Ibrox: Rangers

Rangers Football Club was formed in 1872, playing their initial games on Glasgow Green until 1890 when they moved to the first Ibrox Stadium. They moved to Ibrox Park in 1899 but the stadium suffered a bad disaster (as opposed to a good one) in 1902 when one of the wooden terraces collapsed. They were replaced with earthen based terraces instead, offering a bigger degree of safety at the ground.

Sadly, Ibrox suffered another disaster in 1971 when there was a crush in the crowd at an Old Firm game and 66 people died and more than 200 others were injured. It occurred in one of the stairwells and the stadium’s owners were ruled to be at fault for at least one of the deaths, with families of the other victims then suing for damages. The ground was largely rebuilt over the following years, with the name being changed to Ibrox Stadium in 1997.

Stats

Ibrox Stats
Year Opened	1899
Capacity	50987
Average Attendance	49140
Record Attendance	118567 (Rangers v Celtic (1939))
Pitch Size	105 x 68 (7140)
Former Name	Ibrox Park
Owner	Rangers F.C.
Clubs Hosted	Rangers FC
First Fixture	Rangers v Hearts (30/12/1899)

Rangers Stats
Year Founded	1872
Nickname	The Gers, The Teddy Bears, The Light Blues
Club Mascot	Broxi Bear
Rivals	Celtic
Kit	Blue & White (Home) / Black & Red (Away) / Purple & Black (Third)
Training Ground	Murray Park
Shirt Sponsor	UNIBET
Team Owner	The Rangers Football Club Ltd
Record Goalscorer	Jimmy Smith (381)
Record Appearances	Dougie Gray (940)

Ibrox Photos

Ibrox Seating Plan and Where to Sit

Ibrox is a typical ‘British’ style stadium with four separate sections. They all have two tiers with the exception of the Bill Struth Main Stand which has three. Here’s some information on each:

• The Sandy Jardine Stand – Running along the side of the pitch, The Sandy Jardine Stand (formerly the Govan Stand) has a series of hospitality boxes and also hosts Bar 72, which was built in 2006 to add more hospitality options.
• The Bill Struth Main Stand – Opposite The Govan stand is The Bill Struth Stand, which is the main stand in the stadium. It’s where the dugouts are as well as the players’ tunnel and it’s also been given grade B listed status.
• The Broomloan Road Stand – This stand is behind one of the goals and houses the away fans.
• The Copland Road Stand – This was the first part of the stadium to be rebuilt when Ibrox was given a major overhaul. It’s where the most vocal Rangers fans tend to sit, giving it a tremendous atmosphere.

Rangers Ticket Prices

Rangers are pretty secretive about their ticket prices, but what we can tell you is that they vary depending on exactly who they are playing and where in the ground you want to sit. As a general idea tickets for a Ladbrokes Premiership game are between £30-£40 for adults, £21-£30for concession and £10 for juniors.

How To Get Rangers Tickets

As with most top-flight clubs the best place to start is the club’s website; Rangers have a good one so that’s an excellent place to start. You can also speak to the ticket office over the phone or call in in person, if you do phone though you will be charged 13p per minute.

Where to Buy

• Ticket Compare

Getting To Ibrox

Though not the capital of Scotland, Glasgow is nevertheless a popular tourist destination. As such there are plenty of different travelling methods for your consideration:

Train – It will take you around four and a half hours to get from London to Glasgow Central. From there you’ll then want to take the Glasgow Subway to Ibrox Station and you’ll then enjoy a quick walk to the stadium itself.

Bus – There are a host of buses that travel from the city centre to the stadium. Head to the main bus station or have a look online for a good idea of specifically which bus to catch.

Car – Leave the M8 at Junction 24, 25 or 26 and then follow the signs. If you’re on the M74 then you’ll want to get onto the M8 before following the same instructions.

By Air – Glasgow International Airport is linked to the city by bus to a local train station.

Taxi – If you were to jump a taxi from Glasgow Central Station to Ibrox it would take about fifteen minutes and should cost in the region of £10.

Parking Near Ibrox

The Albion Car Park is opposite the ground and has spaces available at £10 per car on a first come first served basis. You can take a chance with nearby residential roads but there are parking restrictions in place in a lot of the areas.

• See Available Parking Near Ibrox

Useful Resources

• Parking - Just Park

Ibrox Hotels

Glasgow has had quite a bit of experience of welcoming a lot of visitors all at the same time. Even ignoring the three major stadiums in the city, it hosted the 2014 Commonwealth Games and that tested the hotel industry in the city very well. Here are some of the best options:

Pubs and Bars Near Ibrox

The Scots are known for their love of a tipple, with Glaswegians being particular up for a wee dram or two. You can expect a good night in Glasgow, especially if you head to one of these places:

Facilities

The facilities at Ibrox are pretty much as you’d expect from a top-flight side. There are plenty of places to buy food and drink, the views are good from almost everywhere and the atmosphere is not to be sniffed at either.

Prices

• Programme: £3
• Pie: £2.5
• Cup of tea: £2.5

Hospitality

There are nine different hospitality options for your consideration at Ibrox. We’re not going to go through all of them, but here are some of the key ones you may want to consider:

• The Chairman’s Club – This is one of the most luxurious hospitality packages around, with your day getting underway with a champagne reception. You’ll get a four-course menu including fine wines and liquers, half-time refreshment and a complimentary bar for an hour after the match. There’s also entertainment featuring past or present players being interviewed.
• The Legends Lounge – As you’d expect from a suite named after the clubs’ legends, this lounge is a slightly more informal offering whilst still maintaining plenty of class. You’ll get a hot and cold buffet, half-time refreshments, a complimentary bar after the game and an appearance from a first team player – but not a club legend, oddly.
• The Argyle Suite – Here you’ll enjoy a three-course carvery meal, a complimentary bar, half-time refreshments and the opportunity to meet a Rangers Legend.
• Club Europe – Combining European stylings with a contemporary design, this lounge offers a hot and cold buffet, complimentary bar, half-time refreshments and a chance to unwind after the game.
• The Ibrox Suite – This is the most informal of the lounges but by no means one to turn your nose up at. There’s a brilliant view of the pitch, a cash bar, a two-course carvery meal available and half-time refreshments.

Private Hire

The nine different hospitality suites are only regularly used on match days. They’re all, as you might expect, available for hire the rest of the time too. Whether you’re looking to host a conference, a private party or a large meeting with breakout rooms, there’s very little you’ll want to do that Ibrox won’t be able to accommodate.

Stadium Tours & Museum

Tours of Ibrox run regularly several days a week. They take in plenty of the major areas of the ground including the dressing room, the Trophy Room, the players’ tunnel and the pitch side area. You can also take a virtual reality tour of the club’s Murray Park training ground. The tour costs £28 for adults, £15 for concessions a children aged 3-17, and younger children go free.

Rangers have their own museum too, and this is included in the prices above. This houses plenty of Rangers memorabilia, with the club being the most successful of all time in Scotland. Cheaper tours excluding the museum are available too at £20 for adults and £12 for concessions and youngsters.

About Rangers

With 54 top-flight league wins, 33 Scottish Cups, 27 League Cups and a European Cup Winners’ Cup, Rangers have won more leagues and trophy trebles than any other club in world football. Rangers were founded in 1872 and became one of the founding members of the Scottish Football League when it was formed in 1890. The club remained in the top-flight until Rangers Football Club PLC was liquidated in 2012. That came about because of non-payment of PAYE and VAT taxes to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.

The liquidation of the club resulted in Rangers being expelled from the Scottish Football League, with clubs voting 29-1 in favour of the club rejoining in the fourth-tier of the football system after a new corporate arm had been formed. This brought much delight and amusement to Celtic fans, with whom Rangers have enjoyed a long-standing rivalry. Though not quite so prevalent any more, a large part of the rivalry came about because of religious differences, with Celtic fans traditionally being Catholic and Rangers being protestant. When the two clubs play each other the match is known as the Old Firm game. Rangers quickly climbed back to the top flight however, even bagging a world record for the highest attendance at a 4th tier league game (49,913 against Stirling Albion), and are once again playing in the Scottish Premiership.

Ibrox History

Ibrox is the third largest stadium in Scotland, somewhat ironically coming behind two other grounds that are located in the same city. The home of Rangers can host 50,987 people whilst Hampden Park can welcome 51,866 through its doors. Celtic Park tops the list with a capacity of 60,411. The Ibrox Disaster of 1971 led to a complete overhaul of the stadium, with the bowl-shaped terracing replaced by the more traditional all-seater stands by the start of the 1980’s. Renovations were completed altogether by 1997 and the ground was renamed as Ibrox Stadium in recognition of the works completion.

The disaster wasn’t the first to befall Ibrox. In fact, before its redesign was completed in the late 1990s the stadium had the worst fan safety record in all of Britain. Over the years the ground has hosted eighteen Scotland national team matches as well as numerous Scottish Cup finals. It has the top UEFA rating available for football stadiums, though it has yet to be used to host a major European cup final. It has hosted boxing matches, however, and during the 2014 Commonwealth Games Ibrox was used to host the rugby sevens tournament.

Future Developments

Plans to redevelop Ibrox have been suggested and then shelved with some degree of regularity over the past decade or so. Plenty of that was to do with the club’s financial crisis that limited how much could be afforded.

John Bennett confirmed in 2021 that there were plans to improve and expand the stadium by adding seating in several areas. Ahead of the 2024/25 season changes were made to the Copland Road stand, including a new cantilever with 1,000 additional seats as well as expanding the number of spaces available for wheelchair users.