Following a few unsavoury incidents during our recent match at Ibrox we have received some emails from our supporters and SMISA asking us to consider the security arrangements around any future fixtures at our own stadium where visiting fans will be housed in both the North & South Stands.
In our original announcement regarding the segregation arrangements at those matches we hopefully explained clearly the reasoning and rationale behind the decision. Although there is an obvious financial benefit to the club the security and safety of our own fans will always be our number one priority and we conducted a full due diligence review with our advisors prior to confirming the segregation arrangements.
The clear advice from our safety group, comprising stewards, local police and our own safety officers was that the arrangements offered no concerns over and above those normally associated with hosting high profile matches. There are no concerns over supporter safety and as such we have no further plans to review the segregation arrangements over and above anything which is recommended during our regular pre-match safety briefings.
In actual fact the safety advice we have received is that containing visiting fans within their own specific sections of the stadium, rather than for example sharing the West Stand with home fans, makes policing the match easier than it would have been previously.
Similarly we hope that the increased capacity afforded to the visiting teams on these occasions will reduce the risk of away fans purchasing tickets for the home end of the stadium, something that we have experienced in the past and which causes obvious issues.
Your safety and enjoyment when visiting the Simple Digital Arena is of paramount importance to us and you can rest assured we will do whatever is necessary to make sure you can enjoy your football in a safe environment, taking any additional measures that are recommended by our safety advisors in the run up to these matches.
We anticipate the game against Celtic on Friday 14th September could be the first ever match to reach maximum capacity at the stadium since our move in 2009 so we would recommend buying your tickets as early as possible to avoid any disappointment.
Tickets go on general sale next Thursday, August 30th so we would recommend any season ticket holders from the Family Stand make use of the opportunity to have first choice of the remaining seats before that general sale period begins.
We are all adapting to life back in the top division, both on and off the field, and as ever we appreciate your patience and support as we do so.
#COYS
