January 21, 2005

Glasgow bound for Scotstoun

Posted by Editor on January 21, 2005 10:11 AM | 19 comments | Print | E-mail author

Glasgow Warriors's new home
Glasgow will be moving to a new £11.3m Scotstoun Stadium in two years.

Today's Herald reports that David Jordan, Glasgow Warriors's chief executive, said, following a draft agreement reached at a meeting this week, Glasgow will become the anchor tenant at the redeveloped stadium.

Talks have also taken place with Partick Thistle about a short-term groundshare at Firhill.

The Scotstoun deal will give Glasgow full operational and commercial control of the rebuilt 6078-seat venue when the stadium re-opens in 2007. The pitch will still be surrounded by a running track – Scottish and UK Athletics will also have access rights to the venue – but the move represents major progress for the club.

"We've been working hard on this project with Glasgow City Council over the past two years and it is very exciting for professional rugby here," said Jordan, whose efforts have continued unabated despite being told last summer that he was being made redundant by the SRU as part of a cost-cutting exercise. "It will give us a home we can call our own and a single location we can use for all Glasgow representative matches – at age grade as well as pro level – along with an administrative and training base.

"We have to thank the city council for being very positive about their involvement in rugby."

David went on to say that Glasgow will need to increase crowds to make the scheme work, but Scotstoun offers opportunities that Hughenden never could. "We have to attract crowds averaging around 5000 to make it work, but we believe we would be putting together an overall entertainment proposition that would achieve that," he said

You can read The Hearld articles here and here

Comments
Posted by hugh on January 21, 2005 11:01 AM | Reply to this comment

Good to see athletics and rugby sharing facilities(Stade Municipal) maybe Glasgow Rugby can utilise clubs like Victoria Park AAC to help their fitness programme cheaper than going to Poland.

Always a strong wind on the back straight and a puddle on the track at 300 metres to go it was there in 1964 and still there in 2004. One famous international athlete was asked by a reporter if the wind had bothered him on the back straight--reply --"yes I ran out of it".

Posted by Big G on January 21, 2005 11:12 AM | Reply to this comment

What a bloody disaster... better ask santa for a pair of binoculars so that what fans are left can see the action... complete joke, do the decision makers have any sense?

Posted by hugh on January 21, 2005 11:42 AM | Reply to this comment

If you cannot afford a pupose built facility, which Glasgow Rugby can't, you have to share it. It happens all over Europe.

Glasgow city are ploughing money in to the upgrade. Other sports are grateful, so until then Glasgow Rugby can stand on its own feet without subsidy.

Posted by Big Blue on January 21, 2005 12:57 PM | Reply to this comment

Agreed. We certainly can't afford to build a new ground so we have to accept this deal. A modern stadium with modern facilities. We badly need it. Sure, I would love to have the stands right down to the touchlines but I am afraid that's not going to happen for a while.

Posted by hugh on January 21, 2005 08:01 PM | Reply to this comment

To Big Blue, you are certainly right. I cannot imagine Alan Pascoe/Dave Moorcroft being impresssed if they could not stage international athletic events at an athletics stadium (since 1903). After all, daft as it seems, Glasgow actually has to cater for other sports.

Posted by hugh on January 21, 2005 08:14 PM | Reply to this comment

On a roll now Big Blue, the World Cross County Championships were held at Scotstoun in 1907 and took the runners over a four lap course including what is now Old and New Anniesland to a a small cross roads known as Anniesland Cross. 2000 spectators turned up and a chap from Watsonians John Ranken finished 23rd.

Posted by Phall on January 21, 2005 02:39 PM | Reply to this comment

This move is a giant leap backward, watching the games here previously was just dreadful. The venue is poor for spectating, a running track between the spectators and the pitch will inevitably take away from the "tight" atmosphere that hughenden allows. The parking facilities are atrocious and for those, and I am being quite selfish here, who use public transport Scotgstoun is an inaccesible hole. Earlier this yewar when this was mooted, there was significant opposition. Ignored once more.

Posted by Glasgow Chappie on January 21, 2005 05:05 PM | Reply to this comment

Much applause for Glasgow City Council though I'm quite sure the majority of the taxpaying Glaswegians who can't seem to get that hole in the road filled nor get the gang of "neds" from hanging round their street at night removed will quite see it the same way as the Glasgow rugby fans do!

Not at all a bad move from the SRU authorities though. Much along the lines of the franchising option! When the proverbial funding s*** hits the fan look for other people to wipe clean the mess!

Looking forward to my next council tax bill with interest!

Posted by Gordon Bulloch Fan on January 21, 2005 03:36 PM | Reply to this comment

How sad to hear that Glasgow Rugby are moving to Scotstoun. Unfortunately I wont be moving with them... it's too far for me to travel. Takes me an hour to get to Hughenden as it is for home games and its bad enough trying to park at Hughenden without even trying to park at Scotstoun. I think all atmosphere will be lost at Scotstoun. For once I agree with Phall's comment.

Posted by hugh on January 21, 2005 07:51 PM | Reply to this comment

You dont get the script! Hughenden is knackered, the SRU are knackered and if we are not careful Scottish rugby is knackered. It is no more difficult to park near Scotstoun than annoying the good people around Hughenden. Start at Danes Drive and work north to Southbrae Drive- you must be from Edinburgh.

Posted by Gordon Bulloch Fan on January 22, 2005 12:28 AM | Reply to this comment

No, I'm not from Edinburgh, not all Glasgow fans are from Glasgow or Edinburgh! I'm from Alloa, and yes I do follow Alloa Club Rugby. As I previously said, too far for me to travel. Hughenden wasn't so bad as could take the back roads but Scotstoun is a nightmare to get to.

Posted by big blue on January 22, 2005 08:46 AM | Reply to this comment

Scotstoun is about one minute from the Expressway! It must be a lot more accessible than Hughenden.

The ideal solution would be to build something similar to McDiarmid Park. Unfortunately, we don't have a kind, old farmer to donate us the land and we don't have an old ground to sell to help pay for the new one. David Jordan and Bill Nolan have found us a stadium worthy of a team participating at the highest level in Europe. We are not going to find anything similar at this price!

Posted by vicki on January 22, 2005 10:53 AM | Reply to this comment

What happens at Scotstoun for an athletics meeting with regards to parking? Surely this can be catered for?

I agree with BB (for a change!) and think that given Glasgow's financial situation, this is an opportunity to make some money and become more attractive to investment.

A team that has its own stadium and facilites will be a far more viable option to a potential backer, rather than a side which uses someone else's ground, but has to move if previous functions have been booked, has to give income from beer tent to another club, trains on the other side of the city, has admin/marketing/etc based in the city centre, etc, etc.

Players would also benefit from one "home", rather than crossing the city for training at Whitecraigs, conditioning at the Palace of Arts and rehab at Finnieston.

There are problems to be overcome, as there would be with any move from Hughenden, but there must be more positives for the fuller picture, and long term success of our team.

Posted by Highlandbrave75 on January 22, 2005 02:27 PM | Reply to this comment

Jeez! The state of Scottish Rugby at the moment and your arguing over where to park a frigging car! Come on guys get real!

You said it: "Hughenden is knackered, the SRU are knackered and if we are not careful Scottish rugby is knackered."

Just a thought...Can anyone enlighten me that switching from one stadium to another is going to save a "knackered" pro game in Scotland?!!!

All I have to say on the matter is "Think Friday...Think Edinburgh...Think Murrayfield...Think not!"

Posted by Highlandbrave75 on January 23, 2005 02:43 PM | Reply to this comment

I'm just looking back through this posting again and you know, anyone reading this website will be laughing their heads off.

Scottish Rugby is in a massive hole, and has been for a few years. We have a website dedicated to pro rugby in the West of Scotland and we're arguing about car parking spaces at a stadium!

Car parking facilities - Now why didn't the SRU Executive have this in their business plan proposals?! Anyone ready to be elected into the SRU Executive seat?

Posted by hugh on January 22, 2005 11:05 AM | Reply to this comment

Sometimes additional car parking is provided in Victoria park on the blades area near Westland Drive.

Posted by alan on January 22, 2005 01:49 PM | Reply to this comment

Sorry, but anyone who wants to watch Glasgow Rugby can get to Scotstoun just as easily as Hughenden..not that far. Also better known to majority of Glasgow folk and could extend the appeal to general population (who have never heard of Hughenden).Running track only prob but has to be for a major venue. Done deal, get behind it and try to have our say if possible?

Posted by Caz on January 22, 2005 03:56 PM | Reply to this comment

Im sure though what everyone wants to know is will there be a beer tent at scotstun/firhill?

Posted by Gary IPA on January 26, 2005 08:06 AM | Reply to this comment

The Ground in Narbonne was similar in that there was a running track round the pitch. The french had got around this by having the first row of seats in the stand proper about 10 feet off the ground (so you effectively had a wall round the pitch). In front of the main stand there was a temporary metal stand that pulled out of this wall and extended out over the track right down to pitch level made a good racket too when you start stomping up and down on it, why can't something like this be done?

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