Stair Park is a public park and football stadium in the town of
Stranraer
Stranraer ( , in Scotland also ; ), also known as The Toon or The Cleyhole, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on Loch Ryan and the northern side of the isthmus joining the Rhins of Galloway to the mainland. Stranraer is Dumfries ...
,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
and is the home of
Stranraer F.C.
Stranraer Football Club is a Scottish semi-professional football club based in the town of Stranraer in Dumfries and Galloway. The club was founded in 1870, making it the third-oldest football club in Scotland behind Queen's Park and Kilmar ...
It is owned by
Dumfries and Galloway Council
Dumfries and Galloway (; ) is one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, located in the western part of the Southern Uplands. It is bordered by East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, and South Lanarkshire to the north; Scottish Borders to the ...
railway line
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of land transport, next to road ...
in the town. The park features a bandstand, all weather tennis & netball courts, skatepark, football pitch and a football stadium. The park and stadium were named after the
Earl of Stair
Earl of Stair is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1703 for the lawyer and statesman John Dalrymple, 2nd Viscount of Stair.
Dalrymple's father, James Dalrymple, had been a prominent lawyer; having served as Lord Presiden ...
, who bequeathed the land to the local authorities.
A stand was first constructed for football in 1932. The record attendance of 6,000 was set by a
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Rangers in 1948. When Stranraer entered the
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League (SFL) is a defunct league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4&nbs ...
in 1955, a terrace cover was erected, called the Shed. There were no significant further changes until 1981, when Stair Park became the last ground in league football in either England or Scotland to install floodlights. Stair Park was significantly improved in the 1990s. 300 seats were installed in the Shed, then a new main stand with 1,524 seats was constructed. This cost £520,000 to build, with the club committee raising £120,000 of the cost and the rest financed by grants from the Football Trust and the district council.
There is not normally segregation at Stranraer matches, but there are 2,000 places for away fans. When there is no segregation away fans normally settle down in the Coo Shed.
Dumfries and Galloway Council
Dumfries and Galloway (; ) is one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, located in the western part of the Southern Uplands. It is bordered by East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, and South Lanarkshire to the north; Scottish Borders to the ...