Firhill Stadium

infobox stadium


caption = Facade of Main Stand at Firhill, viewed from Springbank Street
location = Glasgow, Scotland
opened = 1909
owner = Partick Thistle F.C.
surface = Grass
tenants = Partick Thistle F.C.
Glasgow Warriors
seating_capacity = 10,887

Firhill Stadium is the home ground of the Scottish association football club, Partick Thistle F.C.

In December 2005 Firhill also became the temporary home of Glasgow's professional Rugby Union team, Glasgow Warriors, when they moved from their previous base at Hughenden. The Glasgow Warriors will take up a two-year residency at Firhill from the start of the 2007-08 Magners League season. [ cite web | url = http://www.magnersleague.com/570_2033.php | title = Warriors look to create fortress at Firhill | work = Magners League Official Website ]

Capacity

The current capacity of the ground is 10887 and is all seated. There are 3 stands, of which 2 are usually used on matchdays.

Record attendances

Located on Firhill Road in the Maryhill district of Glasgow, the record attendance for a Thistle game was against Rangers F.C. in 1922 when 49,838 people attended. The record attendance at the ground for a football game though was for a Scotland-Ireland game when around 55,000 people attended.

Structures

The ground currently comprises three seated stands, with an unused area at the south end.

Main Stand

The main stand, running along one side of the ground, is the oldest of the stands. It was built with an original capacity of 6,000, but now holds somewhere closer in the region of 2,900 seats. There is a small enclosure of terracing at the front of the main stand. In January 2006, the club announced that the main stand would no longer be used on matchdays due to high maintenance and stewarding costs. There have been exceptions, however, including the Scottish Cup match against Rangers and the final match of the league season against Greenock Morton. On both occasions away fans were seated in the North Stand and the Main Stand.

Jackie Husband Stand

All home fans are now housed in the stand opposite the main stand, the Jackie Husband Stand. This is an impressive large cantilever stand which was built on the site of a huge section of enclosed terracing nicknamed "the Shed" by supporters of Partick Thistle. The stand was constructed in 1994 with a capacity of 6,263 and is named after former Thistle player Jackie Husband.

North Stand

The newest stand is the North Stand, at one end of the ground. This was built in 2002 to meet the Scottish Premier League criteria on stadium capacity, which stated at the time that member clubs must have 10,000 seats in their ground. Ironically this criteria was changed at a later date to only 6,000 seats, which not only allowed for the relegation of Partick Thistle, but meant they had spent much of their resources on a stand that under new regulations was unnecessary.

Originally, the stand only ran for two thirds the length of the pitch. It was extended in 2003 so that it ran the full length of the pitch with a capacity of 2,014. It replaced a large bank of terracing. The construction of this stand was assisted by the sale of some land to allow the construction of student flats which now lie behind the stand.

City End

Thistle had announced plans to replace the disused terracing at the south end of the ground, commonly known as the "City End" with a new structure that would consist of a 1,000-seat stand as well as residential and office accommodation. However, planning permission from Glasgow City Council was not forthcoming [http://ptfc.co.uk/pressbox/news.asp?id=571] , and it is currently unclear what the club's next move will be. Nevertheless, they have pressed ahead with the demolition of the former south end and that section of the ground is now completely removed.

Rugby

In 1996, Firhill was the site of the Scottish national rugby league team's first game on home soil, a victory over their Irish counterparts. Rugby League, very much a minority sport in Scotland, has returned to the ground on several occasions since, including for the 2000 World Cup.

During the 2005-06 Celtic League season, the Glasgow Warriors played their home games at Firhill, moving from their previous base at Hughenden. In 2007 the Glasgow Warriors returned to Firhill.

Notes

References

* [http://www.stv.tv/content/sport/exclusive/display.html?id=opencms:/sport/exclusive/Partick_Thistle_interviews_210607 Firhill pitch can cope with rugby, insists chairman] , stv interview, 21 June 2007