Shawfield Stadium Guide

Not far from the boundary with Glasgow in the South Lanarkshire town of Rutherglen stands Shawfield Stadium. The only Greyhound Board of Great Britain track North of the border, it was once a football ground and hosted Clyde Football Club form its opening in 1898 until the Greyhound Racing Association told them to pack their bags in 1986. A bit rude considering the GRA had been tenants there until Clyde had to sell them the stadium in 1935 because of financial trouble.

Not that the GRA minded, of course, and the venue continues to host greyhound meetings to this day. The 432-metre course is home to a Swaffham hare, should you find that sort of information useful for when you’re going up to one of the numerous betting locations within the stadium to place your wager. Whether you’re a huge lover of dog racing that knows the ins and outs of the sport or you’re new to the whole thing and want to know what all of the fuss is all about, Shawfield Stadium will make you feel like you’re part of the action.

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Swap Start/End

Race Days & Times

Shawfield Stadium is very much about the weekend crowd. This is a venue that wants people to have a good time and there are no better days to do that on than ones when you probably don’t have work the next day. That’s why it’s open for business on Friday and Saturday nights, so put on your party shoes and head down there.

As far as timings are concerned, it’s roughly the same for both nights. The gates open at 7pm, with the first race on a Friday evening starting at 8pm. On a Saturday, it’s slightly different, with the first race getting under way ten minutes earlier at 7.50pm.

Visiting

  • Ticket Prices: Whether you’re going to Shawfield on a Friday evening or a Saturday night, you’ll be asked to pay the same amount, which is £6.
  • Getting There: Shawfield Stadium is in the middle of a triangle, two sides of which are made up by the A730 and the A728. It’s not far at all from the M74, should you be coming from outside the area. The venue is surrounded by train stations, with Bridgeton to the North, Pollokshields East to the West, Croftfoot to the South and Dalmarnock being the closest to the East. There are bus stations right outside the venue where bus numbers 21, 267, 315, 316, 387 and N267 all stop.
  • Parking There’s a reasonably sized car park outside the stadium where you can leave your car whilst you watch the racing.

History

Clyde Football Club had been looking for a new home when they had the opportunity to move to an area that had been a trotting track in 1898. They made it their new home and it was named Shawfield Stadium. Never the most financially stable team in Scotland, they had been earning an additional revenue stream by hiring the venue out to boxing promoters and track field clubs but by the 1930s they were still struggling. Greyhound racing had taken place at the stadium on occasion before but stopped because the Football League didn't approve.

In 1932, an agreement was reached with the league and the Shawfield Greyhound Racing Company Limited was created. Shawfield Stadium was to compete with four other venues in the surrounding areas and city of Glasgow, but by 1970, all of the others had closed. The Scottish Greyhound Derby needed a new home and there was only Shawfield or Powderhall Stadiums that were big enough to cope with it. The GRA awarded it to Shawfield and not long after they also received the right to host another prestigious competition – the St. Mungo Cup.

By 1983, greyhound racing had lost some of its popularity in Scotland. The track was put up for sale and three years later Clyde Football Club were told to leave. The stadium shut down seemingly for good on the 25th of October that year. It was expected that developers would but the track but instead it went to a business consortium that wanted to develop it as a racetrack rather than knock it down and build property. Under the ownership of the Shawfield Greyhound Racing and Leisure Company Limited, the track re-opened for business on the 11th of June, 1987.

The GRA lost the rights to the Scottish Greyhound Derby in 1988 and so the race returned to its spiritual home of Glasgow. It returned in 1989 and has remained there ever since. Over the years, Shawfield has also been used to host speedway, including being the home of the Glasgow Tigers for a decade. The Scottish Monarchs also raced there in the 1996 season. Nowadays, it is purely a greyhound racing stadium and is, at present, the only licensed track in all of Scotland.

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