Key information about Tannadice Park
Tannadice Park, more commonly known as just Tannadice, was built, or put to proper use, in 1882 and is now the home of Dundee United FC. The stadium is located in Dundee in Scotland and lies just about 200 yards away from Dens Park, the home ground of their bitter city rivals, Dundee FC.
Its current capacity stands at 14,223 and the pitch measures 100m by 66m. The surface is covered with natural grass and has no running track surrounding but with undersoil heating installed.
The record attendance of 28,000 spectators at Tannadice Park was set on 16 November 1966 when Dundee United faced off against none other than Barcelona.
A history of Tannadice Park
Tannadice Park has been the safe haven of Dundee United ever since the club was founded as Dundee Hibernian back in 1909. But it was used long before its current tenants settled there. Before Dundee, Tannadice Park was known as Clepington Park and football was being played there as early as the 1870s.
But 1882 is often taken as the year when Tannadice Park’s history began properly as it was then that Dundee East End secured their tenancy at the ground. Of course, it wouldn’t last and they were gone by next year but soon after them, Dundee Violet, a junior club, would also use the stadium as their home during the 1883/84 campaign.
This dance of new owners went back and forth until Dundee Hibernian were born in 1909 and instead of looking to build a new stadium from scratch, the club’s secretary Pat Reilly decided to approach Clepington Park’s landlord and propose a deal that would exceed what they were getting from the stadium’s current tenants, Dundee Wanderers.
They were then informed of the new deal that was struck and were thrown out with the extent of their rage such that they would dismantle Clepington’s fixtures and fittings, removing the grandstand, changing rooms, fencing and even the goalposts. Needless to say, even though they had a ground to use, it was far from being a ready-made solution they had hoped for.
Still, the renovations started immediately and the Tannadice Park was finally born, its name stemming from the street on which the ground’s main entrance would be located. The club’s and the new stadium’s inaugural match was against Hibernian on 18 August 1909, and it attracted the crowd of 7,000 with their initial maximum capacity standing at 10,000.
The club was then renamed to Dundee United in 1923 and it took them until 1925 to start renovating the ground once they were promoted into Division One. The board would finally buy the land outright, construct some terracing, fix the slope towards the corner of the ground, renovate the pavilion, and add turnstiles. The next refurbishment would have to wait until 1953 due to the club’s financial and sporting struggles.
In more modern times, the main renovations happened in 1962, with the erection of the Main Stand – the first in Scotland with a with a cantilever roof and glass-fronted lounge – and between 1992 and ‘97 when Tannadice Park became an all-seater following the Taylor Report, which would also see numerous improvements to the existing stands.
In recent years, there have only been smaller adjustments to the stadium that would allow them to participate in European competitions. In 2009, the traditional floodlights were replaced with a roof-mounted lighting system, and in 2010 the original wooden seats in the Jerry Kerr stand were replaced with plastic seating.
Tickets to watch Dundee United at Tannadice Park
All tickets to watch Dundee United at Tannadice Park can be found on the club’s official website. The prices will vary depending on the category chosen but the adult ticket costs around £20.
All information on the season ticket scheme at the club can also be found on their website.
Related links
https://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk/ – Official website of Dundee United