Hampden Park could be set for a “Stuttgart-style” revamp that could bring both ends behind the goal closer to the pitch.
Ian Maxwell, the Scottish Football Association (SFA) chief executive, said the governing body is open to redevelopment options as the UK and Ireland continue to prepare a bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
One of the ideas on the table for Hampden is to bring both ends behind the goal closer to the pitch, in a similar fashion to the way Vfb Stuttgart’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium was transformed by the removal of its running track in the early 2010s.
“Nothing is off the table, genuinely. We’re going through the process,” Maxwell told reporters this week. “There are always options and, if you speak to any architect, they will blow you away with what can be done – but they don’t really care about costs.
“We’ll need to decide on it fairly soon because it will be a significant investment.
“It makes sense, if we’re going to do anything, to do it when we’re showcasing the stadium on the world stage.”
Maxwell said the World Cup bid would be an opportunity for improvements in stadiums both in Scotland and the other bidding nations.
He said: “It’s an exciting prospect because there will be opportunities to look at stadium development, finance and what we could leverage off bringing a World Cup to Scotland. That would be fantastic.
“That’s off the back of Hampden looking so good for the Euros. It looked brilliant, the pitch held up better than any other in the tournament.
“The feedback from UEFA about how the games were put on has been excellent, the supporter behaviour was excellent, so it’s good for Glasgow.”
Stuttgart’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium was built in the 1930s and held a series of major athletics events, including the World Championships and European Championships, before the track was removed between 2009-11.
Image: Martin Le Roy/CC BY-SA 3.0/Edited for size
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