Announcement: Friday 15th December 2023
Association of Tartan Army Clubs raise £600 for Hampden Bowling Club, supporting its mission to #Restore1stHampden and promote Scotland’s pioneering role in the development of the modern game.
The Tartan Army is on the march with success on and off the field. With Euro 2024 beckoning, there is indeed further festive cheer with a generous donation to Hampden Bowling Club, which sits on the site of the Tartan’s Army’s first official home – the 1st Hampden Park. A fantastic £600 has been raised through the sale of the ‘Scotland’s Player of the Year T-Shirt’, with £5 from every sale donated to support Hampden Bowling Club’s restoration plan and maintain it as a site of pilgrimage for the Tartan Army foot soldiers.
More and more football fans are learning the importance of the 1st Hampden site, where Scotland invented the modern passing and running game and created the template for every football ground ever built.
Martin Riddell, Chair, Association of Tartan Army Clubs (ATAC), explains, “The historical importance of Hampden Bowling Club cannot be overstated and is a key piece in the jigsaw of how Scotland introduced the game of football to the world. The turf and the pavilion are of huge significance, not just to Scottish football but to every corner of the planet where the beautiful global game is celebrated, enjoyed, played and watched.”
The Hampden Collection forged the relationship between ATAC and Hampden Bowling Club through the Football’s Square Mile Alliance, which brings together a range of organisations supporting the bid to make the site of the 1st Hampden, and 20 other sites within Glasgow’s Southside, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This donation follows the £650 donated to Hampden Bowling Club in 2022, as part of the #Fitba150 celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the world’s first international football match held at West of Scotland Cricket Ground on St Andrew’s Day 1872.
The ‘Scotland Invented’ t-shirt became a hit among the Tartan Army faithful, explaining Scotland’s contribution to the game, including two-man offside, season ticket, and the crossbar. Both of these t-shirts are now proudly on display within the Hampden Bowling Club pavilion, showcasing this site’s crucial footballing history and growing friendship with the Tartan Army.
Will Moffat, President of Hampden Bowling Club (HBC), explains, “Hampden Bowling Club SCIO is delighted with this further donation and says a massive thank you to every member of the Tartan Army. The respect for their dedication to the heritage of football without prejudice is invaluable to the game.
HBC and it’s members pride themselves in clawing on to the maintenance of the Pavilion and site of 1st Hampden. This is an ongoing worthy challenge and ATAC’s wonderful gifting from sale of Shirts will be used well regarding protecting football heritage on the site. The front door of Hampden Bowling Club will be forever open to The Tartan Army with the Tartan Army’s own ‘Fiona The Pheasant’ welcoming you in.”
In true Tartan Army style, The Hampden Collection invites the entire football family of 3.5 billion people to visit Football’s Square Mile, learn how Scotland created the beautiful people’s game, and enjoy Scotland’s famous hospitality on your journey through footballing history.
You can find out more here about the importance of all 21 sites within the world’s biggest open-air football museum at the following link – https://www.footballssquaremile.com/
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