Фир-Парк: История и современность стадиона «Мазервелл»

Football stadium in Motherwell, Scotland

Motherwell F. C. was formed in 1886. It played at sites on Roman Road and Dalziel Park until 1895, when Fir Park was opened. For most of the 20th century, Fir Park consisted of one main stand and a ring of terracing around the other three sides A sculptured tribute to O'Donnell was added to the north wall of the stand in 2011.

The East Enclosure was formerly an area of open terracing, which was roofed in 1954 costing £6,500. Further refurbishments, including the replacement of all seats, took place in early 2021, following the recent club record sale of David Turnbull, and with supporters unable to attend the stadium due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Scotland.

The South Stand is named after former manager Tommy McLean and was previously named the Maxim Office Park Stand for sponsorship reasons. The structure dominates the surrounding area, as it can be seen from all around Motherwell and the nearby M74 motorway. The upper deck offers a panoramic view, beyond the centre of Motherwell to the distant Ochil Hills and Ben Lomond.

The Davie Cooper Stand is of relatively similar design to the South Stand – both were designed by the company WH Dickie Architects, owned by Bill Dickie who was also a club director and SFA president – but only has one tier and a capacity of 2,373 seats. It houses the club shop, the Davie Cooper Suite, an IT department and hospitality boxes. There was a severe winter in 2009–10, however, which damaged the pitch greatly. In season 2010–11, the club removed the top few inches of the pitch and completely relaid the pitch. They also added twisted sand fibre which should prevent the pitch from tearing as easily. On 2 December 2011, a match against Hibernian was abandoned at half time due to a floodlight fire causing safety concerns. In recent seasons, the pitch at Fir Park has been considered one of the best in the UK, winning the best pitch in the Scottish Premiership in the 2017–18 season. The drastic change in the playing surface came after considerable investment including the purchase of several lighting rigs to encourage turf growth, the cessation of all activities other than first team matches – preserving its condition and promoting an idea of grandeur and exclusivity among the youth squads hoping to play on it – and expert refurbishment led by head groundskeeper Paul Matthew who joined the club in 2014. Between 2021 and 2022, Motherwell's board invested part of the income from the club's record sale of David Turnbull in the installment of a new hybrid surface, mainly made of grass and strengthened by synthetic fibers, at Fir Park, becoming the fourth club in Scotland (after Celtic, Rangers and Heart of Midlothian) to do so in the process.

During the 2007–08 season, Gretna rented Fir Park from Motherwell and played all but one of their home SPL games there. The now defunct club also played their UEFA Cup tie against Derry City at the stadium in 2006. Fir Park also hosted the opening ceremony of the 2011 International Children's Games, which were being held in Lanarkshire. Fir Park was used as the home venue for the Scotland women's national football team during the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying campaign.

At the 2008 annual general meeting, Motherwell announced plans to investigate the possibility of a redevelopment of Fir Park, or the possibility of a move to a new ground. Motherwell chairman John Boyle indicated at the following year's AGM that the club would not be leaving Fir Park within the next five to ten years. In June 2010, the club said that the repair of the pitch, which had come in for some fierce criticism in the latter part of the 2009–10 season, would be the last major investment at the stadium. In September 2011, vice chairman Derek Weir indicated that the club are 'nowhere near' a ground move, insisting that the £15 million it would cost would be beyond their means. In November 2019, with the club almost free of debt, chief executive Alan Burrows stated that the possibility of leaving Fir Park for a new ground "probably has to be a debate and a question that is put on the agenda quite high in the not too distant future" due to the age and standard of some of the facilities; however in early 2021, extensive refurbishments were carried out on the John Hunter Stand, with Burrows indicating work would also be carried out on the other stands. Local trains on the Argyle Line serve Airbles railway station, which is closer to the ground. Car parking is available in the surrounding streets.