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East Fife

Bayview Stadium

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Capacity: 1,980 (all seated)
Club Nickname: Fifers
Year Opened: 1998
Pitch Size: 115 x 75 yards
Address: Harbour View, Methil, Fife, KY8 3RW
Phone: 01333 426 323
Pitch Type: Artificial 3G
Fax: 01333 426 376
Home Kit: Black and Gold
Last Update: May 16, 2024

Official Web Site: www.eastfifefc.info

Unofficial Web Site: Away From The Numbers

Bayview Stadium was opened in 1998 after the Club moved from its old Bayview ground. It currently has only one stand, which sits on the South side of the pitch. However, The stand is of a fair size, is covered and all seated. The space and height between rows are adequate, giving fans a good view of the action. The other three sides of the stadium are unused for spectators. This means that you can enjoy some good views of the bay and the North Sea beyond. At the end of the 2016/17 season a new 3G artificial playing surface was installed at the ground.

Away fans are located in the North part of the Main Stand, where up to 1,000 can be accommodated. The facilities in this stand, as you would expect from a new ground are good, with even the stadium music and announcer piped through to the toilets! The ground is right on the coast and at times a biting wind can come off the North Sea so make sure that you wrap up well.

Claire Elliott a visiting Wolverhampton Wanderers fan adds; ‘I can only say what a hospitable club East Fife is. The bar is reasonably priced and has a good view of the pitch. Now the power station that used to be opposite the ground has gone, you also get a nice view of the sea. A very friendly club indeed’.

There is a social club above the Main Stand, which welcomes away fans. It is quite a comfortable club, which enjoys good views across the Bayview Stadium. Otherwise, there are no other bars located close to the ground that I am aware of.

The ground is quite easy to find as it is situated on the sea front and is quite visible from a distance. From Kirkcaldy take the A911 towards Methil and then the A915 to Leven. Then turn right onto the A955 towards Leven & Methil. Follow the A955 through Methil towards Buckhaven. As you go along the sea front, the ground should be visible over to your left. Turn left onto the B932 (South Street) and then left again into Harbour View Road. The ground is down the bottom of this road on the left. There is a fair sized car park at the ground.

There is no railway station in Methil itself. The nearest is in Kirkcaldy which is around eight miles away. John Thompson adds; ‘On Saturdays’ there is an excellent X26 bus service from Kirkcaldy to nearby Leven leaving Kirckaldy about every 30 minutes and goes to Leven Bus station which is about 10 minutes walk from Bayview, on the other side of the old Methil Power Station. After the game there was a 17:15 X26 leaving from Leven bus station which was made no problem allowing me good time back at Kirkcaldy , that X26 actually goes back to Glasgow via Dunfermline’.

Thorsten Mankel adds; ‘If you want to go back to or from Kirkcaldy (the nearest train station), the best way is the Number 7 bus (Dunfermline to Leven). It leaves Kirkcaldy bus station (Stance 1) every 30 minutes, passes the train station and stops in South Street at the junction of Harbour View, which is only a short walk from the Bayview Stadium.The bus journey time is 35 minutes. This is possible even on a midweek game with the bus leaving on the street in front of Bayview at 9.42 or 10.42 pm back to Kirkcaldy/Dunfermline’. For further information visit the Stagecoach website.

Booking train tickets in advance will normally save you money! Find train times, prices and book tickets with Trainline. Visit the website below to see how much you can save on the price of your tickets:

Adults: £13
Senior Citizens (aged 60 and over): £10
Children: £5

Family Ticket: 1 Adult + 1 Child £16, 2 Adults + 2 Children £18.

Official Programme £2.

Raith Rovers and Cowdenbeath.

East Fife FC fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports Website).

 

Record Attendance

At Bayview Stadium:
4,700* v Rangers League One, 26th October 2013

At the old Bayview ground:
22,515 v Raith Rovers Division One, January 2nd, 1950.

Average Attendance

2018-2019: 701 (League One)
2017-2018: 683 (League One)
2016-2017: 626 (League One)

* For this match additional temporary seated stands were erected around the other three sides of the ground.

If you require hotel accommodation in the area then first try a hotel booking service provided by Late Rooms. They offer all types of accommodation to suit all tastes and pockets from; Budget Hotels, Traditional Bed & Breakfast establishments to Five Star Hotels and Serviced Apartments. Plus their booking system is straightforward and easy to use. Yes this site will earn a small commission if you book through them, but it will go to help with the running costs of keeping the Guide going.

If you require hotel accommodation in Methil and Leven then first try a hotel booking service provided by Booking.com. They offer all types of accommodation to suit all tastes and pockets from; Budget Hotels, Traditional Bed & Breakfast establishments to Five Star Hotels and Serviced Apartments. Plus their booking system is straightforward and easy to use. Yes this site will earn a small commission if you book through them, but it will help towards the running costs of keeping this Guide going.

If anything is incorrect or you have something to add, then please e-mail me at: [email protected] and I’ll update the guide.

Special thanks to Geoff Jackson for providing the photos of the Bayview Stadium East Fife FC. Check out Geoff’s Cumbrian Groundhopper blog.

Ground Layout

Ground Layout of East Fife

Reviews

Avatar of Jim Willmott Jim Willmott
Game Attendednot yet
Competitionx
Date16/05/2024

Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the ground itself?

news. new railway station (Leven) opens on 02 June 2024. a 10 minute walk to the ground

How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?

x

What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?

x

What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the stadium?

x

Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..

x

Comment on getting away from the ground after the game

x

Summary of overall thoughts of the day out

x
Avatar of Andrew Wood Andrew Wood
Game AttendedEast Fife v Airdrie
CompetitionScottish Division one
Date02/04/2022

Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the ground itself?

A chance to tick another Scottish ground off my list. This would be number 28.

How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?

I was staying in Kirkcaldy, about 8 miles away. Caught the number 7 bus to Leven, which actually stops right outside the ground.

What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?

As I knew how to find the ground, I intended looking around the picturesque town of Leven pre-match. Unfortunately, as soon as I stepped off the bus, it started to rain quite heavily, meaning I made my way to a pub on the high street, where I remained for an hour or so watching the live matches on the pubs large TVs. Don't know as there were many East Fife fans in the pub, but the locals were ok.

What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the stadium?

As East Fife only have the 1 stand for spectators, you really don't get much of an impression of the ground being as you're sitting in the only occupied area. I was 4 rows from the front, and had a perfect view.

Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..

Prior to kick off, I bought my ticket (£15.00) and a programme (£2.00). The lady selling me a ticket gave me a team sheet without my asking for one, and pointed me upstairs to the club bar, which had lots of home and away fans mixing with no problems. They'd turned the heating up in the bar, and being as I was wearing a thick coat, i soon felt uncomfortable, and made my way to my seat. Excellent view of the bay, and the North Sea from this window. Hence the name 'Bayview', I guess. The game itself saw bottom of the table East Fife take on title contenders Airdrie, and it went pretty much to form. Airdrie could have been home and dry by half time, but for the heroics of Fife keeper Jude Smith. The breakthrough came a couple of minutes from half time, when Callum Gallagher put Airdrie ahead. The hosts improved in the second half, but Airdrie always seemed capable of stepping up another gear, and they made the points safe about 10 minutes from time, when Gallagher once again bundled the ball home in a goalmouth scramble. It finished 2-0 to Airdrie. Food in the ground was basic. Steak or Scotch pies at £2.20 and £2.00 respectively, and ok, but nothing spectacular. Other than that, it was just the usual hot drinks between £1.30 and £1.50 plus chocolate and crisps. The loos were ok, although it didn't seem like the hot water from the taps was functioning properly. East Fife seem to employ quite a few stewards, who had nothing to do. A bunch of young lads at the back of the stand (including a drummer) did their best to get behind their team. Airdrie bought about 250 fans, and were silent throughout until the second goal went in.

Comment on getting away from the ground after the game

Dead easy. A bus back to Kirkcaldy from outside the ground at 17.11.

Summary of overall thoughts of the day out

Glad to get East Fife out of the way, as I always thought it would be a tricky ground to get to, as there is no train station nearby. It does make it somewhat confusing that the ground is in Methil, but the nearest town seems to be Leven. A very friendly club, a good game, and a decent programme, but Bayview's lack of any identifiable areas to the ground, other than the one you're sitting in, makes it unlikely I'll make a return visit.
Avatar of Damian Purser (Neutral) Damian Purser (Neutral)

East Fife v Dumbarton
Scottish League 1
Saturday 23rd February 2019, 3pm
Damian Purser (Neutral)

Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Bayview Stadium?
 
The night before we had visited Dundee for their Friday night game against Hibs live in front of the BT Sports cameras. But this was one of the grounds I was desperate to visit for years. Smaller clubs are always the best to visit, always very welcoming and this proved to be just that. This was another ground to be ticked off by my wife and I in our attempt to see a game at every Scottish ground. It's location close to the North Sea, just the one Main Stand with the rest of the ground surrounded by a brick wall is more of an appeal to me than any of your modern super stadia with its faceless club owners. I looked forward to the usual few beers in the club bar and meeting the locals.
 
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
 
There is no train station in Methil so it was a taxi cab from our Travelodge in Glenrothes. A £20 fare both ways but that didn't bother us. The ground sits just over a bridge from the main town centre and can be seen from the shops over the road. The ground is sat on the seafront area looking out onto the North Sea.
 
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
 
Around midday, we arrived in Methil and went to the Bookies to do our usual couple of quick football accumulators for the day. Then it was off to the ground for some liquid refreshment at the club bar for a few hours before kick off. Upon arriving at the ground we were greeted by a few gentlemen in suits who welcomed us and showed us to the bar upstairs. The bar area was very nice and had tables scattered around as well as a partitioned area where they would deal with their hospitality guests. The whole area is glass fronted and looks out onto the pitch so you can watch the players warming up from the comfort and warmth of your table with a cold beer. The whole glazed area is about a third of the length of the stand and takes up the middle portion. We ordered our drinks and went and sat over by the window. Within five minutes a gentleman came over to speak to us, his name was John Barclay and was a director of the club. He was asking about our visit and welcoming us to the ground. Upon hearing that this was our first visit he told us to leave our drinks (they'll be fine) and go with him for a quick guided tour of the stand and its facilities. Showing us the changing rooms, boardroom and talking us through the memorabilia and pictures that adorned the walls. In the boardroom, they have in a display case the actual football used in the 1937 FA Cup final in which East Fife beat Kilmarnock. He introduced us to the other directors, the chairman and some of the management team. A very interesting tour and a great welcome from everybody. I'd read on this website some reviews about how friendly and welcoming East Fife FC were and now couldn't agree more. We told John that we would see him afterwards in the bar for a drink as he left us to carry on with his matchday duties. He'd obviously passed the word around about us as more people popped over for a chat or to just say hello.
 
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Bayview Stadium?
 
A quick 5 minutes or so walk from the town centre and we were at Bayview Stadium. Sat in a big open space with a fair sized car park you are greeted by the one quite newish looking stand. As I said the rest of the ground is surrounded by a grey brick wall with no terracing available. Everybody is in the one main stand which is all seated.
 
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
 
Play off chasing East Fifes first half display against a Dumbarton side at the other end of the table was, to say the least shocking! 3-0 down at half time they'd left themselves lots to do in the second half. Two goals in about 15 second half minutes gave them hope only to concede again to make it 4-2 to the visitors. Scoring again and dragging the score back to 4-3 gave them false hope as after about 75 minutes they were reduced to 10 men. Game over! The Dumbarton fans were happy and from what I could see there was no real segregation but at the same time no signs of trouble. An enjoyable game.
 
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
 
Afterwards, we went back to the bar for a few beers. We met up again with John Barclay and enjoyed a good chat about his role in the club and about the club in general. He even introduced me to his Whisky tipple, so it was rude not to have one or two being a whisky drinker myself. My wife stuck to the Gin and Tonic though. We bought John a couple of drinks to thank him for his hospitality and ordered a taxi cab back to our Travelodge.
 
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
 
A great day. We can't thank everyone enough for their welcome. I would highly recommend a visit to a real football club with a big heart that is East Fife FC And of course special thanks to John Barclay for making the day that much better. Good luck to you all!
Avatar of Gary Wiseman (Heart of Midlothian) Gary Wiseman (Heart of Midlothian)

Raith Rovers v Heart of Midlothian
League Cup Group Stage
Saturday 21st July 2018, 3pm
Gary Wiseman (Hearts fan)

Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Bayview Stadium?

It was the first competitive game of the season to attend. With Raith Rovers playing at East Fife whilst they were having a new artificial pitch being installed at Starks Park then it was a new ground for me to visit.

How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?

I travelled by train from Newcastle to Kirkcaldy and then took a bus to Leven, where I had lunch and a couple of beers. Then it was a bus over the river to Methill and walk to the ground.

What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?

I had a pint in Kirkcaldy before getting the bus to Leven, where I had fish and chips and a couple of pints in the local bars. Leven seems a bit of rough town but the locals seemed friendly enough.

What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Bayview Stadium?

For a one-sided ground I was pretty impressed. Great view from my seat, although I would imagine it to be a bit Baltic in the Winter. A pretty impressive crowd of 1,452 with about 1,000 of them supporting Hearts.

Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..

It was a pretty poor performance from Hearts who should have won the game in normal time due to a dodgy decision caused by the Raith Rover Goalie over dramatically throwing himself onto the deck. The game ended 1-1 and went on to penalties with Hearts winning 4-2. Had a quick drink in the clubhouse which is superb before the match and although the queue was pretty long at half time for brews at least the lasses seemed pretty efficient.

Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:

Nice and easy to get away, although I did have to wait quite a while for a bus back to Kirkcaldy (which seemed to take forever), a train to Edinburgh where there was time for a pint, before taking the train finally back to Newcastle.

Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:

Although the game was not much to shout out about the day out was superb. It was a bit of a faff getting to/from the ground considering there is no railway station nearby but I did enjoy my day.

Avatar of John Hague (Raith Rovers) John Hague (Raith Rovers)

Raith Rovers v Cowdenbeath
Scottish League Cup Group Stage
Saturday 14th July 2018, 3pm
John Hague (Raith Rovers fan)

Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Bayview Stadium?
 
I was up in Scotland for a pals 60th birthday and retirement do and we were billeted nearby at Pitcairlie House a proper Baronial Scottish Hoose! Thank s to having family from Kirkcaldy, Raith are my Scottish team historically. I'd seen them once before in Methil at the old Bayview. That day they lost 2-1 to East Fife so I was hoping for better against Cowdenbeath. This match was being played at East Fife due to a new synthetic pitch being installed at Stark's Park.
 
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
 
As we were driving in from Auchtermuchty, I let Google maps get me there. We found street parking right by the ground. Bayview is easy and it's a bit old-fashioned in that the floodlights are your beacon.
 
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
 
We didn't have much time before kick-off but the lovely ladies at East Fife opened the club shop for me to buy a pin badge. After that, we took our, free, programme; grabbed a Scotch Pie and took our seats.
 
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Bayview Stadium?
 
Bayview is an odd one, but a few new Scottish grounds seem to have followed East Fife's lead in just building one stand. That said it's a lovely stand with great views out over Largo Bay. It looks like the club has the potential to add further, smaller stands should crowds suddenly rise above 2,000.
 
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
 
Being in a single stand it's hard to get a sense of any away fans making much noise which sours the atmosphere somewhat. The 'home' fans were all pretty upbeat and noisy for, ooh, all of five minutes when I think they realised it might be a long hard season as Cowdenbeath went on to win the match 2-0. I hope that Raith can recover from this as they did play a bit of good football at times. Hopefully their new pitch will help. I do worry though as Scottish football really is in a mess in terms of quality. Speaking of the season… the Scotch Pies were amazing, some of the best I've tasted. Very flavoursome with a good peppery bite. So nice a snuck another in at halftime.
 
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
 
We were parked right next to the junction so made a lighting getaway. In fairness at least half the 634 crowd had left as Cowdenbeath got their second goal.
 
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
 
The game might have been dire but I'd much rather be at a game than in front of the TV watching England again get found out by Belgium. It was also good to complete my East Fife grounds but I've still to see Raith Rovers win in Methil. I doubt I ever will…
Avatar of Phil Graham (Raith Rovers) Phil Graham (Raith Rovers)

East Fife v Raith Rovers
Scottish Football League One
Saturday 26th August 2017, 3pm
Phil Graham (Raith Rovers fan)

Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Bayview Stadium?
 
I was back working up in Scotland again for a few weeks and I always try and get to any Raith Rovers away games that are on while I'm up in Scotland, especially if its a new ground.
 
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
 
I got a train from Edinburgh to Kirkcaldy and then the number 7 bus (£4.40 single) from outside the station. It took a while and stopped frequently but it does drop you right next to the Bayview Stadium.
 
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
 
I went straight into the ground on arrival after buying the pretty good programme (£2) from a seller outside the away turnstile.
 
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Bayview Stadium?
 
The Bayview Stadium was pretty much as I expected, Only one single Main Stand and an artificial pitch.
 
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
 
It was a brilliant display from Raith Rovers to win this Fife derby 5-0 and it could have been a lot more! It was the usual fare that was available to eat and drink Scotch Pies (£1.70) and Bovril. The Raith Rovers supporters were out in numbers and I would say that in the crowd of 1,800, around 1,400 were away fans.
 
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
 
I had a couple of pints in the very small but friendly Social Club Bar at the ground while waiting for a friend who lives nearby to pick me up.
 
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
 
It was a good day out at the Bayview Stadium and a great result for Raith Rovers. It was also good to visit the ground early in the season as I imagine it gets quite chilly through the winter months.
Avatar of Brian Scott (Neutral) Brian Scott (Neutral)

East Fife v Peterhead
Scottish League Division One
Saturday 17th December 2016, 3pm
Brian Scott (Neutral fan)

Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Bayview Stadium?

In my quest to visit all the grounds in the four top leagues in Scotland I have tended so far to concentrate on the larger grounds. So a trip to what is probably the smallest, was very much like a visit to the National League North or South in England. I had intended to visit earlier but was thwarted by the game being postponed and I went to Arbroath instead. This time everything went as planned.

How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?

I stayed in a Bed  and Breakfast in Kirkcaldy for two nights due to the long journey from my home in Suffolk. The bus service number 7 or 7a went along Bennochy Road where I stayed at Invertiel B&B. It cost £7.60 return. I arrived in Leven at 10am on the 7a which does not pass the ground in Methil. The tall floodlights at the ground stand out as does the huge wind turbine just to the south. There is ample car parking at the ground and in local roads.

What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?

If you have plenty of time to spare then a walk around Leven is recommended as it seems far nicer than Methil. It was a lovely sunny December morning so I walked through the town and then onto the large sandy beach. I found a cafe upstairs over a (closed for the winter) amusement arcade on Promenade Road and had lunch for a reasonable price. I still had plenty of time so I explored Leven a bit further before crossing the river into Methil. The area around the football ground looks as though it is being re-developed, although there is plenty of mess around the old dock area. Everyone seemed friendly, but I was surprised to have a bag search. I was the first to enter the ground when the turnstiles opened at 2pm.

What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Bayview Stadium?

The ground itself is relatively new and the one stand looked neat and tidy. There is no away end as such as away fans are allocated one end of the single stand. The other three sides being unused for supporters. There is a relatively new solar panel area just outside the perimeter of the ground at the North East corner. It was quite an effort for a steward to retrieve the match ball when it went into this area. He had to walk right round and unlock the gate and then find the ball before returning it later.

Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..

Despite there only being 486 people at the match the atmosphere was quite good as supporters are all concentrated in the single stand. I had been pre-warned about how cold it could be from information on this site, so I was well wrapped up, but luckily the wind was coming from behind the stand. A local told me just how cold it can be when the wind and rain blow in from off the sea. The first half ended 0-0 but a few minutes into the second half East Fife scored a good goal which livened things up, and about 10 minutes later they scored a second. Peterhead pressed strongly towards the end, but were unable to get a goal.

Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:

Currently the number 7 bus passes the bus stop at the junction of South Street and Harbour View at 17.01 and I was back in my Bed and Breakfast by 5.50pm,. There is a bus stop nearly opposite the house in Bennochy Road.

Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:

I had a good weekend in East Fife. Now I have 16 grounds to go in Scotland's four top leagues.