• The BBSP Stadium, Rugby Park
    The BBSP Stadium, Rugby Park

    Home of Kilmarnock FC

  • The BBSP Stadium, Rugby Park
    The BBSP Stadium, Rugby Park

    Home of Kilmarnock FC

  • The BBSP Stadium, Rugby Park
    The BBSP Stadium, Rugby Park

    Home of Kilmarnock FC

  • The BBSP Stadium, Rugby Park
    The BBSP Stadium, Rugby Park

    Home of Kilmarnock FC

  • Rugby Park
    Rugby Park

    Home of Kilmarnock FC

  • The BBSP Stadium, Rugby Park
    The BBSP Stadium, Rugby Park

    Home of Kilmarnock FC

  • The BBSP Stadium, Rugby Park
    The BBSP Stadium, Rugby Park

  • The BBSP Stadium, Rugby Park
    The BBSP Stadium, Rugby Park

  • Screenshot 2023-07-28 110438.jpg

  •  Old Rugby Park
    Old Rugby Park

    Stadium Rennovated in 1994

  •  Old Rugby Park
    Old Rugby Park

Killie FC

Rugby Park

History

Kilmarnock first played football matches at the present Rugby Park site in 1899. Despite that, the venue is actually Kilmarnock’s fourth home ground. The Grange, Holm Quarry and Ward's Park all hosted matches, before the club moved to Rugby Park in 1877. This was not the present stadium, but one situated close by near South Hamilton Street. This ground was shared by cricket and rugby teams - sports which Kilmarnock had played previously - and the connection with rugby gave the ground its name. This name was taken with the club when they moved to their present stadium.
 


The ground was inaugurated with a match against then-champions Celtic on the 26th of August 1899, when Kilmarnock fought back from a 2-0 deficit to secure a draw. It was their first match in the top tier of Scottish football, having won the Second Division the previous season.

Originally, the ground was constructed with a running track around its edge, a pavilion and a stand along the west side. In 1935 a cover was added to part of the south terrace. During the Second World War, the army used the ground as an ammunition dump, (see below) as league matches were suspended.


The pitch had to be reconstructed after the war and Italian prisoners of war helped rebuild and extend the north terrace. A roof was added to the east terrace in 1959, and the West Stand was renovated during the 1960-61 season. (Below).

The following season a record 35,995 fans saw Kilmarnock lose 4-2 to Rangers in the Scottish Cup. However, the fans were to witness happier times as the team clinched the league championship in 1964-65.

 



During the summer of 1968 the floodlight system was upgraded to accommodate live television broadcasts. The ensuing years saw little change at the ground.

By the early nineties pressures within the game, especially following the Taylor Report, meant that Rugby Park would have to become all-seater. A move to a new stadium was discussed, but rejected in favour of redevelopment.

The last game at the before reconstruction was played 7 May 1994, when Kilmarnock beat Rangers 1-0. Building work commenced the next day. During 1994-95 season the stadium capacity was significantly reduced as three new stands were constructed; the Moffat Stand, the Chadwick Stand and the East Stand. Their completion brought the capacity of the stadium to 18,128.

Kilmarnock opened the new Rugby Park on 6 August 1995, in a friendly match against English champions Blackburn Rovers. Alan Shearer hit a hat-trick as the home team lost 5-0. On 12 May 1998 Rugby Park hosted the last ever Ayrshire Cup final, as Kilmarnock fought back from 0-2 to beat Ayr United 4-2. In the summer of 1999, league regulations meant that Kilmarnock had to install undersoil heating at the ground. This was the first time the pitch had been relayed in fifty years, and represented the last major development of the stadium. On 26 August of that year, Kilmarnock celebrated one hundred years at Rugby Park with a victory over KR Reykjavik in the UEFA Cup.

Some work has since been done to increase the revenue created by the ground. In June 2002 the Park Hotel was opened adjacent to the stadium. The hotel was built on the site of Kilmarnock’s training pitch. The hotel has fifty twin/double bedrooms, a conference centre, a café bar and a restaurant. In November 2004 and new sports bar was opened in the West Stand, sponsored by Foster's Lager. In 2017 then Chaiman Michael Johnston & Director Billie Bowie, restructed the club's finances moving the Park Hotel "out" of Kilmarnock FC's ownership.

An artificial surface was installed in the summer of 2014. (Above). The stadium hosted a rugby union international between Scotland and Tonga in November 2014. This was the first rugby union international match to be played on an artificial surface in Scotland

In July of 2016 Rugby Park hosted its second major concert. Rod Stewart was welcomed to "Ruggers" in front of 20,000 fans. Rod had been preceded by Elton John (above wearing a Killie scarf) who performed in Kilmarnock on June 26th 2005, in front of 15,000 fans.

Design

Despite becoming a modern, all-seater stadium, a number of features in the design of the stands give it a unique look. All stands bar the West Stand have very little beneath them, as the tea bars and toilets are located under the lowest possible point towards the pitch.

The rest of the area underneath is open tarmac, with the steel framework fully exposed. Moreover, the turnstiles for the three newer stands are built into a perimeter wall rather than the stadium itself, and there are very large open air spaces before the stands themselves. Other stadiums have a similar design - for example Tynecastle’s Roseburn Stand, although there is considerably less space there. One advantage is that since the public smoking ban has come into force it has been possible for fans to stand in the open areas at half-time for a cigarette.

The East Stand is distinctive in appearance as it does not cover the full length of the pitch, tapering before ending around 15yds before the extremity of the pitch. This is because the ground behind the stand is residential, and can not be built on. However, the gap is not as large as a similar truncation at Fir Park, for example, and is filled by flags.

Updates: 

Nov 19th 2019:  Killie installed a new safe standing section at Rugby Park.  The project is the first in Britain to be funded entirely by fans, with the Trust In Killie initiative raising £40,000 to install the rail seating. Killie will become the second club in Scotland to have a safe standing section after Celtic installed their own in 2016. There will be 324 rail seats placed in two areas of the East Stand as well as a section of the Moffat Stand, with installation taking place today. 

The Killie Trust put out a call for volunteers to help with the installation, and club captain Gary Dicker volunteered his services.


Aug 7th 2020: Billy Bowie Special Projects has been unveiled as the club’s stadium naming rights partner. The six-figure deal will see increased investment from our majority shareholder, Billy Bowie as we head into one of our most challenging seasons yet, during these unpreceded times. The stadium will now be known as The BBSP Stadium, Rugby Park.

Billy Bowie said: "The stadium will always be known as Rugby Park to our fans and I don’t want to take that away, so we have added our name to the start, naming the ground The BBSP Stadium, Rugby Park".

Sept 2020 Flags Replace Fans at Ruggers !

Aug 9th 2020: Killie play their first match of the 2020-21 season. Killie pick up a 1-1 draw with the champions Celtic, in a match that was most noteable for being played behind closed doors (due to the Covid-19 pandemic).  Taking the place of the fans, were hundreds of Killie flags around Ruggers.

In the Fall of 2021 Killlie started a renovation (see above pic) to the rear/back of the Moffat stand where offices were to be installed. In addition the handicaped supporters section was being re-done also. Below are the revised stand capacities as of Jan 2022.

Also in the Fall of 2021 Killie opened their "Killie Superstore" located in the Main Stand (The Frank Beattie Stand), and subsequently in April of 2022 opened the "Killie Museum" (adjacent to the Superstore).


On Oct 22nd 2022 Rugby Park hosted it's first match where VAR technology was in use!

on Nov 13th 2023: Killie  announced that they are aiming to revert back to a grass pitch at Rugby Park for the start of the 2025-26 season  Killie installed a new playing surface at Rugby Park in time for the 2019-20 season, having initially switched to artificial grass in the summer of 2014.
This is contingent on the proposed Bowie Park training facility being granted planning permission so work can begin in the spring. The facility would be located between Kilmarnock and Crookedholm. 

Rugby Park Facts

Stadium SponsorshipBBSP Stadium, Rugby Park 
(Aug 2020)

Address

Rugby Park, Rugby Road, Kilmarnock, KA1 2DP

Phone Number

(01563) 525184

Opened

1899

Renovated

1945-46

Main Stand Renovated

1961

Floodlights Upgraded

1968

Renovated (All Seater)

1994-95

Underground Heating

1999

Artificial PitchSummer of 2014
Safe StandingNov 2019

Current Capacity

15,003

Lowest Crowd

460 Vs Alloa Ath,  1984 Scottish First Division

Largest Crowd (Old)

35,995 Vs Rangers,  1962 Scottish Cup

Largest Crowd (New)

18,076 Vs Celtic,  1998 SPL

Last International Hosted

Scotland Vs Wales, May 27th 1997

Killie FC

Website Privacy Statement

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Standard Privacy Policy

This privacy policy sets out how KILLIE FC uses and protects any information that you give KILLIE FC when you use this website.

KILLIE FC is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.

KILLIE FC may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes. This policy is effective from 13th Jun 2018 

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What we collect

We may collect the following information on a consent only basis:
●    name and job title
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What we do with the information we gather

The majority of the information we gather is required for contractual and legal purposes and to allow us to offer products and services as purchased. 
When consent is given to use the information for marketing and communication purposes it is used for the following reasons:
●    We may periodically send promotional emails about new products, special offers or other information which we think you may find interesting using the email address which you have provided.
●    From time to time, we may also use your information to contact you using your provided email address for market research purposes. 

Your information will never be shared with any third parties and at all times you have the right to unsubscribe permanently from our database with a simple click of the unsubscribe information at which time your details will be deleted from the mailing lists and removed from the database permanently with no archived records retained.
 

Killie FC

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This Web Site belongs to Killie FC.

Headings

Headings used in these terms and conditions are for convenience only and shall not affect their interpretation.

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The images, logos and names on this Web Site which identify Killie FC or third parties and their products and services are proprietary marks of Killie FC and/or the relevant third parties. Nothing contained in this Web Site shall be deemed to confer on any person any license or right on the part of Killie FC or any third party with respect to any such image, logo or name.

Alterations

Killie FC reserves the right, at any time and without prior notice, to remove or cease to supply any product or service contained on this Web Site. In the event that such removal takes place we shall not be liable to you in any way whatsoever for such removal.

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Telephone calls using the telephone numbers provided on this Web Site and email correspondence with Killie FC at the email addresses accessible through, or discernible from, this Web Site may be recorded or monitored. By using such communication methods you are consenting to the recording or monitoring of the same.

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We reserve the right to change these terms and conditions at any time by posting changes on the Web Site. It is your responsibility to review the Web Site terms and conditions to ensure you are aware of the latest terms and conditions. Your use of this Web Site after a change has been posted will be deemed to signify your acceptance of the modified terms and conditions. We recommend that you print off and retain for your records a copy of these terms and conditions from time to time and a copy of any terms and conditions relating to any product or service which you apply for online, together with any related application form completed and submitted.

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Force Majeure

Every effort will be made to carry out the contract but its due performance is subject to cancellation by Killie FC or to such variation as we may find necessary as a result of inability to secure labour, materials or supplies or as a result of any act of God, War, Strike, Lockout or other labour dispute, Fire, Flood, Drought, Legislation, or other cause (whether of the foregoing class or not) beyond the sellers control.

Killie FC

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