Scottish Premiership clubs are mulling over a groundbreaking proposal which would see clubs set aside a fixed percentage of their stadium capacity for travelling supporters, a move aimed at ensuring a consistent number of away tickets across the league.
The current ambiguous state of affairs came into sharp focus following a standoff between giants Celtic and Rangers, with other clubs also cutting away allocations, most recently Hearts.
Celtic will not grant Rangers an allocation of 800 tickets for the much-anticipated Glasgow derby at Parkhead on December 30. This decision comes on the back of the Scottish champions themselves not taking an away ticket allocation for their recent 1-0 triumph at Ibrox, citing safety concerns.
Indeed, this isn’t the first time safety fears have been wielded by the Glasgow club. Celtic refrained from taking any tickets at Ibrox for the last two derbies, repeatedly pointing towards the security of their supporters as the primary cause.
Hearts have not been exempt from this trend either. The Edinburgh-based club dramatically reduced the ticket quota for away fans at Tynecastle. Intriguingly, the only exception to this has been their city rivals, Hibernian, with all other clubs receiving a mere 650 tickets.
As it stands, Scottish Premiership guidelines stipulate that clubs should allocate a “reasonable” number of tickets to away fans. However, this term’s vagueness has led to varying interpretations, thereby causing disparities and disagreements.
To address these concerns, a vote is slated for January 22 during an SPFL meeting, reports the Scottish Daily Mail. This timeline provides clubs adequate time to make adjustments to their season ticket sales in accordance with the decision.
Interestingly, despite their recent clash with Rangers, Celtic appear to champion the cause of larger away crowds, they believe that the smaller number raises security concerns.
Drawing parallels, UEFA mandates clubs participating in its competitions to allocate at least 5% of stadium capacity to visiting supporters. Should the Scottish Premiership adopt a similar model, it would mean seismic changes. For instance, derbies at Celtic Park could witness close to 3,000 away supporters, while Ibrox could accommodate approximately 2,500. Even Hearts, given the Tynecastle’s capacity, could see their away tickets rise to around 1,000.
Such a move would not only bring clarity to ticket allocations but could also play a pivotal role in enhancing the electric atmosphere that the Scottish Premiership is renowned for.
