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The Excelsior Stadium, is a football stadium in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is the home ground of Airdrieonians of the
Scottish Professional Football League
The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) is the national men's association football league in Scotland. The league was formed in June 2013 following a merger between the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League. As w ...
(SPFL). Since the 2021–22 season it has also been used by Celtic for the home matches of their women's team
A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardle ...
in the Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL) and B team
B, or b, is the second letter of the Latin-script alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''bee'' (pronounced ), plural ''bees''. It re ...
in the Scottish Lowland Football League
The Scottish Lowland Football League (SLFL, commonly known as the Lowland League) is a senior football league based in central and southern Scotland. The league sits at level 5 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the S ...
, as well as by Glasgow University F.C.
Glasgow University Football Club are a Scottish football team that represents the University of Glasgow. The club was founded at a meeting of students "dissatisfied that the Rugby game alone has been played at College" on 7 December 1877, un ...
of the West of Scotland Football League. It is an all-seater stadium with a capacity of , and has a 3G artificial surface.
The stadium was opened in 1998 by the original Airdrieonians F.C.
Airdrieonians Football Club is a Scottish professional football team in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, who are members of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and play in Scottish League One. They were formed in 2002 as Airdrie United ...
, who were returning to Airdrie four years after leaving their previous ground, Broomfield Park
Broomfield Park was a football stadium in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, home of Airdrieonians from 1892 until it was closed after the 1993–94 football season.
Airdrieonians F.C. was formed in 1878 and the club opened Broomfield in 1892. The B ...
. The name of the stadium derives from Airdrieonians' original name, the club having been founded as Excelsior F.C. in 1878. Originally known as the Shyberry Excelsior Stadium (after Shyberry Design Ltd. who had sponsored the construction), the stadium is also sometimes unofficially referred to as New Broomfield, after the former Airdrie ground. Following the liquidation of the original Airdrieonians in 2002, the Excelsior Stadium became home to the new Airdrie United F.C.; they subsequently revived the Airdrieonians name.
Other teams to have used the Excelsior Stadium in the past include SWPL teams Glasgow City, as their main home ground between 2014 and 2017, and prior to that for matches in European competitions; and Motherwell
Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lana ...
, for the 2020–21 season. SPFL club Queen's Park temporarily shared the ground from 2013 to 2014. Both Queen of the South (in 2008) and Motherwell
Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lana ...
(in 2009) have used the ground for European fixtures. It has also hosted the final of the Scottish Challenge Cup
The Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup,Airdrieonians' home ground
Broomfield Park
Broomfield Park was a football stadium in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, home of Airdrieonians from 1892 until it was closed after the 1993–94 football season.
Airdrieonians F.C. was formed in 1878 and the club opened Broomfield in 1892. The B ...
to supermarket chain Safeway
Safeway is an American supermarket chain founded by Marion Barton Skaggs in April 1915 in American Falls, Idaho. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and features a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, de ...
in 1994, the club searched for several years for a suitable site, and planning permission for, a new home. Guidelines set by the football authorities in the period were for top division clubs in Scotland to have all-seater stadia with a minimum capacity of 10,000, and having only been relegated from the Scottish Premier Division
The Scottish Football League Premier Division was, from 1975 until 1998, the top division of the Scottish Football League and the entire Scottish football league system. It lay above the Scottish Football League First, Second and (from 1994 ...
in 1993, the club sought to comply with this. The building work on Excelsior Stadium was eventually completed in 1998, and Airdrieonians played here until the club went out of business due to heavy debts (caused in part by the burden of the construction cost of the new stadium, and made worse by a fall in supporter numbers in the four years based away from their home town) in May 2002.
This left an opening in the Scottish League, which was filled by Northern Premier League
The Northern Premier League is an English Association football, football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division ...
side Gretna. To attain a position in the league, Jim Ballantyne bought out the ailing Clydebank, renamed the club '' Airdrie United'', changed the strip and relocated the club to Airdrie and Excelsior Stadium. Airdrie United are now known as 'Airdrieonians', the same name as the club dissolved in 2002.
The ground seats and, as well as hosting Airdrieonians first and youth team games, Motherwell
Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lana ...
Under 20s games and various local amateur sides, it has also played host to Scottish Challenge Cup
The Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup,1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school s ...
and 2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris (dwarf planet), Er ...
, as well as Scotland under-21 fixtures and Old Firm
The Old Firm is the collective name for the Scottish football clubs Celtic and Rangers, which are both based in Glasgow. The two clubs are by far the most successful and popular in Scotland, and the rivalry between them has become deeply e ...
reserve matches. The stadium has also hosted several charity events.
In 2003 Falkirk
Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow.
Falkirk had a ...
enquired about groundsharing at the stadium for a season, as their former home, Brockville
Brockville, formerly Elizabethtown, is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, in the Thousand Islands region. Although it is the seat of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, it is politically independent of the county. It is included with Le ...
did not meet SPL criteria. This was later rejected in a meeting between SPL chairmen, meaning Falkirk were denied a place in the SPL. In August 2008 it played host to Queen of the South's UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, cla ...
2nd qualifying round 1st leg against Nordsjælland. The stadium also hosted all of Motherwell
Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lana ...
's Europa League qualifying round ties in the 2009–10 season, against Llanelli
Llanelli ("St Elli's llan (placename element), Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of ...
, Flamurtari
Flamurtari FC is a professional Football team, football club based in Vlorë, Albania. The club plays in the Kategoria e Parë, which is the second tier of football in the country.
Founded in 1923, the club is one of the oldest in Albania, and ...
and Steaua Bucharest.
Queen's Park used the Excelsior Stadium as their temporary home ground while Hampden Park
Hampden Park (Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden''), often referred to as Hampden, is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The -capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland. It is the no ...
was being converted for use as an athletics stadium in the 2014 Commonwealth Games. In women's football, the stadium has been the home ground of Scottish Women's Premier League clubs Glasgow City between 2014 and 2017 and Motherwell
Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lana ...
during the 2020–21 season. Glasgow University F.C.
Glasgow University Football Club are a Scottish football team that represents the University of Glasgow. The club was founded at a meeting of students "dissatisfied that the Rugby game alone has been played at College" on 7 December 1877, un ...
have also used the ground since joining the new West of Scotland League
The West of Scotland Football League (WoSFL) is a senior football league based in the west of Scotland. The league sits at levels 6–10 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Lowland Football League.
Founded in 2 ...
in 2020. From the 2021-22 season, Celtic F.C. use the ground as the home venue for both their women's team
A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardle ...
in the SWPL and their B team
B, or b, is the second letter of the Latin-script alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''bee'' (pronounced ), plural ''bees''. It re ...
, who play in the Scottish Lowland Football League
The Scottish Lowland Football League (SLFL, commonly known as the Lowland League) is a senior football league based in central and southern Scotland. The league sits at level 5 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the S ...
.
In January 2016, East Kilbride
East Kilbride (; gd, Cille Bhrìghde an Ear ) is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. It was also designated Scotland's first new town on 6 May 1947. The area lies on a raise ...
of the Scottish Lowland Football League
The Scottish Lowland Football League (SLFL, commonly known as the Lowland League) is a senior football league based in central and southern Scotland. The league sits at level 5 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the S ...
drew Celtic in the Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,K-Park stadium was inadequate for the crowd expected, the match was held at Excelsior Stadium; 7,767 fans attended.
In June 2017 the stadium underwent refurbishment prior to hosting a concert by singer
The record attendance at New Broomfield was 9,612 for the 2005 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, played between Hamilton Academical and St Mirren on 6 November 2005. The highest confirmed attendance for an Airdrieonians match was 9,044 for a
In addition to the executive match-viewing boxes that look onto the pitch, the stadium boasts conference and banqueting facilities, with six separate spaces and a public bar being situated within the main (Joseph Dalziel) stand. Disabled facilities are also provided in the North, East and South stands. A Sports Injury Clinic operates from the main stand and Crossfit have a fitness facility operating out of the North Stand.
Nine five-a-side football pitches were installed for community use in early 2010, adjacent to the stadium on the South stand side and to the East stand side. The car parks were resurfaced, and new fencing and gates were erected around the perimeter of the stadium and land.
At the end of the 2009–10 season, a new 3G artificial surface was installed. Although due for completion prior to season 2010–11, in July Airdrie United played their opening Challenge Cup 1st Round game v Ayr United at Alloa Athletic's Recreation Park ground, as the work had been delayed due to heavy rain. The first competitive game played on the new surface was on 14 August 2010, as Airdrie entertained Ayr United.
Stadium pictures
at StadiumDB.com {{Football venues in Scotland Airdrieonians F.C. Airdrieonians F.C. (1878) Football venues in Scotland Sports venues in North Lanarkshire Scottish Football League venues Queen's Park F.C. Scottish Professional Football League venues Sports venues completed in 1998 Glasgow City F.C. Motherwell L.F.C. Celtic F.C. Women Scottish Women's Premier League venues
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
.
Records and facts
The record attendance at New Broomfield was 9,612 for the 2005 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, played between Hamilton Academical and St Mirren on 6 November 2005. The highest confirmed attendance for an Airdrieonians match was 9,044 for a Scottish League One
The Scottish League One, known as cinch League One for sponsorship reasons, is the third tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League One was ...
fixture against Rangers
A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to:
* Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...
on 23 August 2013; however, one of the first matches at the stadium, a Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in exist ...
win for Airdrie over cup holders Celtic in August 1998 was reported to have been played "before 10,000 ecstatic fans".
Excelsior Stadium is the highest stadium in Scottish league football.
Facilities
In addition to the executive match-viewing boxes that look onto the pitch, the stadium boasts conference and banqueting facilities, with six separate spaces and a public bar being situated within the main (Joseph Dalziel) stand. Disabled facilities are also provided in the North, East and South stands. A Sports Injury Clinic operates from the main stand and Crossfit have a fitness facility operating out of the North Stand.
Nine five-a-side football pitches were installed for community use in early 2010, adjacent to the stadium on the South stand side and to the East stand side. The car parks were resurfaced, and new fencing and gates were erected around the perimeter of the stadium and land.
At the end of the 2009–10 season, a new 3G artificial surface was installed. Although due for completion prior to season 2010–11, in July Airdrie United played their opening Challenge Cup 1st Round game v Ayr United at Alloa Athletic's Recreation Park ground, as the work had been delayed due to heavy rain. The first competitive game played on the new surface was on 14 August 2010, as Airdrie entertained Ayr United.
See also
* Scottish stadium movesReferences
External links
Stadium pictures
at StadiumDB.com {{Football venues in Scotland Airdrieonians F.C. Airdrieonians F.C. (1878) Football venues in Scotland Sports venues in North Lanarkshire Scottish Football League venues Queen's Park F.C. Scottish Professional Football League venues Sports venues completed in 1998 Glasgow City F.C. Motherwell L.F.C. Celtic F.C. Women Scottish Women's Premier League venues