What is it about park life? -former Hawks fitness coach Tom Lucas in todays Herald

ELEANOR COWIE October 04 2005

FOR football fans, there is no place quite like it. Come rain, hail or shine, they will go to extraordinary lengths to attend a home match. Regardless of cost, league position, quality of play and, in some cases, family commitments, the fortnightly pilgrimage to their club's hallowed ground is a primal urge and impossible to ignore.
As a nation so steeped in the mythology of football, it is not surprising that Scotland's grounds, from Hampden to Firhill, are so revered and treasured. Next Tuesday, fans will have further opportunity to pay homage to these sacred venues by taking part in a rare architecture tour of some of Glasgow's football grounds.
Home and Away will take enthusiasts (as well as the odd foot-ball anorak) pitchside inside Celtic Park, Firhill and then around the outside of Rangers' Ibrox stadium. Part of Block, Glasgow's architecture festival, running in conjunction with The Lighthouse and The Herald, the fans will be shown round the grounds by architects from the Miller Partnership, the architecture firm behind many of today's modern footballing arenas.
Gareth Yule, a partner with the Miller Partnership and tour guide, says fans will be given a unique insight into the history and design of each stadium. "Everyone knows about these football teams themselves, and how different they are, but many do not know how different each stadium is. This tour will give people a chance to see behind the scenes of places they wouldn't normally see."
To the untrained eye, stadiums are often classed as lumps of unsightly concrete which scar the landscape. To the misty-eyed devotee, however, their ground is a spiritual home. Tam Cowan, the television and radio presenter who is also Motherwell fan, says there is little rationale behind a fan's love for his home ground. "Your home is your home," he says. "In your heart of hearts, you just get attached to a place. It's pure nostalgia. I feel sorry for fans who have had to move to these (modern) soulless, flat-pack stadiums, even if they're better grounds. They've no history."
Tom Lucas, a sports psychologist, agrees but believes the appeal runs deeper still. "People have an affinity with a stadium," he says. "Fans have a sense of ownership and there's a feeling of 'belonging' attached to it. A stadium is a reminder of where they once came from – that sounds over romantic – but they do serve as reference points for communities. They are a major part of the city's social history.
"A stadium also provides a sense of community for all around it, regardless of whether they follow football, because they are an integral part of the community. There's a sense of security that comes from having one in the community.
"I think of football stadiums like totem poles. They're a symbol of direction, like, 'This is where we belong as a community' . . . despite all the industrial, social changes and movement away from the grounds. The fact is, the stadium cements the community together."
Having taken the tour, I was impressed at the pride each club took in its ground, although the concept was taken to a new extreme when the Partick Thistle groundsman said he would shoot me if I happened to tread on the pitch.
While Ibrox and Parkhead are both impressive in their enormous size and capacity, Firhill had a more local, homely feel. The presence of the old standing-room-only terraces were a clear reminder of a bygone era, while the recently built, 6000-seater Jackie Husband stand indicated just some of the changes Partick Thistle and various other clubs have had to make over the years.
Those changes, of course, came after the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, when 96 fans were crushed to death at the FA Cup semi-final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. In the wake of the tragedy, the Taylor report stipulated all professional football grounds were to be made all-seated. Many believe this has dampened the spirit and magic of football grounds, despite making things safer.
Lucas says: "The new grounds do have atmosphere but to a lesser extent than the old ones. My childhood was spent standing on terraces watching the football. It's anathema to my kids to think of standing for a 90-minute match – they think the stadium should be seated.
"I'm not harking back to those days of standing on terraces – today's stadiums are safer – but with seated stadiums you have lost some of the magic. You just don't mingle with people or walk around as you once did."
Nevertheless, with or without seats, the iconic status of football grounds remains undiminished. Each football ground is unique, not to mention precious, to fans. Ask any football fan about their first match and precise details will follow, including date, venue, opposition team, final score and whether or not they had a half-time pie. It is a similar experience for every fan, no matter how different are the team or its players.
Greg Hemphill, a Celtic fan and comedy writer, says the excitement of a home match often surpasses the football itself. He recalls: "There was always something great about going to a home match; there was a buzz, an excitement in the air. I think the anticipation of the match outweighed the match, no offence to our rivals, like."
Lucas adds: "The location and geography make each stadium the way it is and what it means to those who go to it. You could almost have two identical stadiums in different parts of the city and they would feel and even look different from one another. That's because they are a reflection of the community and the people who live in the community."
I certainly will never forget my first trip to a Scottish football ground. It was a cold night in November nearly four years ago and, I have to admit, it was not to my chosen team's ground, but Parkhead instead. (In my defence, if one is possible, he was cute, I was keen and it was a European match.) What I remember most about the experience was the sense of community that existed within the stadium; how the crowd resembled one big (ok, massive) extended family, all united by love for their team. The excitement and anticipation from the 60,000-plus fans was palpable. I marvelled as I watched the almost choreographed reactions to disappointments, indignation at "bad" refereeing and jubilant celebrations. Row upon row of green and white figures bearing scarves and flags cheered and cried. It was like a gladiatorial arena, albeit without the lions, though it felt as if the power of the crowd were just as strong.
Andy Cameron, master of ceremonies at Rangers, agrees. "The atmosphere at a home game is fantastic and the energy on a European night is magic as well. There's nothing like a home game. The expectation that fills the stadium when songs and anthems start is just electric."

This article was originally posted on 4-Oct-2005, 13:56 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 4-Oct-2005, 14:02.