Home of Ayr United FC

Opened 1888

Capacity 10,185

Rating: 4.3

(192) Google Reviews

Absolutely fantastic sports ground. Has everything you could ask for. Nice food Historic grounds Good beer Amazing atmosphere Aye sure hampden might have the bigger and more expensive grounds but if you want true football come to Somerset. Fun night out for your footie mates.
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5 months ago
Lifetime supporter and delighted with progress being made on and off park. So fortunate to have three brilliant folk leading the club. Chairman, CEO and Head Coach doing a fantastic job. Happy days!
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3 months ago
A world away from Carrow Road which is not necessarily a bad thing. The game was not the prettiest, the fans were passionate and the 94th minute goal a cracker But the rain.....
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12 months ago
Didn't dislike it, but the seats are too small with no leg room. I know they are trying to improve the ground, but, generally it's third world.
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5 months ago
Went to a match against Arbroath I am partially sighted so I require commentary which was absolutely fantastic
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a month ago
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History (from Wikipedia)

Ayr commissioned Somerset Park in 1888 to replace Beresford Park.[2] Ayr needed an alternative venue for a friendly match against Aston Villa because Beresford Park was being used for the Ayr Cattle Show at the time.[2] The Beresford Park clubhouse and grandstand were dismantled and reassembled at Somerset Park.[2] Ayr entered the Scottish Football League in 1897, but failed to seriously challenge for promotion to the First Division.[3] Ayr Parkhouse, who played at Beresford Park, subsequently joined the league, but were also stuck in the Second Division.[3] The two clubs decided to merge in 1910 to form Ayr United and the new club adopted Somerset Park as its primary home, although Beresford Park was used during the First World War.[3]

Ayr United bought Somerset Park for £2,500 in 1920.
[4] Four years later, the direction of the pitch was changed when the club built a new Main Stand.[4] A roof was built in 1933 over the railway end terrace, which was split into male and female sections.[4]

The ground's record attendance of 25,225 was set on 13 September 1969 in a match against 
Rangers.[4][5] Floodlights were installed a year later.[4] Somerset Park was relatively late in doing this because the ground is in the flight path of the nearby Prestwick Airport.[4] The Somerset Road end terrace was covered in 1971.[4] A new wing was added to the Main Stand in 1989, increasing the seating capacity to 1,450 in an overall capacity of 12,128.[4]

During the 1990s and early 2000s, Ayr United were owned by Bill Barr, whose 
Barr Construction company built new stands for several clubs, including KilmarnockHibernianSt MirrenStranraer and Airdrie.[4][6] Despite this work on other Scottish grounds, Somerset Park was not developed, which meant that Ayr United could not be promoted to the Scottish Premier League.[7] Barr had plans for an out-of-town stadium rejected by the Scottish Executive.[2][8] He retired in 2004 and passed control of the club to Donald Cameron and his family.[8]

In November 2006, Ayr United publicised plans to sell Somerset Park to housing developer 
Barratt Homes and move to a new purpose built stadium in the Heathfield area of Ayr.[5][9] The new ground was planned to consist of a single stand of 3,650 seats, with the potential to add another 3,000-seat stand and a 1,000-capacity terrace, giving a total potential capacity of 7,650.[9] South Ayrshire Council gave outline planning permission in January 2008.[10] Barratt Homes pulled out of the deal to purchase Somerset Park in August 2008, however, with the developer claiming that the planning rules were "unworkable".[10] The credit crunch, which depressed housing values, also affected the proposal's viability.[5][10]

The Main Stand roof was damaged by 
Hurricane Bawbag in December 2011, forcing Ayr United to postpone a First Division match against Ross County.[11]

In 2018, it was confirmed that under current league requirements, Ayr United would be allowed to play matches at Somerset Park with minimal improvements to its facilities should they gain promotion to the 
SPFL Premiership, as the more stringent seating capacity regulations had been removed some years earlier.[12]

Things to do nearby.

The West Kirk - JD Wetherspoon.

16 Reviews
Photo of Chris D.

It's a church turned into a Tavern. How cool is that? Had the steak club steak potato peas and tomato. With a Tennants. 9 pound 10. Dirt cheap. The... Read More

Photo of Jay S.

I've been going here for years, good food at great prices even for kids as they get two menus to choose from, one is for smaller appetites and other is for... Read More

Photo of Laura G.

The West Kirk JD Wetherspoons is a fun place to grab a quick meal or meet up to have a drink. They offer a wide selection of drinks and have a full menu.... Read More

Treehouse.

14 Reviews
Photo of Timmy D.

Great place for brunch!! The environment is very relaxing and comfortable. They have a huge drink menu and many options to choose from. The Brunch menu is... Read More

Photo of Kayla H.

Probably some of the better food we had in Scotland. Service was better than average (by American standards) too. The interior here is very trendy. We liked... Read More

Photo of Willemijn F.

The decor is great and they have a good drinks menu. Would recommend the Hendricks perfect serve. Staff is friendly, but the service is a bit slow. Read More