Exclusive: Rangers plans revealed after Ibrox expansion update
Rangers’ owners are looking to boost the club’s matchday revenue as they consider adding more seats at Ibrox, sources have told Football Insider.
The US consortium, which is led by chairman Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises, completed its takeover of Rangers in May.
Speaking at the club’s General Meeting in June, vice-chairman Paraag Marathe revealed Rangers will explore plans for a stadium expansion.
Rangers’ Fan Advisory Board (FAB) provided an update on the situation following a meeting with Cavenagh, chief executive Patrick Stewart, sporting director Kevin Thelwell and chief communications director Greig Mailer last week.
The FAB revealed the club’s preferred option for a stadium expansion would be to lower the level of the pitch and add a further 4,000 seats at Ibrox.
How much matchday revenue do Rangers generate?
Rangers were heavily criticised after facing delays around the development of the Copland Stand at Ibrox last year.
The Scottish giants were forced to play at Hampden Park in the opening weeks of the campaign due to the construction problems.
Rangers’ owners are believed to be considering various options to expand Ibrox, which currently holds 51,700 fans.
An extra 4,000 seats would take the capacity beyond 55,000 and closer to Celtic Park’s 60,411.
Sources have told Football Insider the driving force behind Rangers’ expansion plans is to improve the club’s matchday revenue given the limited scope to bring in extra money within Scottish football.
It is believed there will be a focus around increasing the amount of hospitality areas within the stadium, providing the matchday profits with a further boost.
Rangers posted a record-breaking revenue in 2023-24 after their turnover increased from £83.8million in 2022-23 to £88.3m, while the club’s matchday income rose from £39.9m to £43.8m across the same period.
Rangers priority revealed after Danny Rohl appointment
While expanding Ibrox is important for the new owners, improving matters on the pitch remains the priority.
The Glasgow side have endured a disappointing start to the new campaign, leading to Russell Martin’s sacking earlier this month after just 17 games in charge.
Danny Rohl was appointed as the new Rangers manager on 20 October following a two-week process to bring in Martin’s successor.
The German manager suffered a 3-0 defeat against Brann in his first game in charge before bouncing back with a 3-1 victory over Kilmarnock at the weekend.
Rangers are now preparing to take on Hibernian on Wednesday (29 October), with Rohl’s first taste of the Old Firm derby against Celtic coming up on Sunday (2 November).
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