There is no doubt that Hampden Park is not one of the most modern facilities in the United Kingdom. However, this is about to change. We also know what the arena is likely to look like once the redevelopment is complete. It could be a strong candidate for Stadium of the Year.

Hampden Park will finally get a general renovation?

To say that Scotland's national stadium is run down is to say nothing. On October 31 it will celebrate its 120th anniversary of opening. In the inaugural match, Queens Park beat Celtic FC 1:0. Of course, over the 12 decades the arena has undergone many upgrades and bears little resemblance to that of the early 20th century. The last of these took place in 2014. It temporarily turned the venue into an athletics stadium used for the Commonwealth Games. At that time, infrastructure for people with disabilities was also improved.

Interestingly, no work was undertaken before Euro 2020, when Hampden Park hosted matches of the event. It turns out that this was the calm before the storm. The Scottish arena was on the list of venues for the joint British and Irish bid to host the 2028 European Football Championships. However, all indications are that, should the UK and Ireland be selected to host the tournament, the stadium will undergo a major transformation that will make it one of the most modern arenas in the UK. The first renderings have been prepared by local architectural office Holmes Miller. It has to be said that they make a truly fantastic impression.

®Holmes Miller Architects

What will Hampden Park look like after the modernisation?

The facility, which currently has a capacity of 51,866, will be expanded. It is expected to have 65,000 seats, making it the largest in Scotland, surpassing the 60,000-seat Celtic Park. This will be made possible by the redevelopment of the stands - tilting them more and moving them towards the pitch. Some sources also report the likely delineation of standing areas. Until 2022, all arena sections in the UK had to be seated, but relevant regulatory changes already allow standing ones under certain conditions. Holmes Miller's proposal, however, makes it clear that the 65,000 is to be for seating only.

The new Hampden Park is about to receive a retractable roof. This would allow the ground to also function as a sports hall. Interestingly, its roof and façade cladding would be translucent in colour. Thanks to the installation of state-of-the-art DMX LED equipment, the entire stadium would be illuminated in the colours of the teams currently playing the match. The designers decided to introduce yet another exciting upgrade. The facility would have two-tier stands, with the lower rows accommodating 30,000 spectators. During events with this number of participants, the upper rows would be covered by a special movable semi-transparent curtain, which would create an amazing 360-degree screen.

The hospitality area would also be expanded. The largest number of VIP boxes would still be located in the south stand. Underneath the western and eastern sections , there would be catering facilities. The surroundings of the venue have not been forgotten either. Directly in front of the arena itself, there would be something like concrete platforms towering over the car parks, which would lead to the entrance to the stands. The shape of these would be reminiscent of the Scottish coast line. It is not known at this point what the cost would be to rebuild the arena in the manner described above. This is hard to estimate due to the ever-changing macro-economic indicators. Scottish Football Association chief executive Mike Mulraney admits that if £500m could be raised, that amount would be invested in other Scottish stadia at the moment. It can therefore be surmised that the cost of investment in the project drawn up by Holmes Miller would certainly consume more than the amount indicated.

®Holmes Miller Architects