parks
Queens Park F.C. have always played at a venue called Hampden
Park. The first and second Hampden Parks were in the same
location. When Queens Park moved to the third (and current)
Hampden Park, the old ground was renamed to Cathkin Park and
sold to Third Lanark F.C. . The third Hampden is the most famous
of the grounds used, and is known throughout the world.
Building Hampden Park
Whilst Queens Park F.C. had used previous playing fields, it was
in 1903 that the club decided to purchase land in the Mount
Florida area of Glasgow's south side. The largest and most
technically advanced stadium in the world was built. Hampden
Park was inaugurated on 31 October 1903 with Queens Park
recording a 1-0 win over Celtic F.C..
A new Hampden
Hampden Park was the largest stadium in the world until 1950,
when the Maracană in Rio de Janeiro was completed. After the
release of the Taylor Report in the wake of the Hillsborough
disaster, among other football tradegies, Hampden Park was
converted to an all-seater. The need to improve safety as well
as protect crowds from the Scottish weather led to its most
recent renovation in the late 1990s; the current capacity is
about 52,500.
The Hampden Roar
The crowd who came to see football matches at Hampden were
renowned for creating the Hampden Roar. The noise created was
said to terrify opposing teams who came to play there. In recent
times the roar has said to be more muted, with the capacity of
the stadium being reduced from its heyday.
Events at Hampden Park
The Scottish Cup is played at Hampden annually in May. The prize:
lifting the world's oldest national trophy - the Scottish
Football Association Challenge Cup, made in 1873. Queens Park
were the first winners, beating Clydesdale 2-0 in the 1874
final.
Hampden Park also hosted the famous 1960 European Cup final
between Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt, where over 130,000
people watched Real Madrid win 7-3. Real Madrid were again
involved when Hampden Park hosted the final of the UEFA
Champions League (the updated version of the European Cup) in
2002. Hampden Park will also host the UEFA Cup final in 2007.
The 1975/76 final of the European Cup was also held at Hampden.
The former NFL Europe team, Scottish Claymores, played at the
stadium and the World Bowl was held there in 2003. Concerts and
boxing matches are also held in the stadium.
Among the British and European capacity records Hampden holds
are:
1937 - Attendance 149,415 : Scotland v England (British Home
Championship)
1937 - Attendance 146,433 : Celtic v Aberdeen (Scottish Cup
Final)
1970 - Attendance 136,505 : Celtic v Leeds United (European Cup
Semi-Final)
One event which is mistakenly thought to have occurred at
Hampden Park is the world's first football international. This
actually happened at the West of Scotland Cricket Club's
Hamilton Crescent ground in the Partick area of Glasgow. |
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