Celtic Park - Other Uses

Other Uses

Celtic Park has been a home venue for the Scotland national football team over 20 times, the most of any ground apart from the national stadium, Hampden Park. Scotland secured qualification for the 1998 FIFA World Cup with a 2–0 win against Latvia at Celtic Park. The ground most recently hosted a Scotland game in 2006, when Hampden had been booked for a Robbie Williams concert in advance of the UEFA Euro 2008 qualification fixtures being determined. Scotland were drawn to play the Faroe Islands on the same day as the concert, which meant that the match had to be played elsewhere. While Hampden Park was being redeveloped during the 1990s, Celtic Park hosted the 1993 and 1998 Scottish Cup Finals and the 1993, 1996 and 1998 Scottish League Cup Finals.

Before the First World War, Celtic Park was a multi-event venue. It hosted the first ever composite rules shinty-hurling match in Scotland, in 1897. Track and field meetings were held every summer, while the only World Cycling Championship to be staged in Scotland was held at Celtic Park in 1897. An experimental floodlit football game was played on Christmas Day 1893. This was unsuccessful due to the ball repeatedly striking the lamps, which were hung over the pitch by wiring. Open-air Masses and a parade for the Coronation of King George V were staged. Celtic Park, along with many other football stadiums, hosted recruitment drives during the First World War. During one such event at Celtic Park, a demonstration of trench warfare was carried out. The first speedway race in Scotland was held at Celtic Park in 1928.

Celtic Park has been used for concerts by The Who (1976), Bryan Adams (1992), Prince (1992) and U2 (1993). Wet Wet Wet played there in September 1997, but their performance had to be postponed by a day to avoid clashing with the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. Paul McCartney planned a Celtic Park date in his 2003 Back in the World tour, but it was cancelled. American evangelical Christian missionary Billy Graham held an outdoor event at the ground in 1991, his first visit to Scotland since 1955. One of the supporting speakers was Aberdeen player Brian Irvine, who had scored the winning penalty kick against Celtic in the 1990 Scottish Cup Final.

Celtic Park will be used for the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

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