Galabank is a
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
stadium
A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...
in the town of
Annan, Dumfries and Galloway
Annan ( ; gd, Inbhir Anainn) is a town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. Historically part of Dumfriesshire, its public buildings include Annan Academy, of which the writer Thomas Carlyle was a pupil, and ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. It is the home ground of
Scottish Professional Football League club
Annan Athletic, who have played there since 1953. The ground has been shared by non-League teams
Mid-Annandale (2012–2014) and
Edusport Academy (2015–2019).
History
Annan Athletic, who were then playing in the Carlisle and District League, moved to Galabank in 1953. They had previously been based at Mafeking Park since the 1946–47 season. The club rejoined Scottish football in 1977, playing in the
South of Scotland League and later the
East of Scotland League
The East of Scotland Football League (EoSFL) is a senior football league based in the east and south-east of Scotland. The league sits at levels 6–9 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Lowland Football League.
Fo ...
. This enabled the club to attempt to qualify for the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,[Stranraer
Stranraer ( , in Scotland also ; gd, An t-Sròn Reamhar ), also known as The Toon, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located in the historical parish of Inch in the historic county of Wigtownshire. It lies on the shores of L ...](_blank)
on 15 December 1979.
On 3 July 2008 Annan Athletic were accepted into the
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 km south ...
for the first time, to replace defunct club
Gretna. Consequently, Galabank began hosting Annan's games in the
Scottish Football League Third Division
The Scottish Football League Third Division was the fourth tier of the Scottish football league system between 1994 and 2013.
History
The Scottish football league system had operated with three divisions in the Scottish Football League (SFL) fr ...
in the 2008–09 season.
A party from the SFL inspected Galabank before Annan were accepted into the league. They deemed it to be of the required standard, with the provision that Annan install
floodlights
A floodlight is a broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial light. They are often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions. More focused kinds are often used as a stage ...
, which the club did before the start of their first season in the lowest tier of the
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 km south ...
. Galabank has a capacity of .
The grass pitch was removed and a new 3G
artificial surface was installed for the
2012–13 season. Between 2012 and 2014, Galabank was shared by South of Scotland League club
Mid-Annandale, whose previous ground in
Lockerbie
Lockerbie (, gd, Locarbaidh) is a small town in Dumfries and Galloway, south-western Scotland. It is about from Glasgow, and from the border with England. The United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 Census recorded its population as 4,009. The town ...
had become unusable.
Edusport Academy, playing in the South League and latterly the
Lowland League
The Scottish Lowland Football League (SLFL, commonly known as the Lowland League) is a senior association football, football league based in central and southern Scotland. The league sits at level 5 on the Scottish football league system, actin ...
, shared the ground from 2015 until opening their own Alliance Park ground within
Strathclyde Country Park in 2019.
Records
The highest ever official attendance to watch a match at Galabank was 2,517, set in a goalless draw between Annan Athletic and
Rangers on 15 September 2012.
References
External links
Football ground guide
Annan Athletic F.C.
Football venues in Scotland
Sports venues in Dumfries and Galloway
Scottish Football League venues
Scottish Professional Football League venues
Sports venues completed in 1953
Caledonian Braves F.C.
1953 establishments in Scotland
Annan, Dumfries and Galloway
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