Where Hearts and Hibs rank for the best stadium atmosphere in UK football

Hearts and Hibs have both found themselves in the top 20 for best stadium atmosphere across all football grounds in the UK.

Tynecastle Park ranked in the top 10, but wasn't the highest ranking ground in Scotland. Picture: SNS

The list, compiled by the popular FourFourTwo magazine, had both halves of the Old Firm in the top two, with Ibrox Stadium pipping Celtic Park to the number one spot. Manchester United’s 74,000 Old Trafford rounded out the top three.

Tynecastle, regularly cited amongst the best stadiums to play at due to the close proximity of supporters to pitch and the steep gradient in each of the four stands, ranked in ninth place overall, one spot ahead of Wembley.

Easter Road was ranked in 18th place. Though Hibs fans may be miffed to see their beloved ground nine places below that of their Capital rivals, they can at least console themselves with placing ten spots higher than Scotland’s national stadium, Hampden Park, and 20 places above fellow European football contenders Aberdeen.

Easter Road was ranked in 18th place on the top 100 list. Picture: SNS

Ross County’s Victoria Park and Dumbarton’s The Dumbarton Football Stadium were the only other two to rank in the top 50.

Explaining Celtic and Rangers’ places on top of the pile, the magazine read: “For the vibrancy, passion and intensity on and off the pitch, nothing on these shores compares to the match day experience at an Old Firm fixture.”

Both Tynecastle and Easter Road have seen major refurbishments in recent years. Hibs’ East Stand was redeveloped in 2010, taking the ground’s capacity up to 20,241, while Hearts opened up their new main stand in the 2017/18 season.

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