Scottish Premiership football club Rangers has firmed up plans to upgrade and improve facilities for disabled fans at Ibrox Stadium, with the overall stadium capacity also set to rise.

At a meeting of the club’s board last week, a phased series of works was agreed, beginning this summer, with further construction scheduled for the summers of 2024 and 2025 to provide Ibrox with the best disabled facilities of any stadium in Scotland and become one of the most accessible sports arenas in Europe.

The summer periods have been chosen to ensure regular season matches are not disrupted by the essential work.

In all, this significant investment will take the number of spaces for wheelchair users to 270, while 700 general access seats will also be added. Upon completion, the capacity of Ibrox will be in excess of 51,500.

The board have also reaffirmed their intention to improve facilities for all supporters, with a phased programme of concourse and toilet refurbishment also under review.

Phase one will commence in a matter of weeks and will include key structural works in the Broomloan and Copland Stands. This work will include:

  • Extending the concourses to create space for additional accessible toilets. 
  • Creating additional accessible kiosk points.
  • Alterations for the installation of lifts to the accessible platforms.

Phase two will be undertaken during the 2024 close season. Season ticket holders in the Broomloan and Copland stands affected by this essential work will be consulted throughout the process and alternative seating will be identified. This work will include: 

  • The creation of new platforms to accommodate new wheelchair spaces.
  • The construction of cantilevers to house new, general access seating.

Phase three will then be undertaken in the close season of 2025, with the Sandy Jardine Stand becoming the focus. This work will include:

  • Installation of additional, accessible seating within the Sandy Jardine stand. This will involve the loss of some seats, however this will be mitigated with additional seating being installed in the Broomloan and Copland Stands.

Rangers disability access officer, John Spiers, commented: 

These fantastic plans will provide Rangers’ disabled supporters with some truly world-class accessible facilities.

The club are aware our current offering for disabled supporters is not good enough for a club of our standing, however, these works will ensure that Rangers will provide the highest standard of accessibility for our disabled supporters. They will be able to attend matches in significantly more comfort, with hugely improved access to the stadium, as well as fully accessible facilities and views of the match.

I look forward to the completion of these works and to welcoming so many more disabled supporters to Ibrox in the coming seasons.

@PanStadiaArena