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, football tours, and is pushing Scotland’s claim as the true home of world football.
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: Leeann Dempster, Chief Executive
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
West of Scotland Cricket Club
Alliance Ambassador: Paul Coffey, WoSCC
West of Scotland Cricket Club is based at Hamilton Crescent, located on Peel Street in Partick. The club was founded in 1862, and has an incredible cricketing history, including the first ever visit of an Australian team to Scotland in 1878.
The club hosted the first ever Scotland v England international in 1872, and staged two further internationals in 1874 and 1876, and held the Scottish Cup Final of 1876-77 between Rangers and Vale of Leven. We are delighted to support the Football’s Square Mile project, which will support the rich sporting history of our city.
Website: https://www.westofscotlandcricketclub.co.uk
Archaeology Scotland
Alliance Ambassador: Dr Paul Murtagh, Senior Project Officer
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, Founder
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: Ian Lewis, 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, Director
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/
The Hampden Collection 