Forthbank Park, Stirling.
POSTCODE———————————-FK7 7SG
LOCATED————————————Half a mile east of Stirling city centre.
ORIGINAL SITE—————————–Farm Grazing land.
DATE CONSTRUCTED——————–Latter end of the 19th century as a football ground.
DATE VENUE OPENED——————-Latter end of the 19th century for amateur football.
Meaning other sports may have taken place prior to the arrival of Greyhound Racing.
FIRST MEETING—————————–March 11th 1932.
Greyhound Racing only.
LICENSED OR INDEPENDENT———-Independent.
All venues covered would have to be licensed with the government, licensed suggested in this section would refer to tracks operating under NGRC Rules.
INSIDE OR OUTSIDE HARE TYPE——Don’t know.
Please note that the Electric Hare suggested is only a guidance and would have been in operation for a certain amount of time at this venue. Although it is not necessarily guaranteed that it was operational all the time, as other types of lure may have been used and updated as time progressed.
DISTANCES———————————–Don’t know.
Please note that most racing venues distances had become varied throughout the years, the ones given above were at once point set and offers only a guidance to the track size.
CIRCUMFERENCE—————————Don’t know.
Please note that alterations at most racing venues throughout its existence would see that the circumference of the track would vary, the one shown above offers only a guidance to the track size.
BIG RACE NAMES—————————Nothing known of.
STADIUM SHARED WITH——————King’s Park Football Club who played in the Scottish Football League between 1921 and 1939.
LAST MEETING——————————-1939 or 1940.
Greyhound Racing only.
STADIUM CLOSURE DATE—————-1940, due to bomb damage.
Meaning other sports may have taken place after Greyhound Racing had ceased.
STADIUM DEMOLITION——————-1940’s.
BUILT ON SITE——————————-Large industrial units on Phoenix Industrial Estate.
In some cases, structure’s that originally covered the venue after the stadium had been demolished, may have been themselves demolished too, so the one described is more likely to be the one which now presently covers the site.
EVIDENCE LEFT TODAY——————-Nothing known of.
FURTHER COMMENTS——————–None
Another of the football stroke greyhound relationships was at the Forthbank Parkin Stirling, who’s brief spell of greyhound racing happened during the 1930’s. The Forthbank Park had developed on grazing Land during the late 19th century, with the view of staging amateur football.
It was situated half a mile east of the city centre of Stirling and became the home of Scottish junior side King’s Park FC. King’s Park had been quite successful at amateur level, but in 1921 became one of the original members of the newly constructed Scottish Second Division. But by the 1930’s it was another story of financial hardship for the Stirling based football club and became another venue that would turn to greyhound racing for its financial support.
Opening up as flapping track, Forthbank’s staged its first meeting on the 11th of March 1932. Again, the same old story as complaints from visiting teams regarding the corner sections of the pitch being damaged by encroaching greyhounds, and also the disapproval from the Scottish Football League regarding gambling taking place at league venues. But financial figures announced at the end of 1933 had shown greyhound racing had made a profit of £300 and had reduced the football club’s deficit to just £481.
Greyhound racing continued up until the outbreak of the Second World War, but it was an incident during hostilities that ended greyhound racing at Forthbank. It was during the night of the 20th of July 1940, that the only enemy bomb dropped on Stirling hit the Forthbank Park. The lone German aircraft virtually destroyed half the stadium with a direct hit. Temporary repairs were made just enough to host two more King’s Park football matches before the club folded.
The stadium was so badly damaged that it was beyond repair and was condemned for demolition. It wasn’t until 1953 that The War Office paid compensation for the damage done. The site is now covered by The Phoenix Industrial Estate with Maxwell Conversions covering most of the area. But what remains is a coincidence is that the present Stirling Albion Football Club now play at a new venue south of Stirling, which happens to be called The Forthbank Park.
A programme, photograph or even memorabilia for this track is required for this page, if you can help please contact me.
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