Links Park

Links Park
Montrose playing Aberdeen at Links Park in 2006
Links Park is located in Angus
Links Park
Links Park
Location in Angus
LocationMontrose, Scotland
Coordinates56°42′50″N 2°27′32″W / 56.71389°N 2.45889°W / 56.71389; -2.45889
OwnerBryan Keith[1]
Capacity4,936[2]
SurfaceArtificial turf[3]
Opened1887[1]
Tenants
Montrose F.C. (1887–present)[1]
Montrose W.F.C. (2017–present)
Montrose Roselea F.C. (2018–present)

Links Park is a football stadium in Montrose, Scotland. It has been the home ground of Montrose F.C. since 1887.

Links Park was opened in 1887 on land rented from the 'Auld Kirk'.[1] To help finance the new ground, Montrose F.C. rented the pitch out for circuses and livestock grazing.[1] The club was eventually able to raise £150 in 1920 to buy a stand, that had been previously used by the Highland Games.[1] A roof was built over the Wellington Street end of the ground in the 1960s.[1] Floodlights were installed in 1971 and first used in a match against Stranraer.[1] The record attendance at the ground was 8,983, for a Scottish Cup quarter-final tie against Dundee in March 1973.[1]

Links Park was significantly improved in the 1990s, after the club was taken over by Bryan Keith.[1] The wooden Main Stand was replaced by a cantilevered stand, seating 1,258 people.[1] Other improvements brought the total investment to nearly £1 million, of which the Football Trust provided £400,000.[1] Keith bought the ground in 1995 for £500,000 and granted the club a 25-year lease, without rent.[1] GlaxoSmithKline provided a £250,000 grant in 2006 for the club to install an all-weather surface at Links Park.[4] This pitch was replaced by another artificial surface during the 2015 close season.[3]

The current stadium capacity is 4,936. The all-seated Main Stand (South) has a capacity of 1,338 with the West Stand terrace holding a maximum of 1,582 spectators. There is also uncovered standing areas on the North and East sides off the ground. The pitch at the stadium measures 113 x 70 yards.

For the 2018–19 season onwards, local junior football club Montrose Roselea have shared the ground.[5]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Inglis 1996, p. 456
  2. ^ "Montrose Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Montrose to replace Links Park pitch". spfl.co.uk. Scottish Professional Football League. 5 June 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  4. ^ "Club receives new pitch donation". BBC News. 20 December 2006. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  5. ^ "Montrose Roselea reach Links Park groundshare agreement". Montrose F.C. Retrieved 30 June 2018.