uk_scotland

Primo October 1975 I visited this famous stadium "Hampden Park" - National Stadium of Scotland.

On that October day it was "British weather" and I faced an old grey and by fact default stadium just like the picture above.

By luck and persuasion of the staff I found myself standing in the very center of the pitch. I watched this old stadium with the record cap. of 149.415 spectators ( Scotland - England - 1937). Some of the very best British players ever have tested their skills and even better their nerves playing on this hidebound pitch.

Although that cloudy October day of 1975 was without any noise at the old stadium, I closed my eyes and ears and imagined the world famous "Hampden Roar", the sounds of 150.000 throats being entusiatics and almost out of control, rushed towards and almost mashed the 22 players down in the pitch.

Among so many fights let me just remind of May 10, 1947. At that day Great Brittain played against "the Rest". Ab. 150.000 spectators watched a fight, which they never forgotten. Not only a humiliation of the Rest, however the British played probably on the peak of their performance. It must have been spectacular to see Tommy Lawton, Neil Franklin, Frank Swift, Wilf Mannion and of cause Stanley Matthews playing around with the Rest from the old Europe. Only the Dane Carl Aage Præst and the Swedes Gunnar Nordahl and Gunnar Green might have even the same standard on the pitch.
At that day I was sadly minus 2 years old, however I would have love being there to see the British mangled the Rest by the tennis-score 6 -1 !

At that days only Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro and Strahov st. in Praha ( used at the Sparticades) had a larger capacity of 200.000 spectators, however Maracana (Mario Filho) stadium nowadays only hosts ab. 80.000 spectators.

Strahow st. in Praha is only a vast space today. When I visited Strahov Stadium a hot July-day in 1999, it was so hard to believe, that the famous "Sparticades" in the communist-days have gathered around 250.000 spectators.......time change so indeed !

Nowadays the Stadium Hampden Park ( picture above) is a modern body and have a capacity of ab. 52.000 spectators.

The photo is from the stadiums website, which you can enjoy by clicking on the picture.