5th April 1902

Stand collapse kills 25 at Ibrox Park

More than two dozen football fans were killed and 500 injured when the West Tribute Stand collapsed at Glasgow’s Ibrox Park. The venue, which was less than three years old, was hosting a match between Scotland and England. Two spectators were killed on the spot, with the other 23 dying in hospital over the next three weeks.

Fans blamed at first

The Sport Argus of that evening described the confusion that reigned. Although later reports confirmed the stand collapse, it initially looked like the disaster had been caused by fans rushing the pitch. “The situation looked decidedly ugly and mounted police paraded – but too late, for thousands had got through the vast terracing, paying no heed to bands of wrestlers provided for the delectation, and all that could be done was to keep some distance from the touch lines,” wrote its journalist. “They swarmed on to the ground. Players were mixed up with spectators… Several mounted police careered amid the crowds with marked result. A number of spectators were hurt and carried off as a result of either the police crowd or the rush of the crowd.”

Match continued

As Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper reported the following day, despite the collapse, “the match was proceeded with so as to divert the attention of the crowd from the scene”, and it ended in one-all a draw.

The stand was rebuilt, with amendments, and other incidents occurred at the ground over the next seven decades, culminating in the 1971 crush that killed 66 spectators close to the end of a game. It was largely rebuilt in the early 1980s, with further significant renovations made in the late 1990s, after which it reopened as the Ibrox Stadium.