New Douglas Park: Hamilton Academical

By Alasdair Middleton from Rothesay, Scotland (New Douglas ParkUploaded by Kafuffle) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Hamilton Academical Football Club was formed in 1874. For the first 14 years of the club’s existence they led a somewhat nomadic lifestyle, bumming around from place to place, looking for a home. In 1888 Douglas Park opened up and allowed the South Lanarkshire based club a permanent home to call their own. They stayed there until 1994 when they were forced to sell up in leave for the funding of a new stadium.

From 1994 until 2001 Hamilton played their home games either at Cliftonhill, Albion Rovers’ stadium, or Firhill Stadium where Patrick Thistle play their games. During this period Douglas Park was sold to the supermarket chain Sainsbury’s and a new ground was built just down the road. Ever an imaginative bunch, the Hamilton Academical board decided to name the new stadium…New Douglas Park. Although it is currently known as the Hope CBD Stadium thanks to a sponsorship deal.

Stats

New Douglas Park Photos

• New Douglas Park New Douglas Park
• North stand looking towards Main Stand North stand looking towards Main Stand
• West Stand West Stand
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New Douglas Park Seating Plan & Where to Sit

There are two permanent stands at New Douglas Stadium, with The North Stand being the first of them. It is behind one of the goals and the seats are slightly raised from the level of the pitch. The other is The West Stand, which runs along the length of the pitch and houses the main facilities such as the changing rooms and the players’ tunnel. There is no stand to the South of the ground and The East Stand is a temporary structure where the away fans are housed.

Hamilton Academical Ticket Prices

The ticket pricing scheme at New Douglas Park is blessedly easy to understand. The club do not categorise their matches, nor do they charge different amounts of money to sit in different parts of the stadium. There is a flat fee for Hamilton matches, perhaps because the club only averages just over 3,000 supporters in a ground built for double that amount.

• Adults: £22.00
• Concessions: £12.00

How To Get Hamilton Academical Tickets

You can get tickets over the phone, on the day of the match from the turnstiles or from the club’s ticket office.

Where to Buy

Getting To New Douglas Park

Hamilton is below both Glasgow and Edinburgh, so it’s actually easier to get to than either of those cities if you’re heading there from London. Here’s some info on getting to the stadium:

Train - A train from Euston to Hamilton Central will take just under five hours with a change in Motherwell. From there you can walk to the ground in less than thirty minutes or get a ten minute train to Hamilton West, which is another ten minutes walk from New Douglas Park.

Bus -The 227 runs from Hamilton Central to close to the ground.

Car - Head into Scotland on the M74 and leave it at Junction 5, following signs for Hamilton. Keep going past Hamilton Racecourse and keep your eye out for signs to the stadium.

By Air - Glasgow International Airport is just over fifteen miles from Hamilton.

Taxi - A taxi from Hamilton Central to New Douglas Park will take just over five minutes and cost about £7.

Parking Near New Douglas Park

There’s no car park at the ground itself but there are loads of spaces nearby, especially at Morrisons which is next door.

• See Available Parking Near New Douglas Park

Useful Resources

New Douglas Park Hotels

Hamilton doesn’t have the same popularity as Edinburgh or Glasgow, but it’s still got a couple of nice hotels for your consideration:

Days Inn Hamilton - £50+

Roadchef Motorway Service Area, M74 Northbound, Hamilton, ML3 6JW

This member of the Days Inn chain of hotels is just off the motorway on the way towards the ground. It’s about fifteen minutes walk away, should you choose to walk it, and there’s a restaurant as well as a game room, free Wi-Fi and free parking. More details.

Holiday Inn Express Hamilton - £70+

Keith Street, Hamilton, ML3 7BL

Holiday Inn hotels are well-known pretty much everywhere, so you should know what to expect. There’s a restaurant, a bar, a meeting room, a free buffet breakfast and Wi-Fi available. It’s about twenty minutes walk from the stadium. More details.

Hilton Strathclyde Hotel - £90+

Phoenix Crescent, Bellshill, ML4 3JQ

This Hilton hotel is three and a half miles from New Douglas Park but it’s worth travelling to. There’s a restaurant, a bar, a health club with an indoor pool, spa services and a conference space. There’s also free Wi-Fi in the reception and free parking. More details.

Pubs & Bars Near New Douglas Park

Scotland is a great country to have a drink in and Hamilton is a lovely city to head to. Here are some of our favourite places to try:

Facilities

The facilities throughout the ground are probably best described as basic. The views are good from all around, especially The North Stand, and there are plenty of places to get food and drink, but that’s about it.

Prices

• Programme: 2.90
• Pie: 1.90
• Cup of tea: 1.50

Hospitality

Hamilton do offer hospitality packages, with most entailing a champagne reception and complimentary pre-match drinks followed by a three-course meal with wine. You’ll get seating either in the suite or in The West Stand, half-time refreshments and free drinks after the match.

Private Hire

New Douglas Park offers function rooms for up to 200 guests, so whether it's a business conference or a big birthday bash, they should be able to look after you - and for a reasonable price too. AD Hospitality deal with all of the Accies Functions.

Stadium Tours & Museum

You can’t tour New Douglas Park at the time of writing, but if you head to the Southern end of the stadium that’s just a grass verge so you can have a wee look around there if you fancy it. There’s no museum either.

About Hamilton Academical

The Accies were formed in 1874 from a school football team and, interestingly, are the only professional football club in all of Britain to have originated from a school side. They became a member of the Scottish Football Association not long after being formed, competing in both the Scottish Cup and the Qualifying Cup before the became part of the Scottish Football League in 1897. They briefly resigned from the same league in the 1970s when a series of debts caused major problems for the side.

Hamilton have enjoyed a small modicum of success during their existence. They have won the Scottish Challenge Cup on two occasions as well as finishing runners-up in the same competition, and they’ve finished as runners-up in the Scottish Cup twice, too. The club’s biggest victory came in 2014 when they beat Morton 10-2. Hamilton’s promotion to the top-flight in 2008 ended a 20-year exile from Scotland’s highest league.

New Douglas Park History

Arguably the most exciting thing that has happened at New Douglas Park since it opened in 2001 is the different types of turf that have been installed on the stadium’s pitch. It opened with regular, normal grass, but that wasn’t good enough for the Accies. In 2004 they installed FieldTurf, an artificial turf that could take more of a beating from the typically troublesome Scottish weather. When Hamilton gained promotion to the top-flight in 2008 it had to be removed as the Scottish Premier League didn’t allow artificial turf to be used. BUT! During the 2013/14 season they went BACK to playing on an artificial surface. Who knows where this roller coaster ride will end.

Along with grass, 2008 saw the building of a temporary stand in order to ensure New Douglas Park met the minimum requirements for stadium capacity. In 2013 The Accies removed the grass to install Tigerturf, another artificial surface that met the Premier League’s requirements. As with most newly opened stadiums, the main history of New Douglas Park is yet to be written. The Accies have enjoyed their first decade or so in the ground and will continue to do so moving forward.

Future Developments

Given that The East Stand is a temporary structure and that there is no stand at the South end of the stadium, it’s fair to say that there is room for improvement at New Douglas Park. Finishing it would be a good start. There’s no immediate plans for development, however, so if that changes we’ll let you know.