Historic Environment Scotland Grants Protected Status to Site of World's First International Football Stadium

The site of the original Hampden Park, recognized as the world's first international football stadium, has received protected status from Historic Environment Scotland.

Fears surfaced last year that the grounds on Kingsley Avenue in Glasgow's southside might become flats after the bowling club there closed. That closure opened the area to possible commercial use or redevelopment, upsetting campaigners. They pushed to honor the original Hampden, which hosted international matches and Scottish Cup finals from 1873 to 1883.

Scheduled monument status aims to preserve key Scottish sites in their current form for future generations.

Archaeologists uncovered remains of the original stadium during a 2021 excavation. The site saw Scotland's famous 5-1 victory over England in 1882.

Queen's Park built the ground at a time when Scottish teams typically played on converted cricket pitches. Scotland and England met for the world's first international in 1872 at the West of Scotland ground in Partick.

The Hampden site counts as the first stadium to feature elements now standard in football venues, including grandstands, turnstiles and season tickets.

Dara Parsons, head of designations at Historic Environment Scotland, said: "It feels timely to recognise the central role that Scotland played in the development of the sport, and the place of First Hampden within that story. The remains of the pavilion at the first Hampden are a link to the earliest days of football in Scotland, and its importance to, and impact on, communities. It is a monument to our national game and to the origins of the modern football stadium."

Parsons added: "We'd like to thank everyone who took time to take part in our consultation and share their valuable contributions. We had a great response, and we are looking to continue that engagement over the summer where we will be asking people to suggest important football heritage sites from across the whole of Scotland for us to investigate."

The original ground gave way to the second Hampden Park in 1884. A third version opened in Mount Florida in 1903.