AN ONLINE petition which takes issue with Glasgow Warriors staging their home matches at Scotstoun Stadium has attracted nearly 1,000 signatures in 72 hours.
The professional rugby club started playing their home matches at Scotstoun in 2012. Their success under Gregor Townsend has led to larger crowds and temporary stands being erected for up to nine months a year.
But Townsend’s calls for an artificial surface to be installed because of waterlogging problems at the stadium have angered officials of Victoria Park Glasgow athletics club. Scotstoun has been their base since 1930 – but they claim they are being squeezed out of the facility by the rugby club’s activities.
Local residents have complained there is no parking provision in the area for all the extra vehicles on match days.
The petition, which will eventually be sent to Glasgow City Council leader Frank McAveety, was started by John Coyle, a financial manager who has three young daughters at the athletics club.
“You see what is going on at Scotstoun and it really does rankle,” he said.
As well as access problems caused by the temporary stands and advertising hoardings, Mr Coyle claims that the track, which was re-opened in 2010 as part of an £18 million re-development of the stadium, has been damaged by the activities related to the temporary stands.
While he admires what the Warriors have achieved, Mr Coyle started the petition because he felt staging professional rugby matches at Scotstoun was incompatible with the needs of the athletics club.
“The current set up is not working – probably not working for either the rugby club or the athletics club,” he said.
“There is also no parking provision. There was never any thought given for these sort of crowds being there every two weeks, nine months of the year.
“There is a feeling athletics is a poor cousin when it comes to sports provision in Scotland. Glasgow doesn’t have a proper, full-time, athletics stadium.
“I will be forwarding all the commentary on the petition and the results to Frank McAveety.”
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