Rangers are in talks with consultants about increasing the capacity of Ibrox to cope with fan demand.
The club are exploring the possibility of modernising the stadium to house up to 55,000 supporters in the coming seasons.
That’s around 5,000 more than at present, but record season ticket sales of 47,000 and a waiting list of over 15,000 has prompted the Light Blues to call in engineers.
There will be no radical overhaul of the stadium, such as new tiers on any of the existing stands.
However, a range of options are under discussion, which includes extending the areas between the bottom and the top of the Copland and Broomloan Stands to fit additional rows of seats.
Talks are also ongoing about modernising the back of the Govan Stand, currently used for corporate boxes, as well as the space currently occupied by the LED screens.
The most ambitious project would be lowering the pitch again, which last happened in the mid-nineties, although the level of the water table so close to the Clyde could be an issue.
Rangers managing director Stewart Robertson said: “It’s something we’re looking at just now. We won’t see anything as grand as another tier built on top of one of the existing stands.
“However, we are exploring ways we can add additional seating into the stadium. I don’t see it being another 10,000, it would maybe be low thousands.
“There are feasibility works going on at this moment and we’re probably two or three months away from knowing whether it will be possible or not.
“We’re working with a couple of consultancy firms to see what might be possible and to work out the financials on it.
“Ultimately, if the financial model doesn’t work and we don’t get payback on it then you could question why we’d would do it as it’s money that could be used elsewhere.
“However, we’re keen to explore it and see if it’s possible because the demand from fans has been phenomenal, absolutely incredible.
“There is no sign of that lessening in the short term and if we can do it it’s another investment to go into the club.”
Ibrox became the first modern, virtually all-seated stadium in British football history when it was extensively remodelled after the disaster of 1971.
Three new stands were opened in 1981, funded by the success of the club’s pools, and the club deck was added on top of the main stand in 1991 with almost half the £20 million cost coming from a fan debenture scheme.
The new Rangers board have spent extensively in the last three years bringing the ground back up to shape after it was neglected during the club’s recent financial crisis.
Robertson added: “Several millions have been invested and a lot of the work is unseen.
“If you don’t spend money on your house for a number of years you end up having to invest heavily and that’s the stage we’re at.
“We’ve done the necessary stuff over the last couple of years and now we’re onto the enhancements for the hospitality areas and the players’ lounge and lots of other different projects, with more to come.”
The club are exploring the possibility of modernising the stadium to house up to 55,000 supporters in the coming seasons.
That’s around 5,000 more than at present, but record season ticket sales of 47,000 and a waiting list of over 15,000 has prompted the Light Blues to call in engineers.
There will be no radical overhaul of the stadium, such as new tiers on any of the existing stands.
However, a range of options are under discussion, which includes extending the areas between the bottom and the top of the Copland and Broomloan Stands to fit additional rows of seats.
Talks are also ongoing about modernising the back of the Govan Stand, currently used for corporate boxes, as well as the space currently occupied by the LED screens.
The most ambitious project would be lowering the pitch again, which last happened in the mid-nineties, although the level of the water table so close to the Clyde could be an issue.
Rangers managing director Stewart Robertson said: “It’s something we’re looking at just now. We won’t see anything as grand as another tier built on top of one of the existing stands.
“However, we are exploring ways we can add additional seating into the stadium. I don’t see it being another 10,000, it would maybe be low thousands.
“There are feasibility works going on at this moment and we’re probably two or three months away from knowing whether it will be possible or not.
“We’re working with a couple of consultancy firms to see what might be possible and to work out the financials on it.
“Ultimately, if the financial model doesn’t work and we don’t get payback on it then you could question why we’d would do it as it’s money that could be used elsewhere.
“However, we’re keen to explore it and see if it’s possible because the demand from fans has been phenomenal, absolutely incredible.
“There is no sign of that lessening in the short term and if we can do it it’s another investment to go into the club.”
Ibrox became the first modern, virtually all-seated stadium in British football history when it was extensively remodelled after the disaster of 1971.
Three new stands were opened in 1981, funded by the success of the club’s pools, and the club deck was added on top of the main stand in 1991 with almost half the £20 million cost coming from a fan debenture scheme.
The new Rangers board have spent extensively in the last three years bringing the ground back up to shape after it was neglected during the club’s recent financial crisis.
Robertson added: “Several millions have been invested and a lot of the work is unseen.
“If you don’t spend money on your house for a number of years you end up having to invest heavily and that’s the stage we’re at.
“We’ve done the necessary stuff over the last couple of years and now we’re onto the enhancements for the hospitality areas and the players’ lounge and lots of other different projects, with more to come.”
. (Tongue firmly in cheek.)
