Meadowbank Stadium
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Meadowbank Stadium is a multi-purpose sports facility sustainably located with good transport links and the potential to re-open adjacent rail stations in Meadowbank, in the Scottish capital Edinburgh. It is earmarked in the current Draft Edinburgh City Centre Local Plan to be demolished and the site re-developed for housing.
The capacity of the stadium is 16,000, the bulk of which are accommodated in a rather cavernous grandstand. Uncovered benches and terracing stretch around the rest of the track. It is best known for its role in two Commonwealth Games. It was built on the site of a small running track known as New Meadowbank. The sports complex and adjacent pitches to the east covers land formerly occupied by Old Meadowbank Stadium.
The stadium contains an 8 lane, 400 metre running track, with a grass pitch within it. There is also a velodrome on the site. As well as being used for various athletics meets, Edinburgh City F.C. calls the ground home. Meadowbank Thistle F.C. played here as well, until they were moved out of the city and renamed as Livingston F.C. The venue is oft-cited as one of the worst to ever see Scottish Football League action, its massive expanses of (mostly unused) seating, nearly all on one side, as well as the distance between the fans and the pitch, contributing to a lack of atmosphere and noise.
The stadium also contains a number of indoor facilities, including squash and basketball courts. These are also used for regular antiques fairs, martial arts competitions, conferences, and occasionally church meetings.
Other outdoor facilities include field hockey pitches.
It is also ued as a music venue for bands who wouldn't be able to sell out the city's other big stadium, Murrayfield Stadium. Muse, Snow Patrol, My Chemical Romance, Beck, Elbow_%28band%29 and Radiohead all have concerts booked in August as part of Edinburgh's annual music festival, T On The Fringe. Pixies were among the bands that played last year.
Professional rugby club Edinburgh Gunners also used the venue until they moved to Murrayfield Stadium. Edinburgh Rocks basketball team also sometimes play here.
It is ironic that the stadium has been used extensively for professional sporting activities as at the time the facilities were developed speedway fans were advised that the stadium could not host professional sports because of restrictions caused by rules over Government funding.
1948-1954 1960-1967 Old Meadowbank
Previously known as the Leith Athletic ground, the old Meadowbank Stadium, which should not be confused with New Meadowbank, the running / sports track upon which the new stadium is sited.
Motorcycle Speedway ran at old Meadowbank (Edinburgh Monarchs) from 1948 until 1954, when the post-war entertainment tax started to make the sport unprofitable. Six years later, it was a different story when, with the tax scrapped, the sport was reintroduced to Edinburgh. A Charity meeting was staged in 1959 and the Monarchs returned for 1960 to 1967.
Monarchs were turfed out of old Meadowbank at the end of 1967 to allow the stadium to be re-developed for the 1970 Commonwealth Games.
The city of edinburgh council have made a desicion for it to be demolished, and to replace it with a smaller community facillity in that side of the city, with a new sports centre being built in the west of the city.
See also
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