Almondvale Stadium

Almondvale Stadium, Livingston
©2022 Gazetteer for Scotland

Almondvale Stadium, Livingston

A modern football stadium on the south bank of the River Almond in Livingston (West Lothian), Almondvale Stadium is situated between the town centre (The Centre) and Livingston Village. It was built in 1995 by the Livingston Development Corporation as part of an arrangement whereby Meadowbank Thistle Football Club moved west from Edinburgh and changed their name to Livingston Football Club. The stadium is all-seated with a capacity of 9,512, reduced from its original capacity of 10,122. The north, east and south stands are continuous, while the main (west) stand lies separate and includes reception, club shop and player-facilities. Stadium House is a five-storey office block overlooking the northwest corner of the pitch, which provides administrative offices for the club but is also let commercially. A practice pitch is located to the east of the stadium.

Livingston Football Club began as Ferranti Thistle in 1943, the works team for the Ferranti avionics engineering company in Edinburgh. It was renamed Meadowbank Thistle when they were admitted to the Scottish Football League in 1974, taking their name from Meadowbank Stadium where they played. The team thrived in its new surroundings, with enthusiastic supporters, and were promoted to the Scottish Premier League in 2001, qualifying for the UEFA Cup and winning the Scottish League Cup in 2004. However, their fall came equally quickly. Facing financial problems, the club was relegated to the First Division in 2006 and, after bankruptcy in 2009, were demoted to the Third Division. The following year they won promotion to the Second Division and a year later Livingston returned to the First Division. The team was relegated in 2016 but a remarkable comeback saw them rise once again to the Premier Division in 2018, their first season of top-flight football since 2006.

The stadium is marketed as Livingston's premier conference venue. Hospitality facilities include the Almondvale Suite, which is situated beneath the South Stand and accommodates up to 300 people. Also available for events, conferences and meetings are the Meadowbank Thistle and Ferranti Thistle Suites (each holding 100 people), Director's Lounge, Boardroom and Syndicate Rooms.

Ownership of Almondvale passed to West Lothian Council when the Livingston Development Corporation was wound up in 1996. Almondvale was known as the West Lothian Courier Stadium for many years, then the City Stadium, the Braidwood Motor Company Stadium (2010-13), the Energy Assets Arena (2013-15) and was renamed the Tony Macaroni Arena in 2015 as part of a further sponsorship arrangement.


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