Hearts have seen Tynecastle elevated into the category that boasts some of Europe's finest stadiums - after UEFA granted the 19,800 seater stadium 'Category Four' status.
The Jambos have seen a seismic upturn in club reputation over the past two season after cementing their status as 'best of the rest' under Robbie Neilson with a third-placed finish last season, and that is set to be replicated by the end of the current campaign.
With Tynecastle being previously rated as a UEFA Category 2 ground, it seemed set to stay that way until a huge revamp in pre-season saw mass improvements in Gorgie in a bid to become recognised higher by UEFA. And the continental governing body have now given them a huge Category 4 rating - allowing them to rub shoulders with other Scottish venues.
READ MORE: Robbie Neilson outlines one key factor Hearts must show against Celtic ahead of Parkhead challenge
Sign up to Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
Only Murrayfield can boast the same rating outside of Glasgow, meaning Tynecastle is the first football-only stadium away from the second city to be given the reputation boost. Celtic Park, Ibrox and Hampden Park are the other stadia that fall into a Category 4 rating.
Other iconic stadiums in this bracket are the Nou Camp, San Siro, Santiago Bernabeu and more. As a result, Hearts can now offer to put their stadium up for grabs for any UEFA final - be it the Champions League, Europa League, Europa Conference League or Super Cup - and any international tournament.
Chief executive Andrew McKinlay could not hide his delight at the decision, saying in a statement: "This is a fantastic feat for the club and it comes off the back of a tremendous amount of hard work undertaken by staff behind the scenes.
“While we all know how magnificent a stadium Tynecastle is, we were under no illusion of how big a task we faced to meet UEFA’s exacting standards in terms of hosting group stage European football.
"As soon as European football was secured towards the end of last season, club staff undertook a process of significant upgrades in and around the stadium and I cannot thank them enough for their efforts.
“The financial investment made in upgrading various facilities will pay dividends in the future and it opens Tynecastle’s potential for hosting matches across UEFA’s competitions.
'Above all else, this news means that Tynecastle will continue to play host to famous European nights under the floodlights and we hope that our fans will get to experience more of them in the near future as the first team continues its push for domestic success.”
READ NEXT:
- Robbie Neilson outlines one key factor Hearts must show against Celtic ahead of Parkhead challenge
- Hearts 3 St Johnstone 0 as Josh Ginnelly brace helps keep grip on third - three things we learned
- Barrie McKay says pressure always on at Hearts as he calls for 'real performance' vs St Johnstone
