Excelsior Stadium

The Excelsior Stadium, officially The Albert Bartlett Stadium, is a football stadium in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is the home ground of Airdrieonians of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL). Since the 2021–22 season it has also been used by Celtic for the home matches of their women's team in the Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL) and B team in the Scottish Lowland Football League, as well as by Glasgow University F.C. 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., who were returning to Airdrie four years after leaving their previous ground, Broomfield Park. The name of the stadium derives from Airdrieonians' original name, the club having been founded as Excelsior F.C. in 1878. For sponsorship reasons the venue was originally known as The Shyberry Excelsior Stadium (after Shyberry Design Ltd. who had sponsored the construction), from 2018 to 2022 as The Penny Cars Stadium and from 2024 as The Albert Bartlett Stadium. 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 were permitted to revive 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, 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 (in 2009) have used the ground for European fixtures. It has also hosted the final of the Scottish Challenge Cup three times.

History

Following the sale of Airdrieonians' home ground Broomfield Park to supermarket chain Safeway 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 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 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 Under 20s games and various local amateur sides, it has also played host to Scottish Challenge Cup finals in 1999 and 2005, as well as Scotland under-21 fixtures and Old Firm reserve matches. The stadium has also hosted several charity events.

In 2003 Falkirk enquired about groundsharing at the stadium for a season, as their former home, Brockville 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 2nd qualifying round 1st leg against Nordsjælland. The stadium also hosted all of Motherwell's Europa League qualifying round ties in the 2009–10 season, against Llanelli, Flamurtari and Steaua Bucharest.

Queen's Park used the Excelsior Stadium as their temporary home ground while Hampden Park 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 during the 2020–21 season. Glasgow University F.C. have also used the ground since joining the new West of Scotland League in 2020. From the 2021–22 season, Celtic F.C. use the ground as the home venue for both their women's team in the SWPL and their B team, who play in the Scottish Lowland Football League.

In January 2016, East Kilbride of the Scottish Lowland Football League drew Celtic in the Scottish Cup

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