[Stevens]

Scotland can't afford, justify or need Hampden Park.

We need the resources on proper youth development not on a stupid stadium (to tackle obesety in Scoland and ocupy constructivly idol ypouth to prevent them committing crime/anti-social behaviour).

Another Murray Prk but this time in Edinburgh please.

Allegedlly if Medowbank Stadium is sold for proper value that could raise £40 MILLION THAT could go towards youth development.

Most stadium are a waste of time money and space (empty most the week).

Ground share, stupid!

[Stevens]

How about a caopy of the Gelredome in Scotland instead of Hampden Park.

Yes it onlly has 30,000 all-seated capacity buit at least it can protect events and people from Scotland's cold weather.

what do you think?

[Joe]

Scotland need a larger national stadium than 30,000 people - we are passionate about our football!

The Scotland matches should be shared between Celtic, Rangers and Murrayfield. In fact I would go as far as saying that both Celtic and Rangers should share grounds, that would also apply to Hearts/Hibs & Dundee Utd/Dundee.

Lose the attitude and have a better team!

[squid]

i would still like a proper hampden. Ive never been against the stadium, im just really dissapointed at what they have done to it. And the state that they have left it makes it surplus to requirements really. i agree that if there is any money availible then we needc to spend on issues like deveolping youth football. Its a shame because i remember hampden before they f***ed it up and it was great atmosphere.

The fact is we have much more suitable stadia in Scotland now and we should probably utilise it.

[Stevens]

What made the Old Hampden Park Stadium special was it huge capacity of 100,000 plus (despite very few people under cover) so if you are replacing it them what about selling Meadowbank Stadium for what it is at least worth £40 million then selling the land Hampden Park sites on for at least £12.5 million which is what it allegedlly is worth and you could build a 74,000 all-seated copy the OAKA stadium in Athens Greece on a new site , total, cost £55 million, but minus the roof and with an athletics track and jump pit around the pitch.
This should better meet capacity for matches.
PS A national stadium should be for more than one sport.

What do you think?

[aisuru]

Originally Posted by Stevens

What do you think?

i think they should come up with a new design rather than copying the Greeks. also, i think they should leave out the running track.

[goldenHuddlestone]

running tracks ruin grounds

[Stevens]

Why should the stadium be restricted to football?

Atheltics has as much right to use the stadium as any other sport.

Also it could built and used for the Athletics if Glasgow stages the Commonwealth Games (say in 2014).


Not every body likes just football and the athletics track around the pitch I am sure did no spoil Liverpool fans enjoyment of Liverpool's 2005 Champions League Final win against AC Milan in the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.

[aisuru]

there's the Kelvin Hall or Scotstoun for athletics. Hampden is primarily a football ground, and as such shouldn't be hindered by the inclusion of an athletics facility that's only used once on a blue moon.

[squid]

we're not a rich nation and we really shouldnt expect any financial help from this Government. Certainly selling un-used grounds would help. But one thing has to remembered; the SFA dont think there is anything wrong with hampden. Infact i dont think i have seen it discussed in any other public forum than this one in years. Does anyone else think that the nations supporters have just accepted that Hampden is all we are getting?

[Stevens]

Hampden Park
Jim Farry's, old mentor, and former Boss, Ernie Walker, could prove a forceful adversary. The former SFA secratory originally favoured upgrading Hampden but later changed his mind. 'You can't knock down Mount Florida to accomodate car parks,' hea reasoned. According to Walker a stadium that can seat 50,000 people needs parking facilities for more than 15,000 cars and buses in the immediate vicinity. 'Can you think of a place in Glasgow that could provide that kind of space?' he demanded.
Hampden, in it's refurbished state, will provide a good, modern stadium with cover over all of the seats and all the facilities people need, Walker stressed. 'My problem concenrs it's long-term future. You don't build a stadium for next year. You build it for the next centuary as the visionaries did at Hampden almost 100 years ago.'
Walker's dream stadium would be located between Glasgow and Edinburgh, ideally at Strathclyde Park. There would be a retractble roof and and the playing surface would be covered with a solid, rigid floor, to be utilised for other purposes, betwen matches.
'You can build a 30,000 seater, roofed and floored, for £50 million at 1993 prices,' said walker. 'I think you could build a 60,000-seater which would meet everybody's needs for £100 million.'
The man responsible or stadium standards throughout Europe foresees a time when all top-class football will be played on plastic that looks, fells and smells like grass. 'Million of pounds are spent on te World Cup Final. It attracts television viewers world-wide. But the whole event can be reduced to a shambles by nature. That isn't substainable, really said Walker.


Source the book: "The Hampden Story"
Pages: 218, 219.

[aisuru]

that's all very interesting Stevens, but what point are you trying to get across with it?

[Stevens]

The point I am tying to make is that it should wbe worked out what type of stadium we want to build before we build the stadium so that we do not build a stadium and later regret what is built but unable to do anything about it because the limited budget has been spent.

A bit like what happened with Hampden Park Stadium (which most people think would have been better if we had properly planned out what we wanted to have built rather than thinking about what we really wanted after the stadium was built by whch time there is little that can be done to alter theas the blimited budget had been sent).

It is likely that any budget for a new "national" stadium would be £50 million (£40 million from selling Meadowbank stadium), £5 million from sponsorship and £5 million from debentures.
This buys either a
(a) 30,000 all-seated stadium with a retactble roof and retractable pitch but no athletics track or jump pit (like the Gelredome) or
(b) 74,000 all-seated with no roof but with an athletics track and jump pit around the pitch (like the Syrois Louis).
Which Stadium out of (a) and (b) is it best to build as a new "proper" national stadium for Scotland and why.

PS Share Murrayfield problem solved.
There is nothing wrong with Rugby Union and soccer using the same stadium.

[Stevens]

if you think Hmapden Park should be permanetly closed, legally and politely contact the Scottish Football Asooscition and MSP's to get it permanetly closed down.

Scotland is better off without Hampden Park as we have the better Murrayfield to use insted.
what do you think?

thanks

[squid]

I think a lot of people have a connection to hampden. right now its not great but i would like hampden to be brought upto date. however I, unlike a lot of people in the south, wouldnt prioritise the grandure of the national stadium instead of government and lottery money being spent on more worthwhile projects.

Its a classic catch 22. I would like Hampden to be a stadium to be proud of with a capacity that suits the scottish passion for football. However i understand that a lot of money has already been wasted on hampden and if we have other stadia then we should use that.

[goldenHuddlestone]

Its really too late to do much about it now.

[Stevens]

Just use Celtic Park, Ibrox and the other suitable club grounds around Scotland instead of Hampden Park Stadium (which should be closed down permanetly to save on running cost) just like we did when we qualified for France 98.

[aisuru]

the decision is ultimately down to Queen's Park, since they're the owners.

[Stevens]

It up to the SFA where Scotland National team matches are played so it their fault that scotland play most of it games at Hampden Park instead of around Scotland!

[aisuru]

Originally Posted by Stevens

Hampden Park ... should be closed down permanetly to save on running cost

that's what i was referring to, it's Queen's Park's park, they decide on closing it and nobody else.

[Stevens]

"People are talking about the need for a antional stadium, Why? he asks.
"Internationals could be played at Ibrox, Pittodrie and Celtic Park.
Some other countries don't have a national stadium and there is no necessity for us to spend money on one, especially when we are talking about money which should be given to the development of youth football".
Walter Smith 1992

[Stevens]

Scottish football/sport could have made beter use of £50 million by spending it on youth development instead of an unneeded National stadium in Hampden Park.

[Stevens]

Hampden Park during the 2012 Olympics it will host games during the early stages of the Olympic football tournament. Plans are afoot to increase capacity to around 70,000 by 2012.

anybody comfirm if all of this is true or not?