Ibrox Stadium is a
football stadium on the south side of the
River Clyde
The River Clyde (, ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde, in the west of Scotland. It is the eighth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the second longest in Scotland after the River Tay. It runs through the city of Glasgow. Th ...
in the
Ibrox area of
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
, Scotland. The home of
Scottish Premiership
The Scottish Premiership, also known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Scotland and the highest level of the Scottish football league system. Th ...
team
Rangers, Ibrox is the third-largest
football stadium in Scotland, with an all-seated capacity of 51,700. The stadium was designed by renowned football stadium architect
Archibald Leitch
Archibald Keir Leitch (27 April 1865 – 25 April 1939) was a Scottish architect, most famous for his work designing association football, football stadiums throughout Great Britain and Ireland.
Early work
Born in Glasgow, Leitch's early work w ...
, with renovations to the stadium between 1978 and 1981, as well as 1990 and 1991, being designed by The Miller Partnership and Gareth Hutchison respectively.
Opened as Ibrox Park in 1899, it suffered a
disaster in 1902 when a wooden terrace collapsed. Vast earthen terraces were built in its place, and a main stand, now a
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
, in 1928. A British record crowd of 118,567 gathered in January 1939 for a league match with
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
*Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Foot ...
. After
another disaster in 1971, the stadium was largely rebuilt. The vast bowl-shaped terracing was removed and replaced by three rectangular, all-seated stands by 1981. After renovations were completed in 1997, the ground was renamed Ibrox Stadium.
A
UEFA category four stadium, Ibrox hosted the
Scotland national team when
Hampden Park
Hampden Park ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden'') is a association football, football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland, which is the national stadium of football in Scotland and home of the Scotland national football ...
was redeveloped in the 1990s, and three Scottish cup finals in the same period, and has also been a concert venue. The stadium hosted the
Rugby Sevens
Rugby sevens (commonly known simply as sevens, and originally seven-a-side rugby) is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players playing seven-minute halves, instead of the usual 15 players playing 40-minute halves. R ...
at the
2014 Commonwealth Games
The 2014 Commonwealth Games (), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014 (; ), were an international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Commonwealth Games as governed by the Commonwea ...
held in Scotland.
History
First Ibrox (1872–1902)
Rangers played its first match in May 1872, on
Glasgow Green
Glasgow Green is a park in the east end of Glasgow, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde. Established in the 15th century, it is the oldest park in the city. It connects to the south via the St Andrew's Suspension Bridge.
History
In ...
.
The club then played home matches on public pitches across Glasgow, first moving to a regular home ground at
Burnbank
Burnbank is an area in the town of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was formerly a separate Mining town, mining village before being absorbed into the town.
Location and governance
Burnbank, previously an i ...
in 1875.
A year later, Rangers played at the
Clydesdale cricket ground in
Kinning Park
Kinning Park is a southern suburb of Glasgow, Scotland. It was formerly a separate police burgh between 1871 and 1905 before being absorbed by the city. In 1897, it had a population of 14,326.Govan Parish School Board, ''The Members' Year Book ...
.
This ground was improved to give a capacity of 7,000, but it was not owned by Rangers.
After hints by the landlords that they wished to develop the site, Rangers left in February 1887.
The club shared
Cathkin Park with
Third Lanark for the remainder of the 1886–87 season.
Rangers first moved to the Ibrox area later in 1887, playing on a site immediately to the east of the current stadium.
The first match at this stadium was an 8–1 defeat to English side
Preston North End on 20 August 1887, watched by a capacity crowd of over 15,000.
This inaugural match had to be abandoned after 70 minutes due to a pitch invasion.
The
first Ibrox Park was a success in the short term, as three
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
international matches and the
1890 Scottish Cup Final were played at the ground.
Celtic Park
Celtic Park is a Soccer-specific stadium, football stadium and the home of Scottish Premiership team Celtic F.C., Celtic, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest List of football stadiums in Sco ...
, built in 1892, was more advanced, however.
Rangers opted to construct a new stadium, raising funds by forming a limited company.
The last match at the old ground was played on 9 December 1899.
The new Ibrox Park was formally opened with a 3–1 victory over
Hearts on 30 December.
Ibrox Park and Ibrox disaster (1902–1928)
Ibrox Park, as it was known between 1899 and 1997,
is almost completely different from the Ibrox Stadium of today.
It followed the model of most Scottish stadiums of the time, comprising an oval track around the pitch, with a pavilion and one stand along one side.
The ground had a capacity of 40,000.
Celtic Park, Ibrox and
Hampden Park
Hampden Park ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden'') is a association football, football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland, which is the national stadium of football in Scotland and home of the Scotland national football ...
all competed with each other to host
Scottish Cup Finals and Scotland matches, one of which could generate up to £1,000 in revenue for the host club.
To aid their chances of gaining that revenue, Rangers constructed a large terracing, holding 36,000 people, behind the western goalmouth.
The terracing, designed by
Archibald Leitch
Archibald Keir Leitch (27 April 1865 – 25 April 1939) was a Scottish architect, most famous for his work designing association football, football stadiums throughout Great Britain and Ireland.
Early work
Born in Glasgow, Leitch's early work w ...
, was formed by wooden planks bolted onto a framework made of iron.
A similar wooden terracing was constructed at the eastern end, giving a total capacity of 75,000.
The structure was passed by the Govan Burgh Surveyor in March 1902, but there were newspaper reports that it was unstable.
A crowd of 68,114 assembled for a Scotland v
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
match on 5 April 1902, but shortly after the kick-off one section of the terracing "collapsed like a
trap door".
A gap of 20 square yards appeared, causing about 125 people to fall to the ground 50 feet below the terracing.
Most survived due to the fact they fell on top of other bodies, but 25 people were killed.
517 people were injured, some due to being crushed in the panic caused by the collapse.
Most people in the stadium were unaware that the (first) Ibrox disaster had happened.
People even re-occupied the damaged area, despite the danger of further collapse.
A definite reason for the disaster was not agreed upon, partly because there was no
public inquiry held.
Some experts blamed the quality of wood
and the supplier was tried for
culpable homicide
Culpable homicide is a categorisation of certain offences in various jurisdictions within the Commonwealth of Nations which involves the homicide (illegal killing of a person) either with or without an intention to kill depending upon how a pa ...
, but was acquitted.
The design was also cited as a possible cause.
Generally, wooden structures of that size were not trusted.
Rangers removed the wooden terraces, reducing capacity to 25,000.
The criticism of the design did not deter Rangers from hiring Leitch in the future.
He designed an expansion of Ibrox to a 63,000 capacity by 1910, using slopes made of earth.
By this point, the city of Glasgow had the three largest purpose-built football grounds in the world.
Renovations (1928–1953)
The next major redevelopment occurred in 1928, after Rangers had won their first
double
Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to:
Mathematics and computing
* Multiplication by 2
* Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length
* A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1
* A ...
.
A new Main Stand, to the south side of the ground, was opened on 1 January 1929.
The Main Stand, which has the familiar Leitch style criss-cross balcony and a red-brick facade, seated 10,000 people and provided standing accommodation in an enclosure.
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".
The architectural significance of the Main Stand was reflected when it became a Category B
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
in 1987.
Original seats in the Main Stand were made of cast iron and oak.
One was auctioned in 2011 for £1,080.
The banking of the terracing continued to increase in the 1930s.
On 2 January 1939, the
Old Firm
The Old Firm is a collective name for the Scottish football clubs Celtic and Rangers, which are both based in Glasgow. The two clubs are the most successful and popular in Scotland, and the rivalry between them has become deeply embedded i ...
game against Celtic attracted a crowd of 118,567, the record attendance for any league match played in Britain.
At this point, Ibrox was the second-largest stadium in Britain.
Post-war, re-design and new name (1953–1997)
Floodlights were first used at Ibrox in December 1953, for a friendly match against
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
.
The first floodlit Scottish league match was played at Ibrox, in March 1956.
Covers were built over the north and east terracing during the 1960s.
No structural changes were made to Ibrox, but capacity was cut to approximately 80,000 by safety legislation.
Ibrox Park had the worst fan safety record in Britain before its complete redesign and renaming in 1997.
Two fans died in September 1961 when a barrier collapsed on Stairway 13, resulting in a crush.
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. After this incident, Rangers installed safety measures, but further injuries were sustained in crushes on Stairway 13 in both 1967 and 1969.
On 23 October 1968, the main stand at Ibrox was hit by fire. Just seven months later there was another fire, which destroyed more than 200 seats behind the directors box.
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
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects all the tissues and organs, some more rapidly than others. There are ...
due to another crush on Stairway 13.
The game itself ended in a 1–1 draw, with
Colin Stein scoring a late equalising goal for Rangers.
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.
A public inquiry discounted this initial story.
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.
The downward force of the crowd leaving the stadium meant that when people started to fall there was no means of preventing a crush.
The inquiry and subsequent compensation cases found that Rangers had been inept in their administration and complacent after the incidents in the 1960s.
The disaster also highlighted, however, the fact that there were no established safety standards that should be adhered to, let alone any means of enforcing such standards.
This had been first recommended nearly 50 years earlier, after the
1923 FA Cup Final.
The Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds was published in 1973, and legislation was enacted with the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975.
This law cut the capacity of Ibrox to 65,000.
In the short term, Rangers took the stopgap measure of installing benches in the North Stand, which was renamed the Centenary Stand.
Ibrox Stadium (1997–present)

The
1971 Ibrox disaster
The 1971 Ibrox disaster, also known as the Second Ibrox Disaster, was a crush among the crowd at an Old Firm football game ( Rangers v Celtic), which led to 66 deaths and more than 200 injuries. It happened on 2 January 1971 in an exit stair ...
led to the club developing a modern, safe stadium.
Willie Waddell visited modern grounds in West Germany during the
1974 World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup was the 10th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in West Germany (and West Berlin) between 13 June and 7 July. The tournament marked the ...
and believed that steep terracing and exits, such as Stairway 13, had to be replaced.
The cut in capacity and boardroom changes led to radical plans by architects Miller Partnership, which were published in November 1977.
The plans were modelled on the
Westfalenstadion, home ground of
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...
.
They involved a radical reshaping of the stadium, with the old bowl-shaped terracing to be replaced by three new all-seated structures.
Only the old Main Stand would remain, with its enclosure providing the only standing room in the ground.
Although later events, such as the
Hillsborough disaster
The Hillsborough disaster was a fatal crowd crush at a football match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989. It occurred during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in the tw ...
and the subsequent
Taylor Report
The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster Inquiry report is the report of an inquiry which was overseen by Lord Justice Taylor, into the causes of the Hillsborough disaster in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989, as a result of which, ...
, vindicated this plan, Rangers were taking a significant risk.
The whole plan was estimated to cost £6 million, which no other club could have afforded in a short period of time.
The development was funded by the Rangers
football pool
In the United Kingdom, the football pools, often referred to as "the pools", is a betting pool based on predicting the outcome of association football matches taking place in the coming week. The pools are typically cheap to enter, and may en ...
s operation, which was the largest club-based scheme in Britain.
The first phase of the plan, which began in 1978, was the removal of the east terracing and its replacement with the Copland Road stand.
The same process was repeated on the west side of the ground a year later, with the two identical stands each holding 7,500 seats.
The redevelopment was completed in 1981 with the replacement of the Centenary Stand by the 10,300 capacity Govan Stand.
The new Ibrox had a capacity of 44,000 and was opened with an Old Firm game played on 19 September 1981.
By this time, however, the development cost had risen to £10 million, which depleted the club financially.
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.
[Rangers: The Complete Record (Breedon Books, 2005) states the attendance for the match against St Mirren was 6,000.] 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.
This was during a period of low attendances in Scottish football in general, but also because of Rangers' generally poor performance at the time - between 1979 and 1986, Rangers never finished higher than 3rd. Despite this, Rangers had the highest average home attendances in the
Premier Division in both
1983–84 and
1984–85.
This all changed when a new regime, chaired by
David Holmes, took control of Rangers in 1986.
Graeme Souness
Graeme James Souness (; born 6 May 1953) is a Scottish former professional football player, manager and television pundit.
A midfielder, Souness achieved his greatest period of success as an integral part of the Liverpool team of the late 19 ...
was appointed player–
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
, while several English stars, including
Terry Butcher and
Chris Woods
Christopher Charles Eric Woods (born 14 November 1959) is an English football coach and former professional footballer, who is goalkeeping coach for the Scotland national team.
As a player, he was a goalkeeper (association football), goalke ...
, were signed.
Season ticket sales rose from 7,000 in 1986 to over 30,000 in the 1990s,
while commercial income increased from £239,000 in 1986 to over £2 million in 1989.
The introduction of computerised ticketing, zonal
public address
A public address system (or PA system) is an electronic system comprising microphones, amplifiers, loudspeakers, and related equipment. It increases the apparent volume (loudness) of a human voice, musical instrument, or other acoustic sound sou ...
systems and
closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of closed-circuit television cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signa ...
for monitoring turnstile areas meant that Ibrox was at the forefront of stadium management.
Rangers also adopted the American technique of analysing the types of fans in each area of the stadium and adjusted their food stalls accordingly.
Greater success on the pitch meant that Ibrox demonstrated that seated stadiums would be welcomed by most fans, if designed and fitted well.
Structure and facilities
Stadium design

The Ibrox pitch is surrounded by four covered all-seater stands, officially known as the Bill Struth Main (south), Broomloan Road (west),
Sandy Jardine (north) and Copland Road (east) Stands.
Each stand has two tiers, with the exception of the Bill Struth Main Stand, which has had three tiers since the Club Deck was added in 1991.
The two corner areas, known as the West and East areas of the Sandy Jardine Stand, have one tier of seating below a JumboTron screen.
The Bill Struth Main Stand, formerly known as the Main Stand, faces onto Edmiston Drive (
A8 road).
The red-brick facade, designed by
Archibald Leitch
Archibald Keir Leitch (27 April 1865 – 25 April 1939) was a Scottish architect, most famous for his work designing association football, football stadiums throughout Great Britain and Ireland.
Early work
Born in Glasgow, Leitch's early work w ...
, is a Category B listed building.
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."
On each end wall the club crest is depicted in a blue and gold mosaic.
Stairtowers leading to the Club Deck (third tier) stand at each end of the Main Stand.
These towers are also framed in red-brick, but deliberately contrast with the main body of the stand.
The two stairtowers also support a long and truss, claimed to be the longest and heaviest clear span girder in the world.
Through the main doors of the Main Stand is a wood-panelled hallway.
A marble staircase leads to the boardroom and trophy room.
Inglis compared Ibrox to
Highbury
Highbury is an area of North London, England, in the London Borough of Islington.
Highbury Manor
Highbury was once owned by Ranulf, brother of Ilger, and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads.
The manor hou ...
, in that it combined corporate power with a sense of tradition and solidity.
It was originally constructed as a 10,000-seat stand above a standing enclosure. It was redeveloped in the early 1990s with the addition of the Club Deck and seating in the enclosure. It is now a three-tier all-seated structure, accommodating approximately 21,000 spectators. The front wall of the middle tier is one of the last surviving examples of the Leitch style of criss-cross detailing.
The middle tier is split into front and rear sections, while the enclosure is split into east and west sections, either side of the retractable tunnel cover.
Opposite the Bill Struth Main Stand is the Sandy Jardine Stand formerly known as the Govan Stand.
It is a two-tier stand, similar in style to the two end stands, which was completed in 1981.
To the rear of the Govan Stand is the Argyle House extension, completed in 1990, which provides executive boxes, hospitality areas and office space.
The Bar 72 area was added to the rear section of the Govan Stand in 2006. The Copland Road Stand, at the east end of the stadium, was completed in 1979 and now accommodates just over 8,000 fans.
It is traditionally the 'Rangers end' of the ground and the team normally chooses to attack that end in the second half of matches. The western Broomloan Road Stand, which was completed in 1980, is identical to the opposite end.
Although constructed as separate structures, the three stands have been linked since the mid-1990s, when two additional areas of seating were added to the corner areas.
All of the stands are designed using the 'goalpost' structure, in which a large portal frame supports perpendicular beams on which roof cladding is secured. ''The Rangers Store'' is located in the corner between the Copland Road and Govan Stands.
Away fans are normally accommodated in the corner of the ground between the Broomloan and Govan Stands.
Ibrox is seen as being an intimidating ground for visiting supporters.
Rangers banned
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
*Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Foot ...
fans in 1994 from attending games at Ibrox, citing the damage caused to the Broomloan Stand by the visitors in previous derbies.
The ban was lifted after one game, as the
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League (SFL) is a defunct league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4&nbs ...
passed a resolution preventing clubs from taking that action.
Before the corners were filled in, away fans were accommodated in the lower tier of the Broomloan Stand.
Rangers had to take action in 1996 to prevent their fans in the upper deck from throwing items at visitors.
Celtic fans were normally given the whole of the Broomloan Stand for
Old Firm
The Old Firm is a collective name for the Scottish football clubs Celtic and Rangers, which are both based in Glasgow. The two clubs are the most successful and popular in Scotland, and the rivalry between them has become deeply embedded i ...
derbies until 2018, when Rangers opted to restrict their allocation to the much smaller corner section.
Club Deck
David Murray acquired control of Rangers in November 1988.
Argyle House, a £4 million extension behind the Govan Stand, was opened in 1990.
This added executive boxes, office space and hospitality suites.
A further series of developments was started in the early 1990s to increase capacity to over 50,000.
Murray commissioned architect Gareth Hutchison to find a way of adding a third tier to the Main Stand.
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.
The contractors removed the original roof and added a temporary cover while the work carried on above.
The Club Deck, which cost approximately £20 million, was opened with a league match against
Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scotland, Scottish professional association football, football club based in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923. United are nickname ...
in December 1991.
The redevelopment of the Main Stand was partially financed by a
Football Trust grant of £2 million and a debenture issue that raised £8.5 million.
Ordinary fans bought debentures for between £1,000 and £1,650 each, which guaranteed the right to buy season tickets for at least 30 years, along with some other minor benefits.
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.
After opening the Club Deck, Ibrox had a capacity of 44,500.
When a new playing surface was installed in 1992, Rangers were able to add a further 1,300 seats to the front of three stands by lowering the pitch slightly.
The only standing area of the ground, the enclosure of the Main Stand, was seated in 1994 to comply with the
Taylor Report
The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster Inquiry report is the report of an inquiry which was overseen by Lord Justice Taylor, into the causes of the Hillsborough disaster in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989, as a result of which, ...
and
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...
regulations.
The multi-coloured seats were replaced in 1995 with uniform blue seats.
A further 1,200 seats were added in this process by reconfiguring passageways, giving a total capacity of 47,998.
The two spaces between the Govan, Copland and Broomloan Stands were filled in with seats and
Jumbotron
A jumbotron, sometimes referred to as jumbovision, is a video display using large-screen television technology (video wall).
The original technology was developed in the early 1980s by Mitsubishi Electric and Sony, which coined JumboTron as a ...
screens.
The ground was officially renamed Ibrox Stadium after renovations were completed in 1997,
when Ibrox had a capacity of just over 50,000.
Capacity and developments

Rangers have explored options to increase capacity at Ibrox.
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
A jumbotron, sometimes referred to as jumbovision, is a video display using large-screen television technology (video wall).
The original technology was developed in the early 1980s by Mitsubishi Electric and Sony, which coined JumboTron as a ...
screens and lowering the pitch to accommodate more seating.
These plans were said to be dependent for finance upon improved performance by the team.
In January 2008, Rangers announced that they were investigating three options to further develop Ibrox.
One of the proposals would have resulted in a capacity of 70,000, by replacing three of the stands with a bowl-type structure.
These plans were delayed in October 2008 due to the
Great Recession
The Great Recession was a period of market decline in economies around the world that occurred from late 2007 to mid-2009. .
Alongside changes to the stadium itself, Rangers have also sought to develop land around Ibrox. In partnership with the
Las Vegas Sands
Las Vegas Sands Corp. is an American casino and resort company with corporate headquarters in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It was founded by Sheldon Adelson, Sheldon G. Adelson and his partners out of the Sands Hotel and Casino on the Las ...
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.
The casino was planned to be accompanied by a Rangers-themed leisure complex.
Britain's Casino Advisory Panel reviewed bids from eight short-listed cities, including Glasgow, and in 2007 awarded the first licence to
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
.
There is no immediate prospect of the Ibrox proposal being resurrected, as
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Ex ...
dropped the plans for super casinos soon after becoming
Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
. 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.
This scheme stalled, however, as regulations constrained what could be built in the area.
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 .
After opening the Bar 72 area in 2006, chief executive
Martin Bain said that the scheme could be replicated in the Copland Stand.
The Main Stand was renamed the
Bill Struth Main Stand in September 2006, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his death.
In January 2023, Rangers added 170 new seats in the Sandy Jardine Rear Stand by removing hospitality boxes in the former Argyle House Restaurant (rebranding it as the Blue Sky Lounge) adding three rows of seats to the rear of the stand and more disabled seating, taking the capacity up to 50,987.
In June 2023, a fan engagement meeting at New Edmiston House was told that Rangers were investigating various options to increase capacity. Beyond the previously announced plan to radically improve disabled facilities that would provide a net gain of 600 seats, Rangers costed both partial and complete infills of the corners between the Sandy Jardine stand and the Broomloan and Copland stands. The partial infills could deliver an increase of 1,300 seats per corner (2,600 total), with full infills delivering 3–4,000 seats per corner (6-8,000 total). 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.
In September 2024 the capacity of Ibrox Stadium increased to 51,700 with the addition of a further 600+ general access seats in the new Copland Rear cantilever and 30 disabled access seats being installed in the Copland Front.
Sale of Ibrox Stadium, 2012
Rangers became insolvent in February 2012 and was unable to reach a
company voluntary arrangement
Under UK insolvency law an insolvent company can enter into a company voluntary arrangement (CVA). The CVA is a form of composition, similar to the personal IVA (individual voluntary arrangement), where an insolvency procedure allows a compa ...
with its creditors, principally
HM Revenue and Customs
His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (commonly HM Revenue and Customs, or HMRC, and formerly Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs) is a department of the UK government responsible for the collection of taxes, the payment of some forms of stat ...
.
Ibrox Stadium, along with the business and other assets of Rangers, was sold in June 2012 to a new company run by
Charles Green.
Tributes and statues

On 16 July 2014, the club paid a tribute to
Sandy Jardine by renaming the Govan Stand in his honour. Jardine won the league championship three times and the Scottish Cup five times with Rangers.
On 25 May 2024, a statue of former manager
Walter Smith was unveiled in front of Ibrox's Copland Road Stand. Smith won ten league championships and five Scottish Cups with Rangers.
Other uses
Football
Ibrox has been a
home venue for the
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in men's international Association football, football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. They compete in three major professional tournaments: the FIFA World Cup, UEFA ...
18 times, the third most of any ground.
The first Ibrox Park (1887–99) hosted three internationals, giving an overall Ibrox total of 21.
[This includes the game abandoned due to the 1902 Ibrox disaster.] The ground most recently hosted a Scotland game in October 2014 (a
UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier against
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
, won 1–0) when
Hampden Park
Hampden Park ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden'') is a association football, football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland, which is the national stadium of football in Scotland and home of the Scotland national football ...
was unavailable due to its temporary conversion to hold athletics in the
2014 Commonwealth Games
The 2014 Commonwealth Games (), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014 (; ), were an international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Commonwealth Games as governed by the Commonwea ...
. Ibrox hosted several internationals during the 1990s, particularly during two phases of redevelopment works at Hampden.
Ibrox hosted four Scotland games in the first phase, starting with a
1994 World Cup qualifier against
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
in October 1992.
It was not a happy interlude for Scotland fans, however, as the team failed to qualify for the
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
for the first time since
1970
Events
January
* January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC.
* January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...
.
Although the attendances at Ibrox were higher than at Hampden, some fans resented the fact that they were helping the finances of Rangers.
and there were complaints about high ticket prices.
During the second phase of work at Hampden, Scotland won an important
1998 World Cup qualifier against
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
at Ibrox.
During these periods of redevelopment to Hampden, Ibrox also hosted the
1997 Scottish Cup Final, and the
1994
The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations.
In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
and
1997
Events January
* January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States.
* January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis.
* January 1 ...
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup, also known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League cup in ...
Finals. Ibrox was on the approved
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...
list to host major European finals in the 1990s, but it lost out in a bid to host the
1996 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final because a convention threatened a shortage of hotel rooms in Glasgow.
Ibrox continued to hold the top UEFA rating, but the
Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association (; also known as the Scottish FA and the SFA) is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA incl ...
instead proposed Hampden as a venue for European finals during the 2000s.
Non-football
King
George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936.
George w ...
&
Queen Mary visited Ibrox Park on 17 September 1917, to thank Glasgow and Clydeside for its efforts in the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
.
In the first ever public investiture in Scotland, and in front of 100,000, the King awarded medals to servicemen including three Victoria Crosses, 46 Military Medals and 33 Military Crosses. Four-fifths of the gathering were women - munitions workers, nurses and other war workers.
For the
1938 Empire Exhibition being held in Bellahouston Park and which attracted over 13 million visitors, his son King
George VI
George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952 ...
suggested the official opening ceremony be held in Ibrox Park, allowing 146,000 spectators to see the opening. His speech was broadcast live to the nation and throughout the Empire on the morning of 3 May 1938.
This was used as source material by
Colin Firth
Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is an English actor and producer. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Colin Firth, several accolades, including an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA Aw ...
for his performance in ''
The King's Speech
''The King's Speech'' is a 2010 historical drama film directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler. Colin Firth plays the future King George VI who, to cope with a stammer, sees Lionel Logue, an Australian speech and language ther ...
''.
Ibrox has been used for athletics competitions, Empire Games, and concerts, including performances by
Simple Minds
Simple Minds are a Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977, becoming best known internationally for their song "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Billboard Hot 100, Hot 100 ...
(1986),
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...
(1990),
Rod Stewart
Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold ...
(1995),
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...
(1998),
[ ]Billy Joel
William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...
(also 1998), Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley ...
(1996, 2003 & 2007)[ and ]Harry Styles
Harry Edward Styles (born 1 February 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. His showmanship, artistry, and flamboyant fashion have had a Cultural impact of Harry Styles, significant impact on popular culture.
Styles's musical ca ...
(2022).
In 1980, Ibrox hosted a world championship boxing match between Jim Watt and Howard Davis. Ibrox hosted the rugby sevens
Rugby sevens (commonly known simply as sevens, and originally seven-a-side rugby) is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players playing seven-minute halves, instead of the usual 15 players playing 40-minute halves. R ...
event at the 2014 Commonwealth Games
The 2014 Commonwealth Games (), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014 (; ), were an international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Commonwealth Games as governed by the Commonwea ...
, won by South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
. There was a total attendance of 171,000 for the four sessions of play, which set a new record for a rugby sevens tournament.
The stadium hosted the 1983 Centenary Celebrations of The Boys' Brigade
The Boys' Brigade (BB) is an international interdenominational Christianity, Christian youth organisation, conceived by the Scottish businessman William Alexander Smith (Boys' Brigade), Sir William Alexander Smith to combine drill and fun acti ...
.
Transport
The main railway stations in Glasgow, Central and Queen Street, are both approximately two miles from Ibrox. The Ibrox and Cessnock stations on the Glasgow Subway both serve Ibrox. It is also served by First Glasgow
First Glasgow is the largest bus company serving the Greater Glasgow area in Scotland. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup. The company operates within the area covered by the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, a public body responsible for h ...
buses on Paisley Road West. Ibrox sits near to the M8 motorway, with junction 23 being the closest exit, but the roads around Ibrox become congested on matchdays. There was an Ibrox railway station, on the main line linking Glasgow and Paisley, which was closed in 1967 under the Beeching cuts
The Beeching cuts, also colloquially referred to as the Beeching Axe, were a major series of route closures and service changes made as part of the restructuring of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain in the 1960s. They are named ...
.
Notes
References
; Sources
*
*
External links
Ibrox Stadium
at Rangers.co.uk
{{Authority control
Sports venues completed in 1899
Category B listed buildings in Glasgow
Football venues in Glasgow
Rugby union stadiums in Scotland
Govan
Listed sports venues in Scotland
Rangers F.C.
Sports venues in Glasgow
1899 establishments in Scotland
2014 Commonwealth Games venues
Scottish Premier League venues
Scottish Football League venues
Scottish Professional Football League venues
Scotland national football team venues
Commonwealth Games rugby union venues
Sports museums in Scotland
Music venues completed in 1899