Ibrox Stadium

A UEFA category four stadium,[3] Ibrox hosted the Scotland national team when Hampden Park was redeveloped in the 1990s, and three Scottish cup finals in the same period, and has also been a concert venue.

[6][7] The first Ibrox Park was a success in the short term, as three Scotland international matches and the 1890 Scottish Cup Final were played at the ground.

[5] To aid their chances of gaining that revenue, Rangers constructed a large terracing, holding 36,000 people, behind the western goalmouth.

[5] A crowd of 68,114 assembled for a Scotland v England match on 5 April 1902, but shortly after the kick-off one section of the terracing "collapsed like a trap door".

[5][6] Simon Inglis, a writer on football stadia, commented in 2005 that the Main Stand is Leitch's "greatest work" and is "still resplendent today in its red brick glory under a modern mantle of glass and steel".

[14] Stairway 13 was a popular exit from the East Terracing due to its proximity to Copland Road subway station and parking areas for the Rangers supporters' coaches, but it was often overcrowded and very steep.

[17] The worst disaster to date to affect football in Britain happened after the Old Firm game on 2 January 1971, when 66 people died of asphyxiation due to another crush on Stairway 13.

[14][18] This led to a widespread belief that the crush had been caused by fans who had left the game early, but had turned back when they heard the roar that greeted the Rangers goal.

[14][18] It established that the crowd had been travelling in the same direction when the crush happened, with it perhaps being precipitated by some bending over to pick up items that had been discarded during the goal celebrations.

[6] Willie Waddell visited modern grounds in West Germany during the 1974 World Cup and believed that steep terracing and exits, such as Stairway 13, had to be replaced.

[21] This resulted in a difficult period in the history of Rangers, as the average attendance fell to 17,500 in the 1981–82 season, including a crowd of only 4,500 for a game against St Mirren.

[21][note 1] The redeveloped stadium was partly blamed for this, as some fans felt that the new ground lacked atmosphere due to the spaces between the stands.

[21] The introduction of computerised ticketing, zonal public address systems and closed-circuit television for monitoring turnstile areas meant that Ibrox was at the forefront of stadium management.

Simon Inglis, writing in 1996, described it as an "imposing red-brick facade, with its mock neo-classical arched, square and pedimented windows, exudes prestige and power.

[21] To the rear of the Govan Stand is the Argyle House extension, completed in 1990, which provides executive boxes, hospitality areas and office space.

[29] Rangers banned Celtic fans in 1994 from attending games at Ibrox, citing the damage caused to the Broomloan Stand by the visitors in previous derbies.

[33] Celtic fans were normally given the whole of the Broomloan Stand for Old Firm derbies until 2018, when Rangers opted to restrict their allocation to the much smaller corner section.

[24] This was a highly complex process, as the Main Stand facade had become a listed building and Murray wanted the existing structure to remain open during construction.

[24][38] Four columns were built through the existing Main Stand to support the Club Deck, which resulted in approximately 1,000 seats having a restricted view.

[12][42] A report in the Daily Record in April 2007 claimed that Rangers were planning to increase capacity to 57,000, principally by removing the JumboTron screens and lowering the pitch to accommodate more seating.

In partnership with the Las Vegas Sands corporation, the club received outline planning permission from Glasgow City Council for the development of land adjoining Ibrox as the home of a super casino.

[45] Britain's Casino Advisory Panel reviewed bids from eight short-listed cities, including Glasgow, and in 2007 awarded the first licence to Manchester.

[12] There is no immediate prospect of the Ibrox proposal being resurrected, as Gordon Brown dropped the plans for super casinos soon after becoming Prime Minister.

[46][47] Rangers were given approval by Glasgow City Council in October 2008 to purchase land around Ibrox and redevelop the area with hotel and retail outlets.

[48] Three rows of seating were added to the front of the Govan Stand upper tier in 2006, linked to a new 'Bar 72' area, increasing the capacity to its present figure of 50,817.

In addition, there was an option to lower the playing surface to increase capacity by 4,500 seats, but this would involve the team having to relocate for matches until the work was completed.

Rangers became insolvent in February 2012 and was unable to reach a company voluntary arrangement with its creditors, principally HM Revenue and Customs.

[27] Ibrox continued to hold the top UEFA rating, but the Scottish Football Association instead proposed Hampden as a venue for European finals during the 2000s.

[69] King George V & Queen Mary visited Ibrox Park on 17 September 1917, to thank Glasgow and Clydeside for its efforts in the First World War.

[72] Ibrox has been used for athletics competitions, Empire Games, and concerts, including performances by Simple Minds (1986), Frank Sinatra (1990),[9][73] Rod Stewart (1995),[74] Elton John (1998),[75] Billy Joel (also 1998),[75] Bon Jovi (1996, 2003 & 2007)[76] and Harry Styles (2022).

The pavilion of the second Ibrox Park. Built 1899, demolished 1928.
Rangers play Motherwell at Ibrox Park in 1920. The pavilion and grandstand that can be seen on the right of the pitch, were replaced by the Bill Struth stand in 1928. The 'Bovril Stand' (North Stand) can be seen on the left.
A view of the Broomloan and Govan Stands in 2006. The corner between the two stands was filled in during the late 1990s.
Ibrox Stadium layout
Trophy room, featuring a portrait of Bill Struth .
A view of the Main Stand in 2005. The Club Deck (white) was constructed above the 1928 Main Stand in the early 1990s. The brick and glass construction in front is an enclosed stairwell to the upper deck.
Gates to Ibrox stadium at Broomloan Stand.
Statue of Walter Smith installed in 2024
The interior of Ibrox, showing its "livery" for the Commonwealth Games rugby sevens