Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5
FOOTBALL IN GLASGOW
Football is one of Glasgow's great passions - and one of its great blights. While the city can
claim to be one of Europe's premier footballing centres, it's known above all for one of the
most bitter rivalries in any sport, that between Celtic and Rangers . Two of the largest clubs in
Britain, with weekly crowds regularly topping 60,000, the Old Firm, as they're collectively
known, have dominated Scottish football for a century, lavishing vast sums of money on
foreign talent in an often frantic effort both to outdo each other and to keep up with the top
English and European teams.
The roots of Celtic, who play at Celtic Park in the eastern district of Parkhead, lie in the city's
immigrant Irish and Catholic population, while Rangers, based at Ibrox Park in Govan on the
Southside, have traditionally drawn support from local Protestants. As a result, sporting rivalries
have been enmeshed in a sectarian divide that many argue would not have remained so long,
nor so deep, had it been divorced from the footballing scene. While large-scale violence on the
terraces and streets has not been seen for some time - thanks in large measure to canny
policing - Old Firm matches often seethe with bitter passions, and sectarian-related assaults
do still occur in parts of the city.
However, there is a less intense side to the game in Glasgow. The city's smaller clubs actively
distance themselves from the Old Firm and plod along in the lower reaches of the Scottish
league. Queen's Park , residents of Hampden, St Mirren , the Paisley team, and the
much-maligned Partick Thistle , who play at Firhill Stadium in the West End, offer the best
chances of experiencing the more down-to-earth side of Glaswegian football.
THE TEAMS
Celtic Celtic Park, Parkhead ( T 0141 551 8653,
W celticfc.co.uk).
Rangers Ibrox Park, Govan ( T 0870 600 1993,
W rangers.co.uk).
Queen's
W queensparkfc.co.uk).
St Mirren Paisley ( T 0141 840 4100, W stmirrenfc
.co.uk).
Partick Thistle Firhill Stadium ( T 0141 579 1971,
W ptfc.co.uk).
Park
Hampden
( T 0141
632
1275,
rooms, warm-up areas and inside the stadium itself, complete with anecdotes of players
past and the story of the ground. Also here is the engaging Scottish Football Museum ,
which has extensive collections of memorabilia, video clips and displays covering
almost every aspect of the game.
The Burrell Collection
Pollok Park, 6 miles southwest of the city centre • Mon-Thurs & Sat 10am-5pm, Fri & Sun 11am-5pm • Free • From the centre take a train
to Pollokshaws West station (not to be confused with Pollokshields West), or bus #45, #47, #48 or #57 to Pollokshaws Road; a taxi costs
roughly £10; a free minibus (every 30min 10am-4.30pm) runs from the park gates
he outstanding Burrell Collection comprises the lifetime collection of shipping
magnate Sir William Burrell (1861-1958) and, for some, is the principal reason for
visiting Glasgow. Unlike many other art collectors, Sir William's only real criterion for
buying a piece was whether he liked it or not, enabling him to buy many
“unfashionable” works, which cost comparatively little but subsequently proved their
worth. He wanted to leave his 9000-piece collection of art, sculpture and antiquities
for public display, but stipulated in 1944 that they should be housed “in a rural setting
far removed from the atmospheric pollution of urban conurbations, not less than
sixteen miles from the Royal Exchange”.
For decades, these conditions proved too di cult to meet, with few open spaces
available and a pall of industrial smoke ruling out any city site. However, by the late
1960s, after the nationwide Clean Air Act had reduced pollution, and vast Pollok Park
had been donated to the city, plans began for a new, purpose-built gallery, which finally
opened in 1983. Today the simplicity and clean lines of the Burrell building are its
greatest assets, with large picture windows giving sweeping views over woodland and
 
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