Meadowbank Sports Centre (or Meadowbank Stadium as it’s known in a footballing sense) is a ground situated in the north east of Edinburgh and is home to SPFL League One side FC Edinburgh, East of Scotland First Division side Leith Athletic, and SWPL1’s Hibernian Women. It was initially built to host the 1970 Commonwealth Games, and did so again in 1986, but has recently undergone complete redevelopment to modernise the facilities. The new stadium has a capacity of 1,280 of which around 500 are seated in a main stand which runs along the edge of the running track. Prior to redevelopment, stadium capacity was around 16,000 with a comparatively huge main stand. As the stadium is also a multi-purpose sports facility, a running track sits between the pitch and spectator viewing area which has sparked much debate about the fan experience amongst rival supporters.
ATMOSPHERE – 2/5
During Meadowbank’s redevelopment between 2017 and 2022, FC Edinburgh (or Edinburgh City as they were then known) shared Ainslie Park with Spartans FC and managed to attract a number of young fans who attempted to create an atmosphere with drums, chants and flags. These fans have followed them back to Meadowbank but, such is the nature of spectators being so far away from the pitch, the atmosphere is somewhat diluted due to the disconnect between fans and the action. That said, they continue to make a good effort to vocally and visually support their team, and group numbers seem to be growing each year.
TICKET PRICES – 5/5
Adult match tickets cost £12 to watch FC Edinburgh in League One and £7 to watch Leith Athletic in EoSFL First Division, with various discounts and free entry for concessions and children under 12. FC Edinburgh tickets can be bought in advance via the Fanbase platform, whilst Leith only allow cash payment at the gate. The £5 difference between both teams’ adult price is fair and understandable considering they’re five tiers apart, and still good value to see some lower and non-league football in the capital.
FOOD & DRINK OPTIONS – 2/5
In what can only be described as a crime against Scottish football, there are no pies on offer at Meadowbank. Instead, a catering van is drafted in on matchdays to offer supporters chips, burgers, hotdogs and other burger van classics. The food is nice and reasonably priced in fairness, but it’s almost unheard of for a Scottish football team not to have at least one type of pie on offer.
AWAY FANS EXPERIENCE – 3/5
Away fans can either sit at the far end of the main stand or stand behind the goal at the eastern end of the pitch, but segregation isn’t overly strict at tiers three and below. The distance between spectator viewing area and the pitch is rather large, though, so away fans may not be used to being so far from the action.
PUBS NEARBY – 5/5
There are a decent number of good pubs within walking distance of Meadowbank, including The Artisan Bar, The Limelite, and the Edinburgh City Supporters Club in Lochend. Both home and away fans will be welcomed into any to enjoy a pre or post-match pint. Meadowbank is, however, situated relatively close to Hibernian’s home ground Easter Road so nearby pubs may seem extra busy if both teams are at home on the same day. Meadowbank is also not too far from the city centre so fans could easily opt to have a drink in town and walk or catch a bus down.
TRANSPORT LINKS – 4/5
There are free parking spaces available both right outside the stadium and at the nearby Meadowbank Shopping Park. Furthermore, Meadowbank is only a 25 minute walk from Waverly train station, with numerous bus links (such as the 26 and 44) available to take supporters the short distance down to the ground from the city centre.
OVERALL
While the new Meadowbank may not be as good as the original, it’s still worthwhile coming down to see the new facilities and find out why redevelopment took five years to complete. The sports centre itself is nice and modern both on the interior and exterior, but it does feel as though adding a football pitch outside was merely an afterthought. FC Edinburgh are pushing to make improvements to the ground, such as adding a new stand at the opposite side of the pitch, so it will be interesting to see if that adequately enhances the supporter experience.
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