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Episode 1 of the 3 part BBC Scotland ‘Ultras’ documentaries started this week. Jordan, the programme’s director was articulate in the media ahead of it talking about how Ultras is an easy word to say but Ultras, the broad concept we all think we understand, is an informal but uncoordinated alliance of mostly younger fans and not a simple or simplistic blueprint of anything. A church so broad it can’t be pigeon-holed. that is apart from maybe where Ultras has become the new na

I wish it was funny but it wasn’t. Not funny in any way. The weekend Miekelson’s Bams Ran Riot, Again, March 8th 2026. A date and fan behaviour that could, I think bring a sea change to football in Scotland. But only if the country and the game actually wants it because it will have to drag some people kicking and screaming. On a sad anniversary day for Scotland when my old dad would have been 102, it’s not a bad time to put this all into perspective. The past is the past. Bu

With apologies to St Mirren and Dons’ fans, there is only one major issue in Scottish football this week. We have a good product on the park and one of the most competitive title races for years, the World Cup to look forward to, but still the same old issues off the field. Sometimes we think Scottish football is moving forward in and then the next minute/last weekend we get a reality check. Last Sunday was a low point in the season. When the quarter final cup tie between Ra

We are delighted to announce that Vivienne McLaren has agreed to be the SFU's Ambassador for the women's game in Scotland. Her passion for women’s and girls’ football and her keen focus on expanding the opportunities available to women and girls to take part in or return to sport has been evident for many years now and there is no doubt that she has played a crucial part in the development of women's football in our country. In 2016, Vivienne was appointed Chairperson of Sco

The SFU is delighted to welcome Alan Rough MBE, one of the most popular and well-loved Scottish footballers of the past few decades. As anyone who has spent more than a few minutes in his company knows, Roughie is never far from a smile and a laugh, while his collection of anecdotes from his club and country days is justifiably famous, if not always suitable for a younger audience. A star of 53 Scottish international line-ups over more than a decade, with over 400 appearan

Hibernian Women's Fans The SFU has been working to support the football authorities and help promote the women's game by bringing together women's clubs' fans from across Scotland. To that end, we’ve held a number of meetings with representatives of women’s fans’ groups and have also recorded a unique and inspiring, joint interview with both Celtic and Rangers’ supporters’ groups leaders. What we’ve found is that while the demographics of women’s football supporters are

Us football supporters are not mere spectators. We are the foundation stone and beating heart of every club. We are the people who create atmosphere, who buy tickets, replica strips and other merchandise, helping sustain our clubs, local businesses and communities financially. At times like these, where there is a genuine cost-of-living crisis for many, we still make amazing efforts to get to matches. The opportunity cost may be not having a pie or another pint, but we st

The Costs and Benefits of Walking Football for Scotland The Scottish Football Union and Walking Football Scotland, with support from Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland and Para-football Scotland, has completed a major research project*, studying the health benefits of this rapidly expanding sport, whilst also drawing attention to the increasing costs involved in hiring pitches across Scotland. The key results are as follows, with the full survey report available at the link a

Yesterday, Kyle Sharkie, a member of the SFU’s Ops team, and I went to Cumnock to meet Derek King, Head of Community programmes for Cumnock Juniors Community Enterprise(CJCE) and a Community Councillor for that town and a driving force behind so much sporting activity in the area. Derek gave us several hours of his time at CJCE’s Townhead ground, showing us around and explaining at length the huge amount of work that he and others do to help keep the townspeople engaged wit

The SFU is committed to helping promote the women's game in Scotland. To that end, one of our women's team has kindly written this report (in real-time) on the enthralling semi-final of the Sky Sports Cup and we encourage all other women's clubs to share it. And, this being Scotland, just in case anyone thinks we're taking sides, fear not, there will be reports on Celtic women and other women's clubs in the months ahead! The first ten minutes of the match are quiet, with bo

Jon Attenborough is a key member of the SFU disability team. He’s also one of the nicest human beings you could meet. Not only that, but he’s in such demand from the likes of the English FA, Level Playing Field, Football Supporters Europe, to say nothing of the football authorities, clubs and other organisations in Scotland that it’s hard, even for us, to pin him down at any one time. Which makes me wonder how on earth he had time to write this book! Following Sam has bee

Stephen Reside, SFU Lead on Disability, and a rather well-known footballer! The Scottish Football Union understands that the number of tickets allocated for wheelchair users at Scotland’s matches in the World Cup is, in our view, pitifully small. We understand Scotland has been allocated 12 tickets within the wheelchair-user category for each group-stage match. If companion tickets are taken from that same allocation, this could mean as few as six wheelchair users can attend

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