Looking back: Record-breaking crowd for basketball in Falkirk in 1982

Three of the superstars who were imported to play for Team Solripe

And, with a total of 3327 men, women and children filling the £600,000 stadium to see Provost John Docherty perform the opening ceremony, the organisers were able to boast the record for the largest crowd to attend any basketball match in Scotland!

Workmen spent hectic hours trying to get everything ready in time but there were one or two teething problems as Coasters developer Mr John Edmunds said at the time: “There will always be problems when a new venture opens but we hope the public did not suffer too much.”

Queues formed long before the arena doors were opened and it wasn’t long before the multi-coloured rows of seats were filled with enthusiastic spectators.

Highlight of that first day was the first home match for Falkirk’s own professional basketball stars, Team Solripe, who met Boroughmuir Barrs and notched their first victory beating their visitors by 95 points to 60.