Chairman John Bennett had apologised to fans after upgrades to the Copland Road Stand were delayed; Rangers' first league game at Hampden Park will be on August 10 against Motherwell; Champions League qualifier and League Cup game also to be moved
Friday 9 August 2024 15:12, UK
Rangers will play their initial home matches at Hampden Park after reaching an agreement with the Scottish FA and SPFL.
A delay in materials arriving from Asia resulted in a hold-up on works to their Copland Road Stand at Ibrox, with chairman John Bennett apologising for the situation.
Bennett and the Gers board had been in talks with the Scottish FA last month, and reached an agreement that will see Philippe Clement's side play at the national stadium.
A joint statement from the SFA and SPFL said that agreement includes home matches until Scotland's Nations League game against Poland on September 5.
As part of the deal, Rangers have committed to fund an accelerated pitch growth programme to ensure the Hampden surface is ready for the club's first home game.
After their season opener at Hearts, the first of Rangers' moved games is on Saturday as Motherwell travel to the national stadium.
Ross County are next to visit Rangers at Hampden on August 24, with the Gers' next home league game not taking place until September 28 against Hibernian.
Their Champions League qualifier on August 13 will be impacted too, and should they reach the playoffs another crucial home game is scheduled for August 20/21.
The Gers are also in League Cup action, with a home draw in the Premier Sports Cup second round against St Johnstone on August 17, while the quarter-finals take place on September 21/22.
Talks had also taken place with Scottish Rugby over a potential move to Murrayfield in Edinburgh.
Rangers have been improving their disabled facilities at Ibrox and adding around 600 new seats to the Copland Stand.
Due to the move to Hampden Park, the SPFL have confirmed Queen's Park's game against Livingston in the Championship at the neighbouring City Stadium (formerly known as Lesser Hampden) will now be moved to Friday August 9, a day earlier than when Rangers host Motherwell in the Premiership.
In a statement last week, chairman Bennett said: "First I'd like to apologise on behalf of the club for the uncertainty that this delayed project has caused to our season ticket holders, hospitality clients, partners and the wider support of this football club. The number of variables in this situation has made it extremely difficult to bring the one thing we all crave - certainty.
"Nevertheless, we are closing in on the most immediate solution - a suitable venue at which to fulfil our fixtures and house our support. While the ongoing delay means that the club is unable to fix a date for our return to Ibrox, we anticipate that this will become clearer upon delivery of the necessary materials to Glasgow.
"Rangers thanks the Scottish FA and the SPFL for their strong support in working to this solution.
"The club wholeheartedly appreciates the continued patience of our supporters while we work through this most trying of situations.
"I intend to give a fuller, personal update by the end of July."
August 10 - Motherwell (h) - Scottish Premiership
August 13 - Dynamo Kyiv (h) - Champions League third-round qualifier
August 17 - St Johnstone (h) - Premier Sports Cup second-round
August 20/21 - Champions League play-off first-leg (tbc)*
August 24 - Ross County (h) - Scottish Premiership
August 27/28 - Champions League play-off second-leg (tbc)*
September 1 - Celtic (a) - Scottish Premiership - live on Sky Sports
September 14 - Dundee United (a) - Scottish Premiership
September 21/22 - Premier Sports Cup quarter-final (tbc)*
September 28 - Hibernian (h) - Scottish Premiership
*Fixture subject to progression in competition
Sky Sports - From 2024/25 up to 60 Scottish Premiership games will be available across Sky Sports' flagship channels, including Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event, plus at least five SWPL matches.
Sky Sports News - Running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Scottish football fans can enjoy Sky Sports News' (channel 409) rolling editorial coverage of the Premiership and SWPL throughout the season.
Sky Sports Digital - Follow all the latest from Scottish football across SkySports.com and app, including exclusive features and interviews, plus dedicated live blog coverage, in-game clips from matches live on Sky Sports and free highlights.
Sky Sports Social - Alongside coverage and visibility for the league across all Sky Sports' main social media channels, the bespoke X page @ScotlandSky will continue to be the home of all Scottish football content on Sky Sports.
Highlights show - Tune in for a dedicated round-up from the cinch Premiership every week on Sky Sports Football.
Sky Sports is the home of domestic football in the UK and Ireland, with action from the Scottish Premiership, Scottish Women's Premier League, Premier League, WSL, EFL, and more.
You can now start receiving messages and alerts for the latest breaking sports news, analysis, in-depth features and videos from our dedicated WhatsApp channel!
