July 24 – Scottish Premiership side Rangers will open the new season at Hampden Park rather than their Ibrox home as stadium renovation delays have left uncertainty over when they will be able to resume fixtures.
The Scottish Football Association (SFA) and the league boards officially approved the plan for the club to play its opening home games at Hampden, the home of the Scotland National Team with some estmates suggesting they won’t return to Ibrox until October.
A delayed shipment of steel from Asia in June has delayed the works on the development of the Copland Road Stand.
With both stadiums boasting a similar capacity of about 50,000, Rangers have promised season ticket holders will each get access to the matches as normal.
The renovation could cost up to £40 million as the club look at removing big screens and even lowering the pitch in order to make room for up to 10,000 new seats in the near future.
At present, it remains unclear as to what specific renovations the club are making ahead of the new season, with a number of options discussed by the board as they look to reach the 70,000 capacity target outlined in November last year.
The decision to develop Ibrox was sparked by the demand from fans, as former Rangers CEO James Bisgrove disclosed how the club is seeking to address the challenges of having a 10,000-strong season ticket waiting list, with a 99% renewal rate.
A statement sent out by the Rangers F.C. read: “The club is continuing work at pace on detailed plans for the transition to the National Stadium. The club is also continuing to work tirelessly on the Copland Stand project at Ibrox to complete that as soon as possible.
“The Rangers again puts on record its thanks to the Scottish Football Association and the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL – the national men’s association football league in Scotland) for their considerable work in reaching this solution. As soon as the club can provide a definitive update on matches returning to our home, it will do so. Above all, the club thanks its supporters for their ongoing patience and understanding as we deal with this challenge.”
A joint statement from the football authorities read: “The Scottish FA and SPFL have approved Rangers FC’s request to host the club’s home matches at Hampden Park, due to ongoing works at Ibrox Stadium.
“As part of the agreement, Rangers have committed to fund an accelerated pitch growth programme to ensure the Hampden surface is ready for the club’s first home game.”
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1732310538labto1732310538ofdlr1732310538owedi1732310538sni@g1732310538niwe.1732310538yrrah1732310538