Rangers & Celtic don’t often see eye-to-eye but when it comes to Old Firm ticket allocations from next season, an agreement has finally been struck.
The SPFL have announced that from next season things are going to look decidedly different in one of football’s most famous fixtures as these two auld enemies meet in the middle.
The move also comes at a time when Rangers are planning big development work at Ibrox this summer, with the Union Bears relocated and additional disabled seating added.
Oh, and in the process the SPFL have also announced that there will be no supporters in either of the final two Old Firm league clashes this season.
Rangers & Celtic strike ticket allocations agreement
As explained by an official SPFL statement, Rangers and Celtic have agreed to give each other a 5% away ticket allocation.
This is similar to the so-called European allocation, and will see around 2500 Celtic fans travel to Ibrox and around 3000 Rangers fans visit Celtic Park.
The situation puts to bed a long-running feud between the clubs which stems back to 2018 when Rangers cut Celtic’s traditional 8000 allocation in the Broomloan Stand.
Rangers gave the Parkhead side the entire stand whilst in the return fixture the travelling Ibrox support were huddled into the corner of Celtic Park.
An SPFL statement reads:
“Following engagement with both clubs, the SPFL is pleased to confirm that Rangers FC and Celtic FC will provide ticket allocations of around 5% for away supporters, for SPFL matches between the two clubs.
“This will be effective from Scottish Premiership season 2024/25, subject to all necessary requirements being satisfied at both Ibrox and Celtic Park.
“It does not affect the remaining two league matches between the clubs in season 2023/24, which will remain at a zero allocation for away supporters.”
Ibrox Stadium set for summer upgrade
The ticket allocation news will be warmly received by both sets of Rangers and Celtic supporters, with the Old Firm derby certainly losing some of its ferocity in recent years.
In response to Rangers pulling the allocation, Celtic would eventually stop taking any tickets at all from Rangers, citing safety concerns.
This has led to a run of matches where the games are entirely dominated by the home support and this will continue for the remainder of this season.
Interestingly, the news comes after Rangers announced plans for substantial upgrades to Ibrox Stadium.
Rangers will be rehousing the Union Bears and the club’s singing section from next season, whilst additional wheelchair-accessible spaces will slightly increase the ground’s capacity.
Another issue Rangers fans took with the old allocation revolved around the club’s most vocal supporters – who are currently located in the Broomloan – having to be rehoused to accommodate Celtic.
As a result of the upgrades, Rangers’ only friendly match in Scotland this summer could be against Manchester United at Murrayfield.
