Scottish FA unveil plans to mark 150th anniversary of national game - watch unique video footage

The Scottish FA has unveiled plans to celebrate 150 years of the national game.

A series of special events will be held across the country to mark the sesquicentennial anniversary of the first international football match, the founding of the SFA and the first season of the Scottish Cup.

A 150th Commemorative Crest, inspired by the original SFA badge of 1873, has been created alongside a new website – https://150.scottishfa.co.uk/ – containing a detailed history of Scottish football.

A special reunion event to honour the Ravenscraig Pioneers – those who took part in Scotland Women’s first official international match, held 50 years ago in Greenock on 18 November 1972 against England – will take place during the week of Scotland's crucial Play-off for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

The Icons Mural, an art installation featuring some of the most significant women’s football trailblazers, will also be unveiled on Hampden Park’s. West Stand while the players who took the field in Greenock will be guests of honour against Austria.

This November, the first international football match in the world – held on St Andrews Day, 30 November 1872 when a Scotland men’s team made up of players from Queen’s Park FC played out a 0-0 draw against a team from England in front of 4,000 spectators – will be celebrated with a special event at the West of Scotland Cricket Ground.

To mark the launch of the 150th celebrations, the Scottish FA have released a unique video recounting the history of Scottish football over the last 150 years.

The story was written by celebrated Edinburgh-based writer Daniel Gray with narration provided by the voices of Scottish football past and present, broadcasters Archie Macpherson and Eilidh Barbour.

The Scottish FA has announced a series of events to mark 150 years of the national game. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

The Scottish Football Museum based in Hampden Park will also host a special exhibition, ‘Milestones’, to tell the stories of the key moments in Scotland’s football history.

The exhibition will include the only surviving match ticket from the first international football game in 1872, alongside an embroidered lion which adorned the Scotland shirts on the day.

The exhibition also includes mementos from the Ravenscraig Pioneers including a match programme and poster from the match.

Further activities will be announced in due course involving the founding of the Scottish FA, the “Three Hampdens” and the 150th Scottish Cup.

Rod Petrie, Scottish FA President: “I am privileged to have the honour of being President during such an historically significant anniversary. Of course, the very fabric of football was woven here in Scotland and I look forward to seeing that history being retold not just for the benefit of today’s Scottish football fans but for fans of football around the world.

“It is entirely appropriate that the celebrations kick-off by honouring the Ravenscraig Pioneers, whose determination 50 years ago set in motion a commitment and dedication to the women’s game which has culminated in the SWNT qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup and UEFA Women’s EURO in recent years, with Pedro Martinez Losa’s team on the cusp of reaching a second Women’s World Cup.

“The National Week of Football will provide a centrepiece and legacy to the anniversary; an annual focal point for us all to celebrate the many and varied ways in which the power of Scottish football positively impacts on our country.”

Euro 2024 qualifying draw: Scotland's possible group opponents