Dens Park
Encyclopedia
Dens Park is a football stadium
located on Dens Road in Dundee
, Scotland
. The stadium is the home of Dundee F.C.
and has a capacity of 12,085. Uniquely, the stadium shares part of the same road (Sandeman Street) as Tannadice Park
, which is the home of city rivals Dundee United F.C.
In May 2009, it was reported that the stadium is owned by local businessman John Bennett who, despite having invested heavily in Dundee F.C., has rejoined the Dundee United board, where he had previously been a director until September 2008.
in 1899.
Following Dundee's successful league campaign during the 1998/99 season, Dens park had to be redeveloped to adhere to the new Scottish Premier League
seat-capacity guidelines. Dundee F.C. were therefore required to redevelop the East and West terraces. Barr Stadium Construction were charged with the task of removing the existing concrete terraces and the construction of two 3,000-seat stands. The stands were built in a record time of 82 days for the start of the 1999/2000 season. The two near-identical single-tier Bobby Cox and Bob Shankly
Stands sit at either end of the ground. The former usually houses home supporters while the latter houses the away supporters. A new Dundee F.C. Club Shop and ticket office were also built. Dens Park was the first stadium in Dundee to have its floodlights upgraded in the twenty-first century. Undersoil heating was installed in 2005.
Dens Park has hosted two Scottish League Cup
finals and, on 25 November 2007, hosted its first Scottish Challenge Cup final. Dens also has the distinction of being one of only two stadia within Dundee
to have held full Scottish Internationals, having held the event thrice. The other Dundee ground to have held an international was Carolina Port
. Dens Park was named best pitch in Division 1
in 2008. The record attendance at Dens Park is 43,024, which was set in 1953 when Dundee played host to Rangers F.C.
in the Scottish Cup.
and Poland
fail to meet UEFA
's expectations for hosting Euro 2012, however since Scotland withdrew its bid due to economic conditions, this is no longer the case.
In late 2007, Dundee F.C. announced plans to sell much of the land south of the pitch to a real-estate developer. As part of the plans, new flats/houses would be constructed on the presently unused portion of the land and a new southern stand would be freely constructed alongside the pitch. This would significantly increase the capacity of the stadium and would upgrade facilities at the club. In early 2008, Dundee F.C.'s Chief Executive Officer Dave Mackinnon announced that the club should have "positive news" regarding the project. However, nothing more was heard on the matter and at present there are no plans to make any changes to the ground.
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
located on Dens Road in Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The stadium is the home of Dundee F.C.
Dundee F.C.
Dundee Football Club, founded in 1893, are a football club based in the city of Dundee, Scotland. They are nicknamed The Dee or The Dark Blues and play their home matches at Dens Park. Their shirt colour is dark blue. Dundee currently play in the Scottish First Division, having been relegated from...
and has a capacity of 12,085. Uniquely, the stadium shares part of the same road (Sandeman Street) as Tannadice Park
Tannadice Park
Tannadice Park, usually referred to as Tannadice, is a football stadium located on Tannadice Street in the Scottish city of Dundee. The stadium is home of Dundee United F.C. and has a capacity of 14,209.-Early days :...
, which is the home of city rivals Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
In May 2009, it was reported that the stadium is owned by local businessman John Bennett who, despite having invested heavily in Dundee F.C., has rejoined the Dundee United board, where he had previously been a director until September 2008.
History
Dundee F.C. moved to "Dens" from their first stadium at Carolina PortCarolina Port
Carolina Port was a football stadium in Dundee, Scotland. The sport's first major venue in the city, it was an early home of Dundee F.C. and staged Dundee's first international match in 1896.-History:...
in 1899.
Following Dundee's successful league campaign during the 1998/99 season, Dens park had to be redeveloped to adhere to the new Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
seat-capacity guidelines. Dundee F.C. were therefore required to redevelop the East and West terraces. Barr Stadium Construction were charged with the task of removing the existing concrete terraces and the construction of two 3,000-seat stands. The stands were built in a record time of 82 days for the start of the 1999/2000 season. The two near-identical single-tier Bobby Cox and Bob Shankly
Bob Shankly
Robert "Bob" Shankly was a professional football player and manager. from the village of Glenbuck in Ayrshire, Scotland....
Stands sit at either end of the ground. The former usually houses home supporters while the latter houses the away supporters. A new Dundee F.C. Club Shop and ticket office were also built. Dens Park was the first stadium in Dundee to have its floodlights upgraded in the twenty-first century. Undersoil heating was installed in 2005.
Dens Park has hosted two Scottish League Cup
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...
finals and, on 25 November 2007, hosted its first Scottish Challenge Cup final. Dens also has the distinction of being one of only two stadia within Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
to have held full Scottish Internationals, having held the event thrice. The other Dundee ground to have held an international was Carolina Port
Carolina Port
Carolina Port was a football stadium in Dundee, Scotland. The sport's first major venue in the city, it was an early home of Dundee F.C. and staged Dundee's first international match in 1896.-History:...
. Dens Park was named best pitch in Division 1
Scottish Football League First Division
The Irn-Bru Scottish Football League First Division Championship is the highest division of the Scottish Football League and the second highest in the Scottish football league system....
in 2008. The record attendance at Dens Park is 43,024, which was set in 1953 when Dundee played host to Rangers F.C.
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
in the Scottish Cup.
Future
In 2002, plans were drawn up for a new stadium to be built in Dundee as part of Scotland's bid to host the 2008 European Football Championship. This stadium would have been shared by Dundee and near-neighbours Dundee United, which would have required the two to leave their historic Dens Park. The stadium was planned for construction on a new site at Caird Park. Scotland was not successful in their bid, however, and so these plans were postponed. They could be resurrected should Scotland launch a successful bid for future European Championships. However, both clubs strongly oppose a ground sharing agreement, but are interested in a new ground sharing arrangement that could take place if the UkraineUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
fail to meet UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
's expectations for hosting Euro 2012, however since Scotland withdrew its bid due to economic conditions, this is no longer the case.
In late 2007, Dundee F.C. announced plans to sell much of the land south of the pitch to a real-estate developer. As part of the plans, new flats/houses would be constructed on the presently unused portion of the land and a new southern stand would be freely constructed alongside the pitch. This would significantly increase the capacity of the stadium and would upgrade facilities at the club. In early 2008, Dundee F.C.'s Chief Executive Officer Dave Mackinnon announced that the club should have "positive news" regarding the project. However, nothing more was heard on the matter and at present there are no plans to make any changes to the ground.