Dundee - Dens Park

Hi everyone and welcome to blog number one of five! 

The best place for me to begin would be from the final weekend of July, for the first game of the Scottish Championship season, an away trip to Dens Park, the home of Dundee FC. Before providing a detailed breakdown of my matchday experience, I will provide a brief overview of the venue; Dens Park is one of Scotland’s oldest football stadiums after first opening in 1899, the stadium is situated on the same street and a couple hundred yards from Tannadice, home to their neighbouring rivals Dundee United, thus making them the closest together stadiums in the UK. The stadium, which was most recently renovated in 1998, a full century on from originally opening, currently has a maximum capacity of just over 11,500 and a very old-fashioned setup. 

Now on to my matchday experience! Firstly, prior to the match there were two ticket options provided; the first being a pre purchase e-ticket via the online website or the standard pay at the gate option. I chose to purchase the e-ticket in advance as it helped alleviate the potential stress of finding an ATM on the day of the game to retrieve cash. The method of transport I chose to use was the supporter’s bus that departed from Glasgow however, there are alternative travel options that could be utilised such as driving or public transport like trains however, these aren’t ideal due to the lack of available parking near the ground and a walk of well over half an hour from the nearest station. Before the game we visited a pub prior to the match that we booked in advance, there are various pubs and bars near the ground which are available for away fans and are relatively well priced. 

The away fans are located within the Bob Shankly Stand at one end of the ground, the stand itself is of a good standard for the level of football as it is relatively modern and large in a stadium of its size, providing a capacity of 3,000 seats. The stand has multiple catering sections which provide the same standard options as well as having multiple toilet facilities. 

I can’t say my experience makes it a must visit however, it may be one to tick off the list with Dundee now having plans to replace Dens Park by building a new modernised stadium.   

Thank you for reading!