Glasgow Derby Ticket Allocation Update

The Glasgow derby away-ticket row looks set to continue into the new season, with Rangers making it clear that they believe 2,500 away supporters is the workable figure going forward.

The issue has been a major source of friction between Celtic and Rangers for the past couple of seasons, after the Ibrox club dramatically reduced Celtic’s allocation to around 700 tickets – and, on occasions, none at all.

That changed last season when the clubs moved towards a compromise, with around 2,500 away supporters attending the league meetings.

There was then a major change for the Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox in March.

Celtic were handed the entire Broomloan Stand, giving the Hoops around 7,500 tickets and marking the first time since 2018 that a full away stand had been available for a Glasgow Derby fixture.

However, the decision ended in ugly scenes.

Following Celtic’s penalty-shootout victory, Rangers supporters invaded the pitch, with some attempting to cross towards the Celtic support.

The aftermath has clearly influenced Rangers’ thinking on future allocations.

Speaking at Rangers’ shareholder meeting, chairman Andrew Cavanagh addressed the decision to give Celtic the full Broomloan and suggested it was not something the club wanted to repeat.

He said:

“We explained our position about the risk but ultimately it was overridden and resulted in Celtic were given the full Broomloan.

“To be clear, the 2500 allocation is what we believe is workable going forward.” [RecordSport]

That appears to put Rangers’ position firmly on the table.

The club believes the 2,500 allocation used for league matches last season provides the right balance between giving Celtic a sizeable travelling support and managing the risks associated with a much larger away following.

And there is a clear difference between the league and cup arrangements.

The full Broomloan allocation for the Scottish Cup tie was a one-off decision, with Rangers reluctantly agreeing to the larger figure following discussions with Celtic and Police Scotland.

For league fixtures, however, the clubs subsequently operated under an arrangement providing around five per cent for the visiting support.

That figure became the subject of another dispute last season when the two clubs failed to agree on the allocation for the final derby at Celtic Park. The SPFL later confirmed that a reciprocal agreement was in place providing approximately five per cent to the away side.

So, for now, 2,500 looks set to remain the benchmark for league Glasgow derbies.

It is a significant increase on the 700 or so tickets Celtic supporters were previously receiving at Ibrox, but well short of the 7,500 who attended the Scottish Cup quarter-final.