Local residents look to future at the possible impact of closure

Santos does not have to look far for an example of a shopping area that has lost his heart. Citing another Glasgow Southside neighbourhood, he added: “Without Hampden, this area would turn in to Shawlands.”

There has been no investigation in to the economic cost of a rotting ground blighting one of Glasgow’s more vibrant neighbourhoods.

However, there is evidence of the opportunity cost of Hampden losing its national status and its ability to bid for major international matches.

A decade ago the stadium staged the Uefa Cup final. That had a measured economic impact of around £15m. The planned 2020 internationals – which is when the SFA lease runs out – would be likely to bag just as much for the city again. Even a stadium rock concert generates some £2.5m in economic activity.

It’s this kind of business that means Mount Florida Community Council – or MoFloCoCo as some residents call it – believes that, on balance, Hampden needs Hampden Park.

Its Chris Carus stressed the group was focused on finding a way of keeping the SFA and Scotland at the ground. But they too are worried about a Detroit scenario. Mr Carus said: “We would hope that Queen’s Park, as the owner, and the council would very quickly When it was reported recently that residents in the Hampden area had problems with anti-social behaviour, Chris Carus wrote to correct the story. Yes there were some problems, he said, but on balance the stadium was an asset to the area.

As a resident of the area for three years now, I would agree.

I didn’t buy my flat until after Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games, but I remember enjoying a family atmosphere, trouble-free and cheerful. Today I can see regular crowds streaming over Prospecthill Road and they may be daft looking 1980s throwbacks (hello, Stone Poses fans), or perilously underdressed (Rihanna and Beyonce’s audiences).

The noisiest are the Scotland fans – even roar for a home goal is a depressingly rare occurrence. There is a good-natured buzz about the streets, and it’s a bonanza for local businesses. Moving Scotland games away would be calamity, stripping Glasgow of one of its beating hearts.

‘‘ The presence of an abandoned, decaying, stadium would cause huge problems for the city

‘‘

come up a plan for the site if the SFA came to a decision to go to Edinburgh.”

The Glasgow South MP, the SNP’s Stewart McDonald, reckoned any move away from Hampden would be a “slap in the face” for Glasgow.

Mr McDonald – who is not a fan of the beautiful game – still feels a connection between his city and Scottish football. He accepts not all supporters are happy with Hampden as it is – the stadium was rebuilt in the 1990s – but welcomes council overtures suggesting better transport links.

He said: “The noises the council has been making to improve the access and improve the experience is a if a good thing.

“Clearly lots of people are not happy with the experience they get at Hampden.

“So let’s improve it. Let’s not just walk away and dump this site on the city and its residents. “I think that would be wildly irresponsible and obnoxious.”

There is not much party politics at the SFA. But football’s governing body is very much facing a political risk if it leaves the public purse with the cost of clearing up the mess of Hampden. Along with the league, the association collected more than £14m in public money between 2011 and 2017. Public funding, insiders stress, may be hard to come by for a body inflicting economic damage.