09 Shawfield Stadium: The Home of Clyde FC and Rutherglen Ladies FC
Clyde Football Club (formed 1877) moved from Barrowfield to the Shawfield Stadium in 1898.
The first game at the new stadium was a 0-0 draw against Celtic on 27th August 1898 in front of a crowd of 10,000 with gate receipts of £203.
The Evening Telegraph reported that Clyde’s new stadium was 115 by 73½ yards, with a splendid surface, and a track suitable for cycling. With a covered stand, pavilion and terracing, the capacity was 40,000.
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In 1923, Rutherglen Ladies Football Club became ‘world champions’ at Shawfield, after they defeated the famous Dick Kerr Ladies of Preston.
Time-shift showing Shawfield's grand Art Deco entrance yesterday and today.
Football against the backdrop of Shawfield's Greyhound racing board.
Rutherglen Ladies were the most famous ladies team in Scotland. They regularly played in front of large crowds. For example, they had a crowd of 3,000 for a game against Edinburgh and 4,000 for a game against Dundee United.
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The superstar player of the team was Sadie Smith. The Dundee Courier described Sadie’s style of play as, ‘The clever style in which the latter dodged, feinted, and swerved drew rounds of applause’.
Sadie’s granddaughter is the Glaswegian Folk Legend, Eddi Reader.
The women’s game was banned in 1921 and women were not allowed to play on the football grounds of SFA affiliated clubs. The ban remained in place until 1974, when equal opportunities legislation forced the Scottish Football Association to lift it.