The Rangers Training Centre may be taken over by Scotland this summer after the national team qualified for Euro 2020.
Steve Clarke’s side defeated Serbia on penalties in their playoff final in Belgrade on Thursday night to secure the country’s first major tournament berth since 1998.
Ryan Jack impressed in midfield across the 120 minutes of action while fellow Rangers player, Jon McLaughlin, watched on from the bench.
Now that qualification has been secured, focus shifts to the tournament itself.
Originally, the Championships were due to be held in the summer of 2020 and it was widely reported in 2019 that Scotland had booked the Rangers Training Centre to use as their base, pending qualification [Scottish Sun].
Former Gers player and Czech Republic national team general manager, Libor Sionko, confirmed as much in an interview at the time, with the Czechs selecting Oriam as their HQ.
“We went to Scotland twice to look at everything and we had three choices – Rangers, Stirling or Edinburgh,” he said [Sunday Post]. “I know Rangers well because of my time in Scotland.”
“But the Rangers Training Centre has already been booked by the Scottish national team and Oriam suited us best as an alternative.”
Scotland camps usually take place at Oriam. Yet, it seems that Rangers’ facilities were deemed preferable by the Scottish FA, perhaps due to the relative proximity to Hampden Park.
The global health crisis ensured that none of the plans came to fruition in the summer, as the tournament was pushed back a year.
However, while there’s been no confirmation as yet, it’s probable that the previous agreements will carry over.
Therefore, Scotland are likely to be using the facilities for the duration of their involvement in the tournament, which will run from 11 June to 11 July 2021.
