Caledonian Stadium
Encyclopedia
The Caledonian Stadium, currently known as the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium situated in the Longman
area of Inverness
, Scotland
. The stadium plays host to the home matches of Scottish Premier League team Inverness Caledonian Thistle
.
and Inverness Thistle
Originally, Caley Thistle (as Inverness Caledonian Thistle are also known) played their home matches at Telford Street Park. However, one of the conditions of their acceptance into the Scottish Football League
was that they would move to a newly-built ground within their first few seasons. Constructions on the ground begun in 1995 and in November 1996, the ground hosted its first SFL match: a 1–1 draw between Caley Thistle and Albion Rovers.
When the club won the First Division
in 2004, they faced a problem in that the Caledonian Stadium did not meet the SPL's rules on stadium criteria. As a result, the club groundshared with Aberdeen
at Pittodrie
for the first half of the 2004–05 season, while redevelopment works were carried out at the Caledonian Stadium.
The club added a very small stand, opposite the Main Stand called "the West Stand." With a capacity of around 400, the stand was the smallest free-standing football stand in the Scottish Premier League. There are plans to build a full scale west-stand which would look very much like that of the Main Stand though a gas pipe in the area may cause a problem. If a full scale west stand was added to would take the capacity of the ground to around 10,000 seats. There may also be plans in the future to join the Main Stand with the North Stand to give the ground an even larger capacity.
Longman, Inverness
The Longman is an area in the city of Inverness, in Scotland. Located north of the city centre, it is bounded by the Moray Firth and River Ness and is home to the largest industrial estate in the city....
area of Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The stadium plays host to the home matches of Scottish Premier League team Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club are a Scottish football club from Inverness who compete in the Scottish Premier League. They are currently managed by Terry Butcher and assistant manager Maurice Malpas...
.
History
Inverness Caledonian Thistle was formed in 1994 by the merging of two Highland Football League clubs, Inverness CaledonianCaledonian F.C.
Caledonian Football Club was a football club from the city of Inverness, Highland, Scotland.-Formation:Caledonian Football Club was formed in 1885 by lads from the 'Big Green' area of Inverness, though some sources quote 1886. They were founder members of the Highland Football League in 1893 and...
and Inverness Thistle
Inverness Thistle F.C.
Inverness Thistle Football Club were a football club playing in the city of Inverness in northern Scotland.They were members of the Highland Football League, winning the championship five times, including its inaugural season: 1893–94. They wore black and red stripes and played their home...
Originally, Caley Thistle (as Inverness Caledonian Thistle are also known) played their home matches at Telford Street Park. However, one of the conditions of their acceptance into the Scottish Football League
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...
was that they would move to a newly-built ground within their first few seasons. Constructions on the ground begun in 1995 and in November 1996, the ground hosted its first SFL match: a 1–1 draw between Caley Thistle and Albion Rovers.
When the club won the First Division
Scottish Football League First Division
The Irn-Bru Scottish Football League First Division Championship is the highest division of the Scottish Football League and the second highest in the Scottish football league system....
in 2004, they faced a problem in that the Caledonian Stadium did not meet the SPL's rules on stadium criteria. As a result, the club groundshared with Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
at Pittodrie
Pittodrie Stadium
Pittodrie Stadium is an all-seated football stadium situated in the Scottish city of Aberdeen. It was first used in 1899 and from 1903 has been the home of Aberdeen Football Club...
for the first half of the 2004–05 season, while redevelopment works were carried out at the Caledonian Stadium.
Stands
The redevelopment in 2004–05 included the construction of two new stands at either end of the ground, which made the stadium all-seater and increased its capacity to over 7,500. These stands were built in a remarkable 47 days by the Tulloch Construction Company who are also the club's biggest shareholder. As Tulloch also paid part of the development cost, the stadium had the Tulloch name added to it on completion of the work.The club added a very small stand, opposite the Main Stand called "the West Stand." With a capacity of around 400, the stand was the smallest free-standing football stand in the Scottish Premier League. There are plans to build a full scale west-stand which would look very much like that of the Main Stand though a gas pipe in the area may cause a problem. If a full scale west stand was added to would take the capacity of the ground to around 10,000 seats. There may also be plans in the future to join the Main Stand with the North Stand to give the ground an even larger capacity.