Hampden Park
Encyclopedia
Hampden Park is a football stadium
in the Mount Florida
area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium
of football in Scotland
. It is the home venue of the Scotland national football team
and amateur Scottish Football League
club Queen's Park
and hosts the latter stages of the Scottish Cup
and Scottish League Cup
competitions. It is also used for music concerts and other sporting events.
There were two 19th century stadiums called Hampden Park, built on different sites. A stadium on the present site was first opened on 31 October 1903. Hampden was the biggest stadium in the world when it was opened, with a capacity in excess of 100,000. This was increased further between 1927 and 1937, reaching a peak of 150,000. The record attendance of 149,415, for a Scotland v England
match in 1937, is the European record for an international football match. Tighter safety regulations meant that the capacity was reduced to 81,000 in 1977. The stadium has been fully renovated since then, with the most recent work being completed in 1999.
The stadium houses the offices of the Scottish Football Association
(SFA), Scottish Premier League
and Scottish Football League. Hampden has hosted prestigious sporting events, including three Champions League
finals, two Cup Winners' Cup
finals and a UEFA Cup
final. Hampden is a UEFA category four stadium and it is served by the nearby Mount Florida
and King's Park
railway stations.
, the oldest club in Scottish football, have played at a venue called Hampden Park since October 1873. The first Hampden Park was overlooked by a nearby terrace named after Englishman
John Hampden
, who fought in the English Civil War
for Cromwell's
Parliamentarians
. Queen's Park played at the first Hampden Park for 10 years beginning with a Scottish Cup tie on 25 October 1873. The ground hosted the first Scottish Cup Final, in 1874, and a Scotland v England
match in 1878.
The club moved to the second Hampden Park, 150 yards from the original, because the Cathcart District Railway
planned a new line through the site of the ground's western terrace. A lawn bowling club at the junction of Queen's Drive and Cathcart Road marks the site of the first Hampden. The second Hampden Park opened in October 1884. It became a regular home to the Scottish Cup Final, but Celtic Park
shared some of the big matches including the Scotland v England fixture in 1894
.
In the late 1890s, Queen's Park requested more land for development of the second Hampden Park. This was refused by the landlords, which led to the club seeking a new site. Henry Erskine Gordon agreed to sell 12 acres of land off Somerville Drive to Queen's Park in November 1899. James Miller
designed twin grandstands along the south side of the ground with a pavilion wedged in between. The natural slopes were shaped to form banks of terracing, designed by Archibald Leitch
. Construction of the new ground took over three years to complete; during construction, a disaster
occurred at Ibrox
in which part of the wooden terraces collapsed. In response, the terraces at Hampden were firmly set in the earthwork and innovative techniques were used to control spectators.
Third Lanark A.C.
took over the second Hampden Park in 1903 and renamed it Cathkin Park
. The club rebuilt the ground from scratch due to a failure to agree a fee for the whole stadium. Third Lanark went out of business in 1967 and Cathkin Park is now a public park with much of the original terracing still evident.
Hampden Park was the biggest stadium in the world when it opened in 1903, but it was surpassed by the Maracanã in 1950. Along with Celtic Park and Ibrox, the city of Glasgow possessed the three largest football stadiums in the world at the time Hampden opened. In the stadium's first match, on 31 October 1903, Queen's Park defeated Celtic
1–0 in the Scottish league
. The first Scottish Cup Final played at the ground was an Old Firm
match in 1904, attracting a record Scottish crowd of 64,672. The first Scotland v England match at the ground was played in April 1906 with 102,741 people in attendance. This match established Hampden as the primary home of the Scotland team; England have never since played in Scotland at a ground other than Hampden.
matches played for the 1909 Scottish Cup Final
attracted a total of 131,000. After the second match there was a riot because there was confusion over what would happen next when the second match also ended in a draw. The fans believed that the replay would be played to a conclusion and demanded that a period of extra time
be played. The Scottish Cup trophy was withheld as Hampden was not in a fit condition to host a second replay. In response to the riot, the Scottish Football Association
decided not to use Hampden as the Scottish Cup Final venue until after the First World War.
Queen's Park conducted extensive ground improvements after the 1909 riot. A new world record of 127,307 were in attendance to see Scotland play England in 1912. A fire in 1914 destroyed the pavilion, which was replaced by a four-storey structure with a press box
on the roof. The Scottish Cup Final returned to Hampden in 1920, when a surprisingly large crowd of 95,000 saw Kilmarnock
win the cup against Albion Rovers. Record crowds attended the 1925 Scottish Cup Final, a 5–0 win for Celtic against Rangers, and the 1927 Scotland v England match, England's first win in the stadium. Hampden became the sole venue of the Scottish Cup Final after 1925 except in the 1990s when it was being renovated. Queen's Park purchased more land in 1923 to bring the total to 33 acres. 25,000 places were added to the terraces and rigid crush barriers were installed in 1927.
World record crowds attended Scotland matches against England in 1931 and 1933. In 1933, Austria
, who had beaten Scotland 5–0 in Vienna
in 1931, became the first foreign national side to visit Hampden Park. Further ground improvements increased the official capacity of the ground to 183,388 in 1937, but the SFA were only allowed to issue 150,000 tickets for games. The 1937 Scotland v England match had an official attendance of 149,415, but at least 20,000 more people entered the ground without tickets. A week later the 1937 Scottish Cup Final between Celtic and Aberdeen
drew an official crowd of 147,365, with 20,000 more people locked outside.
. Scottish national league and cup competitions were suspended for the duration of the war, but regional league and cup competitions were established in their place. Attendance was initially restricted to 50 percent of capacity; therefore, when 75,000 attended a wartime cup final in May 1940, it was the maximum permitted. The Parashots, a forerunner of the Home Guard, set up a command post at Lesser Hampden
in 1940. A government official presented an order demanding that both the Hampden and Lesser Hampden pitches be ploughed and used to plant vegetables, but the Queen's Park committee chose to ignore the order and the government did not pursue it. Wartime internationals were played at Hampden, and 91,000 saw Scotland beat England 5–4 on 18 April 1942.
. During the post-war attendance boom, Hampden was the only stadium big enough to host the crowds who wanted to see the team. Matches that would have ordinarily attracted a crowd of 40,000 were being attended by nearly 100,000. The Hampden fixture list was also expanded by the new Scottish League Cup competition. In 1947, Rangers
defeated Aberdeen
in the first League Cup Final
.
A fire on 25 December 1945 destroyed the stadium press box
and damaged offices. The press box was replaced with a plainer two-storey structure that overhang the pitch. The capacity of the ground was cut to 135,000 following the Burnden Park disaster
in Bolton
.
The re-entry of the Home Nations
into FIFA
in 1947 was marked by a match between a Great Britain
and a Rest of Europe select on 10 May 1947. Great Britain won 6–1 and 130,000 people attended. Unusually, a league match between Third Lanark
and Hibernian
was played immediately afterwards at Hampden because Cathkin Park
was undergoing repair work. The first FIFA World Cup
qualification match played at Hampden was a 2–0 win for Scotland against Wales
on 9 November 1949; this match was also part of the 1950 British Home Championship
. The win appeared to guarantee Scotland qualification for the 1950 FIFA World Cup
because the top two finishers in the Championship were offered places in the tournament, but the SFA decreed that they would only send a team if they were British champions. Scotland only needed a draw against England at Hampden to meet that criteria but lost 1–0.
The Coronation Cup
, a competition to mark the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
, was held in Glasgow during May 1953. Four major clubs from each of Scotland and England were invited, with the Old Firm
clubs playing their matches at Hampden. Celtic
and Hibernian progressed to the final, and a crowd of 117,060 saw Celtic win 2–0.
Scotland hosted the Magical Magyars of Hungary
in December 1954 in front of 113,506 fans. The Scots put up a good fight against one of the most outstanding teams in the world at the time, but eventually lost 4–2. Scotland qualified for the 1958 FIFA World Cup
by defeating Spain
, including Luis Suarez
, Ladislao Kubala
and Alfredo di Stefano
, at Hampden.
; Real Madrid
defeated 7–3 Eintracht Frankfurt
with 130,000 people in attendance. Floodlights
were installed at Hampden in 1961 and were inaugarated with a friendly match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers. The ground then also hosted the 1962 and 1966 finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup. The attendances for each of these finals was less than 50,000, and the SFA
did not offer to host another European final for several years.
After Celtic won the 1967 European Cup Final
, the home leg of their Intercontinental Cup
tie against Racing Club
was held at Hampden. Celtic won 1–0 at Hampden, but lost the tie after a play-off in Montevideo
. In 1970, Celtic played in the semi-finals of the European Cup
against English league champions, Leeds United
. Celtic chose to move their home leg of the tie from their Celtic Park home to Hampden, which had a far greater capacity. A crowd of 136,505, a record for any match in UEFA
competition, saw Celtic win 2–1 (3–1 on aggregate) to advance to the 1970 European Cup Final
. Celtic also played European Cup ties against Ajax and Rosenborg at Hampden during the 1970s. The 1976 European Cup Final
was also held at Hampden; Bayern Munich
defeated Saint-Etienne
.
A fire was deliberately started in the south stand in October 1968, destroying offices, 1,400 seats and one of the team dressing rooms. The fire caused the 1968–69 Scottish League Cup Final
to be postponed until April. By 1970 Hampden was starting to age as a stadium. Wembley had been revamped for the 1966 World Cup
, while other major stadia were being constructed for tournaments. Public safety was emphasized after the Ibrox disaster
of January 1971, when 66 spectators were crushed to death. A benefit match was played at Hampden, while the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 compelled stadium authorities to obtain licenses from local officials, impose crowd segregation and restrict attendances. Pittodrie
and Ibrox
were converted into all-seater stadium
s, while Hampden's capacity was reduced to 81,000.
Scotland secured qualification for the 1974 FIFA World Cup
at Hampden, with a 2–1 victory over Czechoslovakia. Kenny Dalglish
scored the winning goal against England in 1976
by nutmegging Ray Clemence
. In 1977, Scotland again won against Czechoslovakia to move towards qualification for the 1978 FIFA World Cup
. Scotland played a friendly match against world champions Argentina
in 1979; the talented, 18-year-old Diego Maradona
scored a goal in a 3–1 win for the visitors.
prompted reforms, as alcohol was banned from football stadiums in Scotland.
The first phase of the redevelopment involved the demolition of the North Stand, the concreting of all terraces and the building a block of turnstiles around the upper section of the East Terrace. This work, begun in October 1981 and completed in 1986, reduced the capacity to 74,370 and cost £3 million. A second phase had been planned to begin in 1988, but the release of the Taylor Report
caused the plans to be redrawn and the proposed costs escalated to £25 million. Scotland hosted the 1989 FIFA Under-16 World Cup
, with the Scots
contesting the final against Saudi Arabia at Hampden.
After the cancellation of the annual Scotland v England fixture in 1989, questions were raised as to whether Scottish football required a separate national stadium. Rangers proposed Ibrox as an alternative venue, while Murrayfield
was about to be redeveloped without public funding. None of these arguments impressed the National Stadium committee, which consisted of the SFA, Scottish Football League
and Queen's Park. The West Terrace was converted to seating in 1991 for only £700,000, but this left two terraces and therefore disqualified Hampden from hosting FIFA World Cup qualification
matches.
The UK Government eventually provided a grant of £3.5 million in 1992, which allowed work to begin on a £12 million project to convert Hampden into an all-seater stadium
. The last match played in front of the sloping terraces was the 1992 Scottish League Cup Final
. Within a year, the east and west ends of the ground had been replaced and the partially rebuilt Hampden was re-opened for a friendly match between Scotland and Netherlands
on 23 March 1994. It was then also used for the later stages of the 1993–94 Scottish Cup competition. As the capacity of the old South Stand had been limited to 4,500, the total capacity of Hampden had been reduced to approximately 37,000.
The final stage of the renovation begain in November 1997, costing £59 million. There was a cost overrun and a fraud squad investigated alleged financial irregularities. Queen's Park retained ownership of the ground but the renovation was funded by the National Lottery
. The South Stand was replaced and the stadium was re-opened for the 1999 Scottish Cup Final
. The ground now has a capacity of 52,063.
Real Madrid
were again victorious when Hampden Park hosted the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final
, defeating Bayer Leverkusen
, with Zinedine Zidane
scoring the winning goal with a left-foot volley. Hampden has since hosted the 2007 UEFA Cup Final
, between Sevilla
and Espanyol
and it will be one of venues for football at the 2012 Summer Olympics
.
scored an important goal. After the renovation of the stadium and the reduced capacities, the roar has become more muted.
The Hampden Roar was first noticed in a game against England
in 1929. Scotland, who had played the second half with ten players due to an injury to Alex Jackson
, equalised in the final minute with a goal from Alec Cheyne
direct from a corner kick
. The roar that followed the goal was so loud that Jackson, who was a mile away in the Glasgow Victoria Infirmary
, could tell that Scotland had scored.
The phrase Hampden Roar is also used as rhyming slang. People from Glasgow
may ask, "What's the Hampden?", by which they mean "What is the score?" or "How are you?".
within Scottish football and their regular qualification for cup matches played at Hampden, the East and West stands are commonly known as the Celtic
and Rangers
ends. The East Stand has 12,800 seats on a single tier of 53 rows. The two end stands are up to 140 metres away from the pitch, due to Hampden retaining its bowl shape after it was redeveloped. This distance is almost as great as if Hampden included an athletics track, which it presently does not, although the distance between the pitch and the two side stands is more comparable to a normal football stadium.
The South Stand is the main stand of the stadium, as it holds the technical areas, dressing rooms, indoor warm-up area, executive boxes, lounges and media facilities. It has been sponsored by BT Scotland
since 1998. The South Stand is also the only part of the stadium split into two tiers, although there is also a small gallery above the North Stand that has 290 seats and access to lounges. The North Stand accommodates 9,100 spectators in 46 rows. The total capacity of the stadium is 52,063.
The redeveloped Hampden has held the top status with the various UEFA stadium categories, currently holding category four status. The Scottish Football Museum
, which opened in 2001, is located within Hampden. Part of the museum is the Scottish Football Hall of Fame
. A distinctive feature of the old Hampden, the press box which sat on the roof of the old South Stand, is also exhibited at the museum. The offices of the Scottish Football Association
, Scottish Premier League
and Scottish Football League
are all located within Hampden.
Lesser Hampden
is a football stadium located immediately beside the western end of Hampden Park. The ground was constructed in the early 1920s after additional ground was purchased to expand the main stadium. Queen's Park
proposed in 1990 to sell off Lesser Hampden to fund redevelopment works on the main stadium, but this was rejected by planners. It is presently used by Queen's Park for training, reserve team
matches and youth football.
international matches. The first was in 1906, when the Scottish Rugby Union
chose to play their match against the touring South Africans
at Hampden because no rugby ground could satisfy the demand to see the visitors. A crowd of over 30,000 saw Scotland
win 6–0. The redeveloped Hampden served as one of the 1999 Rugby World Cup
venues, over 90 years later. Scotland played Romania
in a friendly match before the tournament and South Africa played Uruguay
in a tournament pool match. The only rugby union international played at Hampden since then was in November 2004, between Scotland and Australia
.
Hampden hosted the Scottish Amateur Athletics Association championships during the 1920s and 1930s, with the original Meadowbank Stadium
used as an alternative venue. Eric Liddell
won the 110, 220 and 440 yard dashes in the 1924 championship. His last competition in Britain was the 1925 championship, when he won the 220 yards race for a record fifth time. When Glasgow hosts the 2014 Commonwealth Games
, Hampden will be temporarily converted to stage the athletics events and the Closing Ceremony.
Suzanne Lenglen
, the French professional tennis
player, played an exhibition match against Vivian Dewhurst at Hampden in 1927. A crowd of 10,000 saw that match and another between male players Howard Kinsey
and Karel Koželuh
.
During the Second World War, American armed forces based in Scotland played games of softball
, baseball
and American football
at Hampden. American football returned to Hampden in 1998, when the NFL Europe
team Scottish Claymores
shared home games between Hampden and Murrayfield
. World Bowl XI
was held at Hampden in 2003, but after the 2004 season the Claymores left Scotland to become the Hamburg Sea Devils
.
Hampden was the home of the Glasgow Tigers
speedway
team from 1969 until 1972. Poor crowds, escalating costs and the refusal of the city council to allow music to be played at events contributed to the team moving to Cliftonhill
, in Coatbridge
.
The redeveloped Hampden was the venue for a boxing
card headlined by former world champion Mike Tyson
in June 2000. Tyson knocked down Lou Savarese
after just 12 seconds of the fight, which the referee stopped after 38 seconds. The fight ended in farce as the referee, who had been attempting to separate the two fighters, was also knocked down by Tyson. The disappointed crowd booed Tyson out of the ring, while former fighters Jim Watt and Barry McGuigan
criticised his actions. After the fight, Tyson claimed that he wanted to eat the children of world champion Lennox Lewis
, which also drew criticism.
headlined the first concert at Hampden, in 1987. The Rolling Stones
played there in 1990, during their Urban Jungle Tour
. Since the redevelopment of Hampden was completed in 1999, many acts have performed there, including The Rolling Stones
, Rod Stewart
, Tina Turner
, Bon Jovi
, The Eagles, U2
, Oasis
, George Michael
, the Red Hot Chili Peppers
, Neil Diamond
, Take That
, AC/DC
, Bruce Springsteen
, Coldplay
and Paul McCartney
. The damage caused to the Hampden pitch by a U2 concert in August 2009 forced a Queen's Park
league match to be postponed.
The 50th anniversary Conventicle of the Boys' Brigade
, which had been founded in Glasgow by William Alexander Smith
, was staged at Hampden in 1933. 130,000 people were inside the ground, while another 100,000 stood outside singing Psalms.
American evangelical Christian missionary Billy Graham
had an "All Scotland Crusade" during the spring of 1955. The major outdoor event of the tour was at Hampden, where a crowd of 100,000 heard him speak.
tie between Scotland and England. This is still a European record for an international match. The 1937 Scottish Cup Final between Celtic and Aberdeen
drew an official crowd of 147,365, a world record for a club match, with 20,000 more people locked outside. Hampden set world attendance records that year that were only surpassed by the Maracanã, and it still holds all the major European records. The European Cup
match between Celtic and Leeds United in 1970 was attended by 136,505, which is a UEFA competition record.
Since the redevelopment of Hampden was completed in 1999, the capacity for sporting events is now limited to 52,063. Attendances for concerts can be higher than this as people are allowed onto the pitch area. In 2009, more people attended concerts at Hampden than football matches. Hampden regularly has crowds of below 1,000 for Queen's Park
matches in the lower divisions of the Scottish Football League
. Queen's Park have not played in the top division of Scottish football since 1958.
and King's Park
. Both stations are served by trains from Glasgow Central on the Cathcart Circle Lines
. First Glasgow
operate several bus routes in the area surrounding Hampden. There is a stadium car park immediately behind the south stand, but for major events this is only available to permit holders. Public car parking is provided by City Parking Glasgow on the Queens Park recreational ground and the Toryglen playing fields.
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in the Mount Florida
Mount Florida
Mount Florida is an area in the southeastern corner of the Scottish city of Glasgow.- Details :The origins of the name are uncertain. It has been stated that it derives from Mount Florida House, owned by a family from Florida, USA...
area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium
National stadium
Many countries have a national football stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football stadium. Usually, a national stadium will be in or very...
of football in Scotland
Football in Scotland
Association football is the national sport in Scotland and highly popular throughout the country. There is a long tradition of "football" games in Orkney, Lewis and southern Scotland, especially the Scottish Borders, although many of these include carrying the ball and passing by hand, and despite...
. It is the home venue of the Scotland national football team
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
and amateur 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...
club Queen's Park
Queen's Park F.C.
Queen's Park Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland. The club are currently the only amateur club in the Scottish League; their amateur status is reflected by their motto, Ludere Causa Ludendi – to play for the sake of playing.Queen's Park are the oldest...
and hosts the latter stages of the 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...
and Scottish League Cup
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...
competitions. It is also used for music concerts and other sporting events.
There were two 19th century stadiums called Hampden Park, built on different sites. A stadium on the present site was first opened on 31 October 1903. Hampden was the biggest stadium in the world when it was opened, with a capacity in excess of 100,000. This was increased further between 1927 and 1937, reaching a peak of 150,000. The record attendance of 149,415, for a Scotland v England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
match in 1937, is the European record for an international football match. Tighter safety regulations meant that the capacity was reduced to 81,000 in 1977. The stadium has been fully renovated since then, with the most recent work being completed in 1999.
The stadium houses the offices of the Scottish Football Association
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...
(SFA), Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
and Scottish Football League. Hampden has hosted prestigious sporting events, including three Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
finals, two Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
finals and a UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
final. Hampden is a UEFA category four stadium and it is served by the nearby Mount Florida
Mount Florida railway station
Mount Florida railway station is a staffed island platform station on the Cathcart Circle. It serves the Mount Florida and Battlefield areas of Glasgow...
and King's Park
King's Park railway station
King's Park railway station is a railway station serving the King's Park area of Glasgow. It is located on the Newton branch of the Cathcart Circle Line. Services are provided by First ScotRail on behalf of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport....
railway stations.
Three Hampdens
Queen's ParkQueen's Park F.C.
Queen's Park Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland. The club are currently the only amateur club in the Scottish League; their amateur status is reflected by their motto, Ludere Causa Ludendi – to play for the sake of playing.Queen's Park are the oldest...
, the oldest club in Scottish football, have played at a venue called Hampden Park since October 1873. The first Hampden Park was overlooked by a nearby terrace named after Englishman
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
John Hampden
John Hampden
John Hampden was an English politician, the eldest son of William Hampden, of Hampden House, Great Hampden in Buckinghamshire, John Hampden (ca. 15951643) was an English politician, the eldest son of William Hampden, of Hampden House, Great Hampden in Buckinghamshire, John Hampden (ca. 15951643)...
, who fought in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
for Cromwell's
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
Parliamentarians
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
. Queen's Park played at the first Hampden Park for 10 years beginning with a Scottish Cup tie on 25 October 1873. The ground hosted the first Scottish Cup Final, in 1874, and a Scotland v England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
match in 1878.
The club moved to the second Hampden Park, 150 yards from the original, because the Cathcart District Railway
Cathcart District Railway
The Cathcart District Railway was authorised on 7 September 1880. The eastern section to Cathcart opened to Mount Florida station on 1 March 1886. The line was completed through to the first Cathcart station on 25 May 1886...
planned a new line through the site of the ground's western terrace. A lawn bowling club at the junction of Queen's Drive and Cathcart Road marks the site of the first Hampden. The second Hampden Park opened in October 1884. It became a regular home to the Scottish Cup Final, but Celtic Park
Celtic Park
Celtic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,...
shared some of the big matches including the Scotland v England fixture in 1894
1894 British Home Championship
The 1894 British Home Championship was an edition of the annual international football tournament played between the British Home Nations. It was won by Scotland in a close competition in which neither Scotland nor England lost a game but Scotland managed to accumalate one more point than England...
.
In the late 1890s, Queen's Park requested more land for development of the second Hampden Park. This was refused by the landlords, which led to the club seeking a new site. Henry Erskine Gordon agreed to sell 12 acres of land off Somerville Drive to Queen's Park in November 1899. James Miller
James Miller (architect)
James Miller was a Scottish architect and artist. He is noted for his many buildings in Glasgow and for his Scottish railway stations. Among these are the heavily American-influenced Union Bank building at 110-20 St Vincent Street; his 1901-1905 extensions to Glasgow Central railway station; and...
designed twin grandstands along the south side of the ground with a pavilion wedged in between. The natural slopes were shaped to form banks of terracing, designed by Archibald Leitch
Archibald Leitch
Archibald "Offside Archie" Leitch was a Scottish architect, most famous for his work designing football stadia throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.-Early work:...
. Construction of the new ground took over three years to complete; during construction, a disaster
Ibrox disaster
The Ibrox disaster refers to two accidents, in 1902 and 1971, which led to major loss of life at the Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland.-First Ibrox disaster:...
occurred at Ibrox
Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
in which part of the wooden terraces collapsed. In response, the terraces at Hampden were firmly set in the earthwork and innovative techniques were used to control spectators.
Third Lanark A.C.
Third Lanark A.C.
Third Lanark Athletic Club was a football club that originally existed between 1872 and 1967, 95 years in existence, based in Glasgow, Scotland. Third Lanark were known as Thirds, the Warriors, the Redcoats and the Hi Hi's...
took over the second Hampden Park in 1903 and renamed it Cathkin Park
Cathkin Park
Cathkin Park is a municipal park in Glasgow, Scotland. The park is maintained by the city's parks department, and it is a public place where football is still played...
. The club rebuilt the ground from scratch due to a failure to agree a fee for the whole stadium. Third Lanark went out of business in 1967 and Cathkin Park is now a public park with much of the original terracing still evident.
Hampden Park was the biggest stadium in the world when it opened in 1903, but it was surpassed by the Maracanã in 1950. Along with Celtic Park and Ibrox, the city of Glasgow possessed the three largest football stadiums in the world at the time Hampden opened. In the stadium's first match, on 31 October 1903, Queen's Park defeated Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
1–0 in the Scottish 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...
. The first Scottish Cup Final played at the ground was an Old Firm
Old Firm
The Old Firm is a common collective name for the association football clubs Celtic and Rangers, both based in Glasgow, Scotland.The origin of the term is unclear. One theory has it that the expression derives from Celtic's first game in 1888, which was played against Rangers. However, author,...
match in 1904, attracting a record Scottish crowd of 64,672. The first Scotland v England match at the ground was played in April 1906 with 102,741 people in attendance. This match established Hampden as the primary home of the Scotland team; England have never since played in Scotland at a ground other than Hampden.
Record attendances
Attendances continued to increase during the remainder of the 1900s, as 121,452 saw the 1908 Scotland v England match. The two Old FirmOld Firm
The Old Firm is a common collective name for the association football clubs Celtic and Rangers, both based in Glasgow, Scotland.The origin of the term is unclear. One theory has it that the expression derives from Celtic's first game in 1888, which was played against Rangers. However, author,...
matches played for the 1909 Scottish Cup Final
1909 Scottish Cup Final
-External links:...
attracted a total of 131,000. After the second match there was a riot because there was confusion over what would happen next when the second match also ended in a draw. The fans believed that the replay would be played to a conclusion and demanded that a period of extra time
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...
be played. The Scottish Cup trophy was withheld as Hampden was not in a fit condition to host a second replay. In response to the riot, the Scottish Football Association
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...
decided not to use Hampden as the Scottish Cup Final venue until after the First World War.
Queen's Park conducted extensive ground improvements after the 1909 riot. A new world record of 127,307 were in attendance to see Scotland play England in 1912. A fire in 1914 destroyed the pavilion, which was replaced by a four-storey structure with a press box
Press box
The press box is a special section of a sports stadium or arena that is set up for the media to report about a given event. It is typically located in the section of the stadium holding the luxury box. In general, newspaper writers sit in this box and write about the on-field event as it unfolds...
on the roof. The Scottish Cup Final returned to Hampden in 1920, when a surprisingly large crowd of 95,000 saw Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock F.C.
Kilmarnock Football Club is a Scottish football team based in the town of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Founded in 1869, "Killie" is the oldest club currently in the Scottish Premier League. Home matches are played at Rugby Park...
win the cup against Albion Rovers. Record crowds attended the 1925 Scottish Cup Final, a 5–0 win for Celtic against Rangers, and the 1927 Scotland v England match, England's first win in the stadium. Hampden became the sole venue of the Scottish Cup Final after 1925 except in the 1990s when it was being renovated. Queen's Park purchased more land in 1923 to bring the total to 33 acres. 25,000 places were added to the terraces and rigid crush barriers were installed in 1927.
World record crowds attended Scotland matches against England in 1931 and 1933. In 1933, Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
, who had beaten Scotland 5–0 in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1931, became the first foreign national side to visit Hampden Park. Further ground improvements increased the official capacity of the ground to 183,388 in 1937, but the SFA were only allowed to issue 150,000 tickets for games. The 1937 Scotland v England match had an official attendance of 149,415, but at least 20,000 more people entered the ground without tickets. A week later the 1937 Scottish Cup Final between Celtic and Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
drew an official crowd of 147,365, with 20,000 more people locked outside.
Wartime
During the Second World War, matches at heavily-attended grounds were initially prohibited due to the fear of aerial bombing by the LuftwaffeLuftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
. Scottish national league and cup competitions were suspended for the duration of the war, but regional league and cup competitions were established in their place. Attendance was initially restricted to 50 percent of capacity; therefore, when 75,000 attended a wartime cup final in May 1940, it was the maximum permitted. The Parashots, a forerunner of the Home Guard, set up a command post at Lesser Hampden
Lesser Hampden
Lesser Hampden is a football stadium in Glasgow, Scotland, which is located immediately beside the western end of Hampden Park.In 1923, Queen's Park were looking for a venue for their other teams other than the main stadium. The club purchased a farm to the west of Hampden Park and built a pitch...
in 1940. A government official presented an order demanding that both the Hampden and Lesser Hampden pitches be ploughed and used to plant vegetables, but the Queen's Park committee chose to ignore the order and the government did not pursue it. Wartime internationals were played at Hampden, and 91,000 saw Scotland beat England 5–4 on 18 April 1942.
Post-war
After the Second World War ended in 1945, Hampden started to host Scotland matches more frequently. Before then, Hampden had only hosted 15 matches against England and one match each against Austria and CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia national football team
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
. During the post-war attendance boom, Hampden was the only stadium big enough to host the crowds who wanted to see the team. Matches that would have ordinarily attracted a crowd of 40,000 were being attended by nearly 100,000. The Hampden fixture list was also expanded by the new Scottish League Cup competition. In 1947, Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
defeated Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
in the first League Cup Final
1947 Scottish League Cup Final (April)
The 1946–47 Scottish League Cup Final was played on 5 April 1947, at Hampden Park in Glasgow and was the final of the first official Scottish League Cup competition. The final was contested by Rangers and Aberdeen. Rangers won the match 4–0 thanks to goals by Jimmy Duncanson , Torrance...
.
A fire on 25 December 1945 destroyed the stadium press box
Press box
The press box is a special section of a sports stadium or arena that is set up for the media to report about a given event. It is typically located in the section of the stadium holding the luxury box. In general, newspaper writers sit in this box and write about the on-field event as it unfolds...
and damaged offices. The press box was replaced with a plainer two-storey structure that overhang the pitch. The capacity of the ground was cut to 135,000 following the Burnden Park disaster
Burnden Park disaster
The Burnden Park Disaster was a human crush that occurred on 9 March 1946 at Burnden Park football stadium, the home of Bolton Wanderers. The crush resulted in the deaths of 33 people and injuries to hundreds of Bolton fans...
in Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
.
The re-entry of the Home Nations
Home Nations
Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...
into FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
in 1947 was marked by a match between a Great Britain
United Kingdom national football team
No United Kingdom national football team currently exists, as there are separate teams representing England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in football. These national teams compete in the World Cup and European Championships and other internationals. A UK team has played in friendly...
and a Rest of Europe select on 10 May 1947. Great Britain won 6–1 and 130,000 people attended. Unusually, a league match between Third Lanark
Third Lanark A.C.
Third Lanark Athletic Club was a football club that originally existed between 1872 and 1967, 95 years in existence, based in Glasgow, Scotland. Third Lanark were known as Thirds, the Warriors, the Redcoats and the Hi Hi's...
and Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
was played immediately afterwards at Hampden because Cathkin Park
Cathkin Park
Cathkin Park is a municipal park in Glasgow, Scotland. The park is maintained by the city's parks department, and it is a public place where football is still played...
was undergoing repair work. The first FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
qualification match played at Hampden was a 2–0 win for Scotland against Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
on 9 November 1949; this match was also part of the 1950 British Home Championship
1950 British Home Championship
1950 British Home Championship was one of the most significant competitions of the British Home Championship football tournament. This year saw the competition doubling up as Group 1 in the qualifying rounds for the 1950 FIFA World Cup. It was the first time that either England, Wales, Scotland or...
. The win appeared to guarantee Scotland qualification for the 1950 FIFA World Cup
1950 FIFA World Cup
The 1950 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July, was the fourth FIFA World Cup. It was the first World Cup since 1938, the planned 1942 and 1946 competitions having been canceled owing to World War II...
because the top two finishers in the Championship were offered places in the tournament, but the SFA decreed that they would only send a team if they were British champions. Scotland only needed a draw against England at Hampden to meet that criteria but lost 1–0.
The Coronation Cup
Coronation Cup (football)
The Coronation Cup was a one-off football tournament to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, between four English and four Scottish clubs, held in Glasgow in May 1953...
, a competition to mark the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was the ceremony in which the newly ascended monarch, Elizabeth II, was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ceylon, and Pakistan, as well as taking on the role of Head of the Commonwealth...
, was held in Glasgow during May 1953. Four major clubs from each of Scotland and England were invited, with the Old Firm
Old Firm
The Old Firm is a common collective name for the association football clubs Celtic and Rangers, both based in Glasgow, Scotland.The origin of the term is unclear. One theory has it that the expression derives from Celtic's first game in 1888, which was played against Rangers. However, author,...
clubs playing their matches at Hampden. Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
and Hibernian progressed to the final, and a crowd of 117,060 saw Celtic win 2–0.
Scotland hosted the Magical Magyars of Hungary
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....
in December 1954 in front of 113,506 fans. The Scots put up a good fight against one of the most outstanding teams in the world at the time, but eventually lost 4–2. Scotland qualified for the 1958 FIFA World Cup
1958 FIFA World Cup
The 1958 FIFA World Cup, the sixth staging of the World Cup, was hosted by Sweden from 8 June to 29 June. The tournament was won by Brazil, who beat Sweden 5–2 in the final for their first title. To date, this marks the only occasion that a World Cup staged in Europe was not won by a European...
by defeating Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, including Luis Suarez
Luis Suárez Miramontes
Luis Suárez Miramontes , also known by the diminutive Luisito, is a Spanish former footballer and manager. He played as a midfielder for Deportivo de La Coruña, CD España Industrial, CF Barcelona, Internazionale, Sampdoria and Spain. Suárez is regarded as one of Spain's greatest players; as a...
, Ladislao Kubala
Ladislao Kubala
László Kubala Stecz , also referred to as Ladislav Kubala, Ladislao Kubala, was a footballer, who played as a forward with, among others, Ferencvárosi TC, ŠK Slovan Bratislava, Vasas SC, FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol. He also played for three different national teams, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and...
and Alfredo di Stefano
Alfredo Di Stéfano
Alfredo Stéfano Di Stéfano Laulhé, born into a family of Italian immigrants from Capri, is a former Argentinian footballer and coach, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time...
, at Hampden.
1960s and 1970s
Hampden hosted the 1960 European Cup Final1960 European Cup Final
The 1960 European Cup Final was the fifth final in the history of the European Cup, and was contested between Real Madrid of Spain and Eintracht Frankfurt of Germany. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest football matches ever played. Madrid won 7–3 in front of a crowd of 135,000 people at...
; Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
defeated 7–3 Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt is a German sports club, based in Frankfurt, Hesse that is best known for its association football club.- Club origins :...
with 130,000 people in attendance. Floodlights
Floodlights (sport)
Floodlights are broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial lights often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions....
were installed at Hampden in 1961 and were inaugarated with a friendly match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers. The ground then also hosted the 1962 and 1966 finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup. The attendances for each of these finals was less than 50,000, and the SFA
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...
did not offer to host another European final for several years.
After Celtic won the 1967 European Cup Final
1967 European Cup Final
The 1967 European Cup Final was a football match between Italian team Inter Milan and Scottish team Celtic. It took place at the Estádio Nacional in Lisbon, Portugal on 25 May 1967 in front of a crowd of 45,000. It was the final of the 1966–67 European Cup, the premier club competition run by...
, the home leg of their Intercontinental Cup
Intercontinental Cup (football)
The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
tie against Racing Club
Racing Club de Avellaneda
Racing Club is an Argentine professional football club from Avellaneda, a suburb of Greater Buenos Aires. Founded in 1903, Racing has been historically considered one of the "big five" clubs of Argentine football...
was held at Hampden. Celtic won 1–0 at Hampden, but lost the tie after a play-off in Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
. In 1970, Celtic played in the semi-finals of the European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
against English league champions, Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
. Celtic chose to move their home leg of the tie from their Celtic Park home to Hampden, which had a far greater capacity. A crowd of 136,505, a record for any match in UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
competition, saw Celtic win 2–1 (3–1 on aggregate) to advance to the 1970 European Cup Final
1970 European Cup Final
The 1970 European Cup Final was a football match held at the San Siro, Milan, on 6 May 1970, that saw Feyenoord of the Netherlands defeat Celtic of Scotland 2-1 after extra time. Ove Kindvall's goal in the 117th minute meant the trophy was going to a Dutch club for the first time. It remains...
. Celtic also played European Cup ties against Ajax and Rosenborg at Hampden during the 1970s. The 1976 European Cup Final
1976 European Cup Final
The 1976 European Cup Final was a football match held at Hampden Park, Glasgow, on 12 May 1976, that saw Bayern Munich of West Germany defeat Saint-Étienne of France 1–0.-Match summary:...
was also held at Hampden; Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
defeated Saint-Etienne
AS Saint-Étienne
Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne Loire is a French association football club based in Saint-Étienne. The club was founded in 1919 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. Saint-Étienne plays its home matches at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard located within the city...
.
A fire was deliberately started in the south stand in October 1968, destroying offices, 1,400 seats and one of the team dressing rooms. The fire caused the 1968–69 Scottish League Cup Final
1969 Scottish League Cup Final (April)
The first 1969 Scottish League Cup Final was played on 5 April 1969 at Hampden Park in Glasgow and was the final of the 23rd Scottish League Cup competition. The final was contested by Hibernian and Celtic. Celtic won a one-sided match by 6–2, with Bobby Lennox scoring a hat-trick...
to be postponed until April. By 1970 Hampden was starting to age as a stadium. Wembley had been revamped for the 1966 World Cup
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
, while other major stadia were being constructed for tournaments. Public safety was emphasized after the Ibrox disaster
Ibrox disaster
The Ibrox disaster refers to two accidents, in 1902 and 1971, which led to major loss of life at the Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland.-First Ibrox disaster:...
of January 1971, when 66 spectators were crushed to death. A benefit match was played at Hampden, while the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 compelled stadium authorities to obtain licenses from local officials, impose crowd segregation and restrict attendances. 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...
and Ibrox
Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
were converted into all-seater stadium
All-seater stadium
An all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most soccer and American football stadiums in the United States and Canada are all-seaters, as are most baseball...
s, while Hampden's capacity was reduced to 81,000.
Scotland secured qualification for the 1974 FIFA World Cup
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
at Hampden, with a 2–1 victory over Czechoslovakia. Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
scored the winning goal against England in 1976
1976 British Home Championship
The 1976 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations at the end of the 1975–76 season. It resulted in an outright Scottish victory following a rare whitewash of all three opponents, including England in a tough final at home in Glasgow. Scotland...
by nutmegging Ray Clemence
Ray Clemence
Raymond Neal "Ray" Clemence, MBE is one of English and European football's most decorated goalkeepers ever and was part of the Liverpool team of the 1970s.-Scunthorpe United:...
. In 1977, Scotland again won against Czechoslovakia to move towards qualification for the 1978 FIFA World Cup
1978 FIFA World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...
. Scotland played a friendly match against world champions Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
in 1979; the talented, 18-year-old Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
scored a goal in a 3–1 win for the visitors.
Redevelopment
During the late 1970s, it became apparent that the facilities at Hampden were in need of renewal. As an amateur club, Queen's Park could not possibly fund the works, while Glasgow District Council withdrew funding and the UK Government decided not to fund it either. Queen's Park considered selling Hampden, but a public appeal and minor repair work kept Hampden open during the 1980s. The riot after the 1980 Scottish Cup Final1980 Scottish Cup Final
The 1980 Scottish Cup Final was played on 10 May 1980 at Hampden Park in Glasgow and was the final of the 95th Scottish Cup competition. Old Firm rivals Celtic and Rangers contested the match, which Celtic won 1–0 after extra time...
prompted reforms, as alcohol was banned from football stadiums in Scotland.
The first phase of the redevelopment involved the demolition of the North Stand, the concreting of all terraces and the building a block of turnstiles around the upper section of the East Terrace. This work, begun in October 1981 and completed in 1986, reduced the capacity to 74,370 and cost £3 million. A second phase had been planned to begin in 1988, but the release of the Taylor Report
Taylor Report
The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster Inquiry report, better known as the Taylor Report is a document, whose development was overseen by Lord Taylor of Gosforth, concerning the aftermath and causes of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. An interim report was published in August 1989, and the final...
caused the plans to be redrawn and the proposed costs escalated to £25 million. Scotland hosted the 1989 FIFA Under-16 World Cup
1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship
The FIFA U-16 World Championship 1989 was held in the Scottish cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Motherwell, Aberdeen, and Dundee between 10 June and 24 June 1989...
, with the Scots
Scotland national under-17 football team
The Scotland national under-17 football team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is Scotland's national under 17 football team and is considered to be a feeder team for the Scotland national football team. The team represents Scotland in international Under 17 competitions such as the...
contesting the final against Saudi Arabia at Hampden.
After the cancellation of the annual Scotland v England fixture in 1989, questions were raised as to whether Scottish football required a separate national stadium. Rangers proposed Ibrox as an alternative venue, while Murrayfield
Murrayfield Stadium
Murrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...
was about to be redeveloped without public funding. None of these arguments impressed the National Stadium committee, which consisted of the SFA, 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...
and Queen's Park. The West Terrace was converted to seating in 1991 for only £700,000, but this left two terraces and therefore disqualified Hampden from hosting FIFA World Cup qualification
FIFA World Cup qualification
The FIFA World Cup qualification is the process that a national association football team goes through to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Finals. The FIFA World Cup is a global event, so qualification is required to reduce the large field of participants from about 200 to 32.Qualifying tournaments...
matches.
The UK Government eventually provided a grant of £3.5 million in 1992, which allowed work to begin on a £12 million project to convert Hampden into an all-seater stadium
All-seater stadium
An all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most soccer and American football stadiums in the United States and Canada are all-seaters, as are most baseball...
. The last match played in front of the sloping terraces was the 1992 Scottish League Cup Final
1992 Scottish League Cup Final
The 1992 Scottish League Cup Final was played on 25 October 1992 at Hampden Park in Glasgow and was the final of the 47th Scottish League Cup competition. The final was contested by Aberdeen and Rangers. Rangers won the match 2–1 thanks to goals from Stuart McCall and a Gary Smith own...
. Within a year, the east and west ends of the ground had been replaced and the partially rebuilt Hampden was re-opened for a friendly match between Scotland and Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
on 23 March 1994. It was then also used for the later stages of the 1993–94 Scottish Cup competition. As the capacity of the old South Stand had been limited to 4,500, the total capacity of Hampden had been reduced to approximately 37,000.
The final stage of the renovation begain in November 1997, costing £59 million. There was a cost overrun and a fraud squad investigated alleged financial irregularities. Queen's Park retained ownership of the ground but the renovation was funded by the National Lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
. The South Stand was replaced and the stadium was re-opened for the 1999 Scottish Cup Final
1999 Scottish Cup Final
The 1999 Scottish Cup Final was played on May 29, 1999 at Hampden Park in Glasgow and was the final of the 114th Scottish Cup. Celtic and Rangers contested the match, Rangers won the match 1–0, thanks to Rod Wallace's 48th minute goal. This was the first match at Hampden Park since the stadium was...
. The ground now has a capacity of 52,063.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
were again victorious when Hampden Park hosted the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final
2002 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2002 UEFA Champions League Final was the final match of the 2001–02 UEFA Champions League, Europe's primary club football competition. The show-piece event was contested between Bayer Leverkusen of Germany and Real Madrid of Spain at the Hampden Park in Glasgow, on Wednesday, 15 May 2002, to...
, defeating Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer 04 Leverkusen is a German football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the most well-known department of TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, a sports club whose members also participate in athletics, gymnastics, basketball and other sports.-Origins and early years:On 27 November...
, with Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane is a retired French footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Zidane was a leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship...
scoring the winning goal with a left-foot volley. Hampden has since hosted the 2007 UEFA Cup Final
2007 UEFA Cup Final
-Match statistics:*-See also:*2006–07 UEFA Cup*UEFA Intertoto Cup*2007 UEFA Champions League Final...
, between Sevilla
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA...
and Espanyol
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009...
and it will be one of venues for football at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2012 Summer Olympics is scheduled to be held in London and several other cities in the United Kingdom, from 25 July to 11 August. The finals will be played at Wembley Stadium. Associations affiliated with FIFA are invited to send their full women's national teams and men's U-23...
.
Hampden Roar
The football match crowd at Hampden were renowned for creating the Hampden Roar and trying to terrify opposing teams. The stadium's capacity exceeded 100,000 from the early 1900s until the 1980s and the Roar could be heard whenever ScotlandScotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
scored an important goal. After the renovation of the stadium and the reduced capacities, the roar has become more muted.
The Hampden Roar was first noticed in a game against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
in 1929. Scotland, who had played the second half with ten players due to an injury to Alex Jackson
Alex Jackson
Alexander Skinner Jackson was a Scottish footballer.Alex Jackson was born in Renton in 1905. A highly-talented winger, known as the Gay Cavalier, he was particularly adept at dribbling and free kicks. He initially played for Renton Victoria Football Club but was transferred to Dumbarton F.C. in...
, equalised in the final minute with a goal from Alec Cheyne
Alec Cheyne
Alexander George 'Alec' Cheyne was a Scottish footballer who played as an inside-forward. He is reputed to have been responsible for the Hampden Roar following his goal in the 'Cheyne International' of 1929....
direct from a corner kick
Corner kick
A corner kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football. It was first devised in Sheffield under the Sheffield Rules 1867...
. The roar that followed the goal was so loud that Jackson, who was a mile away in the Glasgow Victoria Infirmary
Glasgow Victoria Infirmary
The Glasgow Victoria Infirmary is a teaching hospital with an acute operational bed complement of approximately 370. The hospital is situated at Langside in the south-east of Glasgow, providing a range of high quality health care services including Accident and Emergency, General Medicine , General...
, could tell that Scotland had scored.
The phrase Hampden Roar is also used as rhyming slang. People from Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
may ask, "What's the Hampden?", by which they mean "What is the score?" or "How are you?".
Structure and facilities
Hampden is an all-seated bowl stadium, although the ground is split into four geographic sections, officially known as the North, East, South and West Stands. Due to the dominance of the Old FirmOld Firm
The Old Firm is a common collective name for the association football clubs Celtic and Rangers, both based in Glasgow, Scotland.The origin of the term is unclear. One theory has it that the expression derives from Celtic's first game in 1888, which was played against Rangers. However, author,...
within Scottish football and their regular qualification for cup matches played at Hampden, the East and West stands are commonly known as the Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
and Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
ends. The East Stand has 12,800 seats on a single tier of 53 rows. The two end stands are up to 140 metres away from the pitch, due to Hampden retaining its bowl shape after it was redeveloped. This distance is almost as great as if Hampden included an athletics track, which it presently does not, although the distance between the pitch and the two side stands is more comparable to a normal football stadium.
The South Stand is the main stand of the stadium, as it holds the technical areas, dressing rooms, indoor warm-up area, executive boxes, lounges and media facilities. It has been sponsored by BT Scotland
BT Group
BT Group plc is a global telecommunications services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the largest telecommunications services companies in the world and has operations in more than 170 countries. Through its BT Global Services division it is a major supplier of...
since 1998. The South Stand is also the only part of the stadium split into two tiers, although there is also a small gallery above the North Stand that has 290 seats and access to lounges. The North Stand accommodates 9,100 spectators in 46 rows. The total capacity of the stadium is 52,063.
The redeveloped Hampden has held the top status with the various UEFA stadium categories, currently holding category four status. The Scottish Football Museum
Scottish Football Museum
The Scottish Football Museum is the Scottish Football Association's National Museum of football, located in Hampden Park in Glasgow.-The Museum:...
, which opened in 2001, is located within Hampden. Part of the museum is the Scottish Football Hall of Fame
Scottish Football Hall of Fame
The Scottish Football Hall of Fame is located at the Scottish Football Museum. Inductees are picked each year by fans and a committee selects the eight finalists who are inducted at an annual dinner....
. A distinctive feature of the old Hampden, the press box which sat on the roof of the old South Stand, is also exhibited at the museum. The offices of the Scottish Football Association
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...
, Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
and 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...
are all located within Hampden.
Lesser Hampden
Lesser Hampden
Lesser Hampden is a football stadium in Glasgow, Scotland, which is located immediately beside the western end of Hampden Park.In 1923, Queen's Park were looking for a venue for their other teams other than the main stadium. The club purchased a farm to the west of Hampden Park and built a pitch...
is a football stadium located immediately beside the western end of Hampden Park. The ground was constructed in the early 1920s after additional ground was purchased to expand the main stadium. Queen's Park
Queen's Park F.C.
Queen's Park Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland. The club are currently the only amateur club in the Scottish League; their amateur status is reflected by their motto, Ludere Causa Ludendi – to play for the sake of playing.Queen's Park are the oldest...
proposed in 1990 to sell off Lesser Hampden to fund redevelopment works on the main stadium, but this was rejected by planners. It is presently used by Queen's Park for training, reserve team
Reserve team
Large professional sports clubs often have far more players under contract than could possibly play in a match. As a result, many of these clubs create second teams composed of players who need playing time, but have little hope of playing on the first team. The players on this second team are...
matches and youth football.
Sports other than football
Hampden Park has held four full rugby unionRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
international matches. The first was in 1906, when the Scottish Rugby Union
Scottish Rugby Union
The Scottish Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Scotland. It is the second oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873, as the Scottish Football Union.-History:...
chose to play their match against the touring South Africans
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
at Hampden because no rugby ground could satisfy the demand to see the visitors. A crowd of over 30,000 saw Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
win 6–0. The redeveloped Hampden served as one of the 1999 Rugby World Cup
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
venues, over 90 years later. Scotland played Romania
Romania national rugby union team
The Romania national rugby union team , nicknamed The Oaks , is the representative side of Romania in rugby union. Long considered one of the stronger European teams outside the Six Nations, they have participated in all six Rugby World Cups, and currently compete in the first division of the...
in a friendly match before the tournament and South Africa played Uruguay
Uruguay national rugby union team
The Uruguay national rugby union team is the representative side of Uruguay, governed by the Unión de Rugby del Uruguay. They have been playing international rugby since 1948. Their jersey is blue and black and they are known as Los Teros. They qualified twice for the Rugby World Cup, in 1999 and...
in a tournament pool match. The only rugby union international played at Hampden since then was in November 2004, between Scotland and Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
.
| Date | Competition | Home team | Away team | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 November 1906 | 1906 Autumn International Series | 6 |  South AfricaSouth Africa national rugby union team The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental... |
0 | |
| 28 August 1999 | Friendly (Warmup match for 1999 Rugby World Cup 1999 Rugby World Cup The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland... ) |
60 | 19 | ||
| 15 October 1999 | 1999 Rugby World Cup 1999 Rugby World Cup The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland... (Pool 1) |
39 | 3 | ||
| 20 November 2004 | 2004 Autumn International Series | 17 | 31 |
Hampden hosted the Scottish Amateur Athletics Association championships during the 1920s and 1930s, with the original Meadowbank Stadium
Meadowbank Stadium
Meadowbank Stadium is a multi-purpose sports facility located at Meadowbank, in Edinburgh, Scotland. It hosted the Commonwealth Games of 1970 and 1986.-Layout:...
used as an alternative venue. Eric Liddell
Eric Liddell
Eric Henry Liddell was a Scottish athlete, rugby union international player, and missionary.Liddell was the winner of the men's 400 metres at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris...
won the 110, 220 and 440 yard dashes in the 1924 championship. His last competition in Britain was the 1925 championship, when he won the 220 yards race for a record fifth time. When Glasgow hosts the 2014 Commonwealth Games
2014 Commonwealth Games
The 20th Commonwealth Games in 2014 will be held in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. The winning city was announced by the Commonwealth Games Federation on 9 November 2007 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Games will run over 11 days of competition from 24 July to 3 August 2014...
, Hampden will be temporarily converted to stage the athletics events and the Closing Ceremony.
Suzanne Lenglen
Suzanne Lenglen
Suzanne Rachel Flore Lenglen was a French tennis player who won 31 Championship titles between 1914 and 1926...
, the French professional tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player, played an exhibition match against Vivian Dewhurst at Hampden in 1927. A crowd of 10,000 saw that match and another between male players Howard Kinsey
Howard Kinsey
Howard Kinsey was an American tennis player in the 1920s who won a number of championships...
and Karel Koželuh
Karel Koželuh
Karel Koželuh was a top Czech tennis, soccer, and ice hockey player of the 1920s and 1930s. Koželuh never played in the major tournaments of amateur tennis but was an all-around athlete at the very highest level....
.
During the Second World War, American armed forces based in Scotland played games of softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
at Hampden. American football returned to Hampden in 1998, when the NFL Europe
NFL Europe
NFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...
team Scottish Claymores
Scottish Claymores
The Scottish Claymores were an American football team from Scotland. The franchise played in the World League of American Football between 1995 and 2004, initially playing all home games at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh and latterly sharing home games with Hampden Park, Glasgow...
shared home games between Hampden and Murrayfield
Murrayfield Stadium
Murrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...
. World Bowl XI
World Bowl XI
World Bowl XI was NFL Europe's 2003 championship game. It was played at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland on June 14, 2003. The game was between the 6-4 Rhein Fire and the 6-4 Frankfurt Galaxy. The Fire was hoping to avenge last year's loss to Berlin, while the Galaxy was looking for their first...
was held at Hampden in 2003, but after the 2004 season the Claymores left Scotland to become the Hamburg Sea Devils
Hamburg Sea Devils
The Hamburg Sea Devils were an American football team that began play in NFL Europa from 2005 to 2007. They played their home games at Hamburg's AOL Arena . They played their first game on April 2, 2005 losing 24-23 to the Cologne Centurions...
.
Hampden was the home of the Glasgow Tigers
Glasgow Tigers (speedway)
The Glasgow Tigers are a motorcycle speedway team from Glasgow, Scotland. Formed in 1928, the club adopted the Tigers nickname in 1946 and compete in the British Premier League...
speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
team from 1969 until 1972. Poor crowds, escalating costs and the refusal of the city council to allow music to be played at events contributed to the team moving to Cliftonhill
Cliftonhill
Cliftonhill Stadium is the home ground of the Scottish Football League team Albion Rovers. The ground is situated in the town of Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire.-History:...
, in Coatbridge
Coatbridge
Coatbridge is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. The town, with neighbouring Airdrie, is part of the Greater Glasgow urban area. The first settlement of the area stretches back to the Stone Age era...
.
The redeveloped Hampden was the venue for a boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
card headlined by former world champion Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...
in June 2000. Tyson knocked down Lou Savarese
Lou Savarese
Lou Savarese is an Italian-American boxer, and a former professional boxer from Houston, Texas, United States.-Amateur career:...
after just 12 seconds of the fight, which the referee stopped after 38 seconds. The fight ended in farce as the referee, who had been attempting to separate the two fighters, was also knocked down by Tyson. The disappointed crowd booed Tyson out of the ring, while former fighters Jim Watt and Barry McGuigan
Barry McGuigan
Finbarr Patrick McGuigan MBE , known as Barry McGuigan and nicknamed The Clones Cyclone, is a former Irish and British professional boxer who became a world featherweight champion.-Background:...
criticised his actions. After the fight, Tyson claimed that he wanted to eat the children of world champion Lennox Lewis
Lennox Lewis
Lennox Claudius Lewis, CM, CBE is a retired boxer and the most recent British undisputed world heavyweight champion. He holds dual British and Canadian citizenship...
, which also drew criticism.
Uses other than sport
Paul YoungPaul Young (singer and guitarist)
Paul Antony Young is an English pop musician. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & The Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, his following solo success as a solo recording artist turned him into a 1980s teenage pop idol...
headlined the first concert at Hampden, in 1987. The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
played there in 1990, during their Urban Jungle Tour
Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour
The Rolling Stones' Steel Wheels Tour was a concert tour which was launched in North America in August 1989 to promote the band's album Steel Wheels; it continued to Japan in February 1990, with ten shows at the Tokyo Dome. The European leg of the tour, which featured a different stage and logo,...
. Since the redevelopment of Hampden was completed in 1999, many acts have performed there, including The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
, Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
, Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
, The Eagles, U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
, George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
, the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
, Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
, Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
, AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
, Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
and Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
. The damage caused to the Hampden pitch by a U2 concert in August 2009 forced a Queen's Park
Queen's Park F.C.
Queen's Park Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland. The club are currently the only amateur club in the Scottish League; their amateur status is reflected by their motto, Ludere Causa Ludendi – to play for the sake of playing.Queen's Park are the oldest...
league match to be postponed.
The 50th anniversary Conventicle of the Boys' Brigade
Boys' Brigade
For the 80s New Wave band from Canada, see Boys Brigade .The Boys' Brigade is an interdenominational Christian youth organisation, conceived by William Alexander Smith to combine drill and fun activities with Christian values...
, which had been founded in Glasgow by William Alexander Smith
William Alexander Smith (Boys' Brigade)
Sir William Alexander Smith , the founder of the Boys' Brigade, was born in Pennyland House, Thurso, Scotland. He was the eldest son of Major David Smith and his wife Harriet...
, was staged at Hampden in 1933. 130,000 people were inside the ground, while another 100,000 stood outside singing Psalms.
American evangelical Christian missionary Billy Graham
Billy Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
had an "All Scotland Crusade" during the spring of 1955. The major outdoor event of the tour was at Hampden, where a crowd of 100,000 heard him speak.
Records
The highest attendance recorded at Hampden for a football match was 149,415, for the 1937 British Home Championship1937 British Home Championship
The 1937 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1936–37 seasons. The trophy was won by Wales with Scotland coming second. This was the last Home Championship that Wales would win exclusively, all subsequent victories would be...
tie between Scotland and England. This is still a European record for an international match. The 1937 Scottish Cup Final between Celtic and Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
drew an official crowd of 147,365, a world record for a club match, with 20,000 more people locked outside. Hampden set world attendance records that year that were only surpassed by the Maracanã, and it still holds all the major European records. The European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
match between Celtic and Leeds United in 1970 was attended by 136,505, which is a UEFA competition record.
Since the redevelopment of Hampden was completed in 1999, the capacity for sporting events is now limited to 52,063. Attendances for concerts can be higher than this as people are allowed onto the pitch area. In 2009, more people attended concerts at Hampden than football matches. Hampden regularly has crowds of below 1,000 for Queen's Park
Queen's Park F.C.
Queen's Park Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland. The club are currently the only amateur club in the Scottish League; their amateur status is reflected by their motto, Ludere Causa Ludendi – to play for the sake of playing.Queen's Park are the oldest...
matches in the lower divisions 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...
. Queen's Park have not played in the top division of Scottish football since 1958.
Transport
The nearest railway stations are Mount FloridaMount Florida railway station
Mount Florida railway station is a staffed island platform station on the Cathcart Circle. It serves the Mount Florida and Battlefield areas of Glasgow...
and King's Park
King's Park railway station
King's Park railway station is a railway station serving the King's Park area of Glasgow. It is located on the Newton branch of the Cathcart Circle Line. Services are provided by First ScotRail on behalf of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport....
. Both stations are served by trains from Glasgow Central on the Cathcart Circle Lines
Cathcart Circle Lines
The Cathcart Circle Lines form a suburban railway route linking Glasgow to Cathcart via a circular line, with branches to Newton and Neilston. All of the routes serve Glasgow's southern suburbs, i.e. on the south bank of the River Clyde...
. First Glasgow
First Glasgow
First Glasgow is the largest bus company serving the Greater Glasgow area in, Scotland. It forms part of FirstGroup, a company operating transport services across the British Isles and in North America...
operate several bus routes in the area surrounding Hampden. There is a stadium car park immediately behind the south stand, but for major events this is only available to permit holders. Public car parking is provided by City Parking Glasgow on the Queens Park recreational ground and the Toryglen playing fields.