'Hampden Roar' off the charts at Sunday's semi-final
Stadium sound experts record 115 decibels peak during iconic derby of world football
Last updated 18th Apr 2018
The famous Hampden Roar lived up to its name during Sunday’s William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final between Celtic and Rangers, with sound experts recording an “incredible” 115 decibel peak during the showpiece cup tie.
The peak level is equivalent to the roar of a real lion from less than a metre away, as loud as the front row of a music concert and just short of a jet engine at take-off from 25 metres.
Ahead of one the game’s most intense derby matches, and as part of a fact-finding mission designed to safeguard the future of Scotland’s National Stadium, Hampden Park management sought to measure the true impact of the Hampden Roar for one of the biggest fixtures in the Scottish football calendar.
Celtic’s 4-0 defeat of their rivals recorded crowd noise peaks as the teams emerged from the tunnel and immediately after each goal.
The average ambient noise level in the first half was 98 dB and for the second half was 96 dB. The sound levels measured the crowd of 49,729 before, during and after the 90 minutes of action and were recorded by industry specialists Vanguardia, who described the peak as “incredibly high”.
Recent measurements of all 20 English Premier League stadia pale by comparison. A study in 2014 put Old Trafford top with a reading of 84 decibels at the start of the match, compared to Hampden’s 109 dB LAFMax, while a 2011 study by Fan Chants, measured as an average across the season, ranged from Liverpool as the loudest at 97 dB to Fulham as the quietest at 65 dB.
Experts suggest that the atmosphere during Scotland’s 2-2 draw against England last June would have hit even greater heights when Leigh Griffiths scored his second free-kick in the 90th minute, based on the vast majority of the stadium celebrating, in contrast to the 50/50 split of supporters for the William Hill Scottish Cup clash.
Peter Dallas, Managing Director, Hampden Park Limited: “Sunday’s William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final reaffirmed why Hampden Park is Scotland’s National Stadium. The Celtic v Rangers tie was beamed to households across the globe but these readings show there is no substitute to experiencing the atmosphere inside the stadium.
“We are pleased that the experts at Vanguardia have validated our firm belief that the Hampden Roar is unrivalled in Scottish football.”
Matt McIlroy, Senior Acoustic Consultant, Vanguardia: “The noise levels from the moment the players walked out on to the pitch were incredible and really shows the passion of the fans that those levels did not significantly change throughout the match.
“It’s also worth noting that these levels were registered trackside: imagine how loud it would have been in amongst the fans.”
The Guinness Book of World Records recognises 142.2 decibels as the loudest noise ever recorded in a sports stadium, during a Kansas City Chiefs v New England Patriots American Football game at the Arrowhead Stadium, which holds 76,416 fans.
This season’s William Hill Scottish Cup Final between Celtic and Motherwell will take place at Hampden Park, Scotland’s National Stadium, on Saturday 19 May.