While the new fixture list will tell fans when the matches will be played (subject to change for television broadcast) there’s no detail on where.
Rangers revealed recently that a delay in renovation work on the Copland Road stand at the club’s stadium meant that “there will be an impact on matches at Ibrox at the beginning of the 2024/25 competitive season”.
It’s not entirely unheard of for clubs to have issues with their stadium being unavailable early in the season – Hearts were unable to host their home games at the start of the 2017/18 campaign after forgetting to order seats for the new main stand – but the issue does throw up question about how Rangers will get around fixture problems.
Normally, a club would have three options to consider: postponements, a reversal or ‘flipping’ of fixtures or a change of venue for the affected games.
Rangers haven’t said how they will address the problem but, with the team aiming to compete in domestic competitions and assured of group stage European football until early 2025, requesting a postponement of games from the SPFL would seem unlikely given the fixture congestion it would cause.
Flipping fixtures, where games that are down to be played at Ibrox early in the season switch to the opposition’s ground, with the reverse fixture later in the season being moved to Ibrox, would be an option but would likely need the agreement of other clubs and would also deprive Philippe Clement’s Rangers side of home backing until Ibrox was ready. That approach would also fail to provide a solution for their Champions League qualifier in early August.
Finding an alternative ground to play at would be the most obvious approach and it’s been reported that Rangers could rent Murrayfield or Hampden for games.
Both stadia have been used for summer concerts, with Murrayfield hosting Taylor Swift and Hampden putting on gigs by Foo Fighters and P!nk but it’s expected that either would be ready to provide a temporary home for Rangers.
The Ibrox side is already scheduled to face Manchester United in a friendly at Murrayfield on July 20. Rangers say they are already “engaged with the SPFL and UEFA” to discuss arrangements, and will update supporters in due course.