McDiarmid Park (Perth)

McDiarmid Park is a stadium in Perth, Scotland, used mainly for association football. It has been the home ground of Scottish Premiership side St Johnstone since its opening in 1989. The stadium has an all-seated capacity of 10,696. It has also been used for rugby union.

General information

Arena capacity: 10,696 spectators

Address: Crieff Road, Perth, Perthshire, PH1 2SJ, Scotland

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 56°24′34.87″N 3°28′36.94″W

Year of construction: 1989

Construction cost: £4.9 million

Field: grass lawn with dimensions of 105 × 68.5 m

Seating plan of McDiarmid Park

Ormond Stand

The Ormond Stand consists of a single tier of seating.

The seating blocks inside are split between three different colours: yellow for the blocks near the southeast corner, blue for the central blocks, and red for the blocks near the southwest corner.

Your view from anywhere inside the Ormond Stand is perfectly clear as there are no supporting pillars coming down from the roof.

Windshields are in place at either end, but they best provide protection to the rows further back. The rows further forward have small walls in place to offer protection instead.

Main Stand

The Main Stand consists of a single tier of seating with walkways going along the middle of the seating blocks. These seating blocks come in a mix of colours.

From the southern end of the stand to the northern end they are coloured yellow, red, blue, yellow and red. These central blue blocks also have rows of padded black seating up at the back which are for executive and season-ticket holder use. The legroom between seats has been noted to be greater in the Main Stand than on the other three sides of McDiarmid Park.

The area holding the matchday camera is right behind the back row, whilst the covered dugouts and tunnel are right down at the front, with the stadium’s changing rooms located inside.

Your view from anywhere inside the Main Stand is perfectly clear as there are no supporting pillars coming down from the roof.

Windshields are in place at either end, but they best provide protection to the rows further back. The rows further forward have small walls in place to offer protection.

North Stand

The North Stand is a single tier of seating and near enough a carbon copy of the Ormond Stand opposite.

The seating blocks inside are split between three different colours: yellow for the blocks near the northwest corner, blue for the central blocks, and red for the blocks near the northeast corner.

Your view from anywhere inside the North Stand is perfectly clear as there are no supporting pillars coming down from the roof.

Windshields are in place at either end, but they best provide protection to the rows further back. The rows further forward have small walls in place to offer protection instead.

There is an access road leading from the pitch and out of the stadium’s northeast corner. Positioned above this is an electronic scoreboard that can best be seen by those in the Main Stand and Ormond Stand.

East Stand

The East Stand consists of a single tier of seating with walkways going along partway up the seating blocks. These seating blocks come in a mix of colours.

From the northern end of the stand to the southern end they are coloured yellow, red, blue, yellow and red. The letters ST JOHNSTONE F.C. are also spelt out using white seating across the blocks.

Your view from anywhere inside the East Stand is perfectly clear as there are no supporting pillars coming down from the roof.

Windshields are in place at either end, but they best provide protection to the rows further back. The rows further forward have small walls in place to offer protection instead.

Away Fans

Away fans are typically housed behind the goal in the North Stand.

This is a single tier of seating that offers perfectly clear views from anywhere inside and is also well segregated from the home sections of McDiarmid Park. The North Stand can accommodate around 2,000 fans.

On occasions when the largest of away crowds are expected, blocks in the adjacent Main Stand to the west can be made available as well.

Where to buy tickets?

At first glance, it might seem as though the ticketing scheme that St. Johnstone employ is easy to understand. Adult tickets range depending on where you’d like to sit, with concessions paying a little less. The confusion starts to come about if you want to see a game that is likely to be popular, with the club reserving the right to charge higher prices for those matches but not really saying what those higher prices will be. Although we can’t be certain, the likelihood is that’ll you be looking at a few pounds more for a ticket for games against the likes of Celtic, Rangers and Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

You can get tickets in person from the ticket office or over the phone.

How to get there?

McDiarmid Park is based in Tulloch, around two miles northwest of Perth City Centre. The River Tay runs along 1.2 miles away to the northeast, the Perth Royal Infirmary is around 1.2 miles away to the southeast, and the River Almond is around 0.7 miles away to the north and northwest.

Coming to McDiarmid Park by car is certainly possible.

The stadium has a good-sized car park around its vicinity. It costs £5 per vehicle to park at, though exiting after full-time can be time-consuming as the exit roads leading out from it are limited in number.

Finding free street parking in the residential estates to the east and south should be possible, however. Ensure that you are legally allowed to park where you find though and do not block the drives of any residents.

Getting to McDiarmid Park by rail is trickier.

The nearest train station is Perth, served by ScotRail, LNER and Caledonian Sleeper. It is over towards the City Centre and walking can take you upwards of 40 minutes.

Alternatively, though, there are several bus services, which stop at the McDiarmid Park stop on Crieff Road (A85), including the Number 1, Number 2, and Number 15A that all come from Perth City Centre. The bus stop is out beyond the southern side of the football ground.

Taxi services are also available from Perth Station, but are likely to be expensive, given the distance you have to travel.

Where to eat and sleep?

Perth is not one of the more glamorous locations in Scotland, but it’s something of an oft-ignored treasure. Here are some of the best hotels you might want to stay in.

1. Leonardo Boutique Huntingtower Perth. If you’re after something a bit more upmarket, then this Tudor style building with its own restaurant, bar, free parking and Wi-Fi, and breakfast available is just the ticket. It’s in lovely grounds a mile or so from the stadium.
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2. Travelodge Perth Broxden Junction. It’s only a Travelodge but it’s a highly rated one, it’s super cheap, and it’s only a mile and a half from the stadium. You know what you are getting with this hotel chain, so it’s ultra-basic but there is free parking and you can add breakfast if you want it.
3. Holiday Inn Express Perth. Some people prefer chain hotels to the unknown and if you’re one of those people then this place could be for you. There’s a garden, a conference space, a business centre, a restaurant, a bar and a free hot and cold buffet for breakfast. There’s also free Wi-Fi and, of course, free parking.
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Just as with the hotels, there are more than a few good places to go for a pre-match pint in Perth. Here are some of our best choices.

1. 208 Public House. 208 is arguably the closest pub to the ground. You can get a bite to eat, have a decent pint or two and watch live sport before heading to watch the game. It’s not the most welcoming of places if you have kids or what have you, but it’s popular with both sets of fans.
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2. The Glover Arms. A much more pleasant experience if you have young ones is The Glover Arms. It’s still close enough to the ground to be able to walk there even after a couple of pints, but it has a country pub charm to it. There’s a tasty menu, decent cask ales and a fine wine or two on offer.
3. The Sandeman. Named after the building in which it’s located, The Sandeman promises a good, cheap menu, plenty of drinking options and a welcoming atmosphere. There’s live sport on offer too, but do be aware that’s located in central Perth so you’ll have a bit of a journey on to get to the ground for kick-off.
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Facilities

McDiarmid Park has everything you’d expect from a modern day football ground, although everything is over twenty years old now, so it is getting a little tired. That said, you’ll still be able to buy a drink or a bite to eat before the match and at half-time.

McDiarmid Park offers three main hospitality packages. The Premier Hospitality involves a champagne reception, a five-course meal including liqueurs, half-time buffet, padded seats and free drinks. The Executive Suite drops it down to a four-course meal but is otherwise pretty much the same, whilst The Campbell Suite is a bit more relaxed. No meal or free bar here, just a nice environment in which to relax before, during and after the game as well as a buffet and refreshments at half-time along with a pay bar facility.

There are fully equipped conference suites at McDiarmid Park, making it the ideal location for any business meeting or event you might be planning. There’s also a restaurant that can be hired out for parties. The club are happy to accommodate virtually any event that you might want them to host, from birthday parties and school reunions through to weddings or funeral receptions. Contact St. Johnstone directly if you’d like to know more, just be aware that the capacity is capped at 80 people.

History

McDiarmid Park was designed by Percy Johnson-Marshall and was built by Miller Construction, based on legislative advice, which was soon out of date because of the Taylor Report into the Hillsborough Disaster. Lord Justice Taylor actually visited the stadium as part of his inquiry into what happened at Hillsborough in order to get an idea of how future grounds should be developed.

The first ever fixture at the new ground was played between St. Johnstone and Clydebank, with the home side winning 2-1. There was not much fanfare surrounding the game, however, as an agreement had been made for an ex-Saints player to bring his English side up to Scotland to officially open the stadium. Alex Ferguson was Manchester United manager at the time and Sir Matt Busby and Bobby Charlton both came up for the glamour-tie.