Hansard

It is a great pleasure to speak in this debate, and I thank Keith Brown for lodging the motion.

What a fantastic achievement from Steve Clarke and the team. Before I reflect on that amazing Tuesday night a few weeks ago, I want to, as others have done, think back to the last time we were at the word cup, particularly to 10 June 1998. I was in sixth year at Coatbridge high school, and I remember the buzz that day. Everybody had their “See you, Jimmy” hats on—they were the thing at the time—and, of course, the school closed early to let everyone go home and get ready for the game.

I recall getting changed in PE, which was the last lesson, and everybody could not wait to get home. I walked the short distance—about a mile or so—between the school and my house. When I got back to our street, my dad had put Scotland flags up on a rope that went between my house and what was my gran’s house at the time, on the other side of the street. It was an unbelievable feeling that day. Even the narrow defeat by Brazil, as others have mentioned, could not dampen all our spirits.

However, what none of us knew on 10 June 1998 was that we would wait 28 years to do it again. During that time, the men’s team have been to two Euros, under the stewardship of Steve Clarke, and the women’s team flew the flag at the world cup. I enjoyed each of those tournaments, where the boys and girls did us really proud, but I think that there is something extra special about the men’s world cup, probably because it is the original one and has that prestige—I think that we can all feel it.

The buzz around the nation for the world cup is going to be amazing, whether you are there or at home. I hope that that buzz lasts right up until 19 July. As others have said, who knows?

A couple of weeks ago, I was there with my eldest son, Ceard, who has been with me at all the home games in recent years. Some were great and some were not—car trips, bus trips, traffic jams, pouring rain and the Georgia game. It was all worth it for that night.

I had a feeling that we were going to make the tournament, but nobody could have written just how it worked out. It was an amazing conclusion to the game, and I am going to admit on the record that I had a wee cry when I came out of the stadium that night. I do not really know why. Ceard said, “Dad, why are you crying? You should be happy.” I said, “Yes, I am happy.”

I am sure that my screen time went up rapidly in the days afterwards as I caught those goals over and over again. They were some of the most amazing goals in Scotland’s history and all in one game. As everyone is picking their favourite goal, mine was McTominay’s.

I have some more serious requests for the Government that come out of this debate. I know that some of them are not the minister’s responsibility, which is fair enough, but the debate gives us a wee chance to raise them. First, we need to harness this moment for the grass-roots game. Through my work on the future of football in Scotland cross-party group, I know that grass-roots football has major problems, such as access to pitches and access for those with disabilities. The growing girls game also needs more space. I still hope to bring a members’ debate on that issue before the end of the session, but I believe that we need to capture this moment to improve things for the next generation. If we do not do that, how long will we wait for another? That is really important.

Other members have mentioned licensing hours. I know that that is not the minister’s responsibility, but the times are what they are. Local pubs would probably appreciate some clarity from the Government on that, although there is an election between now and the tournament taking place. Whether it is pubs or other events, it is important to give our businesses a financial boost.

Paul McLennan raised the issue of TV rights. We need to continue that campaign, because it is important that our men’s and women’s international games are on free-to-view TV.

Finally, I request that the Scottish Government continues to be a voice for good in the run-up to this global event. Tickets need to be affordable. We need to put our voice to that. The ticket prices are shocking. The world cup should be for everyone, regardless of nationality, race, sexuality, religion or anything else, without exception. If there are any concerns about that, we should be the first to speak out against it. I am sure that it will be for everybody. It is a showcase event, and it needs to be for absolutely everybody in the world who wants to be involved in it.

I will end by simply congratulating Steve Clarke and the Scotland men’s team on a fantastic achievement. I cannot wait until next summer to see how far we get, and I am sure that it will be far.