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East End Park
(Dunfermline Athletic)
Address: Halbeath Road,
Dunfermline,
Fife,
Scotland,
KY12 7RB
Capacity: 11,480 (All-Seater)
A ground that over more than a century has grown into a nice, practical football stadium.
Dating back to 1885, it has been the home ever since of Dunfermline Athletic Football Club who were formed that same year.
The original ground was situated slightly to the west of where it currently sits, but that changed in 1920 when Dunfermline’s board purchased three acres of land from the North British Railway company. East End Park was moved to its current position after this.
The Great Depression and relegation from the Scottish top flight forced East End Park to host greyhound racing during the early 1930s. The rent from these events helped keep Dunfermline Athletic afloat, but the dog racing track cut across the corners of the football pitch at the time. Racing here lasted until 1951.
Crush barriers were eventually installed at East End Park in 1951 after a crowd of 20,000 attended a game there. Further renovations occurred in the years following under the ground was converted to an all-seater stadium in the 1990s. Capacity at the time was 12,509 but has since been reduced.
An artificial pitch was installed at the ground in 2003 as part of a UEFA experiment, but would be gone within two seasons after concerns from opposing players and managers around injury.
Location and Getting There
East End Park is located off Halbeath Road (A907), a little under one mile east of Dunfermline Town Centre. The Dunfermline Cemetery is a short distance away to the north, Rex Park is around 0.6 miles away to the south, and Dunfermline Public Park is around 0.4 miles away to the southwest.
Coming to East End Park by car is certainly possible.
There is a car park outside the ground’s East Stand which costs £1 per vehicle to park at.
With plenty of residential streets directly to the south however, it should not be too difficult to find free street parking within close range. Ensure that you are legally allowed to park where you find though and do not block the drives of any residents.
There are two train stations within similar distance of East End Park. These are Dunfermline Town to the southwest and Dunfermline Queen Margaret to the east which are both part of a ScotRail line that runs from Edinburgh Waverley to Dunfermline.
Dunfermline Town is near to the Town Centre and the walk from here to the football ground takes between 15 and 20 minutes.
The route leaves the station car park and heads northeast through Dunfermline Public Park, exiting the park onto Park Place and then shortly after turning right onto Transy Place. From there, you turn left onto Couston Street, head up to the end and turn right onto Appin Crescent (A907). Head across the roundabout onto Halbeath Road (A907) and East End Park will appear on your left.
Dunfermline Queen Margaret meanwhile also takes around 15-20 minutes on foot, but is on a much simpler route that first goes south from the station onto Whitefield Road (B912) and then right onto Halbeath Road, continuing all the way along here until the ground appears on your right.
Outside the Ground
Halbeath Road (A907) runs alongside East End Park’s Main Stand.
Its exterior uses a red brickwork base with a strip of corrugated iron above this, a strip of red panels above that, then more corrugated iron leading up to the top. East End Park’s Main Entrance is a tall glass entrance that protrudes out of the stand’s centre. To the right of here is the Legends Entrance, the Press and Photographers Entrance, Charlie D’s Entrance, and the entrance to an Accountants. To the left of the glass Main Entrance is the Dunfermline Athletic Club Shop, Main Ticket Office, Rennie Suite Entrance, and the Dunfermline Athletic Supporters Club Entrance.
Charlie D’s is named after Charlie Dickson, an Edinburgh-born striker who scored a club record 215 goals for Dunfermline in 340 games. The Rennie Suite is named after the former Dunfermline chairman Mel Rennie.
Turnstiles for the Main Stand itself meanwhile can be found along the red brickwork base.
Continuing round in a clockwise direction from the Main Stand brings you to the West Stand, which is named Norman ‘Norrie’ McCathie.
Born in Edinburgh on 23rd March 1961, McCathie was a defender who played a club record 576 games for Dunfermline Athletic between 1981 and 1996.
He tragically passed away from carbon monoxide poisoning on 8th January 1996 at the age of just 34, and the West Stand at East End Park has been named after him since December 1998.
The Norrie McCathie Stand’s exterior uses a brown brickwork base with corrugated iron higher up. This brickwork base is higher up in certain places than others, and the Dunfermline Athletic Supporters Wall can be found attached to it. The Players and Officials Entrance meanwhile is based on one side of the stand, next to the ground’s southwest corner.
Turnstiles for the Norrie McCathie Stand itself are spread along the brickwork base.
The North Stand is the clear shortest of the four at East End Park.
Its design is consistent with the rest of the stadium however, using a brickwork base with corrugated iron higher up.
There is nothing of real note along the stand’s exterior, with a gravel car park located immediately out in front of it.
The turnstiles for the North Stand are in place in both the ground’s northwest and northeast corners. You can reach them by heading to the far end of the Norrie McCathie Stand and the West Stand, respectively.
The East Stand uses an exterior similar to the Norrie McCathie Stand opposite.
It has a brown brickwork base with corrugated iron higher up. Unlike the Norrie McCathie Stand however, the brickwork base on the East Stand is a much more consistent height the whole way along.
You can find turnstiles for this side of the stadium across the base, with the space immediately outside taken up by East End Park’s main car park.
There are a few private car parking spaces in the southeast corner, as well as an autocentre.
Continuing round from here brings you back onto Halbeath Road and the start of the Main Stand.
Inside the Ground
The Main Stand contains an elevated seating area of entirely red seating.
There used to be a lower tier underneath that contained blocks of red backless benches, but these benches have since been removed. The lower level however still contains a row of executive boxes and what appears to be a Stadium Control Box over by the southwest corner. East End Park’s dugouts are also housed right down at the front, beside the pitch.
The elevated seating area has two large supporting pillars coming down at the front, and these will restrict your view slightly if you are sat behind them. Your view should be clearer however if you are sat along the front row between either pillar or right at the ends of the stand.
Windshields are also in place at either end which provide a good level of protection to those sat inside.
The Norrie McCathie Stand consists of a single tier of red seating. The stand also houses platforms for disabled supporters down towards the front at either end. East End Park’s stadium tunnel is located down by the ground’s southwest corner, with the changing rooms housed inside.
Your view from anywhere inside the Norrie McCathie Stand is perfectly clear as there are no supporting pillars coming down from the roof above.
Windshields at either end provide protection to all but the front rows. The stadium tunnel can help protect the front rows that are near to the southwest corner, but there is just a small wall in place to offer protection for the front rows by the northwest corner.
The North Stand consists of a single tier of red seating.
Part of the stand’s back wall has the letters COME ON YE PARS written onto it alongside images of Dunfermline Athletic’s Club Crest and former players. You can also find the matchday camera on this side of the stadium, which is on a gantry that hangs down at the front of the roof.
There are supporting pillars coming down regularly towards the front of the North Stand, and these will restrict your view slightly if you are sat behind them. The stand’s very front rows however will have an unrestricted view of the pitch, and it should also be possible to get clear views by sitting in the seats in between each pillar.
Windshields are in place at either end of the North Stand which provide a good level of protection to those sat inside.
The East Stand is very similar in design to the Norrie McCathie Stand opposite.
It consists of a single tier of red seating with platforms for disabled supporters down towards the front at either end.
Your view from anywhere inside the East Stand is perfectly clear as there are no supporting pillars coming down from the roof above.
Windshields at either end provide protection to all but the front rows. There are just small walls in place to offer protection for the rows right down the front of the stand.
Away Fans
Away fans are housed behind the goal in the East Stand.
This is a single tier of red seating that offers perfectly clear views of the pitch, windshields protecting all but the front rows, and flat platforms down towards the front for disabled supporters to use.
You can find the turnstiles for this side of the stadium along the stand’s exterior, which is easily accessible from off Halbeath Road.
Around 3,000 fans can be housed in the East Stand, but on occasions when even larger crowds are expected then adjacent blocks in the North Stand and Main Stand can be made available.
The seating blocks in the North Stand can have their view restricted slightly by pillars down towards the front, though the very front rows here will have unrestricted views.
The Main Stand seating blocks may have their view slightly restricted by a supporting pillar located near the stand’s middle, but should not restrict your view if you are sat down towards the front of the seating area.
If the away section includes part of the North Stand, you can find the turnstiles for these up by the stadium’s northeast corner.
Turnstiles for the Main Stand are along the stand’s base which itself runs alongside Halbeath Road.
Matchday Pubs
Pubs available to supporters on a matchday include:
-The Commercial Inn (13 Douglas Street, KY12 7EB) (Typically Home and Away Supporters) (Located near Dunfermline Town Centre)
-The Elizabethan (110 Halbeath Road, KY12 7LX) (Away Supporters Welcome) (Located southwest of Dunfermline Queen Margaret Station)
-The Guildhall and Linen Exchange (79-83 High Street, KY12 7DR) (A JD Wetherspoon Pub, Typically Home and Away Supporters) (Located near Dunfermline Abbey)
-The Seven Kings (32 Bridge Street, KY12 8DA) (Typically Home and Away Supporters) (Located near Dunfermline Town Centre)
-The Yeoman (145 Townhill Road, KY12 0DS) (Typically Home and Away Supporters)
Overview
A venue with well over a century of history, East End Park has become a modern-looking, practical stadium that offers excellent views from behind either goal. Its northern and southern sides have more restricted views from inside but can still accommodate good sized crowds.
A ground reachable by car or via one of two local stations, Dunfermline Athletic’s long-standing home is certainly a place well worth coming to check out first-hand.
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