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This review first appeared in the Scottish Football Historian and is reproduced by permission of the editor. The book was written by St Johnstone historians Alastair Blair, and Brian Doyle. The authors have been very inventive in finding different ways of writing about St Johnstone's history following their two excellent chronological histories with books on greatest matches and players. The subject of their fifth collaboration is more predictable, as it celebrates the cen

Flicking about on X/Twitter the other day, I saw a very unsual sight. It was the post shown below.... It is well documented that abuse of referees is a continuing problem and it does cause too many officials to just give up. Which it was why it was so good to see this post from Blackburn United, who play in the First Division of the East of Scotland League (Tier 7 of the Scottish game). Believe it or not, most referees make very few mistakes. Without them, we don't have

In 2017, at a time when Dundee United’s supporters were getting increasingly concerned about their club’s financial wellbeing, a group of fans met in Frew’s Bar (ironically, run by a Dundee fan!) to discuss setting up a supporters’ group, possibly with a view to stepping into the breach, should it be necessary. They got in touch with other club’s major supporters’ groups, principally the Foundation of Hearts and the Well Society and also Supporters Direct Scotland, all of who

The Scottish Football Union shares the growing alarm across Europe regarding recent decisions taken by FIFA ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Supporters, fan groups and national associations have raised serious and legitimate concerns about affordability, transparency and the standards expected of those entrusted with leading the global game. This statement sets out our official position: for a more detailed argument about the issues, please see this article .   Ticket Pricing and

La Nación, Argentina:  Text on the right says “Many complaints about the prices of tickets”    The cost of tickets for the World Cup is, and let’s not beat about the bush, ludicrous.  They are far, far too expensive for the ordinary fan .  The media and others have been going apoplectic, seeking someone to blame but not, in our view, addressing the real challenge, namely can we actually do anything about this, or will fans, albeit through gritted teeth, suck it up and find th

The Scottish Football Union and Walking Football Scotland , with the support of Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland , have today launched a major survey into the costs of Walking Football across Scotland and the benefits, social, mental and physical, that the game provides. As well as interacting with all the Walking Football Clubs across the country, we'll also be investigating the prices charged by the private and public sectors. There are undoubted, quantifiable, benefits f

I’m really pleased to welcome Angelina Nayar to the SFU women’s team.  Angelina, is currently studying the MA Multimedia Journalism Master’s course at Glasgow Caledonian University, with a particular interest in football and sports journalism. She is the sole NCTJ, Sky Sports News, and PA Media student football journalist bursary award winner for 2025/26 as they recognise her keen interest and dedication to reporting on the sport and, in particular, her accomplished writing s

Giving up a career in cyber-security for journalism may not seem like a sensible career move. Cyber-security is, for obvious reasons, a growth area, whereas journalism is, as it always has been, a much more risky profession. Yet for John Shiels, it's a natural, indeed obvious choice. After leaving school in 2007, John trained as a techie, before realising that what he really wanted to do, and what he is good at doing, is writing. Consequently, he studied for the National

Calum Murray started refereeing in 1991. A friend of the SFU, who was a Category 3 official (Premier Linesman level) at that time, ran the line for him early in his career and told us that it was obvious that Calum was going to go to the top. After playing Amateur Football well into his 20's, he took the referee entrance course at Boroughmuir HS in Edinburgh. Calum was greatly encouraged by two former teachers, Bill Barclay and Pete Clark from the Royal High School in Edinb

Gordon Small has been a St Johnstone fan for more decades than he cares to remember. He first went to see the Perth Saints in 1955 and, apart from when he was living and working away from Perth, has always had a season ticket. A few months ago, just after the season started, he had a stroke and was rushed to hospital. Fortunately, he was discharged after five days, but he is still not quite back to 100% and doesn't get out of the house much. So what did St Johnstone do? We

Ashley Reid, SFU Ambassador for Para-Football The Scottish Football Union is delighted to announce that Ashley Reid, the CEO of Para-football Scotland, has agreed to act as our Ambassador for Para-football. Ashley is an engaging, dynamic and results-driven charity leader with a wealth of experience in sport and third sector, specialising in organisational growth and sustainability. Her work is defined by an immense passion for making positive and progressive change that has

Morag Pirie Morag Pirie holds a special place in the history of Scottish refereeing.  The first woman in Scotland to officiate at a semi-professional match and then at a major, national final, she was subsequently the first woman to be on the FIFA list. Morag began her journey to becoming a referee by playing football as a child….   “I played football in the garden in Aberdeen with my twin sister and also at primary school in the playground with the boys, but girls weren’t al

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Having recently joined The SFU as Lead on Walking Football, one of the key things I wanted to highlight was the cost of hiring pitches. As someone who has had cardiac problems in the past, I very much enjoy my time spent playing Walking Football with my local team, Shotts Bon Accord.  The main benefits to me are not just physical though; it’s been well-documented that for many people playing Walking Football is a chance to get out of the house, meet new people, improve their

Like the name Sam Weller Widdowson, the inventor of the shin guard, that of Joseph Hudson, of Birmingham, also deserves to be far better known than it is today. From a straw poll of my friends, that would not be difficult, because no-one had heard of him (they hadn’t heard of Widdowson either).  The reason Hudson should, in my opinion, have his name in lights is because he and his brother designed and manufactured the first Acme City whistle in the early 1870s and were later

I was briefly quoted in an article in the Daily Record at the weekend about a new academic study that sought the views of some of...

It is the cruel fare of small-town Scots football clubs that their wider fame derives not from League or Cup triumphs or even notable...

We want you to be a referee!