Rangers to cut Celtic’s Ibrox allocation amid increased season ticket demand

Rangers have announced plans to slash Celtic’s ticket allocation for visits to Ibrox.

In a move that blows apart a reciprocal arrangement between the clubs, Celtic fans are set to receive less than 1,000 tickets next season.

Celtic swiftly responded by indicating that they will follow suit.

Hoops fans have traditionally filled both tiers of the Broomloan Stand in an agreement that has seen about 7,000 travelling supporters attend derbies at both grounds.

Rangers say they have made the decision amid unprecedented demand for season tickets for Steven Gerrard’s first campaign in charge.

The Light Blues received “more than 40,000 renewals” before the deadline and are now set to announce plans to open up the process to new season ticket holders.

A club statement read: “We have already received an enormous number of requests in advance of the close of the renewal date and we have had to consider carefully how best to accommodate these supporters in light of the record renewals.

“Our supporters will always come first and as many of them as practically possible must be accommodated. That is why the club has decided on an overall increase in the total number of season tickets available to our supporters to what will be a historical record. A further announcement on the final new ticket allocation will shortly be made available on the club’s website.

“An unfortunate consequence of putting our supporters first is that this increased demand negatively impacts on the number of tickets which will be allocated to visiting teams. This means all visiting fans will now be situated in the corner between the Broomloan and Sandy Jardine Stands.

“We believe that this is the best possible outcome after considering the unprecedented levels of support from Rangers fans.”

Most visiting clubs receive about 900 tickets for league games at Ibrox, which has a capacity of 50,817.

Celtic took little more than an hour to announce plans to cut Rangers’ allocation.

A statement on their website read:  “An unprecedented double treble and historic season for the club has led to a phenomenal level of demand from supporters to be part of Celtic.

“We are happy to reciprocate in terms of ticket allocation, something which will give us the opportunity to meet this huge demand to visit Celtic Park.”