Credit: Imago
Sun 6 July 2025 16:48, UK
Rangers could be set to replicate Leeds United’s stadium expansion by adding 10,000 to the capacity of Ibrox.
The 49ers Enterprises have a controlling stake in both clubs and officially took control of the Glasgow side at the end of May.
Speaking at Rangers‘ General Meeting (EGM) on 23 June, vice-chairman Paraag Marathe suggested the club will explore plans for a stadium expansion.
Currently, Ibrox holds 51,700 people at maximum capacity, and the famous ground hasn’t been renovated since 1997.
Aberdeen’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Pittodrie between 2000 and 2004, had lengthy spells as the chief of Everton and Aston Villa and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that the 49ers Enterprises need to maximise revenue in every possible way.
Photo Credit: Getty ImagesRangers are short of Celtic every weekend
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted that Rangers can add an extra 10,000 seats to Ibrox.
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Currently, the capacity of Celtic Park stands at 60,400, meaning that the Gers are around 9,000 short of their Glasgow rivals Celtic.
Wyness added that this eats away at the club, as they can’t get as many fans in the ground.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “They are about 9,000 or 10,000 fans short of Celtic Park now every weekend and that sort of eats away. They’re going to have to focus on what you can do with Ibrox. There are still areas.
“They had that really disastrous expansion attempt last season at Ibrox when they had to close it for some of the games that they shouldn’t have done. I’m sure that they won’t repeat that, but they need to work on the revenue areas, hospitality areas, bigger number of seats.
“There are ways it can be done and I think you can get that extra 10,000 into Ibrox. There’s a demand there, they’ll still sell out every weekend, and I think it’s a big show of intent.
“You look at what Paraag Marathe has done at Leeds, a huge expansion is going on at Elland Road. That’s underway right now. It’s a big positive and I think they want to do the same thing at Rangers.
“Stadium valuations, women’s teams valuations, real estate assets, all those things are becoming very important now, and that’s what the 49ers are good at. I think that they’re going to look to maximise Ibrox in every possible way.
“It’s got certain constraints due to its architecture. It is a beautiful old stadium, but it needs to be really maximised and they need to be very creative and do the best they can.”
Rangers could be set to replicate Leeds’ stadium expansion (Credit: Imago)Rangers owners bankroll £20m injection
Meanwhile, Rangers have received a £20million injection from their owners in the form of a new share issue, sources have told Football Insider.
As per a Companies House submission on 30 June, the club’s holding company Rangers International Football Club Limited has issued 100 million shares
Each share was purchased at 20 pence per one pence share, taking the total investment to £20million.
It comes after Rangers’ new owners committed to investing £20million after agreeing to purchase a majority stake at Ibrox.
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