UEFA | |
---|---|
Founded | 13 March 1873 |
Headquarters | Hampden Park, Glasgow, G42 9AY |
FIFA affiliation |
|
UEFA affiliation | 1954 |
IFAB affiliation | 1886 |
President | Mike Mulraney |
Vice-President | Les Gray |
Website | www |
The Scottish Football Association (also known as the Scottish FA and the SFA; Scots : Scots Fitba Association; Scottish Gaelic: Comann Ball-coise na h-Alba) is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations. It was formed in 1873, making it the second oldest national football association in the world. It is not to be confused with the Scottish Football Union, which is the name that the SRU was known by until the 1920s.
The Scottish Football Association is a member of both UEFA and FIFA and holds a permanent seat on the International Football Association Board (IFAB) which is responsible for the Laws of the Game. It is based at Hampden Park in Glasgow. [1] In addition, the Scottish Football Museum is located there.
The Scottish Football Association is responsible for the operation of the Scotland national football team, the annual Scottish Cup and several other duties important to the functioning of the game in Scotland.
Following the formation of Scotland's earliest football clubs in the 1860s, football experienced a rapid growth but there was no formal structure, and matches were often arranged in a haphazard and irregular fashion.
Queen's Park, a Glasgow club founded in 1867, took the lead, and following an advertisement in a Glasgow newspaper in 1873, representatives from seven clubs – Queen's Park, Clydesdale, Vale of Leven, Dumbreck, Third Lanark, Eastern and Granville – attended a meeting on 13 March 1873. Furthermore, Kilmarnock sent a letter stating their willingness to join.
That day, these eight clubs formed the Scottish Football Association, and resolved that:
The clubs here represented form themselves into an association for the promotion of football according to the rules of The Football Association and that the clubs connected with this association subscribe for a challenge cup to be played for annually, the committee to propose the laws of the competition. [3]
The following eight football clubs founded the Scottish Football Association:
Manufacturer | Location |
---|---|
Queen's Park | Glasgow |
Clydesdale | Glasgow |
Vale of Leven | Alexandria |
Dumbreck | Glasgow |
Third Lanark | Glasgow |
Eastern | Glasgow |
Granville | Glasgow |
Kilmarnock | Kilmarnock |
The chief executive of the Scottish Football Association oversees the development of football in Scotland and the administration of disciplinary matters, and is also responsible for the general organisation of the national side. One of the most prominent roles of the chief executive is to hire and dismiss Scotland national football team managers. [4]
As well as the Scotland national football team, the Scottish Football Association is also currently responsible for organising the Scotland national football B team, as well as men's national teams at under-21, under-19, under-18 and under-17 levels. There was also a semi-professional team, but this was disbanded in 2008. [10] In women's football, there is the full Scotland women's national football team, under-19 and under-17 teams. In Futsal, there is a full national side.
The Scottish Football Association organises the Scottish Cup and the Scottish Youth Cup. Although the SFA are not involved in the day-to-day operation of the Scottish Professional Football League or other league competitions, they do appoint referees to officiate the games in these leagues, as well as dealing with player registrations and disciplinary issues. [3]
The Scottish Football Association encourages quality of governance in football clubs through a system of club licence awards. All SFA member clubs are assessed annually in four areas (ground, first team, youth team, and governance) and, if appropriate, awarded a licence at platinum, gold, silver, bronze or entry level. As of June 2023, [update] [11] only Celtic and Rangers have been awarded a platinum-level licence, while two others (Hibernian and St Johnstone) hold gold-level licences. All clubs in the Scottish Professional Football League are required to be licensed at bronze level, Highland Football League, and Lowland Football League are required to be licensed at entry level or above.
The Scottish Football Association established a number of performance schools around Scotland in 2012 with the aim of developing footballing talent in young people and at grassroots level. The programme is for under-12 players, and will provide them with 800 hours of additional coaching. [12] As of June 2023 [update] , seven performance schools exist:
As of June 2023, [update] 124 clubs are full members of the Scottish Football Association, comprising: [11]
The Scottish Football Association has affiliated to it the following seven national associations: [20]
There are 10 local associations affiliated and the competitions they manage are also listed below: [20]
|
|
The following six leagues with their affiliated leagues and cups are recognised by The Scottish Football Association: [20]
The Scottish Junior Football Association (SJFA) is an affiliated national association of the Scottish Football Association and is the governing body for the junior grade of football in Scotland. The term "junior" refers to the level of football played, not the age of the players. The closest equivalent terminology would be non-League football in England, the difference being that junior football in Scotland was not similarly integrated into its football league system until 2021.
The East of Scotland Football League (EoSFL) is a senior football league based in the east and south-east of Scotland. The league sits at levels 6–9 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Lowland Football League.
The Scottish football league system is a series of generally connected leagues for Scottish football clubs.
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the Scottish Cup, is an annual association football knock-out cup competition for men's football clubs in Scotland. The competition was first held in 1873–74. Entry is open to all 122 clubs with full membership of the Scottish Football Association (SFA), along with up to eight other clubs who are associate members. The competition is called Scottish Gas Men's Scottish Cup for sponsorship reasons.
Charles Richard Gough is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a defender.
Edinburgh City Football Club is a semi-professional senior Scottish football club which plays in Scottish League Two, the fourth tier of the Scottish Professional Football League. The club play at Meadowbank Stadium, returning to the rebuilt arena in 2022 after five years at Ainslie Park.
Julie Stewart MBE is a Scottish former footballer who played as a forward. She spent nine years at English club Arsenal and was the first Scot to play as a full-time professional in the WUSA playing for San Diego Spirit. She won the Scottish Women's League title with Ayr and seventeen major trophies with Arsenal.
The Scotland women's national football team represents Scotland in international women's football competitions. Since 1998, the team has been governed by the Scottish Football Association (SFA). Scotland qualified for the FIFA Women's World Cup for the first time in 2019, and for their first UEFA Women's Championship in 2017. As of June 2023, the team was placed 23rd in the FIFA Women's World Rankings. Although most national football teams represent a sovereign state, as a member of the United Kingdom's Home Nations, Scotland is permitted by FIFA statutes to maintain its own national side that competes in all major tournaments, with the exception of the Women's Olympic Football Tournament.
Bonnyrigg Rose Football Club is a Scottish football club from the town of Bonnyrigg. Formed in 1881 and nicknamed the Rose, the team plays in Scottish League Two, having been promoted after winning the Lowland Football League in 2021–22.
Glasgow City Football Club is a professional women's football team based in Glasgow that plays in SWPL 1, the top division of women's football in Scotland and also the higher of two levels of the Scottish Women's Premier League. The club has competed in the UEFA Women's Cup and UEFA Women's Champions League. They also have a reserve team and youth teams.
The Scottish Lowland Football League and the Park’s Motor Group Scottish Lowland League for sponsorship reasons is a senior football league based in central and southern Scotland. The league sits at level 5 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Scottish Professional Football League, and is above three regional leagues at level 6.
Broomhill Football Club is a Scottish football club that plays its home matches at Dumbarton Football Stadium in Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire. They are members of the Scottish Lowland Football League, in the fifth tier of the Scottish football league system. The club was formed in 2014 as BSC Glasgow, a senior team associated with Broomhill Sports Club, a youth sports organisation based in the Broomhill area of Glasgow, and was elected to the Lowland League for the 2014–15 season. They originally shared with Maryhill F.C. at their Lochburn Park ground before relocating to Alloa in 2016. In 2021, the senior team split from Broomhill Sports Club, who launched a new BSC Glasgow team in the development division of the West of Scotland Football League, with the senior team being renamed Broomhill F.C. and retaining the Lowland League place.
Erin Jacqueline Cuthbert is a Scottish professional footballer who plays for Chelsea in the FA WSL and is a member of the Scotland national team. She studied at University of the West of Scotland, combining graduation from the Open University with being a professional football player.
The 2016–17 Scottish Cup was the 132nd season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The tournament was sponsored by bookmaker William Hill in what was the sixth season of a nine-year partnership, after contract negotiations saw the initial five-year contract extended for an additional four years in October 2015.
The 2017–18 Scottish Cup was the 133rd season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The tournament was sponsored by bookmaker William Hill in what was the seventh season of a nine-year partnership, after contract negotiations saw the initial five-year contract extended for an additional four years in October 2015.
Abigail Harrison is a Scottish footballer who plays as a forward for Bristol City and the Scotland national team.
The West of Scotland Football League (WoSFL) is a senior football league based in the west of Scotland. The league sits at levels 6–10 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Lowland Football League.
The 2020–21 Scottish Lowland Football League was the 8th season of the Lowland Football League, the fifth tier of the Scottish football pyramid system. Kelty Hearts were the reigning champions.
The 2020–21 East of Scotland Football League was the 92nd season of the East of Scotland Football League, and the 7th season as the sixth tier of the Scottish football pyramid system. Bo'ness United were the reigning champions but could not defend their title after being promoted to the Lowland Football League.
The 2020–21 West of Scotland Football League was the inaugural season of the West of Scotland Football League, with its top division as part of the sixth tier of the Scottish football pyramid system.
Scottish FA rebrand on St Andrew's Day, coinciding with launch of fans' survey. Note subtle inclusion of Saltire.