East End Park is a soccer stadium in Dunfermline , Fife , Scotland . Home football matches Dunfermline Athletic holds home games here.
| East End Park | |
|---|---|
Eastendpark.jpg UEFA | |
| Location | Dunfermline , Scotland |
| Built | 1885 |
| Open | 1885 |
| Owner | |
| Capacity | 11 904 |
| Home team | Dunfermline Athletic |
The stadium consists of 4 stands. The total capacity of 11,904 seats for spectators.
History
East End Park was first involved in 1885, the year the local football club was founded. Initially, the stadium was located a little to the west. In 1920, the board of directors acquired 12,000 square meters of land from North British Railway for £ 3,500, after which a wooden podium with a roof and a pavilion on the south side was built on the new territory. In 1926, when the club entered the first division, the capacity was increased to 16,000. In the early 1930s, there were dog races on the East End Park, which helped the football club stay afloat during the Great Depression. In 1934, a roof was erected over the northern stand, and a year later the eastern stand was reinforced with materials from the disassembled Mauritania passenger liner.
During World War II, units of the Polish and British armies were based at East End Park. For this, the club was paid compensation in the amount of 329 pounds, but the lawn was seriously damaged.
The stadium was seriously reconstructed from 1957 to 1970, when the club qualified for Euro cups several times. So in 1962 a two-tier Main stand was built, a roof was built over the western and northern sections.
The attendance record at the stadium was recorded at the Dunfermline Athletic vs Celtic home match on April 30, 1968. 27 816 spectators gathered for the game, there were not enough seats in the stands and the fans were on the roof and pylons of searchlights, as a result one person broke and died after the fall.
In the late 1990s, all seats on East End Park were equipped with seats. The capacity of the stadium was 12 509 seats, but later it was reduced to 11 904. In 2003, the lawn in the stadium was replaced with artificial, but after 2 years it was again replaced with natural. In November 2011, the closure of the North Stand was announced to reduce operating costs. However, in July 2012, the club announced plans to reopen it.