Hampden Park

Hampden Park has been the home of Scottish football for generations, a field of dreams shared by the masses. There was a time when Hampden was the biggest and best football stadium in the world. For the better part of a century, the world's great players have appeared in Mount Florida, overwhelmed by the crowd on the terraces, with such passion and affection for the clubs and the country.

Origin of the name

Hampden Park is the oldest international football stadium in the world. The name comes from the English parliamentarian, Civil War soldier John Hampden, who fought on the side of the Roundheads (Puritans) in the 17th century. The terrace of the houses, called Hampden, goes down to the recreation parks next to Victoria Hospital.

The popularity of the stadium

The popularity of football and the primacy of the Royal Park allowed the committee to correctly anticipate the success of what the stadium could bring. In 1903, Royal Park bought land in Mount Florida and built a new fortress. The Scottish Cup final was held at the Royal Park as early as 1904. Of the 132 Scottish Cup finals, 89 were played at Hampden Park. The tournaments have hosted wonderful finals, such as Rangers versus Dundee in 1964, Motherwell's victory over Dundee United in extra time in 1991.

Hampden breaks records

In 1937, Hampden Park set two records that have never been surpassed. On April 17, 1937, 149,415 people gathered for Scotland's first match, for which all tickets were sold out, a UK record for all matches that witnessed Scotland defeating England by a score of three to one. A week later, at the Scottish Cup final, a crowd of 146,433 people - a European record for a club match - watched Celtic beat Aberdeen 2-1, with about 20,000 fans trapped outside.

The stadium in the 21st century

Spectacular matches and moments continue into the 21st century, not only from football players, but also from music stars, boxers, Scottish claymores and fantastic athletes participating in the athletics competitions held at Hampden Park during the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Scotland has not yet achieved major victories in this new century, despite this, Hampden Park brings joy, passion and roar from the fans of Scotland.