2023 promises to be another bumper year for football, but it will hold a special significance for Scottish football fans in particular. This is because 2023 marks the 150th anniversary of Scottish football as we know it today!
It has now been a century and a half since the formation of the Scottish Football Association, as well as the first ever international match between Scotland and England, marking the birth of the Scottish national game and of international football in general. To mark this historic occasion, the Scottish FA has organised a series of special celebratory events that began late in 2022 and will run throughout this year.
As a long-time official partner of the Scottish FA, TOFFS is celebrating the occasion with a new commemorative range of 150th anniversary Scottish football shirts and accessories. Here, you can find out all about the history behind this exciting anniversary celebration and how you can get your own piece of the action exclusively here at TOFFS.
Marking the birth of Scottish football… and the international game’s oldest rivalry
These anniversary celebrations are being held to mark the 150th anniversary of three particular milestones in Scottish football history:
- The staging of the first ever international match between Scotland and England in 1872
- The formation of the Scottish FA in 1873
- The launch of the Scottish Cup in 1873
The game between Scotland and England on November 30th 1872 is officially recognised by FIFA as the sport's first-ever international game. There had previously been a series of matches between teams representing England and Scotland from 1870 to 1872, following challenges issued by English FA secretary Charles Alcock, but almost all of the players involved in these games were from the London area, with almost no representation from Scotland-based players.
As such, the first true international match was arranged to take place at the West of Scotland Cricket Club's ground at Hamilton Crescent, Partick on November 30th, St Andrew’s Day, and for the first time in history, a full side of Scottish league players took on the English. Since there was no Scottish FA to organise the line-up at the time, all of Scotland’s players were affiliated with Queen’s Park - the top club in Scotland at the time.
Playing in front of a crowd of 4,000, the historic match ended in a spirited 0-0 draw. Soon after, the country’s leading clubs - Queen's Park, Clydesdale, Vale of Leven, Dumbreck, Third Lanark, Eastern Granville and Kilmarnock - came together to form the Scottish FA on March 13th 1873, in order to establish a formal governing body for the sport north of the border.
Within the year, the first ever Scottish Cup was launched, with its first ever match taking place on October 18th 1873. The Scottish Cup represents the oldest national trophy and the oldest association football trophy in the world, underlining the pivotal role that Scotland has played in the development of the world’s most popular sport.
A celebration spanning 18 months
This momentous series of milestones deserves to be honoured properly, and the Scottish FA has obliged with a packed 18-month calendar of special celebrations and commemorative events, which began in late 2022 and will run throughout this new year.
The event schedule includes:
- The creation of an annual National Week of Football across Scotland, with the first taking place at some point in 2023
- A digital transformation of the Scottish Football Museum, in partnership with Google Arts & Culture, to bring the museum’s stories and exhibits to life for visitors online
- A reenactment of the very first international game at the West of Scotland Cricket Ground, which took place on November 30th 2022 and featured boys and girls from the local Hyndland Primary School
- A celebration of the first ever Scottish women’s international side, who were honoured at Hampden before the FIFA Women’s World Cup playoff tie between Scotland and Austria on October 7th 2022
The showpiece event is still to come on September 12th 2023, when Scotland’s men’s team will once again take on England at Hampden Park in a special 150th Anniversary Heritage Match. More events and celebrations are set to be announced throughout 2023, as the Scottish FA’s 150th birthday on March 13th draws closer.
Introducing TOFFS’ 150th anniversary commemorative range
TOFFS has a long-term partnership with the Scottish FA to sell officially licensed retro Scotland football shirts and merchandise. As such, we’ve taken this opportunity to help Scottish football fans celebrate this incredible anniversary in style with our exclusive range of 150th anniversary commemorative Scotland gear!
This stylish selection of shirts, casualwear and other accessories has been designed especially for the occasion, featuring rich navy blue designs emblazoned with the Scottish FA’s golden 150th Commemorative Crest, inspired by the original association crest of 1873.
The range includes a broad selection of incredible kits and gear for fans of all ages, including:
- Scotland 150th Anniversary Retro Football Shirt
- Scotland 150th Anniversary Track Top
- Scotland 150th Anniversary Navy Sweatshirt
- Scotland 150th Anniversary Navy T-Shirt
- Scotland 150th Anniversary Bucket Hat
- Scotland 150th Anniversary Harrington Jacket Navy
- Scotland 150th Anniversary Zipped Hoodie - Navy
- Scotland 150th Anniversary Hoodie Navy/white
- Kids Scotland 150th Anniversary Retro Football Shirt
- Kids Scotland 150th Anniversary Hoodie
- Kids Scotland 150th Anniversary Navy/White T-Shirt
All of our products are manufactured by hand to the highest standards using 100% cotton, providing the comfort, quality and aesthetic appeal to help Scottish football fans make this an anniversary to remember.
Find out more
If you’d like to learn more about the Scottish FA’s momentous anniversary celebrations, take a look at their official 150 Years of Scottish Football website, where you can find out about the history of the beautiful game in Scotland and keep up to date on all the exciting events taking place this year to mark the occasion.
You can also browse TOFFS’ full range of 150th anniversary Scotland retro shirts and gear to celebrate this amazing milestone in your own way! With shirts, casualwear and accessories for adults and kids, there’s something here for every Scottish football fan to enjoy during this year of celebration.
