Shawfield Stadium is an abandoned venue in the Shawfield district of the town of Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located close to the boundary with Glasgow.
Originally a football ground, Shawfield was home to Clyde F.C. from 1898 to 1986. Greyhound racing was introduced in 1932, and the stadium hosted the Scottish Greyhound Derby from 1970 to 1985 and from 1989 to 2019. The Glasgow Tigers speedway team were also based there, from 1988 to 1995 and 1997 to 1998, with the Scottish Monarchs also racing there in 1996. Other sports including boxing and athletics were also staged at Shawfield.
On 19 March 2020, an announcement was made to suspend racing because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the following two years the majority of trainers moved their greyhounds to other venues as the track became derelict.Lanarkshire stadium labelled an 'eyesore' as shocking new pictures show decrepit state, Jonathan Geddes, Daily Record, 27 July 2022 During October 2022, the stadium's owner Billy King died, ending the likelihood of it ever reopening.
Greyhound Racing Competitions Scottish Greyhound Derby St Mungo Cup
Opening John Bilsland (sole owner of Stanley in Liverpool) helped instigate the plans to open Shawfield in his home town and brought the greyhounds to the home of Clyde F.C. The football club had been based at the stadium since it opened in 1898Origins - Barrowfield Park - 1877-98 Clyde FC but were experiencing financial difficulties by 1930 resulting in the need to find new income streams. The club had tried previously to allow greyhound racing to take place at Shawfield but the Football league was opposed to the idea. Finally an agreement was reached with the chairman John McMahon and the Shawfield Greyhound Racing Company Ltd (SGRC) was born. The track opened on 14 November 1932 in the North Rutherglen area of Glasgow and was a big galloping circuit of 473 yards with 125-yard straights with well banked bends and it became a very popular venue. When Shawfield opened for racing the city of Glasgow already hosted four other National Greyhound Racing Society affiliated tracks in Albion, Carntyne, White City and Firhill. In addition there were the independent tracks of Clydeholm, Coatbridge and Mount Vernon which totalled eight tracks in Glasgow at the time.
The first recorded winner was 'Swordmanship' receiving six yards in a 303-yard handicap race, the time was 18.45 sec. The SGRC bought the stadium from Clyde FC in 1935.
History
After the war had finished the SGRC was valued at £4,000 in 1946 by the taxman but the figure proposed by the owners was only £600 resulting in a dispute. As with most tracks at the time Glasgow experienced a profitable spell during the early fifties but both Albion and Firhill were closed to greyhound racing by the end of the decade. White City had shut by 1962 and in 1968 Carntyne was the latest track to close their doors which had a knock on effect for Shawfield. With the Scottish Greyhound Derby left without a home there were only two tracks big enough to host the event, Powderhall Stadium or Shawfield. The copyright of the Scottish Derby was held by the Greyhound Racing Association (GRA) and they decided that Shawfield could host the 1970 Scottish Derby. Jim Layton was Racing Manager at the time and one year later the track also received another prestigious former Carntyne competition called the St Mungo Cup.
A fire at the track resulted in significant damage to public facilities. To combat this an investment program that included a state of the art totalisator system, ray timing and photo finish equipment was planned and this period also saw the GRA arrive on the scene as they acquired the track under their GRA Property Trust. The track made the National Intertrack final in 1976.
In 1983, the stadium came on the open market and in 1984 the GRA looked to have agreed a deal to sell to Asda bur planning permission was refused. During 1986, Clyde FC were given notice to leave and in May 1986 planning permission for houses was refused. The stadium shut down on 25 October 1986. Supporters of the track campaigned to prevent its closure and, with the help of Billy McAllister, a former bookie, Racing Manager and racing reporter at the track, the Shawfield Action Group was formed. An 8,000 strong petition helped stave planning permission and there was some good news when a business consortium (led by track bookmaker Billy King) bought the track instead of the expected developers. On 11 June 1987 the track re-opened under the Shawfield Greyhound Racing and Leisure Company Ltd. In 1988, the GRA lost their rights to the Scottish Derby following the sale of Powderhall and the Scottish Derby returned to its Glasgow roots. The management which included Robert Lithgow (Racing Manager), had already re-introduced the St Mungo Cup and William King Cup. A £100,000 facelift completed the takeover.
Billy King continued to ply his trade as a bookmaker and in late 2001 the Shawfield Greyhound Racing and Leisure Company Ltd became the Shawfield Greyhound Stadium Ltd. The large tote board which dominated the south end of the track was demolished in 2004.
Demise and closure
It was the last remaining licensed track in Scotland until its closure in 2020. The venue then remained unused for two years following the COVID-19 pandemic. In October 2022 the owner Billy King died of a suspected heart attack. Following his death, no further plans to reopen the stadium were announced. It had previously been reported that the owners were considering redevelopment of the site for housing, pending the results of an environmental report investigating potential land contamination.Lanarkshire racetrack faces uncertain future with environmental report needed for planning application to proceed, Jonathan Geddes, Daily Record, 19 September 2022
In July 2023, a request was submitted to Historic Environment Scotland to have the site assessed as a potential listed building due to its significance. In October of that year, regeneration plans were unveiled for the redevelopment of the site, involving the demolition of the stadium and its replacement with a mixed use development including housing and retail. In April 2024, the historical assessment returned a verdict not to designate the stadium, although it met the criteria for Category B listing, "because the site is subject of advanced development proposals".Designation Report of Handling, Dara Parsons, Historic Environment Scotland, 8 April 2024, via Trove Greyhound racing was formally banned in Scotland in March 2026.Greyhound racing outlawed in Scotland after MSPs back ban, Angus Cochrane, BBC News, 18 March 2026
Track records
At closing Metres Greyhound Time Date Notes300 Ravage Again 17.35 7 April 1990480 Droopys Buick 28.63 2 April 2016Scottish Greyhound Derby semi final500 Droopys Sandy 29.39 21 May 1994Scottish Greyhound Derby Final500 hurdlesFace The Mutt 31.07 25 May 1982670 Crack of the Ash 40.50 11 September 1993730 Decoy Princess 45.09 20 February 1988882 Rosemoor Flower 56.55 13 April 2002932 Silken Dancer 59.35 2 September 1993
Former (Pre metric) Yards Greyhound Time (sec) Date Notes300 Montforte Louis 16.45 30 July 1965 300 Bright Lad 16.60 27.05.1970 303 S M Rob Roy c.1950303 Special Intention 16.43 5 July 1950500 Clane Flirt 27.88 06.08.1945 550 Rushton Smutty27.60 16.07.1951 525 Fin Machree 29.07 21.07.1947 525 Biddys Fire 28.75 27.07.1964535 Killone Flash 29.63 10.05.1971700 Mad Midnight 39.88 1946World Record700 Our Tansy 39.53 12.07.1947 500 H Minorcas Glass28.75 18.05.1956 525 H Morganstown View30.3008.08.1958
Former (Post metric)
Metres Greyhound Time Date Notes300 Fearless Prince 17.97 1987300 Movealong Inler 17.94 20.02.1988 300 Ravage Again 17.41 27.10.1989 450 Fair Hill Boy 26.85 27.10.1989480 Comrades Delight 29.56 21.12.1991 480 Funny Enough 29.32 10.09.1994 480 Solar Symphony 28.97 20.05.1995 Scottish Greyhound Derby Final480 Justright Melody 28.87 08.08.1995 480 Farloe Verdict 28.79 03.04.2004 Scottish Greyhound Derby Final480 Fear Haribo 28.76 14.04.2007 Scottish Greyhound Derby Final480 Tyrur Kieran 28.69 09.04.2008 Scottish Greyhound Derby semi final480 Greenwell River 28.66 11.04.2009 Scottish Derby invitation500 Special Account 10.08.1982 Scottish Greyhound Derby semi final500 Special Account 29.99 14.08.1982 Scottish Greyhound Derby Final500 Westmead Harry 29.62 19.05.1990 Scottish Greyhound Derby Final510 hurdles Lovely Pud 31.63 09.07.1984670 Prince Peacock 41.53 11.08.1984670 Wellimoff 41.08 1988670 Chicita Banana 40.83 07.04.1989725 Woopsy 45.91 1987882 Omega Jet 56.63 18.04.1998 882 Lucky Mollie 56.55 13.04.2002882 My Tootsie 60.44 1987932 Denes Mutt 59.68 08.09.1987 932 Swiss Trips 59.54 05.09.1991
Football Clyde F.C. Clyde F.C. took over the site, previously a trotting track, in 1898, having previously been based across the River Clyde at Barrowfield Park. The club earned additional revenue from using Shawfield for boxing and Track and field; greyhound racing was introduced in 1932. Clyde's financial difficulties led to the sale of Shawfield to the Shawfield Greyhound Racing Company Ltd in 1935, but the club continued to play there as tenants. They invited emerging Junior team Bridgeton Waverley to play there temporarily in the 1920s. During the Second World War, Clyde almost had to leave Shawfield because the owners demanded the use of the stadium on Saturday afternoons. Eventually a compromise was reached where the stadium would be used for dog racing on alternate Saturday afternoons, which enabled Clyde to continue hosting home fixtures despite logistical challenges.
After World War II, Clyde and the other smaller clubs in the Glasgow area struggled to compete with the dominant Old Firm. In addition to this, many of the heavily populated tenements surrounding Shawfield (Oatlands, Hutchesontown, Dalmarnock, Bridgeton and central Rutherglen districts) had been cleared in the 1960s, reducing Clyde's support base. The club proposed to move to the new town of East Kilbride in 1966. Four years later, Clyde attempted to take over Hamilton Academical; this collapsed when four of the Hamilton directors secured a lease on Douglas Park. Clyde continued to play at Shawfield until 1986, when the GRA's redevelopment plans led to Clyde's eviction. Following the collapse of the redevelopment plans, Clyde did not return to the ground, although this was proposed in 1988. After a period of uncertainty playing at Firhill in the north of Glasgow (home of rivals Partick Thistle) and then later at Hamilton, Clyde eventually accepted an offer from the town of Cumbernauld to move to what became Broadwood Stadium.
1957 disaster On 14 December 1957, a disaster occurred at the stadium during a Scottish Football League match between Clyde and Celtic. A very large crowd of 27,000 had been allowed into the stadium to see the fixture (involving the team which had just won the League Cup and the team which would go on to lift the Scottish Cup at the end of the season), with reports of the time describing Shawfield as "bursting at the seams"; crushing was experienced among some of the spectators prior to kick-off. At the time this issue was a fairly common occurrence at popular events, and it was also normal for children in the crowd to be passed over the heads of the adults out of the terracing. In this instance the juveniles were passed over the high terracing boundary wall onto the greyhound track and sat on the track to watch the match, with their backs to the wall.