Extreme Football Tourism: SCOTLAND: Airdrieonians FC (1998-2002, 2013-) / Airdrie United FC (2002-2013) / Queen's Park (2013-2014) / Glasgow University FC (2020-) / Celtic FC (B) (2021-)

Excelsior Stadium, Airdrie (Airdrieonians FC, Glasgow University FC & B ground of Celtic FC, formerly Airdrie United FC / Queen's Park FC)

Scotland, county: Lanarkshire

13 II 2026 / Airdrieonians FC - St Johnstone FC 0-1 / Championship (= SCO level 2)

Timeline

1878 / Foundation of a football club in Airdrie, which takes on the name Excelsior FC – excelsior being Latin for ever higher. It is unclear if the club started its existence at Mavisbank Park – moving into that ground in 1888 at its latest.
1881 / Excelsior FC takes on the new name Airdrieonians FC – with the club earning the nickname The Diamonds in subsequent years.
1885 / Airdrieonians FC make their reputation locally in 1885 by winning a charity football tournament run by the local cricket club.
1886 / Airdrieonians FC further their reputation nationally by inflicting a 10-2 defeat upon Rangers FC, that club's worst known loss ever at its own ground. Also in 1886, the club from Airdrie conquers its first Lanarkshire Cup – with 31 more to follow, including the last-ever edition organised in 1996.
1891 / Just five days after the introduction of the penalty kick to the rules of the game by the Scottish Football Association – the first association to do so worldwide – Airdrieonians are awarded the first spot kick in history in the final of the Airdrie Charity Cup on June 6th, 1891 at Mavisbank Park, with the penalty being buried past the Albert keeper. The name of the scorer of this historic goal has not been preserved for history.
1892 / Moving away from Mavisbank Park, Airdrieonians FC settle at the newly laid-out Broomfield Park, destined to remain the club’s home for more than a century.
1894 / Airdrieonians FC are elected to the Scottish Football League, being placed in the second and lowest professional division, Division 2. That same year, the club records its record victory of all times, eclipsing Dundee Wanderers FC 15-1 in a D2 encounter.
1901 / Airdrieonians FC finish as runners-up in Division 2, 3 points behind champions St Bernard’s FC.
1903 / Champions in Division 2, 7 points ahead of closest followers – and derby rivals – Motherwell FC, Airdrieonians FC accede to Division 1, the top flight of Scottish football, for the first time, accompanied by the aforementioned club. In the following decades, Airdrieonians would remain a regular feature in D1.
1907 / The famous corner pavilion is inaugurated at Broomfield Park.
1921 / Airdrieonians FC sign centre-forward Hughie Gallagher from Queen of the South FC. Gallagher, who would make his Scottish international debut in 1924, would go on to stay at Broomfield Park for four years, scoring 91 goals in 111 matches, eventually earning himself a transfer to Newcastle United FC in 1925. Earning his last cap in 1935, Gallagher would eventually earn a total of 24 goals in 20 matches (!) for his country.
1923 / Bolstered by their forward troika Willie Russell, Bob McPhail, and Hughie Gallagher, Airdrieonians FC compete for the Scottish title seriously for the first time, eventually finishing as runners-up, 5 points behind champions Rangers FC.
1924 / Airdrieonians FC finish as runners-up in Division 1 for the second consecutive time, 9 points behind champions Rangers FC. That same year, the club earns its most important victory, defeating Hibernian FC in the Scottish Cup final at Ibrox (att. 59,218), with Willie Russell scoring the all-important goals (2-0). The successful manager is Willie Orr. Also in 1924, a new main stand is constructed at Broomfield Park.
1925 / Airdrieonians FC finish as runners-up in Division 1 for the third time running, again behind Rangers FC – with the gap separating the two clubs only being 3 points.
1926 / Airdrieonians FC finish as runners-up in Division 1 for the fourth time running – this time ex aequo with Heart of Midlothian FC, but with a better goal difference (+41 vs. +31), 8 points behind Celtic FC.
1927 / Marking the end of the golden era of the club, inside-left player Bob McPhail, who had joined Airdrieonians from Pollok FC four years previously, signs a contract with Rangers FC.
1929 / Airdrieonians full-back Jimmy Crapnell earns the first of 9 caps for Scotland, making him the most-capped Airdrie player. The defender would go on to wear his club’s shirt 227 times (1 goals) between 1926 and 1933.
1936 / Finishing in second-last place in Division 1, Airdrieonians FC drop back into Division 2 after 33 years, along with bottom club Ayr United FC.
1940 / The legendary English outside-right Stanley Matthews of Stoke City makes a guest appearance for Airdrieonians FC against Dundee United FC in a War Cup semi-final replay.
1947 / Finishing as runners-up in Division B – the new post-war name of Division 2 – 3 points behind champions Dundee FC, Airdrieonians win promotion to Division A after an absence of eleven years at the top flight of Scottish football.
1948 / Finishing in second-last place in Division A, Airdrieonians FC descend into Division B after just one season, along with bottom club Queen’s Park FC.
1950 / Runners-up in Division B, 3 points behind Morton FC, Airdrieonians FC manage a return to Division A after two seasons.
1952 / A record attendance of 24,000 flocks to Broomfield Park for a match between Airdrie and Heart of Midlothian FC.
1954 / Finishing in second-last place in Division A, Airdrieonians FC drop back into Division B along with bottom club Hamilton Academical FC.
1955 / Champions in Division B, 4 points ahead of closest rivals Dunfermline Athletic FC, Airdrieonians FC win promotion to Division A (renamed Division 1 in 1956) along with the aforementioned club. The successful manager is Willie Steel.
1959 / Airdrieonians FC suffer a record defeat, suffering a 11-1 drubbing at Broomfield Park at the hands of Hibernian FC.
1961 / Airdrieonians FC reach the semifinal of the Scottish Cup, suffering a 4-0 defeat against Celtic FC at Hampden Park.
1965 / Finishing in second-last place in Division 1, Airdrieonians FC descend into Division 2, along with bottom club Third Lanark AC.
1966 / Runners-up in Division 2, 3 points behind champions Ayr United FC, Airdrieonians FC manage an immediate return to Division 1. Following the 1965-66 season, forward player Ian McMillan, who had made his league debut for Airdrie at the age of 17 in 1948, hangs up his boots after 301 matches (119 goals) for the club, which he represented in two periods, interrupted by a six-year spell at Rangers FC (1958-64). McMillan also won 6 caps for Scotland (1952-61), scoring two goals in his debut match against the USA, going on to be picked as a reserve player in his country’s 1954 World Cup squad. After his playing career, McMillan would go on to serve Airdrieonians as a manager twice (1970-76, 1985-86).
1970 / The first-ever international penalty shoot-out in football takes place at Broomfield Park, as Airdrie dumps English top division leaders Nottingham Forest FC out of the inaugural British (Texaco) Cup.
1971 / Airdrieonians FC reach the semifinal of the Scottish Cup, suffering a 2-0 defeat against Celtic FC in a replay at Hampden Park (first encounter: 3-3).
1972 / Airdrieonians FC reach the final of the British (Texaco) Cup, suffering a 2-1 (aggr.) defeat at the hands of Derby County FC.
1973 / Coached by Ian McMillan, Airdrieonians FC finish in second-last place in Division 1, thus being retrograded into Division 2 along with bottom club Kilmarnock FC.
1974 / Champions in Division 2, 2 points ahead of closest rivals Kilmarnock FC, Airdrieonians FC manage an immediate return to the top flight of Scottish football, along with the aforementioned club. The successful manager is Ian McMillan.
1975 / Finishing in eleventh place in Division 1, Airdrieonians FC narrowly miss out on qualification for the newly created, ten-club Premier Division; from now on, Division 1 serves as the second tier of the Scottish football pyramid. Also in 1975, having defeated Morton FC, Falkirk FC, Arbroath FC, and Motherwell FC along the way, Airdrie reaches the final of the Scottish Cup, in which a 3-1 defeat is inflicted on them by Celtic FC at Hampden Park.
1976 / Airdrieonians FC win the first and only edition of the Spring Cup, a competition for Division 1 and Division 2 sides, defeating Clydebank FC in the final at Firhill Stadium (4-2 A.E.T., att. 5,000). The successful manager is Jackie Stewart.
1977 / Airdrieonians midfielder Derek Whiteford, who had joined the club from Hibernian FC in 1967, leaves the club for Dumbarton FC, having represented Airdrie in 316 official matches (80 goals).
1979 / Three legendary Airdrieonians players leave the club. First, there is winger Billy Wilson, who bows out into non-league after 279 matches (47 goals) in twelve seasons. Defender Jim Black signs for Stenhousemuir FC after 292 matches in two spells at Broomfield Park (1962-69 & 1974-79). Lastly, full-back Paul Jonquin, who spent his entire eighteen-year long professional career at Airdrieonians FC, hangs up his boots after 523 matches (1 goal); Jonquin, who had a run of 196 consecutive matches between 1967 and 1971 – and who, incredibly, was never booked – would pass away in 1995 at the age of 51.
1980 / Runners-up in Division 1, 2 points behind champions Heart of Midlothian FC, Airdrieonians FC win promotion to the Premier Division. The successful manager is Bobby Watson.
1982 / Coached by Bill Munro, who replaced Bobby Watson in the course of the season, Airdrieonians FC finish bottom of the table in the Premier Division, thus dropping back into Division 1 along with the club in second-last place, Partick Thistle FC.
1989 / Airdrieonians FC are joined by 27-year-old utility player Alan Lawrence of Dundee FC. Lawrence would serve Airdrie during three spells, in the course of which he played 216 official matches – eventually experiencing the club’s demise from close by in 2002.
1990 / Airdrieonians FC finish as runners-up in Division 1, 4 points behind champions St Johnstone FC.
1991 / Runners-up in Division 1, 1 point behind champions Falkirk FC, Airdrieonians FC win promotion to the Premier Division, which is extended from ten to twelve clubs. The successful manager is Jimmy Bone. Bone would be replaced by former Scottish international midfielder Alex MacDonald for the start of the 1991-92 season.
1992 / Following a run which saw them knock out Stranraer FC, Huntly FC, Hibernian FC, and Heart of Midlothian FC successively, Airdrieonians FC reach the final of the Scottish Cup, in which the club suffers defeat at the hands of Rangers FC in front of 44,045 spectators at Hampden Park. Airdrie’s goal by Andy Smith is cancelled out by Rangers striking duo Mark Hateley and Ally McCoist (2-1). As Rangers also won the Premier Division title, Airdrieonians FC qualifies for European football for the first – and only – time in their history, bowing out in R1 of the Cup Winners Cup against AC Sparta Praha (3-1 aggr.). The only-ever Airdrie European goal was scored by future club manager Kenny Black, with the tie in Scotland (0-1) drawing 5,377 spectators to Broomfield Park.
1993 / Having managed a seventh place in the previous season, Airdrieonians FC now finish bottom of the Premier Division table, thus dropping back into Division 1 along with the club in second-last place, Falkirk FC. Manager Alex MacDonald sees centre-forward Owen Coyle leave the club after three seasons (50 goals), as the star striker signs for Bolton Wanderers FC; although Scottish by birth, Coyle would go on to win one cap for Jack Charlton’s Ireland in 1994 (1-0 win over the Netherlands at the stadium of Willem II in Tilburg).
1994 / In May 1994, after 102 years of playing at the venue, Airdrieonians FC play their last-ever match at Broomfield Park, which is knocked down to make way for a Safeway supermarket – and this although building works on a new stadium have not even started yet. From mid-1994 onwards, the club groundshares with Clyde FC at the newly inaugurated Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld.
1995 / Following successive wins over Stirling Albion FC, Dunfermline Athletic FC, Raith Rovers FC, and Heart of Midlothian FC, Airdrieonians FC reach the final of the Scottish Cup, in which a sole Pierre van Hooijdonk goal condemns the club to another silver medal, as Celtic FC walks away with the trophy. On the upside, Airdrie conquers the League Cup, defeating Dundee FC in the final, played at McDiarmid Park (3-2). The successful manager is Alex MacDonald. Meanwhile, the club’s plans to build a new stadium at Raebog are rejected by local authorities.
1996 / Although initially rejected by local authorities, Airdrieonians FC receive the go ahead signal from local authorities to build a new stadium on the Craigneuk site.
1997 / Runners-up in Division 1, 20 points behind runaway champions St Johnstone FC, Airdrieonians FC loses a promotion-relegation play-off against Hibernian FC, the club finishing in second-last place in the Premier Division (5-2 aggr.). In the summer of 1997, Airdrieonians are joined by Heart of Midlothian FC midfielder Gary Mackay, the man primarily known for scoring the winning goal for Scotland in Bulgaria in 1987 (1-2), which meant that not Bulgaria, but Jack Charlton’s Ireland qualified for the 1988 European Championship tournament in West Germany. Mackay would serve Airdrie as a player for two seasons before hanging up his boots in 1999 and staying with the club as a manager for one more season.
1998 / After four years of groundsharing with Clyde FC at the Broadwood Stadium, Airdrieonians FC finally return to Airdrie, as the Excelsior Stadium – named after the name worn by Airdrieonians between 1878 and 1881 and sometimes referred to as New Broomfield – situated at the Craigneuk site, is finally inaugurated. The all-seater stadium boasts, with four covered stands, boasts a capacity of 10,101. The main stand, named after longtime club benefactor Jack Dalziel, includes conference and banqueting facilities in six separate reception rooms with a view of the pitch. The ground is officially given the name Shyberry Excelsior Stadium in a sponsorship deal; later on, the stadium would be given the ephemeral official names Penny Cars Stadium and Albert Bartlett Stadium for the same reason. The inaugural match, a League Cup win against Celtic FC, saw some 10,000 spectators flocking to the ground – an unofficial record, as the exact number was never determined on the day.
1999 / Airdrieonians goalkeeper John Martin hangs up his boots after 19 years with the club. With 755 official matches to this credit, Martin is the club’s record holder in terms of number of appearances. Also in 1999, manager Alex MacDonald leaves the club after eight seasons.
2000 / The Excelsior Stadium plays host to the League Cup final between Alloa Athletic FC and Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (4-4 A.E.T., Alloa wins penalty shoot-out), with an attendance of 4,043. Meanwhile, caused in part by the excessive costs in building the new stadium and in part due to dwindling support playing away from home for four seasons, Airdrieonians FC find themselves in grave financial problems. In February 2000, the KPMG firm are appointed as provisional liquidators; this move came soon after Rangers chairman David Murray had applied for a court order to seize some of Airdrie's revenue in lieu of funds owed to another of his companies. Meanwhile, while KPMG and the board were hoping more private investment would be made in the club, most of the playing staff were made redundant at the end of the 1999-2000 season. A takeover bid is made by former Tottenham Hotspur FC and FC Barcelona striker and Scottish international player Steve Archibald (27 caps & part of his country’s squads in the 1982 & 1986 World Cups), with the administrators awarding him preferred bidder status. Archibald installs himself as manager, bringing in many Spanish players, including David Fernández, Jesus Sanjuán, Antonio Calderón, and Javier Sánchez Broto.
2001 / Manager Steve Archibald does not have to wait long to record his first success, as Airdrieonians FC win the League Cup final against Livingston FC, played at the Broadwood Stadium (2-2 A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out). However, in March 2001, Archibald’s takeover bid falls through, as he leaves the club in the closing stages of the season. At the end of the season, defender Jim Sandison, one of the pillars of the club’s successful spell under Alex MacDonald in the 1990s, leaves the club after eleven years (302 matches), signing a contract with Stenhousemuir FC. On the other hand, Airdrie has reason to celebrate as Owen Coyle returns to the club after eight years, joining from Dunfermline Athletic FC.
2002 / Having a relatively successful season on the pitch, Airdrieonians FC finishes as runners-up in Division 1, 10 points behind runaway champions Partick Thistle FC; moreover, the club also wins the League Cup, defeating Alloa Athletic (2-1) at the Broadwood Stadium in the final. The successful manager is Ian McCall. However, with the financial problems having persisted, bankruptcy can no longer be avoided, as the club becomes the first professional league side in Scotland to fold after Third Lanark AC in 1967. The final match in club history, an away fixture at Ayr United FC, is abandoned after a pitch invasion by Airdrie fans protesting against Ayr owner Bill Barr, whose Barr Construction company had built the Excelsior Stadium and became one of the major creditors of Airdrieonians. Meanwhile, the majority of the players leave the Excelsior Stadium, including Owen Coyle (29 goals in the 2001-02 season!), who signs for Falkirk FC. In order to avoid the disappearance of professional league football from Airdrie, local accountant Jim Ballantyne attempts to gain entry into the Scottish Football League with a new proposed entity called Airdrie United FC. His bid for league status, however, is rejected in favour of the application by Gretna FC, who had been competing in the Northern Premier League in England up until then. Ballantyne then opts to buy control of the ailing Clydebank FC, renaming it Airdrie United FC and moving the club to Airdrie. Airdrie United FC takes over Clydebank FC’s place in Scottish Division 2, the third level of the Scottish football pyramid.
2004 / Champions in Division 2, 8 points ahead of runners-up Hamilton Academical FC, Airdrie United FC records the first success in the young club’s history, winning promotion to Division 1 along with the Accies. The successful player-manager is Sandy Stewart.
2005 / Airdrie’s player-manager Alexander ‘Sandy’ Stewart hangs up his boots at the age of 39. The full-back, who had had two spells as a player at Airdrieonians & Airdrie United FC (1989-2000 & 2001-2005, interrupted by one season at Partick Thistle FC), played a total of 362 matches for the Lanarkshire club. Stewart would stay on as manager for one more season, leaving Airdrie in 2006. Also in 2005, the League Cup final is held at the Excelsior Stadium, with the fixture between St Mirren FC and Hamilton Academical FC (2-1) drawing a near sell-out crowd of 9,613 to the ground.
2007 / Coached by former player Kenny Black, Airdrie United FC finishes in second-last place in Division 1, thus dropping back into Division 2 after three seasons, along with bottom club Ross County FC.
2008 / Runner-up in Division 2, 7 points behind champions Ross County FC, Airdrie United FC qualifies for the promotion-relegation play-offs. Knocking out Raith Rovers FC in the semis (4-2 aggr.), the club has to leave the honours to D1 side Clyde FC (3-0 aggr.). However, due to Gretna FC going into administration and being put back to Division 3 as a result, an extra promotion place is available, which means that Airdrie manages a return to the antechamber of Scottish football through the backdoor. The successful manager is Kenny Black. Also in 2008, Queen of the South FC, who had qualified for European football following their reaching the Scottish Cup final, moves its UEFA Cup qualifier against FC Nordsjælland to the Excelsior Stadium due to its own Palmerston Park not meeting UEFA requirements; the Dumfries side loses the tie against the Danish club 4-2 on aggregate (result in Airdrie: 1-2).
2009 / Finishing in second-last place in Division 1, Airdrie United FC has to save its skin in the promotion-relegation play-offs. Knocking out Peterhead FC in the semis (4-1 aggr.), the club suffers defeat in the final against Ayr United FC (3-2 aggr.). This would have entailed relegation, were it not for Livingston FC having to go into administration and being put back to Division 3 – and as this was the second time running that Airdrie booked their place in Division 1 thanks to another club’s misfortune, the Lanarkshire side were dubbed the luckiest club in Scotland. Also in 2009, Motherwell FC moves its Europa League qualifiers to the Excelsior Stadium due to its own Fir Park not meeting UEFA requirements. That summer, Motherwell successively knocks out Llanelli FC (3-1 aggr., but 0-1 defeat in Airdrie) and Flamurtari FC (8-2 aggr. win, 8-1 win in Airdrie) before bowing out in qualifying round 3 against FC Steaua Bucureşti (6-1 aggr, 1-3 defeat in Airdrie).
2010 / Finishing in ninth place in Division 1 with manager Kenny Black, Airdrie United FC has to save its skin in the promotion-relegation play-offs, but the club is eliminated in the semis by Brechin City FC (3-1 aggr.). As such, Airdrie descends into Division 2 along with bottom club Ayr United FC. In the summer of 2010, the pitch of the Excelsior Stadium is laid out anew with a synthetic surface, with the club’s League Cup R1 tie against Ayr United FC having to be moved to Alloa’s Recreation Ground due to the works. The 3G pitch is inaugurated on August 14th, 2010, in a Division 2 match, also against Ayr United FC. In the following years, the synthetic surface of the Excelsior Stadium would result in various amateur sides as well as Motherwell FC’s U20 squad concluding groundsharing agreements with Airdrie United FC.
2012 / Finishing in fourth place in Division 2, Airdrie United FC qualifies for the promotion-relegation play-offs, in which the club knocks out Ayr United FC in the semis (3-1 aggr.), before being eclipsed in the final by Dumbarton FC (6-2 aggr.). However, with the club’s proverbial luck striking again, Rangers FC goes into administration in the summer of 2012, leading to the Glasgow side being demoted to Division 3, resulting in Airdrie United FC being placed in Division 1 as an additional promotion winner. The successful manager is Jimmy Boyle.
2013 / Finishing bottom of the Division 1 table with manager Jimmy Boyle, Airdrie United FC drops back into Division 2 after just one season, along with play-off losers Dunfermline Athletic FC. Due to Division 1 being renamed the (Scottish) Championship for the start of the 2013-14 season, Division 2, the third level of the Scottish League pyramid, is renamed (Scottish) League 1. Simultaneously, Airdrie United FC itself changes its name as well, reverting to the old Airdrieonians FC. On August 23rd, 2013, one of the first home matches for Airdrieonians FC in League 1, against fallen giants Rangers FC, draws 9,044 spectators to the Excelsior Stadium. For the 2013-14 season, Airdrieonians FC share their ground with Queen’s Park FC, while that club’s home ground, Hampden Park, is converted for use as an athletics stadium for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
2014 / While Queen’s Park FC moves back to Hampden Park after one year of groundsharing at the Excelsior Stadium, a new club joins Airdrieonians FC at the ground, the ladies’ team of Glasgow City FC in an arrangement which lasted until 2017.
2016 / Non-league side East Kilbride FC moves its Scottish Cup tie against Celtic FC to the Excelsior Stadium due to its own K-Park being deemed inadequate for such an event; the match in January 2016 draws 7,767 spectators to the venue.
2017 / Finishing in third place in League 1, Airdrieonians FC qualify for the promotion-relegation play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in R1 by Alloa Athletic FC (1-1 aggr. & penalty shoot-out). Also in 2017, the stadium is refurbished prior to a Elton John concert at the ground in June of that year.
2020 / Airdrieonians FC are joined at the Excelsior Stadium by the ladies’ team of Motherwell FC as well as the men of Glasgow University FC, who had joined the newly formed West of Scotland League. While Motherwell FC Ladies only stayed for one season, the latter club have been groundsharers in Airdrie until the present day.
2021 / Runners-up in League 1, 2 points behind champions Partick Thistle FC, Airdrieonians FC qualify for the promotion-relegation play-offs, in which the club eliminates Cove Rangers FC in the semis (4-3 aggr. A.E.T.) before bowing out against Greenock Morton FC in the final (4-0 aggr.). In the summer of 2021, Airdrieonians FC and Glasgow University FC are joined at the Excelsior Stadium by Celtic FC’s Reserves’ team, competitors in the Lowland League, as well as the Bhoys’ ladies team.
2022 / Runners-up in League 1, 7 points behind champions Cove Rangers FC, Airdrieonians FC qualify for the promotion-relegation play-offs, in which the club edges past Montrose FC in the semifinal (6-5 aggr.), before being knocked out in the final by Queen’s Park FC (3-2 aggr.).
2023 / Finishing in third place in League 1, Airdrieonians FC qualify for the promotion-relegation play-offs, in which the club eases past Falkirk FC in the semis (7-2 aggr.), going on to win the final against Hamilton Academical FC (2-2 aggr. A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out). As such, the club wins promotion to the (Scottish) Championship, the second level of the Scottish football pyramid. The successful manager is Rhys McCabe.
2024 / Finishing in fourth place in the Championship, Airdrieonians FC qualify for the promotion-relegation play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in the quarterfinal by Partick Thistle FC (4-3 aggr.). On the upside, Rhys McCabe’s squad conquers the Scottish League Cup, beating guest participants The New Saints FC in the final, played at the Falkirk Stadium (2-1).
2025 / Finishing in second-last place in the Championship, Airdrieonians FC have to save their skin in the promotion-relegation play-offs, successfully doing so following successive wins over Stenhousemuir FC (5-2 aggr.) and Cove Rangers FC (2-1 aggr.).

Note – Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-6 = non-matchday visit, July 2017 / pictures 7-26 = match visit, February 2026.