RUGGER OFF!
SAVE THE HAMPDEN ROAR As Edinburgh oval-ball bunch bid to pinch our national game the Evening Times tells them to
CITY leaders are joining forces to call on the Scottish Football Association to retain Hampden Park as the National Stadium when the lease comes up for review later this year.
The Edinburgh-based Scottish Rugby Union has launched a charm offensive to win the SFA contract.
THE famous Hampden roar could be silenced forever if Scotland’s football bosses decide to leave the National Stadium.
If international matches are moved to Murrayfield, one of the alternatives being investigated, Glasgow would lose out on the multi-million pound economic boost big matches bring.
The other proposals being considered are using Celtic Park or Ibrox for major matches and taking some internationals round the country to stadiums in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and elsewhere, also depriving the city of cash.
Leaving would almost certainly mean the loss of what is nothing short of an iconic stadium in world football with Queen’s Park unlikely to be able to maintain the stadium without SFA income.
Hampden has hosted some of the most famous matches of all time including legendary European Cup Finals, memorable Scotland v England matches as well as domestic finals providing lifelong memories for generations of fans of many clubs.
It was also the main venue for the Commonwealth Games in 2014 when it was transformed into an athletics arena.
Politicians in the south of the city have backed the retention of the national stadium.
James Dornan, Cathcart SNP MSP, grew up in the shadow of the old stadium when it regularly hosted crowds of 100,000 for big matches.
He said that, as a football fan, losing Hampden would be to destroy more than a century of history and, as an MSP, it would be a huge blow to the South Side of the city.
Mr Dornan: “I was brought up round the corner from Hampden and now represent the area as Cathcart MSP.
“Most of my earliest football memories are from Hampden. Football is about history and tradition and that is what Hampden means to Scottish Football.”
Mr Dornan said his first match was as an eight year old at a Scottish Cup Final between Celtic and Dunfermline.
He also remembers great matches like Celtic vs Leeds United in the European Cup in 1970 and famous Scotland World Cup Qualifiers in the 1970s.
On a practical level, Mr Dornan said the South Side as well as the city could suffer if Hampden was no longer the national Stadium.
He said: “I spoke to a shopkeeper last week before the League Cup Final.
“He told me having the big matches was fantastic as it can be the difference between a bad week or month and a good one.
“The local impact on the economy would be huge if we lost Hampden.”
The SFA’s current leasing arrangement runs out in 2020 but it has an option of another 20 years if it wants to renew the lease.
Stewart Regan, SFA chief executive however, has said it would cost millions of pounds to stay.
He said officials were analysing the costs and benefits of four options of staying at Hampden, switching to use either Murrayfield, Celtic Park or Ibrox and pay the Scottish Rugby Union, Celtic or Rangers for the use of their stadium.
He says a decision will be taken within the next few months.
If the SFA was to say at Hampden it says it would need funding from public and private bodies to finance it.
Glasgow City Council has been asked to work with the SFA to ensure Hampden is retained as he home of Scottish football.
Archie Graham, Labour councillor for Langside, will present a motion next month calling on the council to work with the Scottish