Doncaster tips Glasgow stadia to be safe hubs
NEIL DONCASTER claims Hampden, Celtic Park and Ibrox could join Murrayfield as ‘safe spaces’ for thousands of socially-distanced fans desperate to watch live league football. The SPFL chief executive put the national stadium firmly in the frame as a potential hub yesterday after Scottish Rugby counterpart Mark Dodson claimed up to 30,000 supporters could be safely accommodated at 67,000-seat Murrayfield. And Doncaster mentioned the grounds of Rangers and Celtic in a debate about getting supporters back to football sooner rather than later. Asked by Sky Sports about 50,000-capacity Hampden’s chances of doing the same as Murrayfield, Doncaster replied: ‘Yeah, absolutely. We’ve got a number of really big stadia across Scotland that may be able to be used by clubs, if that’s what they want to do. ‘There is a huge amount of discussion going on. We’ve got a number of really first-rate stadia in Scotland in addition to Murrayfield and Hampden. ‘Clearly, Ibrox and Celtic Park are really big stadia that will certainly enable social distancing. ‘We don’t yet know what the arrangements might be to enable fans back into stadia. ‘But it’s likely there’s going to be some sort of social distancing required, at least
in the early stages. And clearly the bigger the stadia you’ve got to play with, the easier that will be. I certainly like the idea of creative thinking to help clubs get fans back into stadia as soon as they safely can.
‘So, if there are larger stadia out there that are typically larger than clubs’ usual attendances, that are going to help with social distancing, then that can only be part of a very positive solution.’
Dodson’s top-end figure of 30,000 for Murrayfield depends on sporting bodies persuading the Scottish Government to cut the ‘two-metre distance rule’ to one metre. If that remains in place, no more than 10,000 would be able to gather safely at the national rugby stadium.
‘The amount of distance that we need to ensure between fans will continue to be debated, as it is being debated in the UK and society at the moment,’ said Doncaster. ‘But, the sooner we can get fans back in stadia, the better it’s going to be for everyone.’
Hibs and Hearts have both shown interest in Murrayfield, with even the low-end prediction of 10,000 fans seen as a desperately needed financial lifeline amid the Covid-19 crisis.
The prospect of clubs like Motherwell or Hamilton being able to draw similar crowds to Hampden has obvious appeal.
The same goes for the possibility of smaller clubs using Celtic Park or Ibrox — while Scotland’s big two would also welcome anything that allows even a fraction of their usual audience for home games. Meanwhile, Doncaster said he would support Rangers and Celtic B sides in the lower divisions — because he knows the Scotland national team would benefit as a result.
‘Colt teams, B teams if you like, have been developed successfully around Europe,’ he said, ‘There are various leagues with B teams operating in their lower divisions.
‘Just talking with my counterparts around Europe, they say that structure is fundamental to the success of their national teams.
‘It does help young players, playing against hardened professionals in the lower leagues. It’s key to the development of these players.
‘There has traditionally been resistance to B teams in Scotland. If members decide to go down that route, it’s something we will accommodate.’
Doncaster also pleaded yesterday for more wealthy benefactors to follow James Anderson’s £3million-plus bail-out of Scottish football.
‘The burden traditionally tends to fall on club owners and chairmen, who often use much of their own wealth to support their local football club,’ said Doncaster.
‘But, as James Anderson has demonstrated, sometimes people who don’t have any ownership stake in clubs can come forward and simply see the value of clubs across the UK.
‘In this case, James has seen the value of Scottish clubs to their local communities. He’s keen to support them — and there may be others out there. Our door is always open.’