top of page
Ochilview Park
(Queen's Park)
Address: Gladstone Road,
Stenhousemuir,
Falkirk Council Area,
Scotland,
Fk5 4QL
Capacity: 3,746 (626 Seated)
Temporarily a Championship ground before Queen’s Park head back to Hampden.
Dating back to the 1890s, Ochilview has been the home of Stenhousemuir Football Club for over 130 years. Stenhousemuir were originally founded in 1884, playing at Tryst Park and Goschen Park before moving to the newly opened Ochilview Park in 1890. Its name derives from the nearby Ochil Hills which can be seen whilst at the football ground.
Ochilview Park has a long history of groundsharing. Stenhousemuir first shared the ground with Stenhousemuir Juniors during the 1909-10 season, and the presence of two tenants at Ochilview became very frequent during the 1990s and 2000s. Stirling Albion Football Club would be based here during the 1992-93 season whilst making the move from the demolished Annfield Stadium to their new Forthbank Stadium, and Falkirk Football Club did the same during the 2003-04 season whilst making the move from the demolished Brockville Park to their new Falkirk Stadium home.
Fellow Falkirk-based side East Stirlingshire Football Club moved into Ochilview Park in 2008. The initial agreement had them sharing with Stenhousemuir for a period of five years, but their time here ending up lasting a full decade, moving out to the Falkirk Stadium ahead of the 2018-19 season beginning.
Since 2021, Ochilview Park has been shared between Stenhousemuir and East of Scotland League side Syngenta Football Club, who originated from Grangemouth in the Falkirk council area. The early stages of the 2022-23 season will see Queen’s Park Football Club based at Ochilview Park whilst they await the completion of their Lesser Hampden Football Stadium.
Location and Getting There
Ochilview Park is located off Gladstone Road, right in the centre of Stenhousemuir. Carron Dams is to the southeast and Falkirk Tryst Golf Club is to the northwest.
Coming to Ochilview Park by car is certainly possible, but it is important that fans ignore the signs around the area for ‘football traffic’. Following these signs will take you to the Falkirk Stadium rather than Ochilview Park. There is no car park at the football ground, and Stenhousemuir instead advise making use of street parking around the area. There are plenty of roads to choose from to the east, south and west.
The nearest train station to Ochilview Park is Larbert, served by Scotrail services from that go from Glasgow Queen Street to Alloa and from Edinburgh Waverley to either Stirling or Dunblane. Larbert Station is less than a mile southwest of the football ground and walking from here takes you around 15 minutes. The route is a very simple one, exiting the station onto Main Street (B905). This route later becomes King Street (B905) further along and after following this road northeast you turn left onto Tryst Road, heading a short distance north before turning right onto Gladstone Road and over to Ochilview Park.
The closest bus stop to Ochilview Park is on Tryst Road, it is served by the Number 6, 6A and 7 bus services which all travel through Stenhousemuir and have a stop at Muirhall Road that is near to Larbert Train Station.
Outside the Ground
Heading along Gladstone Road brings you to the ground’s Main Stand.
Opened during the 1996-97 season, it is also known as the Norway Stand after a sponsorship deal with Stenhousemuir’s Norwegian supporters’ club. The stand has a brickwork base with maroon corrugated iron higher up and white drainage pipes coming down from the top. A pair of maroon doors partway along the exterior form the Main Entrance. It leads to the Main Reception inside as well as the Wee Bar, a popular place for both home and away fans pre and post match. The Norway Stand straddles along the middle third of the football ground’s pitch, with the rest of the southern side using a brick wall that is slightly taller than the Norway Stand’s brickwork base.
You can find two turnstiles along this brick exterior wall which are used by fans based in the Norway Stand.
There are a couple of private car parking spaces next to these Norway Stand turnstiles.
Continuing round in a clockwise direction brings you to the West Stand, known as the Tryst Road Terrace after the road out beyond it. The stand backs right up to a row of houses and so you are not able to walk along its exterior.
Turnstiles for the Tryst Road Terrace can be found off Gladstone Road to the south, part of a red painted wall and next to a pair of maroon exit gates.
Fans do not need to head round to the northern side of Ochilview Park as there are no turnstiles for entry here. If you really want to though, you can head north along Tryst Road and turn right down a footpath that allows you to walk along the outside of this northern side.
There is an entrance to a small private car park here, not for use on a matchday, and out beyond this northern side is Moorland, with Stenhousemuir Cricket Club further beyond there.
You are not able to walk along the outside of Ochilview Park’s eastern side. There was formerly a grass bank here, but this has been replaced by 3G pitches that are for community use and further out from there are houses which are part of Jamieson Avenue.
Inside the Ground
The Norway Stand consists of a single tier of maroon and red seats. Its central seating blocks house premium seating and are split either side of the ground’s tunnel, with the changing rooms housed inside the stand. There are a limited number of seats for disabled supporters down at the front of these central blocks. Stenhousemuir’s matchday camera is housed up behind the back row.
Your view from anywhere inside the Norway Stand is perfectly clear as there are no supporting pillars coming down from the roof above.
Transparent windshields are in place at either end of the stand, though these do not provide protection to the front rows.
The rest of Ochilview Park’s southern side is a flat surface which fans do stand on during matchdays. You are not protected from any wind or rain however.
Immediately after heading through the Norway Stand Turnstiles, you can the find the Pie Hut on your left and a Stenhousemuir merchandise stand in front of you.
The Tryst Road Terrace is a single tier of standing terrace which has rows of maroon metal bars running along it for fans to lean on. Most of the terraced area is covered, with the exception being the ground’s southwest corner where a small section of terracing is not protected by a roof overhead.
Supporting pillars are in place along the front of the Tryst Road Terrace, though these are fairly well spread on and will not restrict your view if you are stood in the very front rows.
There are no windshields in place at either end of the stand.
After heading through the Tryst Road Terrace Turnstiles, turn right and you will come to the away side of the Pie Hut. There is no merchandise stand on this side of Ochilview Park.
A building in Ochilview Park’s northwest corner has been used as a social club by Stenhousemuir.
No fans are based on the northern side of Ochilview Park during a matchday. This side of the ground does however have the two dugouts, with an elevated hut in between them where a camera can be placed.
The eastern side of Ochilview Park contains nothing more than a flat surface behind the eastern goal. It is normally out of use on matchdays but can be made available for home fans in games where very high attendances are expected.
There is no overhead protection at all on this side of the football ground.
Away Fans
When segregation is in use, away fans are based in the Tryst Road Terrace behind the western goal. This is a single tier of standing terrace which has rows of metal bars running across it for fans to lean on. Most of the terraced area is covered, with the exception being the ground’s southwest corner where a small section of terracing is not protected by a roof overhead. Supporting pillars are in place along the front of the Tryst Road Terrace, though these are fairly well spread on and will not restrict your view if you are stood in the very front rows. There are no windshields in place at either end of the stand. Seats are occasionally allocated to away fans in the Norway Stand to the south.
Access into this away section comes via a seat of red turnstiles off Gladstone Road. Follow the home fans over to Ochilview Park and you will reach the away turnstiles before they reach the turnstiles for the adjacent home stand.
Matchday Pubs
Pubs available to supporters on a matchday include:
-The Crown Inn (246 Main Street, Fk5 3JP) (Typically Home and Away Supporters) (Located west of Ochilview Park)
-The Plough Hotel (507 Main Street, FK5 4EY) (Typically Home and Away Supporters) (Located southwest of Ochilview Park)
-The Social Club by the Tryst Road Terrace (Home and Away Supporters)
-The Station Hotel (2 Foundry Lane, FK5 4AW) (Typically Home and Away Supporters) (Located by Larbert Station)
-The Wee Bar inside the Norway Stand (Home and Away Supporters)
Overview
On most matchdays, Ochilview Park is in use on just two sides, with fans either based in the all-seater Main Stand to the south or the restricted view terrace to the west. It is a small, but reasonable football ground for the level its primary tenants are based at.
Queen’s Park Football Club are temporarily playing games here whilst they wait for their new Lesser Hampden in Glasgow to be complete. The result of that renovation work is very eagerly anticipating by both fans and groundhoppers alike.
bottom of page