Firs Park
Encyclopedia
Firs Park was a football stadium located on Firs Street, Falkirk
, 0.3 miles north-east of the town centre. It was the home of East Stirlingshire F.C.
from 1921 until the end of the 2007–08 Scottish football season.
was formed in 1880 and it played at Merchiston Park in Bainsford
from 1907. The club was forced to move when a railway line was built across Merchiston Park. Firs Park was opened in 1921 and would be the club's home for the next 87 years. The first ever opposition at Firs Park was Hearts
. The record attendance
at Firs Park was 12,000 on 21 February 1921 in a Scottish Cup
3rd Round tie against .
The board of directors merged East Stirlingshire and to create East Stirlingshire Clydebank in 1964. Firs Park was closed for a year as the team relocated to Kilbowie Park
in Clydebank
, but the fans won a legal challenge against the move. East Stirlingshire was reformed and the club returned to Firs Park in 1965. In the meantime, however, the merged club had taken the Enclosure roof and the floodlights from Firs Park.
Apart from replacing the roof and floodlights, there were few changes to Firs Park until it closed. The Main Stand was replaced in 1992, with the club opting for a near replica of the previous stand. At closure, the stadium had a seating capacity of 200 with room for a further 1,600 standees. However, a crowd limit of 750 was set by police a Challenge Cup tie with Morton
in September 2007. This was due to the small number of turnstiles and there only being one main exit gate.
Due to the prohibitive costs of improving facilities to meet regulations set by the Scottish Football Association
, the club decided to leave Firs Park at the end of the 2007–08 season. The last ever game to be played at Firs Park was a 3–1 victory for the Shire against , which meant the club avoided finishing bottom of the Scottish Football League
for a sixth consecutive season.
The club currently groundshare
with neighbours at their Ochilview Park
home. The move will be for a period of five years during which Shire plan to develop a new venue in Falkirk. While the Firs Park site is being sold off for development, in the short term it is intended that it will still be used as an administrative and training venue by the club.
Falkirk
Falkirk is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies in the Forth Valley, almost midway between the two most populous cities of Scotland; north-west of Edinburgh and north-east of Glasgow....
, 0.3 miles north-east of the town centre. It was the home of East Stirlingshire F.C.
East Stirlingshire F.C.
East Stirlingshire Football Club is a Scottish football club originating in Falkirk. Founded in 1880, originally as Bainsford Britannia, the club changed to their current name a year later in 1881...
from 1921 until the end of the 2007–08 Scottish football season.
History
East StirlingshireEast Stirlingshire F.C.
East Stirlingshire Football Club is a Scottish football club originating in Falkirk. Founded in 1880, originally as Bainsford Britannia, the club changed to their current name a year later in 1881...
was formed in 1880 and it played at Merchiston Park in Bainsford
Bainsford
Bainsford is a small village within the Falkirk council area of Scotland. The village is situated in the Forth Valley, north of the town of Falkirk. It is positioned between the River Carron and the Forth and Clyde Canal to the north and south respectively....
from 1907. The club was forced to move when a railway line was built across Merchiston Park. Firs Park was opened in 1921 and would be the club's home for the next 87 years. The first ever opposition at Firs Park was Hearts
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
. The record attendance
Scottish football attendance records
This article lists Scottish football attendance records under the categories listed below. The highest ever attendance for a UEFA competition match was in the 1969–70 European Cup semi-final at Hampden Park, Scotland's National stadium. A record 136,505 people attended that Cup semi-final....
at Firs Park was 12,000 on 21 February 1921 in a Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
3rd Round tie against .
The board of directors merged East Stirlingshire and to create East Stirlingshire Clydebank in 1964. Firs Park was closed for a year as the team relocated to Kilbowie Park
Kilbowie Park
Kilbowie Park, also known as New Kilbowie Park, was a football stadium in Clydebank, Scotland. It was the home ground of Clydebank F.C..New Kilbowie was built for Clydebank Juniors in 1939. In 1964, Clydebank merged with East Stirlingshire and entered the Scottish Football League. A record...
in Clydebank
Clydebank
Clydebank is a town in West Dunbartonshire, in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, Clydebank borders Dumbarton, the town with which it was combined to form West Dunbartonshire, as well as the town of Milngavie in East Dunbartonshire, and the Yoker and...
, but the fans won a legal challenge against the move. East Stirlingshire was reformed and the club returned to Firs Park in 1965. In the meantime, however, the merged club had taken the Enclosure roof and the floodlights from Firs Park.
Apart from replacing the roof and floodlights, there were few changes to Firs Park until it closed. The Main Stand was replaced in 1992, with the club opting for a near replica of the previous stand. At closure, the stadium had a seating capacity of 200 with room for a further 1,600 standees. However, a crowd limit of 750 was set by police a Challenge Cup tie with Morton
Greenock Morton F.C.
Greenock Morton Football Club are a Scottish professional football club, who currently play in the Scottish Football League First Division. The club was founded as Morton Football Club in 1874, making it one of the oldest senior Scottish clubs....
in September 2007. This was due to the small number of turnstiles and there only being one main exit gate.
Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
, the club decided to leave Firs Park at the end of the 2007–08 season. The last ever game to be played at Firs Park was a 3–1 victory for the Shire against , which meant the club avoided finishing bottom of 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...
for a sixth consecutive season.
The club currently groundshare
Groundshare
Groundshare is the principle of sharing a stadium between two local sport teams. This is usually done for the purpose of reducing the costs of either construction of two separate facilities and related maintenance. -Intersport Groundshares:...
with neighbours at their Ochilview Park
Ochilview Park
Ochilview Park is a football stadium in Stenhousemuir, Scotland. It is the home ground of Stenhousemuir who currently share it with local rivals East Stirlingshire.-History:...
home. The move will be for a period of five years during which Shire plan to develop a new venue in Falkirk. While the Firs Park site is being sold off for development, in the short term it is intended that it will still be used as an administrative and training venue by the club.
External links
- East Stirlingshire F.C. the official website of the club