Hampden Park will continue to be the home of Scottish football, it was announced today.
The Scottish Football Association (SFA) had held a “lengthy and rigorous process” that saw Glasgow-based Hampden compete with Edinburgh’s Murrayfield stadium to host Scotland football matches after 2020.
Murrayfield, the home stadium for Scotland’s rugby team, had bid to host Scotland football matches when the existing lease of Hampden expires in the summer of 2020.
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However, the SFA has agreed a £5m deal to buy Hampden from current owners Queen’s Park FC in 2020. The SFA says that ownership of Hampden marks the first step to redevelop Scotland’s national stadium.
The £5m agreement will also allow League Two side Queen’s Park to “adapt Lesser Hampden to become its new registered licensed ground for all its matches”, the SFA said in a statement.
SFA president Alan McRae said: “Today’s announcement has been the conclusion of a four-year process to review our national stadium beyond 2020.
“It was a hugely difficult decision and I would like to place on record our thanks to Scottish Rugby for their professionalism throughout the process.
“They made a truly compelling case to move to Edinburgh and gave us a very difficult decision to make.
“This decision is about what was best for Scottish football and our members. It is about the future of football in Scotland.”
