US-style selling could spell end to queues for Hampden pies and hot Bovril

THEY are a mainstay of United States sporting events, hollering above the din of the crowd's roar and hurling snacks to hungry spectators with expert precision.

Now, the home of Scottish football may be set to emulate the famed vendors of American baseball games. But instead of hotdogs, the foodstuff of choice will be the humble Scotch pie.

The Scottish Football Association is considering introducing the so-called hawkers to Scotland's home matches in order to satisfy the appetite of the Tartan Army.

For the rapacious football fan, it will mean no longer is it necessary to miss the final few minutes of the first half in order to secure a place near the front of the catering stalls.

Instead, the vendors will make their way up and down the aisles as the action unfolds, selling their wares.

The idea is the brainchild of the Association of Tartan Army Clubs (Atac), the organisation which bands together supporters of the Scottish national side from throughout the nation.

For those loyal followers, the provision of catering at Hampden has long been beset by niggling problems. In the north stand in particular, the number of fans often means that the food stalls struggle to cope with demand, with lengthy queues forming during games.

Keen to address the issue once and for all, representatives from Atac raised the idea of rolling out the hawkers at a recent meeting with the SFA, the Scotland Supporters' Club and managers at Hampden.

Hamish Husband, an Atac spokesman, told The Scotsman that Scotland remains "way behind" other countries in terms of catering at big football matches.

He said: "The way Hampden is designed, there are several issues about getting everyone served. Other than the south stand, the concourses aren't big enough, and there is always a great rush of people trying to get food.

"We travel the world to games, and Scotland is way, way behind. Here, we've still got the same old duff pies."

A spokesman for the SFA, making light of the issue, told The Scotsman: "Our catering company have promised to look into the possibility of Hampden hawkers, and in light of Henry McLeish's review of Scottish football, perhaps we might yet return to the halcyon days of hawkers selling spearmint chewing gum and macaroon bars." On the official internet message board of the Tartan Army, some fans expressed enthusiasm for the scheme, but others claimed the hawkers would obstruct their view of the on-field action.

One member, The Wolf, wrote: "I like the hawkers idea, even though I've never heard that phrase in my life.

"They had them at the Paul McCartney gig I went to in the summer and it worked very well indeed.Albeit they were serving beer and wine rather than pies and Bovril."

However, supporter Stuart Fordyce said: "I would not be in favour of this, (it] would surely mean folk getting up even more during the game."

Mr Husband acknowledges that the "fast flowing" sport of football may be less suitable for hawkers.

"Baseball is not as fluid a game as football, and there a lot more stops and starts, so that's the one downside to the hawkers plan," he said. "If the Scotland fans are in mid sing-song, there's a danger a few of the pies will end up halfway through the air."