The Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena was located within the Kelvin Hall in

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 ...

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 hosted many

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

competitions including the

1990 European Athletics Indoor Championships The 1990 European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in Glasgow, United Kingdom, on 3 and 4 March 1990. It was the last time that the event had been held annually and not biennially as it is now, as well as the last time that it was held ov ...

and the

Glasgow International Match The Sainsbury's International Match, formerly known as the Aviva International Match, was an annual indoor track and field athletics meeting which takes place in late January in Glasgow, Scotland. The televised competition is the first major ind ...

from 1988 until 2012 when it moved to the Commonwealth Arena.Aviva International Match
. ''

Spikes Magazine ''SPIKES'' is an athletics website and magazine published by Haymarket Network in conjunction with the IAAF. History and profile The magazine and website were launched in July 2008 at an event attended by then IAAF vice president Lord Coe, Ste ...

''. Retrieved on 2010-01-24.

History

Built in the West End of Glasgow, near the

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is a museum and art gallery in Glasgow, Scotland. It reopened in 2006 after a three-year refurbishment and since then has been one of Scotland's most popular visitor attractions. The museum has 22 galleries, h ...

, the Kelvin Hall was completed in 1927. It was originally used to house large scale exhibitions, including the Industrial exhibitions of the

Festival of Britain The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition and fair that reached millions of visitors throughout the United Kingdom in the summer of 1951. Historian Kenneth O. Morgan says the Festival was a "triumphant success" during which people: ...

in 1951. Over the decades it has also hosted motor shows, modern homes exhibitions and the world-renowned Kelvin Hall Circus. Lions, tigers and African elephants all thrilled Glaswegians for years and many to this day can remember that distinctive aroma when walking round the carnival after their circus visit. In 1988 a new arena for sports opened within it as did the Museum of Transport.

Current Kelvin Hall

However once the

Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre The SEC Centre (originally known as the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre until 2017) is Scotland's largest exhibition centre, located ...

opened, the building needed modernisation and became home to the International Sports Arena. The Kelvin Hall housed an indoor international sports arena, which hosted many international athletic events, as well as boxing, and badminton competitions. The venue was the home arena for

Glasgow Rocks The Caledonia Gladiators are a professional basketball club in Glasgow, Scotland. The Gladiators compete in the British Basketball League, the top tier of British basketball. Since 2012, the team have played their home games at the Emirates Ar ...

who compete in the

British Basketball League The British Basketball League (BBL) is a men's professional basketball league in Great Britain and represents the highest level of play in the countries. The league is contested by 10 teams from England and Scotland. There are no clubs howeve ...

. The Rocks played at 1,200 capacity Kelvin Hall from 2008 to 2012, following a move from the

Braehead Arena The Braehead Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The arena was built in 1999, and is located within the Braehead Complex. The arena was formerly the home of the Scottish Eagles ice hockey club and is now the home to the e ...

. The team has moved to the 5,000-capacity Commonwealth Arena from the 2012–13 season.

Facilities

Kelving Hall Sports Arena Bouldering Wall

*Fitness Classes *Athletics Track *Sports Injury Clinic *Sports Halls *Climbing (Bouldering) Wall *Function Suite *Fitness Suite *Conditioning Suite *Conference Room

References

External links

Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena
{{coord, 55, 52, 6.58, N, 4, 17, 38.56, W, type:landmark, display=title World's fair sites in Scotland Tourist attractions in Glasgow Indoor arenas in Scotland Athletics (track and field) venues in Scotland Glasgow Rocks Basketball venues in Scotland Volleyball venues in the United Kingdom Sports venues in Glasgow Boxing venues in Scotland Netball venues in Scotland Indoor track and field venues