Meeting of the Parliament 10 December 2025
I thank Keith Brown for lodging the motion. As others have said, what a moment for Scotland, for sport and for football. We are a nation of football fans, and on that night in November, many of us were on the edge of our seats. The motion says that the game was “thrilling”, but my husband and my children said that it was more nerve-wracking than thrilling.
Over the next six months, we will discuss our chances, debate the draw, look at who we will be playing, where we will be playing, how we get tickets and how those of us who are in Scotland will manage the time difference—I am sure that many of us will need to set timers and alarms to make sure that we see all the games, as the United States has various time zones.
What a moment it was for Scottish sport, but also what a moment it is for health, wellbeing and football right across Scotland, not just for the elite sport that we see in our men’s football. Seeing role models like the players who took part in the game that night on our televisions, on social media, in magazines and at events is important. I hope that the Scottish football authorities, our elite footballers and the Government will use this great opportunity to make decisions that support our communities to be active, healthy and quite hopeful. I hope that all involved will see that they have a responsibility to use this chance to promote wellbeing and, as Keith Brown has said, the work of our volunteers across football and other sports. It is important to recognise everybody who comes together to make sure that all those things happen for our nation.
I have really enjoyed everybody’s speeches. I congratulate the national men’s team, thank them for the joy and ask them to ensure that their participation in the world cup leaves a long-lasting legacy for the health and wellbeing of Scotland as a nation.
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