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Abandoned football stadiums in Scotland including Cathkin Park

Written by Matthew Cooper
Last Update: September 14, 2026
Abandoned football stadiums in Scotland including Cathkin Park
Photo via IMAGO / Action Plus

Scotland has a storied football history that stretches back to at least the 1400s, with one of the earliest records of the sport being a mention of “fut ball” in the Act of the Scots Parliament in 1424.

Over the years, football has become the most popular sport in the country and Scotland boasts some of the most iconic stadiums in the world, including Celtic Park and Ibrox.

However, there are a number of historic Scottish grounds that are no longer in use and FootballGroundGuide has taken a look at some of those abandoned and lost football stadiums.

Cathkin Park

Cathkin Park is a football ground in the Crosshill area of Glasgow, Scotland. It was the home ground of Third Lanark from their foundation in 1872 until they moved to New Cathkin Park in 1903. It also hosted Scottish Cup final matches and the Scotland national team. Photo by Simon Gill.
Cathkin Park – Photo by Simon Gill/Alamy/Iconsport

Team: Queen's Park/Third Lanark
Opened: 1884
Abandoned: 1967
Location: Glasgow

If there is one abandoned Scottish football stadium that deserves to be at the top of the list it is Cathkin Park.

The stadium began life as the second home of Queen's Park before Third Lanark took over the site in 1903. The ground was subsequently transformed into a substantial football stadium capable of accommodating tens of thousands of spectators.

Third Lanark were one of Scotland's historic clubs, winning the Scottish Cup in 1889 and competing at the highest level of the domestic game. Cathkin Park therefore became an important part of Glasgow football history.

But the club's fortunes declined dramatically in the 1960s. Third Lanark collapsed financially and played their final competitive match in 1967.

Unlike many former grounds, Cathkin Park was never completely erased. Today, sections of the old terracing and earth embankments remain hidden among trees and open space.

The pitch is still recognisable, while fragments of the old stadium provide an extraordinary glimpse of what Scottish football looked like during the era of enormous standing terraces.

Historic Environment Scotland has recognised the importance of the site, describing it as a rare surviving example of a historic football ground and highlighting the archaeological potential of the remaining terraces and buried structures.

Shawfield Stadium

2XDH3AP Aerial view of abandoned closed down former greyhound racing rack and stadium at Shawfield in Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Shawfield Stadium – Photo by Iain Masterton/Alamy/Iconsport

Team: Clyde/Bridgerton Waverley Monarchs
Opened: 1898
Abandoned: 2020
Location: Rutherglen

Shawfield Stadium has a slightly different story.

Clyde moved to Shawfield in 1898 and remained there for 88 years, making it the club's longest-serving home. The stadium was also famously used for greyhound racing and speedway, creating an unusual football environment where the pitch sat inside a racing track.

Clyde did not own the stadium, however, and the club were given notice to leave in 1986, with their final match at Shawfield coming against Alloa Athletic on 28 April that year. Clyde won 4-2, bringing an emotional end to almost nine decades at the ground.

The stadium subsequently continued primarily as a venue for greyhound racing, but Shawfield closed during the pandemic in 2020 and the sport was formally banned in 2026.

Firs Park


Team: East Stirlingshire
Opened: 1921
Closed: 2008
Location: Falkirk

Firs Park was never one of Scotland's biggest stadiums, but its old-fashioned appearance made it a favourite among football traditionalists.

East Stirlingshire played at the ground between 1921 and 2008, with the stadium eventually becoming too difficult to maintain.

By the time the club left, Firs Park had a capacity of around 1,800, including 200 seats. However, the main issue was that bringing the ground up to the standards required by the Scottish Football Association was considered prohibitively expensive.

East Stirlingshire ultimately moved to Stenhousemuir's Ochilview Park and Firs Park was demolished in 2012.

Love Street


Team: St Mirren/Greenock Morton
Opened: 1894
Closed: 2009
Location: Paisley

St Mirren called Love Street home for more than 115 years, with the ground hosting some enormous crowds during its heyday. The record attendance came in 1949 when 47,438 supporters watched St Mirren face Celtic in the Scottish Cup.

By the 21st century, however, Love Street was showing its age and St Mirren eventually decided that selling the Love Street site was necessary to help fund a new ground.

The final match took place on 3 January 2009, when St Mirren drew 0-0 with Motherwell, and the stadium was demolished the following year.

Boghead Park


Team: Dumbarton/Clydebank
Opened: 1879
Closed: 2000
Location: Dumbarton

Dumbarton played at Boghead Park for 121 years, making it the oldest Scottish stadium to have remained in continuous use when it finally closed in 2000.

The ground also witnessed some of the biggest moments in Dumbarton's history. The club won the Scottish championship in 1892, while the stadium's record attendance of 18,001 came against Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup in 1957.

However, the stadium's capacity fell sharply as sections deteriorated and were taken out of use. A stand destroyed by fire was never replaced, while plans to redevelop the ground were never realised.

Dumbarton eventually left in 2000 and moved to a new stadium, selling the old ground which was demolished and replaced by a housing development.

Brockville Park


Team: Falkirk
Opened: 1885
Closed: 2003
Location: Falkirk

Brockville Park was the home of Falkirk for more than a century.

The ground was famous for its traditional terracing and had a record attendance of 23,100 for a Scottish Cup match against Celtic in 1953.

But by the beginning of the 21st century, Brockville was starting to show its age. Much of the ground remained largely unchanged for decades and it became a major obstacle for Falkirk, who were repeatedly denied promotion to the Scottish Premier League as Brockville did not meet the league's standards.

Falkirk left in 2003 as a result and Brockville was demolished, with Morrisons supermarket replacing the old ground. However, the ground's history has not been completely erased as an old Brockville turnstile remains on display next to the car park.

Muirton Park


Team: St Johnstone
Opened: 1924
Closed: 1989
Location: Perth

St Johnstone's Muirton Park was another famous Scottish ground that eventually became a casualty of modernisation.

The stadium opened on Christmas Day in 1924 and was home to St Johnstone for 65 years. At its peak, almost 30,000 spectators could squeeze into the stadium, with the record attendance reaching 29,972.

Unfortunately, the condition of the ground deteriorated badly during the 1980 and St Johnstone eventually moved to McDiarmid Park in 1989.

Muirton Park was demolished and the site was subsequently redeveloped, with an ASDA supermarket now sitting where the ground once was.

Douglas Park


Team: Hamilton Academical/Clyde
Opened: 1888
Closed: 1995
Location: Hamilton

Hamilton Academical's Douglas Park is another stadium that no longer exits.

The club played at the ground for more than a century before leaving in the 1990s. Douglas Park had plenty of character but, like many traditional Scottish grounds, it became increasingly difficult to modernise.

Hamilton stopped playing there in 1994, but the stadium continued to be used for reserve games until January 1995. The ground was sold and redeveloped into a Sainsbury's supermarket, with the turnstiles sold to Falkirk and a section of the main stand sold to Auchinleck Talbot.

Hamilton kept the stadium's floodlights, though, and used them as part of New Douglas Park which was built next door to the old ground.

Annfield Stadium


Team: Stirling Albion
Opened: 1945
Closed: 1993
Location: Stirling

Annfield Stadium was home to Stirling Albion for almost half a century.

The ground opened in 1945 and became a familiar part of Scottish football, with Stirling Albion playing their home matches there until the club moved to Forthbank Stadium in 1993.

The club sold the ground to the council in 1981 when they were struggling financially and it was decided in the 1990s that a new stadium should be built as upgrading Annfield would be too expensive.

The council constructed Forthbank Stadium and closed Annfield following the conclusion of the 1992-93 season, with the ground getting demolished and replaced by a housing development.

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