
The Tartan Army are
fans of the
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in men's international Association football, football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. They compete in three major professional tournaments: the FIFA World Cup, UEFA ...
. They have won awards from several organisations for their friendly behaviour and charitable work.
They have also been criticised at times for aspects of their behaviour, however, such as indecent
exhibitionism and jeering at "
God Save the Queen".
History
Tartan is part of the
symbolic national dress of Scotland, and the name Tartan Army first came into common usage in the 1970s, to describe the "
well-refreshed hordes" who would stand on the terracings at
Hampden Park
Hampden Park ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden'') is a association football, football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland, which is the national stadium of football in Scotland and home of the Scotland national football ...
, or biannually at
Wembley for the
England match. Scotland fans were criticised at that time for their
hooliganism, particularly after they
invaded the Wembley pitch and destroyed the goalposts after the 2–1 win against
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
in 1977.
[ p77]
Two years later, 349 arrests were made and a further 144 fans were ejected from Wembley Stadium during the
1979 British Home Championship match, mainly for drunk and disorderly behaviour and
vandalism.
The behaviour in that latter match prompted the Scottish Sports Minister
Alex Fletcher to apologise to colleagues and led to the creation of the Scotland Travel Club.
The Scotland Travel Club was established in 1980 with the expressed purpose of encouraging responsible behaviour by fans.
It has been suggested by Professor Eric Dunning that the improvement in behaviour arose mainly from a desire to look better than the English fans, who experienced significant problems with hooliganism during the 1980s and 1990s. The Tartan Army have won a number of awards for their vocal support and friendly nature.
The organisation of the Travel Club had an immediate impact, with the Scotland matches at the
1982 FIFA World Cup being played in a "family atmosphere".
The Tartan Army were named as the best supporters during the
1992 European Championship and also received an award for their behaviour at the
1998 World Cup in France.
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
described the Scotland fans as "one of the highlights" of that World Cup, noting their colourful appearance.
Matches against England, which used to be played on an annual basis as part of the
British Home Championship, were eventually stopped after 1989 due to violence and organised hooliganism. Both matches that were played between the countries in November 1999 in qualification for
UEFA Euro 2000 had associated problems.
Strathclyde Police made 230 arrests in connection with the tie played at Hampden,
while trouble at the second leg in Wembley resulted in 56 supporter injuries and 39 arrests.
Police spokesmen downplayed the incidents after both games, however.
Comments after the first game indicated that the arrests were for minor public order offences and that the scale of violence witnessed was lower than a typical Friday evening in Glasgow.
The
Metropolitan Police adopted a "zero tolerance" approach for the second game, but the number of arrests was "comparatively small" and the "vast majority" of supporters were well behaved.
21st century
The Tartan Army were awarded a
Fair Play prize by the
Belgian Olympic Committee after a
2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Brussels.
The fans had been praised by the
mayor of Zagreb for their behaviour after a match against
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
in the same competition.
In April 2002, during the joint bid by Scotland and Ireland to host the
UEFA Euro 2008 tournament,
First Minister of Scotland Jack McConnell cited the "worldwide reputation" of the Tartan Army as a strength of the bid, stating that other countries welcome their arrival "with open arms". In 2005, the Scotland Travel Club became the Scotland Supporters Club, with sections for younger fans being established.
Membership had grown to 17,000 by this time.
The
UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign saw membership numbers increase dramatically to a capacity of 27,500, with a waiting list of over 10,000.
The Scotland Supporters Club is operated by the
Scottish Football Association, with membership guaranteeing one match ticket for all home fixtures and offering the opportunity to apply for away match tickets. As of August 2010, the club was at its maximum capacity of 35,000 members and did not accept new applications.
In August 2008,
Irish Football Association chief executive Howard Wells criticised jeering from Scottish supporters during the British National Anthem, "
God Save the Queen", before a friendly international match against
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
.
The
SFA, who had pleaded with fans not to jeer the anthem,
admitted that they were also "disappointed" by the booing.
The
Scottish Government
The Scottish Government (, ) is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution, and is headquartered at St Andrew's House in ...
also criticised the Tartan Army, commenting that it had "tarnished" their reputation.
Scotland were not punished for the booing because the match was a
friendly, which fell outside the jurisdiction of
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...
.
The British anthem was used by Scotland until the 1970s, but it was replaced by "
Scotland the Brave"
and subsequently "
Flower of Scotland", due to consistent booing at matches.
This issue recurred when Scotland played
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...
in September 2010, as
their national anthem uses the same tune as the British anthem.
SFA acting chief executive George Peat publicly apologised for a section of the fans jeering the anthem.
The British anthem was again booed by Scotland fans when the team played Northern Ireland in the
2011 Nations Cup, and England in a September 2023 friendly.
The Tartan Army has been a consistent opponent of the concept of a
Great Britain team, particularly its participation in the
2012 Olympic Games, due to concerns that such participation would endanger the separate status of Scotland within international football.
Scotland qualified for
UEFA Euro 2020, their first major finals since the 1998 World Cup. The tournament was spread around Europe, meaning that two of three group stage games were played at
Hampden Park
Hampden Park ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden'') is a association football, football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland, which is the national stadium of football in Scotland and home of the Scotland national football ...
, but over 20,000 Scotland fans travelled to London for the game against
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
.
This was despite Scotland only being allocated 2,600 tickets, due to
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
restrictions.
[
]
Composition
Research carried out in 1996 noted that the proportion of the Tartan Army comprising Rangers supporters, "traditionally the backbone of the Tartan Army", had declined since the 1980s. However, Rangers still provided the single largest proportion with 21%, while west-of-Scotland Catholics, traditionally associated with Celtic, were still notably under-represented.[ Politically, the ]Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party (SNP; ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic party. The party holds 61 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament, and holds 9 out of the 57 Scottish seats in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, ...
enjoyed the support of almost two in five Tartan Army members.[
]
Charitable work
The Tartan Army received a nomination in the inaugural International Scot Award, as part of '' The Herald'' newspaper's Scottish Politician of the Year ceremony, for their charitable work. The Tartan Army Children's Charity (TACC) and Tartan Army Sunshine Appeal (TASA) are both registered Scottish charities run by Scotland fans, raising money for disadvantaged children in Scotland and in the countries visited by fans following the team.[
The Sunshine Appeal was first launched after Scotland's away fixture against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Sarajevo in September 1999 during UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying, when a group of Scotland fans, who had traveled despite the Foreign Commonwealth Office discouraging travel in the wake of the Bosnian War,] were introduced to Kemal Karic, a local boy who had lost his leg in the shelling of Sarajevo.[ TASA's aim is to make a donation in every country where Scotland play a game, which they have done since 2003.]
TACC has donated funds to projects for disabled and blind children in Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
, Georgia and North Macedonia
North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...
. In 2009, £30,000 was donated to each of two projects in South Africa, where the Tartan Army had hoped to visit for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...
. The TACC, which is the nominated charity of the SFA, also organise trips for disadvantaged Scottish children to watch Scotland play at Hampden Park
Hampden Park ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden'') is a association football, football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland, which is the national stadium of football in Scotland and home of the Scotland national football ...
. TACC's main fundraising events are a lottery monthly lottery and the TACC Kiltwalk, an annual 26-mile sponsored walk from Hampden Park to Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond (; ) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault (HBF), often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Central Scotland and the Highlands.Tom Weir. ''The Scottish Lochs''. pp. 33-43. Published by ...
.
Music
In 2007, the Tartan Army joined Scottish folk-rock band Runrig to record a version of ''Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond (; ) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault (HBF), often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Central Scotland and the Highlands.Tom Weir. ''The Scottish Lochs''. pp. 33-43. Published by ...
'', christened the Hampden Remix, for BBC Children in Need. The song peaked at #9 on the UK Singles Chart and at #1 in Scotland. in April 2022, their recording was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry
BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI) for sales and streams exceeding 200,000 units.
Official tartan
Prior to the 1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 1 ...
, Ian and Alan Adie, two Glasgow businessmen, trademarked the name "Tartan Army" in 1997. They approached the Scottish Tartans Authority to assist in creating a tartan. Keith Lumsden designed the corporate tartan on their behalf and it was registered on 1 March 1997 under number 2389 with both the Scottish Tartans Authority (STA) and the Scottish Tartans World Register (STWR).
It is mostly Balmoral Blue and Torea Bay , with Freedom Red , Gainsboro White , and Golden Poppy .
The Scottish Tartans Society notes that the design was taken originally from Royal Stewart and modified having Black Watch added as a background. It was first seen in common use at the 1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 1 ...
.
''Away with the Tartan Army – Scotland's Best Moments''
In June 2021, the BBC produced a documentary hosted by '' Off the Balls Stuart Cosgrove and Tam Cowan counting down the top 10 great Scotland supporting memories ranked by a group of journalists, pundits and former players and including interviews with Tartan Army members.
# ''Ally's Tartan Army'' – 1978 FIFA World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup was the 11th edition of the FIFA World Cup, a Anniversary#Latin-derived numerical names, quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament among the men's senior national teams. It wa ...
in Argentina
# ''Turf And Goalposts'' – 1977 British Home Championship vs. England at Wembley, which included the pitch invasion
# ''We'll Always Have Paris'' – UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying vs. France at the Parc des Princes, remembered for James McFadden's long-range winner
# ''The Greatest Show on Earth'' – Opening the 1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 1 ...
vs. Brazil at the Stade de France
# ''Six Minutes of Insanity'' – 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying vs. England at Hampden Park ending with late goals from Leigh Griffiths twice from free kicks and Harry Kane
Harry Edward Kane (born 28 July 1993) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Bundesliga club FC Bayern Munich, Bayern Munich and Captain (association football), c ...
# ''Ciao Bella'' – 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy
# ''An Army of Peace'' – UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina in Sarajevo, which led to the creation of TASA and TACC after the Tartan Army collected donations for those affected by the Bosnian War
# ''The Swedest Thing'' – UEFA Euro 1992, where the Tartan Army were named as the best group of supporters
# '' One team in Tallinn'' – 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifying vs. Estonia, which was abandoned after three seconds after Estonia did not appear for the match but included an impromptu match between the Tartan Army and Estonian security guards, which the Tartan Army claims to have won 1-0
# ''We'll Be Coming Down The Road'' – UEFA Euro 1996 vs. England at Wembley including Paul Gascoigne's famous goal
As a finale, the programme included reactions to Scotland's victory on penalties against Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
in Belgrade to qualify for UEFA Euro 2020, their first major tournament since 1998, which was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.
See also
* Ally's Tartan Army
* Football in Scotland
* Tartan Army Sunshine Appeal
References
{{Scotland national football team
Association football supporters' associations
Scotland national football team