ACTIONS speak louder than words. After years of what felt like lip service, the Rangers board have now put their money where their mouths are once again.
The issue of disabled access and the matchday experience for wheelchair users and other fans with additional support needs has been repeatedly raised over a succession of Annual General Meetings.
But the vow made 12 months ago has now been delivered on. Come the summer, the most significant redevelopment of Ibrox in a generation will begin.
Herald and Times Sport revealed on Monday evening that Rangers had signed off on a £2million plan to make widespread changes to the fabric of the stadium and transform the way in which disabled supporters cheer on their team.
Earlier in the day, the board held their final meeting before the AGM. The blueprint that had been some time in the making was now ready to be shown to supporters and shareholders.
Andrew Dickson, the director of finance and football administration, usually has a watching brief at these events but it was he who addressed a gathering that was a couple of thousand strong and spoke about a project that 'aims to place Ibrox Stadium as an exemplar of best practice in Scotland for the inclusion of all disabled people within the stadium.'
Recent months have been spent assessing grounds around the United Kingdom and Europe and the Glasgow Access Panel, a charity which strives to improve the accessibility of services, buildings, facilities and information across the city, were commissioned to carry out a study of Ibrox.
From those initial conversations and subsequent consultations with a range of stakeholders, Rangers have now arrived a solution to a problem that has irked those affected for far too long and been a source of regret for many others as disabled fans have endured rather than enjoyed their matchdays.
Some 1,073 seats will be removed as 162 wheelchair spaces are created in the Broomloan Stand, Copland Stand and Sandy Jardine Stand. Rather than be subjected to the worst of the wind and rain at the front of the Enclosures, those supporters will now benefit from a range of vantage points around Ibrox.
Lifts to the viewing platforms will also be installed alongside low-level kiosks, while trained stewards will be on hand to assist disabled punters and their carers as those supporters finally get the facilities that they deserve and that are befitting of Rangers as a club.
The reaction to the exclusive story that appeared in these pages and the announcement on Tuesday morning has been positive from fans and credit must go to the Ibrox hierarchy for their investment, both in time and money, that has been put in so far. More will, of course, be required and Rangers cannot, no matter how worthy the cause, afford to write off the £500,000 that would be lost each term if season ticket holders were to be permanently displaced and not replaced.
"There is a significant capital investment required, but one we believe will be fair and justifiable," Dickson said. "It is yet another project that the board believes justifies our ongoing strategy of seeking strategic equity funding to invest in long-term revenue generating initiatives."
Plans for cantilever extensions in the Broomloan Rear and Copland Rear would see a net increase of 727 seats to the capacity of Ibrox. That project is even more ambitious and is reliant on Rangers being able to source the funding required to settle a bill of several million pounds.
That option is the preference for the board. If it can be achieved, it would be a legacy for those directors to leave behind as Rangers look to the future on and off the park.
It is about doing the right thing at the right time and even the harshest critics of the hierarchy will surely struggle to find negatives here. This time, their actions are speaking as loudly as their words.
