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Kilmarnock

Rugby Park

Capacity: 18,128 (all seated)
Address: Rugby Park, Kilmarnock, KA1 2DP
Telephone: 01563 545 300
Ticket Office: 01563 545 310
Pitch Size: 115 x 74 yards
Pitch Type: Artificial 3G
Club Nickname: Killie
Year Ground Opened: 1899
Undersoil Heating: No
Shirt Sponsors: QTS
Kit Manufacturer:Nike
Home Kit: All Oxford Blue*
Away Kit: Yellow and Blue
Third Kit: Blue, White and Red


                    
                    

Rugby Park was transformed in the mid-1990’s with the building of three new stands. Both ends of the ground and one side have been re-developed. The ends are good sized two-tiered stands, which are virtually identical. The Chadwick Stand at the north end is given to away supporters. There are also electric scoreboards placed on the roof of each end. The East Stand on one side of the pitch is also a relatively new stand, that is similar in height to the two ends. This stand, however, does not run the full length of the pitch. It has a scoreboard on the back wall inside the stand. Opposite is the older Main Stand, which dates back to the early 1960’s. It is smaller than the other stands and has four supporting pillars that could obstruct your view. In 2010 this stand was renamed the Frank Beattie Stand after a former player. The stadium has unusual looking floodlights protruding from the roofs of the two side stands. In 2014 an artificial 3G playing surface was installed at Rugby Park.

In November 2019, Kilmarnock became the second club in Scotland (after Celtic) to install an area of safe standing. 324 rail seats have been installed in parts of the East and Moffat Stands. This was funded entirely by supporters.

Away fans are housed in the Chadwick Stand. The facilities and views from this stand are generally very good, although I have had some fans comment that the leg room is a little tight. David Tennant a visiting St Mirren supporter adds; ‘a great ground to visit, with friendly supporters, some good pubs and also don’t forget to sample their legendary pies (£2.20)’.

There is the Sports Bar underneath the Frank Beattie Stand, which welcomes away fans (although children are not admitted) as does the nearby Park Hotel. Gordon Duff recommends the Howard Arms, in Glencairn Square, which is only a few minutes walk away from the ground. Otherwise, Rugby Park is under a 10 minute walk from the town centre where there are plenty of bars to be found and including the football friendly Portmann Hotel bar and the Brass & Granite on Grange Street. There is also a Wetherspoons pub on Portland Street called the Wheatsheaf Inn. Both this Wetherspoons pub and the Brass & Granite are both listed in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.

From the A71, take the A759 towards Kilmarnock. Eventually the ground will appear on your left. Turn left off the A735 into South Hamilton Road and left again into Rugby Road for the ground. The ground is quite well signposted around the town.

Car Parking
There is a car park at the ground, but this is for permit holders only. So it is a case of finding some street parking, or using one of the pay and display car parks located in the nearby town centre.

Remember if travelling by train then you can normally save on the cost of fares by booking in advance.

Visit the the trainline website to see how much you can save on the price of train tickets.

Click on the trainline logo below:

Kilmarnock Railway Station is principally served by trains from Glasgow. The ground is around about 15-20 minute walk away from the station.Descend the steps from the platform and turn right to emerge from the station on the south side. (there are two exits). You will find yourself at the top of John Finnie Street. Walk down this street against the flow of one way traffic. At the traffic lights at the bottom of the street (by the Sheriff Court) turn right into Portland Road. Take the second left at the traffic lights into South Hamilton Street and proceed to first right turn into Rugby Road and the ground

Thanks to Stephen Millar for providing the directions.

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:

Home Fans*
East and Frank Beattie (West) Stands: Adults £22, Concessions £17, Under 16’s £5
Moffat Stand: Adults £20, Concessions £15, Under 16’s £5

Away Fans*
Chadwick Stand (Away):
Adults £20, Concessions £15, Under 16’s £5

Concessions apply to Over 65’s, Under 21’s and Students with a valid matriculation card.

* These prices are for tickets to SPL Games, although for Celtic and Rangers games, prices may be increased.

If you require hotel accommodation in Kilmarnock 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.

Official Programme £3

Ayr United.

Kilmarnock FC fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports Website)

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. The Hotels listing also includes details of how far away the accommodation is located from the football ground.

Record Attendance

35.995 v Rangers
Scottish Cup, March 10th, 1962.

Average Attendance 
2019-2020: 5,856 (Premier League)
2018-2019: 6,895 (Premier League)
2017-2018: 5,391 (Premier League)

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 Owen Pavey and Stephan Hoogerwaard for providing the photos of Rugby Park Kilmarnock for this page.

  • Kilmarnock v Fleetwood
    Pre-Season Friendly
    Saturday 25th July 2015, 3pm
    Gareth King (Neutral fan)

    Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Rugby Park?

    I had never been to Rugby Park before. Plus for a change it was a sunny day in the west of Scotland, so I decided to go out and watch a game.

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

    I drove to Rugby Park. I managed to park okay in a nearby street, but I think that this due to the relatively small attendance. I can imagine that it's usually more difficult to get parked close by for a league game.

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

     I drove straight down from Glasgow and arrived about ten minutes before kick off, so can't comment on the nearby amenities. but, the mix of the crowd (only one stand was open and no segregation) and atmosphere were very friendly.. In fact, it was a family crowd.

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

    Rugby Park has quite a bit of character for a (predominately) 90's 'quick build' stadium. The three newer stands look not bad, if a little basic. I noticed that there is no internal concourse, so all the facilities are outside at the back – I can imagine this is grim at winter when you want some shelter!

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

    I was sat in the Main Stand, which felt pretty dated (wooden floor!), though the pillars didn't obstruct very much. Rugby Park's Main Stand has the toilets of a 1950's arena. Very poor! The 'famous Killies pies' are as good as legend leads you to believe, and the historical Killie team murals at the concession stands are cracking.

    Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:

    Lightning quick as it was a pre-season friendly.

    Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:

    Really friendly, pleasant day out.. But shocking toilets!

  • Kilmarnock v Aberdeen
    Scottish Premier League
    Sunday 26th November 2017, 12.30pm
    Brian Scott (Neutral fan)

    Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Rugby Park?
     
    I'd seen the Rugby Park ground several times over the years from the railway line and thought how impressive it looked. Just through coincidence this was the last of the 'major' grounds in Scotland for me to visit.
     
    How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
     
    I stayed for three nights at a guest house in the town, visiting Alloa Athletic the day before and being able to combine two grounds in the weekend due to this match being moved to a Sunday for television. It was an easy walk to the ground from my accommodation via the town centre. Once nearly there the stands dominate the local houses.
     
    What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
     
    The friend I was with wanted to visit the club shop which was in a portacabin type building behind the Main Stand. Everyone seemed friendly apart from the man sitting behind my companion. He seemed extremely rude commenting on the snack Erik was eating for his lunch.
     
    What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of Rugby Park?
     
    The stands look impressive, but I did note how the stairways in the three newer stands come down out into the open for toilets etc. The South Stand was locked out of use. However, the old Main Stand is more conventional. Another reviewer commented about how poor this old stand is. Well I totally disagree – I loved it. The toilet I used was perfectly acceptable. The four pillars holding the stand up didn't get in my way much at all. I loved the wooden structure as wood is warmer than concrete and it was a cold day. The modern tip up seats were comfortable.
     
    Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
     
    There was a large contingent of fans from Aberdeen who were able to make a lot of noise in the big stand at the North End. In fact, there were 822 away fans and only 3,376 home fans, meaning that nearly 20% of the 4,198 attendance were visitors. In fact, I was quite surprised at the low attendance for a Premier League match. I suppose I'm comparing this with an English Premier League game. I had tried to buy a ticket before the day but it was cash through the turnstiles.
     
    Aberdeen got off to a cracking start, scoring within the first minute. They made it 0-2 with a well worked free kick in the 12th minute. In the 66th minute a goal for Kilmarnock woke the home crowd up until Aberdeen scored there third in the 74th minute. Any hope of a comeback for Killie was killed off in the 88th minute when they had a player sent off with two yellow cards. Killie still haven't won a game at home this season.
     
    Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
     
    It was an easy walk back to the town centre and then on to my guest house. Then returned home to Suffolk the next day. Only nine more ground out of the 42 still to do in Scotland. Still there's always the Lowland League, and then the Highland league!
     
    Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
     
    A very good weekend overall.
  • Kilmarnock v Ross County
    Scottish Premiership
    Saturday 1st February 2020, 3pm
    Lewis Dalgarno (Ross County)

    Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Rugby Park?

    Killie away has established itself as one of our group's favourite away days. The home side's poor run of form even had us thinking we might actually win the game!

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

    The ground is easy enough to find – it's a 10-15 minute walk from Kilmarnock train station (trains every 30 minutes from Glasgow Central, journey time approximately 40 minutes).

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

    After arriving by train, we stopped for a few drinks (and to watch the early EPL game) at Mack's bar, handily located (and offering a warm welcome, pool table, excellent jukebox and very reasonably priced drinks) on the route from the station to the ground.

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

    The away end (along with the similar-sized home end, which recently had a small safe standing section installed) is of a good size (more than big enough for a travelling support of 88!) and has perfectly adequate facilities. One thing to note – there's no option to pay at the gate – instead you are directed to the leisure centre across the road from the away end to purchase a ticket there. Not an issue for a small travelling support like ours but perhaps worth giving yourself an extra couple of minutes for if you're part of a larger contingent.

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

    The catering at Kilmarnock, of course, features the famous Killie pie, along with the usual offerings (including empire biscuits with the away team's badge, a nice addition). 

    As for the game itself, Killie dominated the majority of the game – County were slightly fortunate to lead at half time thanks to a well-taken strike in front of the away end by Iain Vigurs Killie came roaring out of the blocks in the second half and were in front by the hour mark thanks to 2 quick strikes from Eamon Brophy. A late header from a set-piece by Nicki Kabamba ended the scoring at 3-1 to the home side.

    Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:

    With such a small away support, there was no issue getting away from the ground, and we were promptly back in Mack's.

    Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:

    As always at Rugby Park, a warm welcome at a well-equipped stadium. Just a shame about the football!

Updated 13th June 2022
See 3 Reviews