On 13th June 2021, The Hampden Collection opened the world’s biggest open-air football museum in Glasgow, Scotland. This is the most important football heritage site on the planet, and is the cradle of the modern game, which is played or watched by over 3.5 billion people around the world today.
Football’s Square Mile Alliance launched on 11th March 2022 and includes like-minded organisations who are supporting the promotion, protection and celebration of our footballing heritage, and has an overall mission to make this a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Hampden Collection
Alliance Ambassador: Graeme Brown, Founder & Gaffer
The Hampden Collection was founded in 2017, following Graeme Brown’s discovery of the only known map proving the location of the 1st Hampden Park.
Our organisation is fuelled by art, poetry, history, written and spoken word, events, football tours, and is pushing Scotland’s claim as the true home of world football.
The scottish football association
Alliance Ambassador: Ian Maxwell, Chief Executive
The Football’s Square Mile project provides a fascinating insight into the people, places, and events that have helped to shape the story of Scottish football, and I’m delighted that we have been joined today in pledging support for the project by our longstanding friends from Glasgow City Council and Glasgow Life.
“The Scottish FA looks forward to working with The Hampden Collection and its fellow Football’s Square Mile Alliance partners in the future development of this exciting project.”
Website: https://www.scottishfa.co.uk
Glasgow City Council & Glasgow Life
Alliance Ambassador: Bailie Annette Christie
“Football’s Square Mile Alliance will celebrate Glasgow’s rich football heritage and tell the story of how international football at Hampden developed over the years.
It’s a fascinating and exciting project that promises to bring visitors to Glasgow to discover how international football flourished here and reveal more stories of Scottish football.”
Website: https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk
The Friends of Glasgow Necropolis
Alliance Ambassador: Ruth Johnston, Chairperson
“The Friends of Glasgow Necropolis fully supports Football’s Square Mile Alliance’s bid for UNESCO World Heritage status. The Glasgow Necropolis was opened in 1833 and was the first garden cemetery in Scotland, with 3,500 memorials designed by some of Glasgow’s most important architects and sculptors.
William Dick, Secretary of the Scottish Football Association, has his services to football commemorated at Glasgow Necropolis. As highlighted in our free guided tours, his monument is perhaps the earliest known sculpture of a laced leather football in the world. “
Website: https://www.glasgownecropolis.org
Victoria Bar & Queen’s Park Cafe
Alliance Ambassador: Annie Kane, Manager
‘The Victoria Bar and Queen’s Park Cafe, situated on Victoria Road, are, first and foremost, community pubs at their heart. Over the years, many football historians and fans have enquired about 3 Eglinton Terrace and the founding meeting of Queen’s Park Football Club.’
Therefore, we are delighted to join the Football’s Square Mile Alliance to support telling this story, and the wider Glasgow and Scotland footballing story through its UNESCO ambitions.’
Facebook Page: Victoria Bar and Queen’s Park Cafe
Friends of Southern Necropolis
Alliance Ambassador: Colin Mackie, Chairperson
‘Friends of Southern Necropolis are proud to be included as part of the Football’s Square Mile Alliance, and are totally supportive of this unique project that helps raise awareness of the rich football heritage locations throughout the city. Opened in 1840, the Southern Necropolis is the final resting place of approximately 250,000 individuals, including Alexander Greek Thomson (architect), Sir Thomas Lipton (grocer and yachtsman), and Archibald Campbell (significant figure in the history of cricket and football).
Facebook Page: Friends of Southern Necropolis
Western District Cricket Union
Alliance Ambassadors: Khizar Ali (Chairman) and Bryan Clarke (Secretary)
“We support the Football’s Square Mile campaign because it recognises cricket’s founding contribution to association football in Scotland. This contribution demonstrates the power of teamwork, people working together as clubs, and what can be achieved, on and off the field of play, irrespective of the sport. The Hampden Collection’s mission for UNESCO status for Football’s Square Mile tells cricket’s story within the footballing world and the many cricket sites located within it.”
“It has been a joy to watch the last 18 months as the important role of the early cricketers and their clubs have played out in articles and interviews. As a cricketer, I am filled with pride, and as a football fan and a Scot, I am forever learning about our sporting legacies and having nothing but respect for those before me. Their original endeavours mean so much to over 3.5 billion people who now play or watch football around the world today. Cricket has to support Football’s Square Mile and the UNESCO status bid, and we are delighted to be involved.”
Website: https://wdcu.co.uk
Clydesdale Cricket Club
Alliance Ambassador: Alistair Bleach, President
“Clydesdale is one of Glasgow’s most important sporting institutions with a history steeped in cricket, rugby, hockey, athletics and football.
We are delighted to have our sport’s club designated within Football’s Square Mile recognising our founding contribution to Association Football in Scotland, where our Founder, Archibald Campbell, was the first President of the Scottish Football Association. We are excited to be part of The Hampden Collection’s mission for UNESCO status and look forward to telling our story to the world.”
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ClydesdaleCC/
Lost Glasgow
Alliance Ambassador: Norry Wilson, Founder
Although I can’t play for toffee, Lost Glasgow is happy to support both the Hampden Collection, and the Football’s Square Mile Alliance’s bid for UNESCO World Heritage status.
The modern game, which was born on the streets and playing fields of Glasgow, is this city’s gift to the world. From South America to Russia, the early game echoed to the shouts of Glasgow voices – that first Hampden Roar resonates still, and urges us on.
Website: http://www.lostglasgow.scot
Association of Tartan Army Clubs
Alliance Ambassador: Graeme Baxter, Vice Chair
The Association of Tartan Army Clubs was set up in 2000 to represent Scotland fans, through their supporters clubs. We are delighted to give support to the Hampden Collection, especially given that this year we are celebrating how Scotland invented the modern game.
The campaign towards UNESCO status would give Scottish football a greater sense of identity, and drive more people to learn and understand the history of football, especially within Glasgow itself.
Website: http://www.associationoftartanarmyclubs.com
Queen’s park football club
Alliance Ambassador: Gregor Hall, Director
Queen’s Park are Scotland’s oldest football club and the grand architects of the passing and running game now played or watched by 3.5 billion people around the world today.
We are delighted the heritage of the three Hampden Parks is being recognised, which forms a large part of the square mile footprint. This campaign will give the birthplace of modern football the biggest accolade of all, and we encourage everyone to learn the story of the Scotch Professors, and how they invented and exported the modern game.
Website: https://queensparkfc.co.uk
Archaeology Scotland
Alliance Ambassador: Phil Richardson, Project Manager
Over the last ten years, Archaeology Scotland has been reviewing and completing a number of investigations in Football’s Square Mile.
In 2021, following an extensive investigation of the 1st Hampden site, the Archaeology Scotland team discovered the foundation stone of the World’s first purposefully built international football pavilion, and is arguably the most important sport’s archaeology project ever undertaken.
Website: https://archaeologyscotland.org.uk/
The Society for American Soccer History
Alliance Ambassador: Tom McCabe, President, Society for American Soccer History
Founded in 1993, the Society for American Soccer History (SASH) works to promote, facilitate, and disseminate research into the rich history of soccer of the United States.
Scotch Professors brought the modern game to North America in the 1870s. In American soccer, Scottish influencers made their mark as players, referees, and organizers of clubs and leagues.
We heartily support the mission to make Football’s Square Mile a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the true home of world football. American soccer, nae global soccer, would have been a poor show had it not been for the Scotch Professor!
Website: https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/
The Glasgow football tour
Alliance Ambassador: Lindsay Hamilton, Owner
I am a 20-something year old Glaswegian who dreamed of turning her passion for football and story telling into a unique football tour around the best wee city in the world!!
Glasgow, and those of us who call it home, know that football runs through the very core of the city and I want to tell the world why it is so deeply engrained in our past, present & future. I am delighted to support the Football’s Sqaure Mile campaign, as we all know ‘Football Makes Glasgow’.
Website: https://glasgowfootballtour.com
Hampden Bowling Club
Alliance Ambassador: Will Moffat, President
Hampden Bowling Club sits on the site of the First Hampden Park, home to Queens Park FC and Scotland’s National Team from 1873 to 1883. The Bowling Club is called ‘Hampden’ for a reason, and has carefully looked after the world’s first purposefully built international football ground pavilion for over 115 years, and told everyone the 1st Hampden story.
We are delighted to support the campaign for UNESCO Heritage Status, and look forward to the further community engagement this will bring.
Website: https://hampdenbowlingclub.scot
Friends of Cathcart Cemetery
Alliance Ambassador: Jacqui Fernie, Co-Chair
Cathcart Cemetery is a late Victorian Garden Cemetery first opened in 1878.
Given how near Hampden is, it’s no surprise that the Cemetery is the final resting place of great pioneering footballers of the day, including Joseph Taylor, an early Captain of the Scottish National Team, the first managers of Celtic and Rangers, Willie Maley and William Wilton, Hugh McColl, one of the founders of Seville Football Club – the oldest football club in Spain, and Toffee Bob, R.S. McColl.
Website: https://www.cathcartcemetery.co.uk
Glasgow Building Preservation Trust
Alliance Ambassador: David Cook, Chief Executive
Glasgow Building Preservation Trust is a charity that rescues, repairs and restores historic buildings at risk across the city, working with others to give redundant buildings a new purpose and return them to their communities. The Trust also delivers the much-loved annual Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival in September, and creates engagement projects to explain the city’s stories to its citizens.
Sporting heritage can often be overlooked but forms a key part of our shared past, reflecting and influencing wider changes in our society and communities. The Trust is delighted to support Football’s Square Mile Alliance in celebrating the centrality of Glasgow to football’s global development.
Website: https://www.gbpt.org/
JIMMY JOHNSTONE ACADEMY OF FOOTBALL
Alliance Ambassador: Kenny Butler
The Jimmy Johnstone Academy is a driving force within grassroots football and promotes the beautiful game to the youth of today.
This football academy has been established within the site of 2nd Hampden since 2009, on a site which has had continuous football played on it since 1884.
This is one of the most important footballing heritage sites in world football and Jimmy Johnstone Academy is delighted to support the mission for UNESCO World Heritage Status for Football’s Square Mile.
Jimmy Johnstone charitable trust
Alliance Ambassador – James Simmonetti
This global organisation reaches out to countries thorughout the world and is based at the 2nd Hampden, where Jimmy Johnstone, the renowned world footballing genius, first played his football. This facilty is a hub for celebrating the past, as well as creating the future for generations to come.
Jinky’s legacy is helping others to play football on this adored historic site, and we are delighted to support the UNESCO mission to protect this site for decades and centuries to come.
The #Restore2ndHampden mission starts here.
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/jja71
The rose reilly
Alliance Ambassador – Steven Clark, Owner
The Rose Reilly is an old-fashioned community pub in the heart of Football’s Square Mile, named in honour of one of Scottish Football’s true living legends. Whilst reflecting a passion for the history of the local game, the pub also welcomes non-football fans and has become central to social life in the Govanhill area, with a varied range of local and international drinks and a cosy atmosphere.
We are delighted to join the Alliance as we have a shared interest in protecting the heritage of the area, be it the fantastic history of Scottish football or the fabled watering holes that have been around for as long as all the Hampden Parks have.
Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/therosereillypub/
The Hampden Collection 