Cost of policing Old Firm games has TRIPLED inside three seasons as clubs are urged to contribute more after ‘unsustainable’ figures are revealed

The cost of policing Old Firm games has been described as ‘unsustainable’ after it emerged that it had more than tripled across the past three seasons.

Police Scotland spent £444,030 to cover 12 derby league fixtures between Rangers and Celtic between September 2023 and May 2026, with the expenditure per season shooting up from £69,718 in 2023-24 to £231,364 last year.

As a result, a Glasgow MSP has called for a law change to make SPFL clubs pay a ‘much fairer share towards the costs of policing the public spaces surrounding their stadiums’.

Paul Sweeney, a Labour MSP for the Glasgow region, said clubs should be contributing more to cover the cost of policing matches.

‘We must recognise the immense cultural and economic value that Celtic and Rangers bring to Glasgow,’ he said after Police Scotland responded to a Freedom of Information request.

‘Old Firm match days bring millions of pounds into our city’s economy, supporting our hospitality sector and public transport networks, while raising the city’s sporting profile on a global stage.

‘We must therefore strike a careful balance between protecting the public purse and supporting the wider economic benefits these fixtures generate.

‘However, at a time when our municipal budgets and public services are under severe financial strain, seeing the taxpayer bill for these matches triple in just three seasons to over £230,000 is unsustainable.

‘This FOI data mirrors a broader issue highlighted in a recent House of Commons Library briefing, which revealed that taxpayers across England and Wales covered nearly £57million of the £72m total cost of football policing during the 2023-24 season.

‘The root of this imbalance lies in our current legal framework. Under Section 86 of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012, Police Scotland is restricted to charging clubs for services provided on land owned or occupied by the clubs.

‘Just as we see in England and Wales under their equivalent legislation, the massive security, crowd management and traffic operations required in the city centre and on the public highways and transport hubs outside the grounds fall outside this scope, leaving local communities to foot the bill.

‘While the presence of away supporters is often crucial to the matchday atmosphere, this data illustrates the significant financial and operational demand it places on Police Scotland, with average match costs jumping from £17,500 to over £56,500 when away fans are present.

‘The Scottish Premiership is a wealthy league. With Celtic’s annual turnover recently reported to have reached £143.6 million, and Rangers following as the second wealthiest, I agree with senior police leaders across the UK who are advocating for a more balanced “polluter pays” approach.

The ugly scenes witness on the field of play at Ibrox have had serious ramifications

‘We need cross-party support for a legislative amendment in Scotland to ensure that commercial entities generating this level of revenue contribute a much fairer share towards the costs of policing the public spaces surrounding their stadiums, rather than relying on legal limitations that place the burden squarely on the wider community.’

A Police Scotland spokesperson said the force ‘works closely with football clubs to support them in their delivery of safe and secure sporting events’. They added: ‘Each match is subject to a joint risk assessment, from which a proportionate and tailored policing plan is developed.

‘Extensive and ongoing engagement takes place throughout the year between Police Scotland and football authorities across Scotland. This collaboration is focused on ensuring public safety at football matches, while also minimising the impact of policing operations on both officers and local communities.

’A proportion of the costs associated with policing football matches is recovered in line with rates set and approved by the Scottish Police Authority.

‘These recoverable costs are agreed with football clubs during the risk assessment and planning process and typically relate to the deployment of officers at, or within, the stadium footprint. They do not extend to the wider costs incurred in maintaining public safety in surrounding towns and cities before, during and after matches.

‘There are a number of factors that can cause costs to vary, including promotion and relegation, the number of police and non-police fixtures played, short-notice European fixtures, inflation increases and police pay increases.’

The force will likely save cash this coming season, though, after it was announced last week that away fans will be banned from Old Firm league matches this season.

An MSP has suggested clubs should be responsible for policing costs in the vicinity of stadia

The ‘temporary arrangement’ was reached following talks between the Glasgow clubs and the SPFL.

It followed an independent review into events surrounding last term’s Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox, which was marred by pitch invasions from both sets of fans.

The game in March was the first time Celtic supporters have been given the full Broomloan Road stand allocation at Ibrox since away allocations were reduced to fewer than 1,000 in 2018.

The number of away fans at both Ibrox and Parkhead has fluctuated between around 800 and zero in a series of tit-for-tat moves before an arrangement was reached for ‘around five per cent’ capacity (2,500-3,000) for league games in 2025 and 2026.

It remains to be seen if the clubs will revert to that arrangement in season 2027-28.