Shielfield Park

Shielfield Park stands on the edge of Berwick-upon-Tweed, a football stadium shared by Berwick Rangers and the speedway team Berwick Bandits. The ground has occupied the same site since 1890, named after William Shiel Dods who once owned the land. Berwick Rangers joined the Scottish Football League in 1951 and moved permanently to Shielfield after buying a stand from Bradford City. The record crowd of 13,365 watched Berwick beat Rangers 1–0 in January 1967. The ground passed to the local council in 1985, then briefly hosted greyhound racing before fans bought back the lease in 1995. The speedway team left in 1981 after disputes but returned in 1996 and has since won many trophies in front of large crowds. Greyhound racing arrived in 1992 on a 390-metre track but ended four years later when supporters reclaimed the ground. The Main Stand seats 1,366 while a small covered terrace called the Ducket sits opposite. Both ends remain open turf areas, and behind the west curve stands an old maltings building. Visitors find a modest stadium set against the Northumberland landscape, with clear views of the playing area from the seated sections. The Ducket terrace offers shelter for watching football or speedway, and the surrounding streets of Berwick provide cafes and pubs for before or after the match. The maltings behind the ground adds an industrial touch to the scene, linking past and present uses of the land.