Govandale Park was a football ground in the burgh of

Govan Govan ( ; Cumbric?: ''Gwovan'?''; Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of south-west City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south ba ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. It was the home ground of

Linthouse F.C. Linthouse Football Club was a Association football, football club from the Linthouse district of Govan, Scotland. The club played in navy blue. History The club were established in 1881 from an athletics club, in an era when the shipbuilding i ...

between 1894 and their disbandment in 1900.

History

Linthouse moved to Govandale Park in 1894 from their Langlands Park ground.Paul Smith & Shirley Smith (2005) ''The Ultimate Directory of English & Scottish Football League Grounds Second Edition 1888–2005'', Yore Publications, p191 A narrow stand was erected on the southern side of the pitch, and a pavilion built in the north-east corner of the ground. In contrast to their previous home which was on the southern edge of the town, the new ground was in the heart of the burgh, having previously been the northern portion of the grounds of Govandale House. It was situated slightly west of

Govan Old Parish Church Govan Old Parish Church is the name of the original parish church serving Govan in Glasgow from the 5th or 6th century AD until 2007. In that year, the Church of Scotland united the two Govan congregations with Linthouse and established the paris ...

and very close to the south bank of the River Clyde. Neither ground was actually in

Linthouse Linthouse is a neighbourhood in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated directly south of the River Clyde and lies immediately west of Govan, with other adjacent areas including Shieldhall and the Southern General Hospital to the west, a ...

which was a neighbourhood further west, however at that time the established local shipbuilding industry was expanding rapidly, with little land available as most was being occupied by yards or tenement housing for their workers; Linthouse (which was independent of Govan until 1901) was home to

Alexander Stephen and Sons Alexander Stephen and Sons Limited, often referred to simply as Alex Stephens or just Stephens, was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Linthouse, Glasgow, on the River Clyde and, initially, on the east coast of Scotland. History The co ...

, while the Fairfield Company premises stretched from Linthouse along the river almost to the western end of Govandale Park. The club joined Division Two of the Scottish Football League in 1895, and the first SFL match was played at Govandale Park on 17 August 1895, a 2–1 win over Airdrieonians. The probable record attendance of 10,000 was set a few weeks later on 21 September for a

Glasgow Cup The Glasgow Cup is a football tournament open to teams from Glasgow, Scotland. Operated by the Glasgow Football Association, it was competed for annually by senior Glasgow clubs from 1887 until 1989. It is now (since the 2019–20 amended rul ...

match against Celtic, with the visitors winning 7–1. At the end of the 1899–1900 season Linthouse opted not to apply for re-election to the league. Their final SFL match at Govandale Park was on 10 March 1900, a 2–2 draw with Motherwell. The club subsequently folded later in the year. The ground was taken over by a new version of

Benburb F.C. Benburb Football Club is a Scottish football club, based in Govan, Glasgow. Formed in 1885, the club is a member of the Scottish Junior Football Association and currently competes in the West of Scotland Football League. Benburb's colours are ...

which had had several previous incarnations based in other parts of southern

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

;2009 Updates: 25 August
Scottish Football Historical Archive (archived version, 2009) they consolidated in Govan, becoming prominent members of the

Scottish Junior Football Association The Scottish Junior Football Association (SJFA) is an affiliated national association of the Scottish Football Association and is the governing body for the junior grade of football in Scotland. The term "junior" refers to the level of football ...

, but moved on again to a ground at Broomloan Road in 1912.Photo of Benburb F.C. Finalists in the Intermediate Cup 1929-30
Acumfaegovan, 14 July 2018, via Facebook Within a few years, the eastern half of the Govandale site was converted into a playpark, while Fairfield were allowed to expand their yard into the western half.Govan Riverside Walkway
Acumfaegovan, May 2014 In the late 20th century, housing at Wanlock Street was built on the playpark.

References

{{Football venues in Scotland Defunct football venues in Scotland Linthouse F.C. Govan Scottish Football League venues