 | |
| Location | Grahamston Bridge, Falkirk |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 56°00′09″N3°46′54″W / 56.00250°N 3.78167°W |
| Opened | 19 August 1932 |
| Closed | July 1988 |
Diamond Stadium was a greyhound racing stadium situated in Falkirk, Scotland. It was also known as the Brockville Greyhound Stadium and Falkirk Diamond Stadium and is not to be confused with the nearby Brockville Park.
The stadium became the third venue in Falkirk to introduce greyhound racing following Firs Park and Brockville Park. The site chosen in 1932 for the newly purpose built track was on the old Springfield Iron Foundry. Falkirk at the time was immersed in iron works with a significant percentage of the population employed in the industry. [1] [2] The name Diamond Stadium was derived from the former Springfield Iron foundry that was locally known as the Diamond Foundry. [3] [4]
Four thousand people attended the opening night on 19 August 1932 with the first winner being Willie C who won a Kennel sweepstake competition. In a match race on the same night the White City Stadium, Glasgow champion and Scottish Greyhound Derby winner Laverock defeated the Carntyne Stadium champion Man Friday by nineteen lengths. [5] The Diamond Stadium management initially declared their intentions to be independent and race on Saturday afternoons in an attempt to damage the football match day crowds of the other two rival tracks but they soon joined the National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC) and began a regular race schedule. The competition between the tracks was fierce and it made the Scottish national papers who labelled it as a war. Firs Park reverted to football only in 1933 and Brockville Park followed suit in 1935. [6]
The track had long straights and tight bends with distances of 250, 450, 580 & 800 yards around a 320-yard circumference. The stadium was owned by the Brockville Greyhound Racecourse Ltd with racing taking place on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday evenings. The main stand, kennels and paddock were all adjacent to the same Stirlingshire Midland Junction railway that ran below the Brockville Park football ground. The stadium lost its NGRC licence on 22 October 1937 but experienced a totalisator turnover high in 1946 of £218,962; a large sum for an independent track. [7]
The Falkirk council acquired the stadium for £31,000 at the beginning of 1972 following the exit of the previous track owner Mr George Jack. They in turn leased it initially to John O'Donnell [8] and then for a number of years to Falkirk businessman William Barr. [9] William Barr invested much needed funds turning it into a family affair and by 1980 all races were handicaps on an all-sand surface over distances of 215, 535, 730 & 900 yards. There were ten bookmakers and racing took place on Tuesday and Friday nights at 7.30pm. Trials were held on a Sunday. [10]
The track closed in July 1988 [11] and was redeveloped into the Central Retail Park. [12]
| Distance yards | Greyhound | Time | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 350 | Room Boy | 21.70 | 1936 |
| 350 | Big Sambo | 21.70 | 1936 |
| 500 | Two Aces | 30.60 | 1936 |
| 600 | Ma Petite | 42.42 | 1936 |
Brockville Park was a football stadium located on Hope Street in Falkirk, Scotland, 0.25 miles (0.4 km) north-west of the town centre. It was the home of Falkirk F.C. from 1885 until the end of 2002–03 Scottish football season. The record attendance at Brockville Park was 23,100 on 21 February 1953 in a match against Celtic. The stadium has since been replaced with a Morrisons supermarket. An old turnstile is on display next to the supermarket's car park.
Firs Park was a football stadium in Falkirk, Scotland, which was the home of East Stirlingshire F.C. between 1921 and 2008. It was located on Firs Street, 0.3 miles north-east of the town centre. At the time of closing the ground had a capacity of 1,800 with 200 seated.
Sunderland Greyhound Stadium is a greyhound racing track situated at Fulwell in the City of Sunderland and English county of Tyne and Wear. The stadium is owned by ARC and racing takes place every Wednesday and Friday evening as well as an additional BAGS meeting on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. The circumference of the track is 378 metres.
Ipswich Stadium was a greyhound racing stadium situated in Ipswich, Suffolk.
The Wisbech Greyhound Stadium is a former greyhound racing venue near Wisbech.
Blackpool Greyhound Stadium was a greyhound track in Blackpool, Lancashire. It is not to be confused with the Blackpool Squires Gate Greyhound Stadium, a short-lived track that was nearby to the south.
Raikes Park Greyhound Stadium, also known as Bolton Greyhound Stadium, was a greyhound racing track in Bolton, Greater Manchester in north-west England. It is not to be confused with the Westhoughton Greyhound Track, which was another track in nearby Westhoughton.
White City Stadium (Liverpool) was a greyhound racing stadium in Liverpool, England.
Stanley Greyhound Stadium, also known as Murray Park Stadium, was a greyhound racing stadium in Stanley, County Durham.
The 1954 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 29th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The 1960 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 34th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The 1967 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 41st year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The 1969 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 43rd year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The 1970 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 44th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The 1971 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 45th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The 1972 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 46th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The 1975 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 49th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The 1980 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 54th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The 1982 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 56th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The Guineas originally called the One Thousand Guineas was a greyhound racing competition held annually. It was inaugurated in 1939 at Park Royal Stadium over 400 yards.