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Excelsior Stadium
(Airdrieonians)
Address: Craigneuk Avenue,
Airdrie,
North Lanarkshire,
Scotland,
ML6 8QZ
Capacity: 10,101 (All-Seater)
Image Source: https://www.soccerbible.com/media/29087/excelsior-stadium-airdrie-fc_0019_airdrioniansfc_excelsior-stadium-29.jpg
Major faults in this place cannot be found.
The Excelsior Stadium opened in 1998, becoming the new home of Airdrieonians Football Club who dated back to 1878. The Excelsior name refers to the original name of Airdrieonians from when they were founded. It is also otherwise known as New Broomfield after their former Broomfield Park home.
Broomfield Park was sold to a supermarket chain in 1994, leaving Airdrieonians in search of a suitable site for a new stadium and one that would meet requirements for top level Scottish clubs. The Diamonds had only recently been relegated from the top flight and wanted a stadium that would meet the required Premier Division standards, namely being all-seater with a minimum capacity of 10,000. Airdrieonians would base themselves as Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld whilst their new home was built.
Four years after leaving Broomfield Park, Airdrieonians moved into the newly opened Excelsior Stadium. The damage had already been done however. Large debts from construction costs, as well as lower attendances from the years spent away from Airdrie, forced Airdrieonians to declare bankruptcy in 2002. Within the same year, businessman Jim Ballantyne would by the struggling Clydebank Football Club and re-design them, changing the kit and moved the club to Excelsior Stadium under the name Airdrie United Football Club. Ballantyne would become the chairman of the club up until the late 2010s, and oversaw Airdrie United changing its name back to the traditional Airdrieonians Football Club in 2013. The Diamonds have remained at Excelsior Stadium since forming.
It’s not just Airdrieonians who have called Excelsior Stadium home though. It’s UEFA-standard design and facilities meant that both Queen of the South and Motherwell have used the stadium for past European campaigns. Whilst Hampden Park was being converted for the Commonwealth Games, Queen’s Park would be based here during the 2013-14 season. Glasgow City Football Club and Motherwell Football Club Women both separately used the stadium between 2014 and 2021.
Excelsior Stadium is now shared with Glasgow University Football Club, since the team joined the West of Scotland League in 2020. Since 2021, it has in turn been used for home games by Celtic Football Club Women, and Celtic B, the lower league reserve team of Celtic Football Club.
Sponsorship names of Excelsior Stadium include The Shyberry Excelsior Stadium and The Penny Cars Stadium (2018-2022).
Location and Getting There
Excelsior Stadium is located in an opening between housing estates, around 0.5 miles south of the centre of Airdrie. Craigneuk Park is immediately north of the stadium, with Mull Park a short distance away to the south.
Coming to Excelsior Stadium by car is certainly possible. The stadium’s immediate vicinity includes two main car parks to the east and west that are fairly priced on matchdays. There are separate entrances to these car parks for home and away supporters which are clearly marked. If you do not want to pay for parking however, you should find luck heading east to the nearby residential estate and looking for free, legal street parking there.
Excelsior Stadium has two train stations close by, both of which are part of a ScotRail service which runs between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The closer of the two stations is Drumgelloch, around one mile away to the northeast. Walking from here to the stadium takes around 20 minutes. Exit through the station car park and onto Old Bore Road. Immediately turn left onto Clarkston Drive and follow the road to a crossroads, turning left here onto Crowwood Drive. Follow the road south from here until you come to Bankhead Avenue, turning right and following this road down to Willow Drive on your right. Willow Road will bring you round to National Cycle Route 75 on your left, and following this route southwest will bring you all the way to the northern end of Excelsior Stadium.
Airdrie Train Station is a little over one mile away to the northwest, and walking from here takes between 20 and 25 minutes. Exit the station to the south and head onto Cairnhill Road (B802). Follow this road south before turning left onto Hogg Street, continuing along here till you reach a roundabout. Take the southern exit on your right that leads down Gartlea Road and following this route round to the left where it merges with Gartleahill. Head across Burn’s Crescent and onto South Biggar Road. After briefly merging with Carlisle Road, you will turn left onto National Cycle Route 75 which leads round to the northern end of Excelsior Stadium.
The northern end of Excelsior Stadium in turn has bus stops nearby. Stops on Carlisle Road and Howletnest Road are part of the 201 service which goes between Airdrie and Hairmyres in East Kilbride.
Outside the Ground
The Excelsior Stadium site is fenced off and only accessible at a limited number of points. Along its northern side are two access points from off the National Cycle Route. Entering through these will bring you first to the stadium’s North Stand.
The exterior consists of a concrete base with light-grey-coloured corrugated iron higher up alongside red trim and occasional advertising boards.
Red exit gates are at either end of the stand, with the North Stand turnstiles (9-12) based in the centre of the exterior.
The space immediately outside of the North Stand forms a car park.
Continuing round in a clockwise direction brings you to the East Stand, connected to the North Stand by an angled concrete wall.
The East Stand mirrors the design of the adjacent North Stand, consisting of a concrete base with light-grey-coloured corrugated iron higher up with red trim.
Red exit gates are in place towards either end of the stand, with the two sets of East Stand Turnstiles (13-18) located in the centre.
Outside of the East Stand are three 3G 5 five-a-side pitches.
The South Stand, connected to the East Stand by a concrete wall, can be accessed via black gates off Petersburn Road (B8058). These gates are away from the southeast corner of the stadium and at the start of a good-sized car park.
The exterior continues the design of the North and East Stands, consisting of a concrete base with light grey corrugated iron higher up alongside red trim.
Red exit doors are in place towards either end of the stand, with the turnstiles (19-22) located in the centre of the exterior.
Five 3G five-a-side pitches are in place outside of the South Stand, with Petersburn Road on higher ground up behind them.
The West Stand, connected to the South Stand by a concrete wall, is the Main Stand at Excelsior Stadium. It is named after former Airdrieonians chairman Jack Dalziel.
The stadium’s largest stand uses a brickwork base with light grey corrugated iron higher up. In addition are four towers protruding out of the stand, and a brick and glass façade in the very centre. This façade includes the Main Entrance with the Main Ticket Office and Airdrieonians Club Shop to its left.
Turnstiles into the Jack Dalziel Stand (1-8) are located further out to the sides, between each of the four protruding towers.
The main car park is immediately outside of the Jack Dalziel Stand.
The Jack Dalziel Stand and adjacent North Stand are connected by a concrete wall. There is a decent-sized car park out beyond this northwest wall that is accessed from off National Cycle Route 75.
Inside the Ground
The North Stand consists of a single tier of seating. The bottom rows are coloured black, the middle rows are coloured red and the top rows are coloured white.
With no supporting pillars coming down from the roof, your view of the pitch from anywhere inside the North Stand is perfectly clear.
Large windshields are in place at either end which cover all but the very front seating rows.
The East Stand mirrors the design of the adjacent North Stand but is longer in length. It consists of a single tier of seating with the bottom rows coloured black, the middle rows coloured red and the top rows coloured white.
With no supporting pillars coming down from the roof, your view of the pitch from anywhere inside the East Stand is perfectly clear.
Large windshields are in place at either end which cover all but the very front seating rows.
The South Stand is a carbon copy of the North Stand opposite. It consists of a single tier of seating with the bottom rows coloured black, the middle rows coloured red and the top rows coloured white.
With no supporting pillars coming down from the roof, your view of the pitch from anywhere inside the South Stand is perfectly clear.
Large windshields are in place at either end which cover all but the very front seating rows.
The Jack Dalziel Stand is large single tier of seating. The majority of the seats in here are coloured red, though there are exceptions. The central three blocks have the letters AFC spelt out in black along the top, and the centremost seating blocks also in turn as pink executive seating right up at the back. The outermost seating blocks each have a diamond made out of white seating within them, a reference to the Airdrieonians’ nickname. A row of executive boxes sit behind the seating area, with the dugouts down the front, the tunnel in between them, and the changing rooms located inside.
With no supporting pillars coming down from the roof, your view of the pitch from anywhere inside the Jack Dalziel Stand is perfectly clear.
Large windshields are in place at either end which cover all but the very front seating rows.
Away Fans
Away fans are typically based on the long side of the pitch in the East Stand, a fully covered all-seater stand with clear views from anywhere inside.
Smaller away crowds at low attendance games have been known to be kept in a couple of blocks of the Main Stand to the west, which likewise provides clear views of the pitch from anywhere inside. When the Old Firm of Celtic or Rangers visit, Excelsior Stadium has been known to have its North, East and South Stands given to visiting fans, with only the Main Stand given to home supporters.
Matchday Pubs
Pubs available to supporters on a matchday include:
-The Albert Bar (66 Clark Street, ML6 6DH) (Typically Home and Away Supporters) (Located east of Airdrie Train Station)
-The Broomknowe Bar Airdrie (6 Broomknoll Street, ML6 6BN) (Typically Home and Away Supporters) (Located near Airdrie Train Station)
-The Four Isles (Varnsdorf Way, ML6 8EQ) (Typically Home and Away Supporters) (Located east of Excelsior Stadium)
-The Supporters Bar In The Jack Dalziel Stand (Typically Home Supporters)
Overview
Airdrieonians’ top-flight standard football stadium is simple but effective. Its consistent design can appear generic but is done with the purpose of providing the quality of view that modern stadiums demand.
It’s high-quality facilities have led to it being a temporary ground for many teams over the years in both domestic and European competition.
The simple truth, there’s no major faults in this place. It’s exactly what you want a modern football stadium to be.
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