Parkhead Ground

From brickyard to Paradise: where over 83,000 packed in for a New Year's Day Old Firm derby in 1938.

Celtic Park, affectionately known as 'Parkhead' or 'Paradise', stands in the Parkhead area of Glasgow as the home of Scottish Premiership team Celtic. With a capacity of 60,411, it is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the eighth-largest in the United Kingdom. The current site has hosted some of the game's most significant moments since opening in 1892, though the club was formed in 1887 and played at an original ground nearby until moving due to a massive rent increase. From hosting the 2014 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony to being the stage for record attendances during Old Firm derbies, the stadium has evolved from an oval-shaped venue with vast terracing into a modern all-seater arena following a phased rebuild completed in August 1998.

Quick Facts

Location: Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland
Opened: 20 August 1892 (Current site)
Capacity: 60,411
Famous nickname: Paradise

Lore & Background

The story of this ground begins with a journalist's description upon the club's move from their original site in 1892. The new stadium was built in a disused brickyard at Janefield Street, where Michael Davitt laid turf transported from County Donegal and planted shamrocks, reciting that it would 'take root and flourish'. A journalist wrote that the move was like 'leaving the graveyard to enter paradise', cementing the nickname. The new ground opened on 20 August 1892 with a friendly against Renton.

It quickly established itself as a premier venue; by 1894, it hosted an attendance of 45,107 for Scotland v England and was described in the Athletic News as the best ground in Britain at the time. However, tragedy struck in May 1904 when fire destroyed the north grandstand, followed by the total loss of the old pavilion in March 1929. The club played at Shawfield Stadium for the remainder of the 1928–29 season and into the 1929–30 season until the new pavilion was rebuilt.

A famous Old Firm derby on 1 January 1938 drew approximately 83,500 spectators, though the all-time Scottish football attendance record of 149,415 was set at Hampden Park in 1937.

Reader's Guide

Visiting Celtic Park means entering a venue with a capacity of 60,411 that replaced an elongated oval shape featuring vast terracing. The current structure is the result of work completed in August 1998, replacing the old terraces that had been covered and fitted with floodlights between 1957 and 1971. Historically, the stadium featured a running track and concrete cycling track around the periphery, constructed when it was built as an oval shape similar to Hampden Park.

The 'Jungle' terrace was concreted in 1966, while the western 'Celtic End' received its first roof in 1957. Floodlights were installed in 1959 and first used on 12 October against Wolves. For those interested in unique history, note that Celtic built the first-ever press box at a football stadium in Britain in 1894, located high up on the main stand. The ground has also served as an alternative venue for Scotland internationals and cup finals when Hampden Park was unavailable.

Did You Know?

The first turf at the new 1892 site was transported from County Donegal and planted with shamrocks by Irish patriot Michael Davitt.
Celtic Park hosted the opening ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games and concerts by U2.
In 1897, Celtic purchased the current stadium site for £50,000 after it was initially rented.
An experimental floodlit football game was played on Christmas Day 1893 but failed because the ball repeatedly struck the lamps hung over the pitch.