Appearing in the Scottish Premiership, highly decorated Glasgow Rangers are trying on plans to expand their iconic venue. The century-old Ibrox Stadium would significantly increase its capacity with an upgrade.

A living legend

Rangers moved into Ibrox in 1899, after playing for more than a decade on the pitch adjacent to the ground. Unfortunately, the structure, made mainly of wood, proved to be of very poor quality. After three years of operation, on 5 April 1902 the top rows of terraces collapsed, killing 25 people and injuring 517 others.

Renovations were carried out over a period of 15 years, but it was not until 1929 that the facility received a major makeover. A new main stand was then opened. Designed by Archibald Leitch, it boasted an incredible facade, which has been listed as a historic monument since 1987. After this change, Ibrox remained almost unchanged for decades with an oval shape and most of the terraces located on artificial hills that formed a bowl. The facility could accommodate a staggering 139,940 fans.

A complete redevelopment took place in the 1970s and 1980s, prompted by the second tragedy in Ibrox's history. In 1971, a serious accident on one of the staircases claimed 66 lives. After this event, the bowl was essentially demolished and replaced one by one with three free-standing stands. Almost all the space with standing seats was replaced by seating. The capacity of the stadium thus decreased to around 44,000 spectators. Further modifications took place in the 1990s, pegging the number of seats at just over 51,000, of which over 21,000 seats are in the main stand.

© Robert Pool

Will Ibrox get an upgrade?

Rangers bosses are looking at the possibility of a huge expansion of their stadium, which could significantly increase its capacity. According to The Herald, the number of seats at Ibrox would increase from 51,000 to 70,000. The newspaper stressed that an expansion on this scale would be "a long way off" and is just one of the options being considered by the club.

Ambitious plans for a possible expansion could include between 8,000 and 10,000 seats in the Copland and Brooloan stands. The possibility of adding 700 seats in the corners of the stadium between the Sandy Jardine Stand and the aforementioned Copland and Broomloan stands has also been tentatively discussed. Ibrox chiefs have not ruled out the possibility of adding new rows of seats around the pitch if the field was lowered.

© Эдгар Брещанов (CC BY-SA 3.0)

However, it is understood that these plans are at a very early stage and feasibility studies are still being carried out. As things stand, there are no guarantees regarding the expansion of the stadium. Instead, Rangers officials are only considering the suggested options, with the necessary studies needed to see if these expansion plans will be possible.

A report by The Herald suggests that Rangers are also considering an option which focuses on a more ambitious expansion of Ibrox. The newspaper says there have been "preliminary discussions" about possible work, but there are no specifics as yet.

Rangers' work to improve facilities for people with disabilities began in the summer, with further construction work planned for 2024 and 2025. The project aims to make Ibrox the most accessible of any stadium in Scotland, and also in Europe.