Scottish National Stadium
The Scottish National Stadium is a term often used in the press for a proposed new national sports stadium or Multi-purpose national stadium for Scotland.
Background
Concerns had been posed prior to 2014 among VisitScotland, while Scotland prepared to host the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup, that a lack of suitable venue could prevent Scotland hosting bigger international events in the future. Issues were also raised around the availability of the SSE Hydro and the Commonwealth Arena.[1] Concerns had been raised that Hampden Park may be increasingly unsuitable for the Scottish national football team for some time, with just 15% of fans wanting Scottish football to remain located there, along with the fact that the lease was coming up in 2020.[2][3] Similar complaints had also been levied at Murrayfield Stadium. With these issues factored in numerous calls emerged in the media for a new purpose built national stadium to be constructed.
Proposals
The main proposal centered around building a stadium which could host a greater number of people, and in a more accessible location. The suggested location was in the middle of the central belt, equidistant between Glasgow and Edinburgh and off the M8 motorway, for a north–south facing 60,000 seat stadium. Some commentators also proposed a retractable roof like the Millennium Stadium and improved conferencing facilities.[4] The stadium would be a hybrid, able to convert to host rugby, football, cricket, other sports, concerts and events. Paul Fletcher, a consultant for arena construction and commercial director of the Wembley project, also proposed the stadium be tiered, like Wembley Stadium, where the pitch is on a second or third level and commercial units are housed underneath, with, perhaps, a university on the floor above the pitch.[5] It was believed that the commercial aspects would help the stadium pay for itself.
Current Status
As of 2020 it had been announced that the Scottish FA would be remaining at Hampden Park.[6]
References
- "Does the jewel in Scotland's events future lie in a field off the M8?". EventsBase Magazine. 15 November 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
- "Scottish FA still to explore move away from Hampden Park". 10 June 2014 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- "Only 15% of Scotland fans want to remain at Hampden Park - survey". 13 December 2017.
- "Scotland: New national stadium between Glasgow and Edinburgh? – StadiumDB.com". stadiumdb.com.
- "Scotland should demolish and rebuild Hampden Park, says stadium expert". www.scotsman.com.
- Dingwall, Blair. "Hampden Park will remain the home of Scottish football".