‘Scottish football stadiums need urgent renewal’

During the announcement of the fixture schedule for the upcoming season by the SPFL last month it was also announced that Scottish professional football clubs enjoyed record attendance and viewing interest. Even so, many Scottish top level and lower level clubs provide fans with crumbling and outdated 19th century venues. Many Scottish football stadiums need urgent renewal.

Anyone that has visited Scottish football stadiums outside of Glasgow or Edinburgh will have noticed the decaying and old infrastructure many clubs provide. Uncomfortable seating, broken windows, dark narrow alleys, moss and plant growth throughout, few or no parking spaces, outdated signage, and poor wifi are just a few of the headaches fans face. One can only imagine what it must be like for players and staff to visit places like Somerset Park, Stark’s Park or Dens Park. Perhaps it’s even a reason why some talented players prefer to play their game abroad altogether.

The poor quality of many of the Scottish football stadiums is not just an inconvenience, it hinders growth and ultimately the success of Scottish football clubs. Without modern VIP sky boxes, (digital) advertisement opportunities, quality seating arrangements, modern prep and press facilities, a club is losing out on significant income generation. Moreover, fans are far more likely to enjoy a day out at a modern venue with all the comforts of fast free wifi, a cosy seat, a nice cafe with quality drinks and food, and perhaps some merch and convenience shops around. Nowadays, I actually go alone and avoid taking my family to old grounds like Stark’s Park altogether, to not let my family go through the embarrassing experience. However, I would happily take them to more modernised and comfortable venues like Celtic Park.

Sentimentality about the history of old 19th century venues will play a role for many fan bases. But this should not form an obstacle for renewal efforts. Many clubs have faced the same issue and have eventually embraced modernisation. When Ajax proposed a new stadium in the 1990s most fans rejected the plan entirely and favored the club’s historic ground. However, the club went ahead with their plans to build a modern stadium that is ready for the 21st centry. Several decades later every Ajax fan embraces the Johan Cruijff Arena as the club’s home ground. Besides, a ground does not necessarily have to be entirely demolished, but significant upgrades can sometimes make a big difference already. Celtic Park is a great example of an old stadium ground that got significant improvements through the decades to modernise it. Just like an old home, if a venue never gets renewed or modernised at all then an extra layer of paint is not enough, and a more costly new stadium becomes ultimately necessary. The state of decay is such that many clubs in Scotland will likely have to opt for wide scale demolition and renewal to provide 21st century comfort and experiences. It is hard to see how places like Somerset Park, Stark’s Park or Dens Park can be modernised with just a few tweaks or upgrades.

Large sums of money are obviously necessary in getting wide scale renewal done to Scottish football stadiums. But it must not be forgotten that these are investments that ultimately pay themselves back over long periods of time. No change can be expected overnight, but even a plan to work towards a new venue over a period of decades is better than to let 19th century venues rot and decay into nothing. To be a professional football club starts with having the conditions to be a professional football club, and to have a plan or a long term vision to become the best off and on the pitch. It’s hard to imagine for me how a club like Raith Rovers did not realize in the 1990s, when it grabbed the League Cup and played in the UEFA Cup, that they didn’t start planning a new venue. Stark’s Park was already severely outdated back then, and with significant cash coming in you would imagine a plan could be envisioned to modernise the club’s stadium and infrastructure at some point. Instead, not much has changed to the club’s venue 30 years on and the club currently plays in the Championship (although coming very close to promotion during last season’s play-offs).

Scotland’s football infrastructure challenges are far from unique. In Europe there are numerous countries that enjoy similar attendance and viewership as Scotland and who faced the same infrastructure challenges at some point. However, in countries like Portugal, Norway, or the Netherlands, top level and most lower league venues were ultimately upgraded and modernised at some point. It is hard to think of a similar sized country in Western Europe with similar attendance and viewership that has worse venues than found in Scotland. It’s extra difficult to understand why there is such a lack of investment and vision to develop modern football infrastructure when taking into account there is a much longer football history compared to elsewhere in Western Europe.

It’s time for an era of wide scale demolition, modernisation and renewal of Scottish football stadiums. Not just because so many grounds are outdated, but also to allow clubs to grow and to provide the football experience that Scottish fans, players and staff deserve. Football is at the heart of Scottish communities and forms the pride of towns and cities. The Scottish football stadiums and infrastructure surrounding a club should reflect the importance it has to people. Clubs, councils and other stakeholders have to start thinking long term and begin saving and planning to renew football infrastructure in the years to come. By working towards renewal, it can eventually come. The need for renewal can even be used as an opportunity to boost towns and cities starved of investment, get greater attendance, grow sponsorship, and attract more talented players that want to play their football in Scotland. And ultimately it will result in greater successes on the pitch and unforgettable experiences for fans. Action is needed soon. Letting dozens of old venues decay further until they collapse is simply not an option. It all starts with a will and a vision for change.