Key information about Celtic Park
Celtic Park was opened in 1892 and has been the home of Celtic FC ever since then. The ground is located in the Parkhead area of Glasgow and is also one of the biggest football stadiums in Europe.
Its current maximum capacity stands at 60,832 and it has a pitch that measures 125m by 80m. The surface is covered with natural grass and has undersoil heating installed while there is no running track surrounding it.
The record attendance at Celtic Park was set on 1 January 1938 when 83,500 people watched the derby between Celtic and Glasgow Rangers.
A history of Celtic Park
Needless to say, Celtic Park has an incredibly rich history behind it. The original ground was built in 1888, shortly after the club was formed. Interestingly, the whole stadium was erected in about six months thanks to some voluntary work that helped speed the process up. But in 1892, they decided to move away into a different stadium following a dispute over rent.
Interestingly, their new safe haven would be located just around 200 yards away from the first one and would also be called Celtic Park. That one was officially opened on 13 August 1892 with the first game following seven days later, on 20 August, as Celtic hosted and beat Renton in a thrilling 4-3 contest.
Unsurprisingly, the stadium was a huge hit and the attendance was soaring. Celtic bought the site for £100,000 in 1897 and became its sole owners. And it was only upwards ever since. Well, for the most part. The original capacity with the initial terracing was around 40,000 and interestingly, at first, it had a running track along with a concrete cycling track installed. In 1894, Celtic also became the first team in Britain to install a press box.
Four years later, Celtic Park would also get a new grandstand which became the first-ever double-decker stand at a football ground, lifting the capacity to over 50,000. In 1904, however, a big fire destroyed the wooden Janefield Street Stand, which got replaced by a new covered terrace, called the Hayshed. But that was also not the end of their misfortune as some years down the line, in 1927, the new double-decker stand also burned down, and was ultimately replaced by a new Main Stand designed by Archibald Leitch in 1929.
Redevelopment slowed down in the following decades with some minor improvements here and there. In the late 1960s, however, the Rangers End received cover after the same was done for the Celtic End and the Hayshed, and shortly after that, the Main Stand was also improved, including a brand new roof. But the capacity had to be reduced to 60,000 for safety reasons following the disaster that happened at Ibrox.
The next installment of improvements would also have to wait until the 1994’s Fergus McCann take-over. This was the beginning of huge redevelopment projects and since both sides of the Jungle – the name the Hayshed terrace was given – had to be demolished, Celtic were forced to play their games at Hampden Park instead.
Celtic Park reopened in 1995 with a brand new North Stand and the final works on both ends of the ground were completed in August 1998. The improvements in the 1990s also saw all three stands that were not designed by Leitch being rebuilt to boost capacity over 60,000 once more, only this time, they would be all-seaters.
Tickets to watch Celtic FC at Celtic Park
All tickets to watch Celtic FC play at Celtic Park can be found on the club’s official website. The prices will vary depending on the event, age group of the buyer and the stand you choose to be seated in but an average adult ticket will cost you about £27 to £31.
Celtic FC also offer season tickets for their fans but naturally, there is a waiting list while an adult season ticket can be found from £510.
Related links
http://www.celticfc.net/mainindex – Official website of Celtic FC