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The museum in partnership with Alzheimer Scotland has been awarded £75,852 from Postcode Lottery to help expand the existing reminiscence project.

The Scottish Football Museum has been shortlisted for Scotland's favourite visitor/tourist attraction category in the Scottish Entertainment Guide Awards 2012!

Who was the best player you ever saw? At Football Reminiscence meetings, it is these kinds of questions that can spark the most interesting debates. Was Jimmy Cowan a better keeper than Tommy Younger? Did George Young do more than Billy McNeil? Was Lawrie Reilly the deadliest centre, or did Denis Law take the prize? Was Eddie McCreadie a better full back than Willie Donachie?

The traditional perspective of football games played before the nineteenth century was that of a rough, even violent game involving large numbers. Certainly this type of game was common place but new research is starting to cast light on more skilful forms of football which centred on the ball greens of the Scottish elite. Games were commonly played at or near castles across Scotland quite often on designated greens. The game was widely played by the Scottish nobility as well as the lower orders. Even the Stewart kings were known to have played football; the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland for example ordered footballs for King James IV in 1497. Beyond the royal castles and palaces, football games are known to have been played at many other locations including Huntly Castle, Glamis Castle and Drumlanrig Castle. At Edzell Castle, near Brechin, the game was played within a walled area which limited the number of players. Famously, Mary Queen of Scots watched 20 of her Scottish retinue play in a small sided match in 1568 which lasted 2 hours. The game was noted for being a skilful contest with a lack of foul play due to the smallness of the ball. Incredibly a football exists from the royal court of Scotland, dating from the 1540s, and can be seen on display at the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum. Not all of the courtly games were noted for skill, however. Some could be bad tempered affairs. In the early 1580s an angry exchange on the football field between the 5th Earl of Bothwell and the Master of Marischal ended up in a serious quarrel. It took the intervention of King James VI to prevent the noblemen from settling their differences through a duel!

Alzheimer Scotland is delighted to announce that our first Sportsman’s Dinner will take place on Friday 28th October 2011 at the unique Scottish Football Museum at Hampden Park. Join us to celebrate the beautiful game in the company of guest speakers Jim Leishman and David Wilson, while helping us to raise funds for our Football Reminiscence Project and other vital support services. The evening consists of a champagne drinks reception, delicious 3 course meal, sports quiz, after dinner speakers and an auction, so there's lots to keep you and your colleagues entertained - especially if you're a sports lover! Tickets are available NOW and are priced at only £50 for individuals or a special offer price of £370 for a tables of 8. Alzheimer Scotland aims to improve the quality of life for people with dementia and their carers and believes that no one should go through dementia alone. There are currently around 72,500 people with dementia in Scotland and this figure continues to rise. We work with people with dementia and their carers and families by providing high quality services, by raising awareness of dementia and by campaigning. Sportsman's dinners are traditionally aimed at the male audience however we are aware many women are also interested in sport and are more than welcome to attend. To register your interest call Alzheimer Scotland today on 0845 260 0789 or email events@alzscot.org.

This project was originally set up by the Scottish Football Museum in 2009 as a year long pilot, and was launched at Hampden Park by Lawrie Reilly.

Guinness World Records have bestowed two separate awards on the Scottish Cup marking the trophy's importance within the heritage of world football. First won in 1874, the trophy is both the oldest national football trophy in the world and the oldest trophy in Association football. Special certificates acknowledging each category have been sent to the museum from Guinness World Records. Accepting the certificates at Hampden Park were Campbell Ogilvie, President of the Scottish FA, and Robert Craig, Chair of the Scottish Football Association Museum Trust.

Most books on Brazilian football will suggest that Charles Miller, ‘the father of Brazilian football’, introduced the game to Brazil. Exciting new information has been discovered, please read the full story to find out more.