Old Meadowbank

THE OLD MEADOWBANK Stadium was built at a cost of £2.8 million in 1970 after a three year construction project, and was the first venue to host the Commonwealth Gams twice, (the second time in 1986).

The stadium originally had a capacity of 16,500 including the terraces. When the terraces were decommissioned it held up to 7,500.

The 1970 games were the first to be called The Commonwealth Games as they were originally called the British Empire and Commonwealth Games. The 1970 event also required the Royal Commonwealth Pool to be built.

“We have now entered the long-awaited year” wrote Sir Herbert Brechin, Chairman of the 1970 Games, “and are about to welcome to our homeland of Scotland, and our capital city of Edinburgh, many of our kinsfolk from the Commonwealth, who will be revising their native land or visiting for the first time as descendants of our own people.

“We present the British Commonwealth Games, confident that the arrangements for all our visitors will be such as to make the occasion a truly memorable one.”

A copy of the 1970 brochure was kept in the Duty Manager’s office and was a fascinating relic of its era.

It contained adverts from cigarette manufacturer, John Player, the kind of advertising which is now banned. At the time Kirkcaldy still led the world in linomanufacturing and apparently Y-fronts were new and exciting for men. The idea of sporting events as a means of redevelopment seems familiar.

The 1970 Games were declared a huge success unlike those held in 1986 headed up by Sir Robert Maxwell who pledged up to £2 million but actually only paid over £250,000..

Since the UK refused to sever links with

South Africa many African, Asian and Caribbean countries boycotted the games leading to a description of the event as an “all white affair”.

The 1986 Games opened with a deficit of around £4 million and, although creditors were asked to forgo around half of the debt, it took