Glasgow has proved its credentials as a global sporting hub

JUST over a fortnight ago the inaugural European Championships, which Glasgow co-hosted with Berlin, attracted more than 500,000 people to a fusion of elite and grassroots sport, culture and community engagement that this city has made our hallmark. Once again, Glasgow demonstrated why it is ranked as one of the world’s top five cities for hosting sporting events and number one in the small city category, ahead of competitors such as Melbourne, Tokyo and Los Angeles. Hampden has been absolutely integral to Glasgow’s reputation as one of the world’s great sporting cities. Now, this is the week the SFA will decide upon the future of Hampden. I have made my views to those making this decision clear; for social, economic, sporting and historic reasons, Hampden must remain the home of Scottish football. Without internationals and showpiece semi-finals and finals, I don’t think the stadium could survive. It could also prove to be an insurmountable barrier for our oldest member club, Queen’s Park. The SFA has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a vision for Scottish football, to work towards finding the investment to reinvigorate Hampden and work with partners to build on its role as a national asset. We have made a number of suggestions to the SFA, which, in principle, could be accommodated by the city council. These included the hugely successful safe-standing areas as pioneered at Celtic Park and the fan-zone idea. And work is ongoing with transport providers to address frequent complaints around accessibility issues. A move to Murrayfield would be short-sighted. The benefits of Hampden are all Glasgow’s to lose. The local community has made it clear that they see Hampden as a crucial partner for development in the area. The SFA has a clear, moral responsibility to Mount Florida and King’s Park, built up over decades. To abandon those communities would be devastating, both to them and the wider area. And, as I have previously stated, to do so immediately after the last UEFA Euro 2020 match would be a tragic irony, creating a historic stain on Scottish football I believe would be impossible to erase. Perhaps we’ve taken our collective eye off the ball of what Hampden means to Glasgow. We’ve taken it for granted. It’s always been there. Well, that is no more. We have a massive asset in Glasgow we will champion and cherish. The City Government I lead has shovelready plans we know will enhance the experience of fans travelling to the national stadium and proposals to cement its place on Scotland’s map. As the local representative, I want it to stay the national stadium, as does the local community, as does Glasgow. The SFA should heed this and Save The Hampden Roar.