Rangers Women’s team chief Donald Gillies has floated the idea of building a stadium for ALL Glasgow-based women’s teams – and the national side.

Gillies, formerly Head of Girls and Women’s Football at the SFA and also ex technical director at Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Club in the USA, put forward the idea during a meeting with the Rangers Fan Advisory board last month. In minutes from the meeting which have now been made public, Gillies put forward the idea to ensure the Rangers Women’s team have a Glasgow home – they currently play most of their matches in North Lanarkshire at Broadwood with rivals Celtic in nearby Airdrie.

He reckons the multi partnership with the likes of Glasgow City, Celtic and other Glasgow teams Queen’s Park and Partick Thistle, along with the national team, could help create a venue that is suitable for all – as he also made a commitment to Rangers playing in the SWPL after recent talk of a potential move to England for the Old Firm.

In the notes, he said: “Being a club in Glasgow, and having a home there is an important factor for the future. To not look at ways of creating a stadium in Glasgow that represents Rangers and its supporters would be very short sighted.

Celtic’s Celya Barclais (R) and Rangers’ Leah Eddie (Image: SNS Group)

“However, I’m mindful of the sentiment here – people will rightly ask what it would cost, how can the club pay, even why should the club pay. I get that.

“I stress this is only aspirational, but there would be ways of doing it with multi partnership groups, particularly the other women’s teams in Glasgow, as well as the Scotland national team. It could be funded by four or five different organisations and clubs.

Scotland and England players huddle together in their teams at the end of the UEFA Women’s Nations League Group A1 match at Hampden Park, Glasgow. Picture date: Tuesday December 5, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story SOCCER England Women. Photo credit should read: Jane Barlow/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder.

“Let me be frank, in my opinion, Hampden isn’t working for the women’s national team. It’s too big for an attendance of 8,000.

“But if you had a fit for purpose stadium specifically for women’s football, with restaurants and other facilities, a grass playing surface and capacity of 8,000, then suddenly you’re looking at stadia sell-outs and a better atmosphere and matchday experience.

“You could have that Friday Night Football and two games on a Sunday, one after the other. You’d have a fit for purpose stadium with two sets of home and away dressing rooms, on opposite sides of the pitch. Strategically, that needs to be part of the conversation. I believe it should be the next landmark moment for the women’s game in Scotland.

“It would be fundamental for improving the product for the whole of the women’s game in this country. As much as Broadwood is great, the matchday experience isn’t where it needs to be. However, I don’t necessarily think it’s consistently brilliant anywhere, for any club. The majority of people who attend women’s games do so because they’ve got a genuine interest in the women’s game. It’s nice. It’s a good family day out. You can buy an affordable pie, there’s better chat among fans from both teams, you can meet your friends and see top class female athletes and teams.

“It’s not as tribal. But to grow the game, there needs to be more layers to this whole process. Entertainment, fan engagement, a buzz that the players can feed off and in turn raise their own levels to match. I’m realistic. In terms of the venue I stress again that, ultimately, it’s aspirational, but I don’t think we’d be pushing for this in isolation. It’s a role Rangers could play to help drive forward Scottish women’s football as a whole.”

And on recent breakaway talks for the Big Two to move to the WSL in England, he said: “Our responsibility is to create the best platform for the Scottish players, and the Scottish women’s game.”

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