SFA kicks off 18 month celebration to mark 150 years of Scottish football

Celebrations to mark 150 years of Scottish football have kicked off with several special events planned for the next year and a half.

The national game has been a staple diet for thousands of men, women and children across the country since the first international match between Scotland and England was held in Glasgow in 1872.

The Scottish Football Association was formed in 1873 and the first official women’s international was played in 100 years later in 1972.

On Thursday an 18 month long run of events kicked off with the launch of a new website to celebrate the landmark.

Between now and March 2024 a series of special events will be held across Scotland to mark the first international football match, the founding of the Scottish FA and the first season of
the Scottish Cup.

The SFA has also revealed the 150th Commemorative Crest, which inspired by the original association
crest and “emblematic of the unrivalled and multi-faceted history and heritage that will be
celebrated globally”.

The crest is unveiled alongside the new website that will become a history portal celebrating 150 years of Scottish football.

The series of unique events and milestones will include honouring the first-ever Scotland Women’s National Team at the forthcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup Play-Off against Austria at Hampden Park.

The first milestone marked by the SFA is a series of events to commemorate the match, held 50 years ago in Greenock on 18 November 1972.

The Ravenscraig Pioneers will be honoured during the week of Scotland’s crucial Play-Off for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup with a special reunion event.

Around the Playoff the Icons Mural, an art installation featuring some of the most significant women’s football trailblazers on Hampden Park’s West Stand will be unveiled.

The players who took the field in Greenock will be guests of honour against Austria.

On St Andrews Day, 30 November 1872, a Scotland men’s team made up of players from Queen’s Park FC played out a 0-0 draw in front of 4,000 spectators in a significant moment in the history of world football.

This November, the first international football match in the world will be celebrated with a special event at the West of Scotland Cricket Ground.

Events over the next 18 months will include:

Honouring the first-ever Scotland Women’s National Team at the forthcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup Play-Off against Austria at Hampden Park
Commemorating the first-ever men’s international at the West of Scotland Cricket Ground
The creation of an annual National Week of Football to promote the significance of Scottish football in communities across the country
Digital transformation of the Scottish Football Museum in partnership with Google Arts & Culture
A heritage programme of exhibitions and events in partnership with the Scottish Football Museum