Dens Park: Dundee
The first thing to say is that you need to be careful when talking about Dundee’s football club, mainly because there are two of them. Dundee FC, who we’re talking about here, play their games at Dens Park – an entirely different stadium to Tannadice Park where Dundee United play their games. Ok? Ok. Dens Park was built in 1899 and replaced Dundee’s previous stadium, Carolina Port, where they had played their previous home games since the club’s formation in 1893.
Dens Park (currently known as the Scot Foam stadium for sponsorship) has a number of claims to fame; it has previously hosted two Scottish League Cup finals, an honour usually reserved for Hampden Park, and it is also the only ground in Dundee to have hosted a full Scottish International game. In 2007 it hosted the Scottish Cup final, a match that is more commonly held at St. Johnstone’s McDiarmid Park. Another interesting fact about Dens Park is that, at the time of writing, it is not owned by the club but rather by John Bennett, a business man who is on the board of the club’s fierce rivals Dundee United.
Stats
| Dens Park Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Opened | 1899 |
| Capacity | 11775 |
| Average Attendance | 6965 |
| Record Attendance | 43024 (Dundee v Rangers (1953)) |
| Pitch Size | 100 x 64 (6400) |
| Nickname | Dens |
| Owner | John Bennett |
| Sponsor | Scot Foam |
| Clubs Hosted | Dundee F.C. |
| First Fixture | Dundee v St. Bernards (19/08/1899) |
| Dundee Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1893 |
| Nickname | The Dark Blues, The Dee |
| Club Mascot | DeeWok |
| Rivals | Dundee United |
| Previous Stadiums | Carolina Port |
| Kit | Blue & White (Home) / Dark Blue & Sky Blue (Away) |
| Shirt Sponsor | Crown Engineering |
| Team Owner | Keyes Capital |
| Record Goalscorer | Alan Gilzean (169) |
| Record Appearances | Barry Smith (400) |
Dens Park Photos
Credit: Ray Flanagan
Dens Park Seating Plan and Where to Sit
The North Stand is considered to be the main stand in the ground as it houses the dugouts and changing rooms. It’s also a bit of a weird stand as it’s built at an angle, bending around the side of the pitch rather than running straight. The Bob Shankly Stand is behind the Eastern goal and was re-built when Dundee gained promotion to the SPL, much like The Bobby Cox Stand. The main difference is away supporters are housed in The Bob Shankly Stand but The Bobby Cox Stand is reserved for the noisiest Dundee supporters. These two stands were built in a record 82 days. The South Stand, such as it is, is a dilapidated section of covered seating alongside an uncovered terrace section.
Dundee Ticket Prices
Ticket prices for Dundee games are simple to understand. Matches are split into two categories, with games against Aberdeen, Celtic, Dundee United, Rangers and Hearts going into Category A and all other games fitting into Category B. Your ticket price will then be dictated by how old you are as the price is the same regardless of where in the ground you would like to sit. Apart from the deals available for family’s, the prices are as follows:
- Adults – Cat A: £32.00 Cat B: £26.00
- Concessions – Cat A: £20.00 Cat B: £16.00
How To Get Dundee Tickets
Tickets are available over the phone, from the club’s official website (£2.00 surcharge) or by calling in to the ticket office in person. You can also buy tickets at the club on the day for most matches.
Where to Buy
Getting To Dens Park
Dundee is to the East of Perth on the bank of the River Tay. It’s got its own charms, even if it’s not as popular a destination as nearby St. Andrews. Here’s how you can get to the ground:
Train – Getting the train to Dundee from King’s Cross will take just under six hours, either direct or with a change in Edinburgh. Once in the city it will take you about half an hour to walk to the ground.
Bus -The 1A National Express bus runs from the city centre to the stadium.
Car – From England you’ll want to take the M6 to the A74(M) then the M74 to the A9. Get onto the M90 which will become the A90 and follow the signs to the ground.
By Air – Dundee Airport is the closest to the city as it’s only about five minutes away in a car.
Taxi – A taxi from Dundee Train Station to Dens Park will take just shy of ten minutes and cost somewhere in the region of £7.
Parking Near Dens Park
There isn’t a car park specifically set aside for supporters but there is a fair degree of on-street parking near to the ground. Keep your eye out for parking restrictions, though.
Useful Resources
- Parking - Just Park
Dens Park Hotels
Because of the proximity of St. Andrews, with its famous golf course, Dundee has a number of hotels ready to catch any overspill. Here are the pick of the bunch:
Holiday Inn Express Dundee - £50+
Hampton By Hilton Dundee City Centre - £65+
Apex City Quay Hotel & Spa - £75+
Pubs and Bars Near Dens Park
Dundee is developing and changing all of the time. It’s got a lot to offer people who want to experience both the traditional and the new:
The Old Bank Bar
The Counting House
Nether Inn
Facilities
The Bob Shankly and Bobby Cox Stands have both been rebuilt reasonably recently, so the facilities available in each of them are not too shabby. Elsewhere in the ground The North Stand also houses most of the things you’d expect to see, but The South Stand is…found wanting.
Prices
- Programme: £3
- Pie: £2
- Cup of tea: £2.2
Hospitality
There are a number of hospitality packages at Dens Park all in lounges that have been refurbished recently. The Legends Lounge is the most flexible with annual or match by match options available, and includes premium seating, a 3 course meal, complimentary bar and a visit from a player or two post match. The mascot package is pretty cool, and not just for the kids either. The family get lunch in the Charlie Cook lounge and access to a pay bar, while the mascot will get a full replica kit and then lead the team out on to the pitch. The 169 Club, a reference to the number of goals scored for the club by Alan Gilzean, is an annual package, complete with a dedicated seat in the Director’s Box where you can take advantage of a corporate style finger buffet and complimentary bar.
Private Hire
The same lounges that are used for the club’s hospitality packages are also available to host events, and there are six of them in total. Whether you’re looking to host a conference, a christening, an exhibition, a funeral or even a wedding, Dundee will do their best to help you make it as special an occasion as it can be.
Stadium Tours & Museum
At the time of writing there are no tours of the stadium available and no museum, but if you see a run-down area of town you can have a wander around that and it will be very similar to a tour of The South Stand.
About Dundee
The Dark Blues were formed in 1893 when two local sides decided to join forces in order to apply to join the Scottish Football League. East End and Our Boys merged but, for some reason, decided against calling themselves East End Boys. Instead they became Dundee Football Club and for the next seventy years they would meander along, waiting for a moment in the limelight and a person to make them better than the sum of their parts.
That person came along in 1959 when a certain B. Shankly took the manager’s job. No, not the famous Bill Shankly who is widely considered to be the father of modern day Liverpool FC, but his brother Bob. In 1962 Dundee won the Scottish Football League title for the only time in the club’s history to date. The following season they nearly went one better, reaching the semi-finals of the European Cup. They’ve won the Scottish Cup once and the Scottish League Cup three times.
Dens Park History
Dundee is a unique city in football, not because it’s got two big teams located in it nor because the stadiums are close to each other. The uniqueness comes about because the stadiums actually share part of the same road as each other – Sandeman Street. The club has been voted one of the worst in Scotland in the past, but it’s still got some interesting features and history worth talking about. In the 1930s and the 1990s, for example, it also operated as a greyhound track.
When Dundee were promoted from the Championship in 1999 they had a slight problem; the stadium didn’t meet the guidelines set out by the Scottish Premier League for grounds of clubs playing their games in the top-flight. Two new stands were built in an incredible 82 days, taking the seating capacity to the necessary amount for the start of the 1999-2000 season. In 2007 it was used to host Group 4 games for the UEFA Under-19 European Championship.
Future Developments
In 2002 plans were announced to build a new stadium that would be shared by Dundee’s two clubs. That was shelved when Scotland failed to win the bid to host the 2008 European Championships. In 2007 the possibility of land around the South Stand being sold was discussed, and in 2017 talk of a move to a new stadium began.
As of 2024 though, they are still in the planning stage, but things do seem to be moving. The new stadium would be called the Camperdown Campus, a 12,500 capacity venue that will also boast event space, hotel, commercial units, and even residential accommodation. It’s an impressive looking sports complex, but whether or not it is built remains to be seen.