Stark's Park

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Stark's Park
Stark's Park
View of Stark's Park
Data
place ScotlandScotland Kirkcaldy , Scotland
Coordinates 56 ° 5 '59.3 "  N , 3 ° 10' 6"  W Coordinates: 56 ° 5 '59.3 "  N , 3 ° 10' 6"  W.
owner Raith Rovers
opening 1891
Renovations 1981, 1996
surface Natural grass
capacity 10,104 places
playing area 103 × 64 m
Societies)
Events
  • Games of the Raith Rovers

The Stark's Park is a football stadium in the port city of Kirkcaldy on the east coast of Scotland . The Raith Rovers football club has been at home in the stadium since 1891 .

history

Receipt for part of Alex James' transfer fee
Stark's Park on Pratt Street

The stadium is located between Pratt Street to the east and the Edinburgh to Aberdeen railway to the west. This requires u. a. the unusual L-shape of the main stand and the construction of the facility with the narrow longitudinal stands and the towering stands behind the gates. The Main Stand connects to the South Stand in the south and runs along the long side to the center line. The grandstand was designed in 1923 by architect Archibald Leitch . The construction was co-financed by the sale of the player Alex James to Preston North End for £ 3,000 . In the 1950s, the two grandstands behind the gates in the north and south were renewed. In the same decade, Stark's Park got a floodlight system so that evening games could also be played during the week. For these buildings, in turn, player sales were made for financing. The player Jackie Stewart was given to Birmingham City ; Jim Baxter left the club for Glasgow Rangers and Jimmy MacEwan moved to Aston Villa .

In the early 1980s, striker Andy Harrow went to Luton Town and the club invested the money in remodeling the venue. The outdated Railway Stand was demolished and a seating area with 1,000 seats was built at the south end. A new standing room was built in the north. After promotion to the Scottish Premier League in 1992 , the club invested £ 250,000 to renovate the two back-end stands. After winning the Scottish League Cup in 1995 and participating in the 1995/96 UEFA Cup , the proceeds were used for the stadium. In the second round of the UEFA Cup, the Rovers faced future UEFA Cup winners FC Bayern Munich . The Scottish home game was not played in Stark's Park , but took place on Easter Road , the stadium of Hibernian Edinburgh .

The north and south tiers were demolished and replaced by two almost identical stands, each with 3,370 seats and floodlight masts installed on the roofs. The new Railroad stand received 1,000 seats and increased the total capacity to 10,070. The stadium thus fulfilled the requirement of 10,000 seats for the Scottish Premier League. At the opening of the converted sports facility in 1996, the Raith Rovers and Bayern Munich (1-0) met again for a friendly. Today the venue has a seat for 10,104 spectators. The attendance record was set on February 7, 1953 in the Scottish FA Cup game against Heart of Midlothian . 31,306 visitors came to the stadium.

Grandstands

  • Main Stand - (east, main stand )
  • Railway Stand - (west, opposite stand , home and guest room)
  • North Stand - (North, back gate, guest area)
  • South Stand - (South, back gate)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ footballgroundguide.com: Stadium capacity (English)
  2. ↑ footballgroundguide.com: Record attendance (English)