View source for Netherdale

{{Short description|Sports complex in Galashiels, Scotland}}
{{about|the sports ground in Galashiels, Scotland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox venue
| name                   = Netherdale
| nickname               = 
| native_name            = 
| native_name_lang       = 
| fullname               = 
| former names           = 
| logo_image             = 
| logo_caption           = 
| image                  = Gala Fairydean Football ground - geograph.org.uk - 781235.jpg
| image_size             = 300px
| image_alt              = 
| caption                = Netherdale, with the football stadium in the foreground and the rugby stadium beyond
| pushpin_map            = Scotland Scottish Borders
| pushpin_mapsize        = 
| pushpin_map_caption    = Location within the [[Scottish Borders]]
| pushpin_label_position = 
| address                = 
| location               = Nether Road, [[Galashiels]], [[Scottish Borders]]
| coordinates            = {{coord|55.607445|-2.782545|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| type                   = Stadium complex
| genre                  = 
| broke_ground           = 
| built                  = 
| opened                 = 1912
| renovated              = 1961–62, 1964
| expanded               = 
| closed                 = 
| demolished             = 
| owner                  = 
| operator               = 
| surface                = Grass (rugby ground)<br />Artificial (football ground)
| scoreboard             = 
| production             = 
| cost                   = 
| architect              = [[Peter Womersley]]<br />(football stand)
| project_manager        = 
| structural engineer    = 
| services engineer      = 
| general_contractor     = 
| main_contractors       = 
| seating_type           = 
| capacity               = 4,000 (rugby ground)<br />2,000 (football ground)
| suites                 = 
| record_attendance      = 
| dimensions             = 
| field_shape            = 
| acreage                = 
| volume                 = 
| tenants                = {{infobox stadium/tenantlist
| tenant_clubs = [[Gala RFC]]<br />Gala Fairydean F.C.<br />Gala Rovers F.C.<br />[[Border Reivers (rugby union)|Border Reivers]]<br />[[Gala Fairydean Rovers F.C.]]
| tenant_years = 1912–<br />1929–2013<br />?–2013<br />1996–1998, 2002–2007<br />2013–
}}
| embedded               = 
| website                = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| publictransit          = 
}}'''Netherdale''' is a sports complex in [[Galashiels]], [[Scottish Borders]], consisting of two adjacent stadiums used for [[rugby union]] and [[Association football|football]]. The rugby ground is the home of [[Gala RFC]] and was formerly used by the professional [[Border Reivers (rugby union)|Border Reivers]] team. It hosted one match of the [[1999 Rugby World Cup]]. It has also occasionally been used for [[rugby league]] matches. The football ground is home to [[Gala Fairydean Rovers F.C.|Gala Fairydean Rovers]] and has a [[Listed building#Scotland|Category A listed]] grandstand.

==Overview==
{{unreferenced section|date=November 2015}}
The Netherdale complex is located on Nether Road towards the east end of Galashiels, near the [[River Tweed]]. The Gala rugby ground is in the north-west corner of the site, with the Gala Fairydean Rovers football ground in the south-west; the two grounds are joined end-to-end. The rest of the site is taken up by a number of undeveloped rugby and football fields known as the back pitches. Gala RFC moved to the area in 1912 from their previous ground at [[Mossilee]], initially playing on what is now the football ground before the construction of their present ground – "New Netherdale" – in 1961–62.

Gala Fairydean F.C. arrived at Netherdale in 1929, initially playing on an undeveloped pitch called Raid Stane Park, before taking over the old rugby ground. Local amateur club Gala Rovers F.C. also played at the Netherdale complex before the two clubs merged to form Gala Fairydean Rovers in 2013. Since the installation of a [[Artificial turf|3G pitch]] in 2011, the Fairydean ground is officially known as the 3G Arena Netherdale and is also used as a community football and rugby facility.

==Football ground==
[[File:GalaFairydeanground.jpg|thumb|right |250px |The main stand of Netherdale football stadium is a Category A listed building]]
Gala RFC had previously played at the Public Park and Mossilee before moving to Netherdale in 1912, where their new ground incorporating a pavilion and grandstand was built at a cost of £1,150.<ref>{{cite web|title=History|url=http://www.galarfc.com/history.pdf|website=Gala Rugby Football Club|access-date=14 August 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150719063254/http://www.galarfc.com/history.pdf|archive-date=19 July 2015}}</ref> The first rugby match took place in September 1912, against local rivals [[Hawick RFC|Hawick]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Opening of the rugby season|url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000469/19120926/006/0003|access-date=14 August 2015|work=The Southern Reporter|date=26 September 1912|location=Selkirk|via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The rugby club continued to play on this part of the ground until the construction of the adjacent "New Netherdale" in 1961–62.

The football stadium has a capacity of around 2,000. The ground's most striking feature is the main stand, which was opened in 1964.<ref name = "listing"/> With a capacity of 500 it is the largest stand in the Scottish Borders.<ref name = "listing"/> Designed by the renowned British [[architect]] [[Peter Womersley]] in the [[Brutalist architecture|brutalist]] style, the [[concrete]] structure is sometimes sarcastically dubbed as "the [[San Siro]] of the Borders". It was awarded a 'B' category listing by [[Historic Scotland]] in December 2006, which means the "character and setting" of the building must be preserved for "future generations".<ref name = "listing">{{cite news |url=http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1814112006/ |title=Anger over listing for 'Soviet' football stand |work=The Scotsman |publisher=Johnston Publishing |date=7 December 2006 |access-date=8 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_headline=you-lot-must-be-away-with-the-fairydeans&method=full&objectid=18223026&siteid=66633-name_page.html/ |title=You lot must be away with the Fairydeans |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927202554/http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_headline%3Dyou-lot-must-be-away-with-the-fairydeans%26method%3Dfull%26objectid%3D18223026%26siteid%3D66633-name_page.html/ |date=7 December 2006 |access-date=8 June 2013 |first=Rob |last=Fairburn |archive-date=27 September 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="LB50711">{{Historic Environment Scotland|num=LB50711|desc=NETHER ROAD, GALA FAIRYDEAN FOOTBALL STADIUM|cat=A|access-date=14 March 2019}}</ref>

Historic Scotland upgraded its listing to 'A' category in December 2013, stating that the stand is "a significant work of late [[modernist architecture]] in Scotland".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/gala-fairydean-rovers-stand-upgraded-to-a-listed-1-3217333 |title=Gala Fairydean Rovers stand upgraded to A-listed |work=The Scotsman |publisher=Johnston Publishing |date=2 December 2013 |access-date=2 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-25183708 |title=Gala Fairydean Rovers grandstand achieves A-listed status |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |date=2 December 2013 |access-date=3 December 2013 |archive-date=5 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205014858/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-25183708 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="LB50711"/> The stand was closed during the 2018&ndash;19 season, pending works needed to repair water damage to the concrete.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/both-loved-and-loathed-gala-s-a-listed-brutalist-stand-is-under-threat-1-4858381 |title=Both loved and loathed, Gala's A-listed Brutalist stand is under threat |work=The Scotsman |date=18 January 2019 |access-date=18 January 2019 |first=Alan |last=Pattullo |archive-date=19 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119121125/https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/both-loved-and-loathed-gala-s-a-listed-brutalist-stand-is-under-threat-1-4858381 |url-status=live }}</ref> Works to the stand were completed in October 2022.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gala Fairydean Rovers' football stand ready to welcome back fans |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-63426968 |access-date=29 October 2022}}</ref>

==Rugby ground==
[[File:Netherdale - geograph-302251.jpg|250px|thumb|Netherdale rugby stadium, home of [[Gala RFC]]]]
The rugby stadium has a large grandstand which overlooks the pitch and the nearby [[Eildon Hill]]s. While the professional [[Border Reivers (rugby union)|Border Reivers]] club played, a second fully seated stand was installed, increasing the capacity to around 4,000 from the previous 2,000. New pitch protection systems were installed, which the [[Scottish Rugby Union]] continued to pay the maintenance costs for even after the Border Reivers club was closed.<ref>{{cite news|first=David|last=Ferguson|url=http://www.scotsman.com/sport/david-ferguson-sru-paying-163-51-000-a-year-for-netherdale-as-feud-goes-on-1-758233|title=SRU paying £51,000 a year for Netherdale as feud goes on|work=The Scotsman|publisher=Johnston Publishing|date=29 June 2009|access-date=8 June 2013|archive-date=3 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203011812/http://www.scotsman.com/sport/david-ferguson-sru-paying-163-51-000-a-year-for-netherdale-as-feud-goes-on-1-758233|url-status=live}}</ref>

The stadium hosted the [[1999 Rugby World Cup]] Pool A match between [[Uruguay national rugby union team|Uruguay]] and [[Spain national rugby union team|Spain]].<ref>[http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/EN/RWC+Statistics/Previous+RWC+Finals+Stats/1999 IRB World Cup 99 Stats] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070502021437/http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/EN/RWC+Statistics/Previous+RWC+Finals+Stats/1999/ |date=2 May 2007 }}, rugbyworldcup.com; accessed 10 November 2015.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/sport/rugby_world_cup/stadium/galashiels.stm|title=The Grounds|work=BBC News|publisher=BBC|access-date=8 June 2013|archive-date=6 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306010043/http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/sport/rugby_world_cup/stadium/galashiels.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Netherdale has also hosted rugby league international matches, firstly the match between [[Scotland national rugby league team|Scotland]] and [[France national rugby league team|France]] on 31 October 2014 as part of the [[2014 European Cup]]. France won that match 38–22.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://scotlandrl.com/article/12559/scotland-22---38-france|title=SCOTLAND 22 - 38 FRANCE|work=Scotland RL|date=1 November 2014|access-date=20 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220233907/http://scotlandrl.com/article/12559/scotland-22---38-france|archive-date=20 December 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> As part of the [[2015 European Cup]], Netherdale hosted the match between Scotland and [[Ireland national rugby league team|Ireland]] on 23 October.

==See also==
* [[List of Category A listed buildings in the Scottish Borders]]
* [[List of listed buildings in Galashiels, Scottish Borders]] 

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{commonscat-inline}}

{{1999 Rugby World Cup Venues}}
{{Football venues in Scotland}}
{{Rugby in the Borders}}

[[Category:Rugby union stadiums in Scotland]]
[[Category:Sports venues in the Scottish Borders]]
[[Category:Category A listed buildings in the Scottish Borders]]
[[Category:Listed sports venues in Scotland]]
[[Category:Football venues in Scotland]]
[[Category:Lowland Football League venues]]
[[Category:Gala Fairydean Rovers F.C.]]
[[Category:Rugby league stadiums in Scotland]]
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 1912]]
[[Category:1912 establishments in Scotland]]
[[Category:Galashiels]]
[[Category:Brutalist architecture in Scotland]]