You may or may not have noticed the dark clouds covering the skies in recent blog posts whilst up in Scotland. It’s safe to say my luck ran out in Falkirk.
Almost as soon as I pulled into the stadium car park the heavens opened with such force that it bordered farcical. It meant that rather than the usual leisurely meander around, I did the quickest of laps so that I could return to the sanctuary of shelter.
Someone at the club had offered me a tour of the ground, but a combination of my phone struggling to work in the constant downpour as well as wanting to get away means I couldn’t take them up on their hospitality.
The ground itself is remarkably impressive though. Opened in 2004 its Main Stand dominates the skyline although it’s weird to think that it was the only stand when the stadium was originally built.
That then became two stands which later turned to three but, weirdly, the club seem to have stopped there. There has on occasion been a temporary fourth stand and while I’m sure there’s little demand for that much capacity, it’s a shame the stadium doesn’t cover the pitch.
Indeed, it seems to have been a trait of Scottish football at all levels that there doesn’t seem to be too much of an issue just leaving a side of the pitch completely empty. Stenhousemuir were the same last week and if you cast your minds back to Gretna’s Raydale Park that was exactly the same.
So in short, I quite enjoyed it. There’s plenty of vantage points for those wanting to peak inside, and the Main Stand is genuinely very impressive. There are negatives such as the lack of a fourth stand, and the dreaded artificial pitch, but otherwise it’s a thumbs up from me.
———-
Football Grounds I Can Be Bothered To Visit 