Museum History

Football is the most popular sport in the world. Despite its present international appeal, the roots of the game as we know them today lie in Britain. Scotland was amongst the earliest and keenest ambassadors for the game. Scotland is the birthplace of the football club (Edinburgh, 1824), the official birthplace of international football (Glasgow, 1872) and the home of Hampden Park, once the world’s largest football stadium with the record breaking capacity of 183,724 in 1937.

When discussions were held over the re-building of Hampden Park in 1990, it seemed appropriate that a museum which celebrated Scotland’s significant contribution to the game be created and housed in the new stand. A trust body was set up to make this idea a reality. The Scottish Football Association Museum Trust (SFAMT) is a result of co-operation between the Scottish Football Association and Glasgow City Council. The SFAMT is a limited company and a registered charity. This means that all profits it makes will be used to fund research, new exhibitions, and improving the museum’s many services.

In 1994 the world’s first national football museum staged its inaugural exhibition. In May 2001 the museum moved into its permanent home at Hampden Park. On show are collections which display and preserve the history of the game in its widest form.

The Scottish Football Museum is rated in the top three percent of visitor attractions in Scotland having received the prestigious 5 Star award from Visit Scotland. The museum has also received accreditation with Museums Libraries Archives (MLA) as a ‘non government funded national museum’. With an exciting special exhibition programme and a number of outreach projects the museum continues to tell the important story of Scottish football in engaging and inspiring ways.