By Duncan Mackay 

Hampden ParkMay 24 -  A £3 million ($4.5 million/€3.5 million) extension to Scotland's National Stadium has completed well ahead of schedule for next year's Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, when it is due to host athletics, it has been announced. 


New and improved spectator facilities are now in place in the North Stand at Hampden Park, funded by Glasgow 2014. 

Glasgow 2014 has been working in collaboration with Hampden Park Limited, which has successfully delivered the project and with 14 months to go.

The new-look North Stand concourse is due to be opened and ready for spectators at the Scottish Cup Final on Sunday (May 26).

The work to extend the North Stand concourse includes an enhanced façade and improved catering, toilet and accessible facilities.

It complements wider legacy improvements to the Hampden Campus, which have also seen construction begin on a new pavilion for Queens Park Football Club at Lesser Hampden.

Glasgow 2014 will carry out more work inside Hampden later this year to temporarily transform the venue into a world-class track and field arena.

This will be achieved by raising the surface by approximately 1.9 metres and extending the athletics track over the existing lower eight rows of seats.

This will increase the area available for sports, providing the width and length needed for an international standard competition track.

The temporary track and raised surface of the arena will create a 44,000-seater stadium, returning to its current 52,000 capacity following the end of the Games.

Hampden Park in Glasgow 2014 modeHampden Park will be transformed into a world-class athletics venue for next year's Commonwealth Games

"Hampden, Scotland's National Stadium, is an iconic sporting arena that will undoubtedly create a fantastic atmosphere for both the athletes and spectators to enjoy in less than two years' time and it is great to see the extension work of the North Stand complete well in advance of the Games," said Glasgow 2014 chief executive David Grevemberg.

"We have exciting plans to temporarily transform Hampden to host our athletics competition in 2014, which will feature some of the fastest and most agile men and women on the planet.

"However these improvements to the North Stand are permanent and will not just benefit Games spectators, but those attending events that Hampden will host this summer and long after the Games has ended, which is a fantastic legacy for the stadium.

"We have been working closely with our partners at Hampden Park Limited to ensure this project has completed well ahead of the Games and I would like to thank them for all their support."

Scottish Premier League champions Glasgsow Celtic and Hibernian will be the first to benefit from the enhanced facilities at the Scottish Cup Final.

"After several years of planning, we are delighted that the new North Stand concourse will be open for Sunday's William Hill Scottish Cup Final as programmed," said Hampden Park managing director Peter Dallas.

"The new facilities are an excellent addition to the Stadium and will benefit our visitors for years to come.

"As a working Stadium that has welcomed thousands of football fans throughout the building process, the last six months have been challenging for everyone involved in the project.

"The successful completion of the work is a key milestone in Hampden's major event plan before the Cup Final and this summer's concert season.

"Excitement is building towards next year's Games which will add another chapter to Hampden's long and proud history."

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