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The Tartan Army is a name given to fans of the Scotland national football team. The name derives from the wearing of tartan at football matches and when travelling abroad.

History

The Scotland Travel Club was started in the early 1980s to link Scotland fans from all around the world together. It gave members the chance to travel officially to away matches and International tournaments to support the Scotland team and meant regular travellers could be rewarded for their efforts. By 2001 there were 15000 members, who could now also apply for guaranteed home match tickets directly from the club as part of their membership.

In 2005, the Scotland Travel Club became the Scotland Supporters Club. This included for a Kids Club and Youth Squad so fans of all ages could be part of the team. Membership had grown again to 17000 by this time. The UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign saw membership numbers increase dramtically to 27,500 and a waiting list of 10000+ by the end of 2007. Over the course of 2008 the capacity of 32,500 members was reached.

The Scotland Supporters Club is operated by the Scottish Football Association. Membership guarantees one match ticket for all of Scotland's home fixtures. You might also have the opportunity to apply for away match tickets. New memberships applications are accepted.

Behaviour

During the 1970s, Scotland fans were criticised for their hooliganism, particularly after they invaded the Wembley pitch and destroyed the goalposts after the England v Scotland match in 1977. Since then, the Tartan Army have won awards from UEFA for their combination of vocal support, friendly nature and charity work. It has been suggested that any "internationalism" or apparent improvement in behaviour arose mainly from a desire to "outdo the English" caused by "deep-seated animosity towards Scotland's closest neighbours." Although problems with racism persisted into the 1990s, notably during a FIFA World Cup qualifier against Italy at Ibrox in November 1992. At which the SFA and Strathclyde Police "kept their head's firmly in the sand" and denied the abuse. The Tartan Army have been awarded a Fair Play prize by the Belgian Olympic Committee and were named as the best supporters during the 1992 European Championship. The fans were also presented with a trophy for non-violence in sport and were voted by journalists to be the best supporters for their sense of fair play and sporting spirit at the 1998 World Cup in France. Countries drawn against Scotland often welcome the arrival of their fans.

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. The SFA admitted that they were also "disappointed" by the booing, while the Scottish Government also criticised the Tartan Army, saying 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. God Save The Queen was previously used as the Scottish team's anthem, but it was replaced during the 1970s by Flower of Scotland due to consistent booing at matches.

The Tartan Army Children's Charity (TACC) is a registered Scottish charity run by Scotland fans, raising money for disadvantaged children in Scotland and in the countries the fans visit following the Scottish national side. Since 2006 TACC have donated over £120,000 to children in Scotland, Ukraine, Georgia, Macedonia and South Africa. They also take disadvantaged Scottish children to watch Scotland play at Hampden, and are the nominated charity of the Scottish FA. TACC's main fundraising events are a monthly lottery and the TACC Kiltwalk, an annual 26 mile sponsored walk from Hampden Park to Loch Lomond.

Official Tartan

For the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Mr Keith Lumsden designed a corporate tartan for the Tartan Army which was registered on 01 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 quantity at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.

See also

• Football in Scotland
• Ally's Tartan Army
• Association of Tartan Army Clubs

References

1. http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football.cfm?page=354
2. Wait till the Tartan Army sees the new Wembley!, Daily Mail, November 13, 2007
3. Smith, Adrian (2004). Sport and National Identity in the Post-War World. Routledge. ISBN 0415283000. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help) p77
4. "The Tartan Army". Scottish Football Association. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
5. Bairner, Alan (2001). Sport, nationalism, and globalization: European and North American perspectives. SUNY Press. ISBN 0791449122. p66
6. Smith, Adrian (2004). Sport and National Identity in the Post-War World. Routledge. ISBN 0415283000. The Italian players suffered a 'non stop barrage of racial abuse', including choice epithets such as 'Wops', 'Dagos', and , of course, 'Fucking Fenian Bastards'. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help) p83
7. ^ "Tartan Army wins fair play award". BBC Sport. 2001-11-29. Retrieved 2007-05-16.
8. "Tartan Army to Woo UEFA". The Scotsman. 2002-04-21. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
9. ^ Lack of respect isn't Howard's way, Eurosport, 21 August 2008.
10. Scotland escape sanction after anthem is booed anthem, The Independent, 22 August 2008.
11. Flower of Scotland is national disgrace, The Herald, 24 September 2007.
12. http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/tartanDetails.aspx?ref=4073

External links

• Association of Tartan Army Clubs

• Association football supporters' associations
• Scotland national football team