| New Broomfield | |
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| Former names | Shyberry Excelsior Stadium |
|---|---|
| Location |  Airdrie |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: 55°51′35.09″N 3°57′35.11″W / 55.8597472°N 3.9597528°W |
| Opened | 1998 |
| Owner | North Lanarkshire Council |
| Operator | Airdrieonians Football Club |
| Surface | Grass |
| Capacity | 10,171 (all seated) |
| Field dimensions | 115 × 75 yds |
| Tenants | |
| Airdrie United F.C. Celtic F.C. Reserves |
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The Excelsior Stadium is the home of Airdrie United F.C. of the Scottish Football League First Division. It was built in 1998 to house Airdrieonians F.C., and when Airdrieonians went into liqudation four years later, Airdrie United took over the stadium.
The ground is named in honour of Broomfield Park, the former home of Airdrieonians.
When the stadium first opened it was officially titled Shyberry Excelsior Stadium ("Shyberry" being the company who sponsored the stadium when it first opened). Now, though, even the name Excelsior Stadium is rarely used by Airdrie United supporters as well as opposing fans and even the media as the stadium has instead come to be referred to as New Broomfield which is more palatable from an Airdrie perspective due to its association with the former home of Airdrieonians, Broomfield Park.
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History
Following the sale of Airdrieonians' home ground (Broomfield Park) to large supermarket chain Safeway in 1994, the club searched for several years for a suitable site, and planning permission for, a new home. The motive for the move was to build a stadium that would allow the club entry to Scottish Premier League (Clubs were required to have a stadium with a seating capacity of at least ten thousand). The building work on Excelsior Stadium was eventually completed in 1998, and Airdrieonians played here until the club went out of business due to heavy debts in May 2002. This left an opening in the Scottish League, which was filled by UniBond League side Gretna
To attain a position in the league, the Airdrie United owner, Jim Ballatyne, bought out the ailing Clydebank, and changed their name and strip and relocated the side to Airdrie.
Records and facts
The record attendance at New Broomfield was that of the Challenge Cup Final between Hamilton Academical and St. Mirren which took place on the 6th of November, 2005. 9,612 spectators attended the game, which St. Mirren won 2–1.
The highest attendance for an Airdrieonians match was 8,762 and this was set when Airdrie played against Celtic in a Scottish League Cup match on August 1998. The highest attendance for an Airdrie United game was 5,924 and this was set during the Scottish Cup third round tie against local rivals Motherwell on January 2007.
Excelsior Stadium is the highest altitude stadium in Scotland, at 408 feet above sea level.
Facilities
The ground seats 10,171 and, as well as Airdrie United home games, has also played host to Scottish Challenge Cup finals, as well as Scotland Under-21 fixtures, Old Firm reserve matches and in August 2008 it played host to Queen of the South's UEFA Cup 2nd qualifying round 1st leg against Nordsjælland. The stadium also hosted Motherwell's Europa League 1st qualifying round 1st leg against Llanelli and their 2nd qualifying round 2nd leg against Flamurtari in July 2009.
In addition to the executive match-viewing boxes that look onto the pitch, the stadium boasts conference and banqueting facilities, with six separate spaces and The Mercedes Sports bar being situated within the Jack Dalziel Stand.
Disabled facilities are also provided in the North, East and South Stands.
The club have recently announced ambitious plans to install 9 five-a-side football pitches right next to the stadium on the North stand side, as well as converting the stadium pitch to meet FIFA standards. The stadium could also host concerts in the future.
Officials
- Stadium Director
- Alistair Cameron
- Commercial Manager
- Morna Watkins
See also
External links
- Excelsior Stadium official website
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Airdrie United F.C.
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Airdrieonians F.C.
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
