Two stadiums just across the street can be found in Dundee

Scotland - Dundee 10.04.2017: The home grounds of both Scottish Premier League clubs based in Dundee are situated unusually close to one another. They stand a few metres apart, just across the street. Tannadice Park, the home ground of Dundee United with a capacity of over 14,000, was built as early as 1883. The home ground of Dundee FC, called Dens Park, was built sixteen years later, in 1899.

In more than hundred years of their respective history both stadiums have undergone several renovations and extensions to get their current looks.

Back when the club was founded in 1893, Dundee FC did not have their own stadium. They had to wait for six years before they got one. On the contrary, Dundee United, the traditional Premier League club, founded in 1909, started playing their home matches at an already built stadium – Tannadice Park, as it is called today. The stadium was built some twenty six years earlier, though at that time it was merely a grass pitch with a solitary stand, and it was previously rejected by Dundee FC. That is why they built a new stadium across the street and the already built Tannadice Park later became the home ground of Dundee United. At that time the club was called Dundee Hibernian, after the fashion of Hibernian FC in Edinburgh. The club was renamed Dundee United in 1923.

Dundee FC - Dens Par, Capacity: 12,371

Dundee United - Tannadice Park, Capacity: 14,209

Photo: Mike Pennington (CC BY-SA 2.0)

If two clubs are based in the same city, it is more usual that they share a stadium, thus sharing the maintenance or renovation costs. This is the case of quite a few stadiums in Italy – AC Milan and Inter Milan both play at San Siro, AS Rome and Lazio Rome share the Stadio Olimpico, and both clubs in Genoa – Genoa C.F.C and UC Samprodia also share one stadium. However, the situation is different in Dundee. Both Scottish clubs preferred tradition and the pleasure of having their own home ground to sharing a stadium.