Central Park

Dubbed by some supporters as the Fife Maracanã because of its similar oval shape to the Maracanã stadium in Brazil, Central Park has been the home of Cowdenbeath Football Club since 1917. Before this, they played at North End Park, just off the North end of the High Street. Football was still played here up until the last few years, but plans are to develop this in to a superstore in the near future.

Cowden moved to Central Park at the beginning of the 1917-1918 Eastern League season, in that inaugural season at Central Park, Cowden finished joint champions with Dundee. In 1921 a 120 yard grandstand was erected that would accommodate 3500 supporters, as can be seen in the picture below.

 An older photo of Central Park (Picture from www.cowdenbeath.net)

Thousands of supporters squeezed into Central Park in the 20’s and 30’s as Cowden played top flight football, how older supporters must crave for those days to return. In 1949, Central Park recorded its highest ever attendance of 25,000, when Rangers rolled into town for a league cup match, Rangers won the match 3-1. Ironically, the last five figure attendance was for a league cup match again, against Rangers, with the Gers repeating the 3-1 score line. In 1968, the floodlights were put into place, and Celtic played Cowden to mark this.

Many of the surrounding parts of Central Park were once owned by the club, but where sold to Fife Council. These areas are the ground behind the main terracing where the red ash pitch is, and the wasteland behind the west terracing which was sold in the late eighties. The car park outside the main entrance to Central Park was owned by the club until around the mid nineties, but this was also sold off to Fife Council who re energised the piece of land.

The west terracing was for years a covered enclosure, nicknamed the Coo Shed, but with decline from the elements, the roof of the enclosure was blown away in 1983. This part of the ground was reduced in height and its look drastically changed in the nineties. I never got to experience the Coo Shed, but I do remember standing at the highest point at the back wall to see over the fence around the track in the late 80’s and 90’s before taking my regular place by the pie shop on the main terracing.

The main terracing, where most supporters congregate at matches today, was once just ash and some railway sleepers, in 1982, concrete terracing was built.

 A view from this terracing (minus the tall fence) sometime in 1983 is seen in the picture below, which also shows how the old stand used to look like. (The contributor of this photos is Richard Webb, Copyright Richard Webb and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence)

In 1985, a minor fire broke out in the main stand, but it survived this. In 1991, the main stand was given an overhaul, with recladding work carried out, but on the 25^th March, 1992 a large part of the stand was destroyed by fire, with the changing rooms and other facilities all gone, Cowden and visiting teams had to change in portacabins for nearly two years. I once used the portacabin when I took part Cowden’s soccer schools with Graham Buckley in the summer of 1992, and no wonder you heard stories of players going home right after matches , they were well cramped. Half the stand was saved and it still stands today.

 The damage the main stand suffered from the fire in 1992
(Pictures from www.gmpscotland.co.uk website)

Clearing and building of the new stand started shortly afterwards, but it was almost two years before it would be completed. The new stand was officially opened on March 29^th, 1995. Just over 3 years on from the fire, when a Rangers XI outplayed Cowden to win 5-0. The stand was named the Alex Menzies stand.

Most recently, the floodlight lamps were replaced, as the old ones did not have the required lux set out by the SFA, the new ones were installed in November 2010 bringing it up to the required 500 lux.

The ground was also used for Greyhound racing some years ago, but was replaced by stock car racing around 1965. In 1989 GMP Racewall moved to Central Park, this also brought about the concrete wall that surrounds the track. The stock cars still use the stadium today.

A move away from Central park for the football club is still something being looked at for the future, it will be a sad time when that day finally comes along. It would feel quite strange not seeing Central there anymore, it got me thinking the other day when I was at the Muirton Asda in Perth, where St Johnstone’s old stadium used to be, how you have so many memories of a place, then to see something else replace it. But at least we will have the memories with us forever of seeing different era’s of Cowdenbeath teams to have graced Central Park, and also promotion and title winning parties. But sometimes things have to change to move forward. Hopefully, the old place will see one more title season before it has completed its service.

 How Central Park looks today (Picture from www.cowdenbeath.net)