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Although the final decision is not to be made for another couple of years, the Scottish bid to host Euro 2008 is well under way. Here we take a brief look at the possible and planned venues if it gets the thumbs up. MURRAYFIELD, EDINBURGH - Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, the home of the Scottish Rugby Union is on the list to host a major footballing event. Perhaps even more of a surprise is that it is even be touted as the possible Final venue. The capacity, 67,000, is the biggest of any stadium in Scotland. It is also well served by Rail links and is close to Edinburgh Airport.EASTER ROAD, EDINBURGH - The home of Hibernian FC, Easter Road has been slowly transformed over the last few years and further development should the Finals be hosted here will see a capacity of 30,000. The stadium is close to the city centre and could be served by a new Tram Link by 2007. HAMPDEN PARK, GLASGOW - With the total revamp now complete, the home of the Scottish FA has already been bestowed the honour of hosting the 2002 Champions League Final. The 52,000 seats will mean that one of the semi-finals will be played here. IBROX PARK, GLASGOW - Home to Rangers. This is another stadium that has been completely transformed in the last 10 years. The 57,000 capacity will guarantee a leading role in the Finals for this venue. CELTIC PARK, GLASGOW - You can’t have Rangers without Celtic and the excellent refurbishment of the stadium known to followers as Paradise will see this stadium rocking for one of the semi-finals. The 63,000 capacity is the largest in Scottish club football. WESTHILL PARK, ABERDEEN - If the Finals become a reality, Aberdeen will be the site of a brand new stadium to be built at a new Leisure and Business park on the outskirts of the city. A new Rail Link would be built to smooth access to the 32,000-seat venue. DISCOVERY STADIUM, DUNDEE - This is another planned new stadium which would see both Dundee clubs sharing or dare we say it, merging! The new arena would also be home to an American Football team and would feature a retractable roof. There would be 30,000 seats. MILLENNIUM STADIUM, CARDIFF - The final surprise venue for the Finals may be Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium which opened in 1999. There to make up the number of high-capacity stadiums available, special train services would be laid on from Edinburgh and Glasgow. If used, it would most likely host three games from the group stages. |