QUEEN’S PARK have defended the state of the Hampden Park playing surface and said they have no intention of playing their home matches anywhere else.
While there has been increasing criticism in recent months of the practice of using the famous Mount Florida stadium to house League One matches, Queen’s Park insist that no other club in the world would be asked to play matches away from a stadium they own, and the venue was at its best at the recent Scottish Cup final and Scotland matches. The issue has added currency as Tottenham Hotspur prepare to play their home league matches at Wembley, England’s national stadium.
“You wouldn’t say to any other club who owns their own stadium that they can’t play their home games there,” said Dr Alan Hutchison, the president of Queen’s Park.”We have had a good reciprocal arrangement with the SFA over many years and as for the arguments surrounding the state of the pitch, well anyone who was at the Scottish Cup final or the match against Slovenia would have seen a pitch in excellent condition.”
Christine Wright, the general manager of Queen’s Park, advised her counterparts at Spurs to keep lines of communication open. “It is fantastic to be able to play at the national stadium, it is great for the players, great for the visiting teams,” he said. “So many people get to experience that that it can only be good for Scottish football.
“The most important bit of advice is to communicate and understand how important other events at the stadium are to the commercial side,” she added. “And keep the relationship as friendly as possible.”
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