Meeting of the Parliament 25 February 2026 [Draft]
I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate. Jamie Hepburn commented that it is one of a number of debates that we have had on football recently. I have not participated in all of them, but some might say that we have had some fixture congestion when it comes to debates on football in the chamber. I thank Gillian Mackay for bringing this particular one to the chamber to recognise the importance of fans to our national game.
It is worth repeating the immortal words of Jock Stein that football without fans is nothing. That is absolutely true anywhere in the world, but the passion and support that there is here in Scotland is seldom surpassed. The Scottish premiership already has a higher weekly match attendance per head than any other country in Europe, and that was before the rollercoaster that we have witnessed this season, with St Mirren winning the league cup, Scotland qualifying for the world cup and an exciting title race involving four teams, with Hearts and Motherwell not just winning games but playing fantastic football. As we have heard, we also still have eight teams that could win the Scottish cup. What a brilliant time to be a football fan in Scotland.
As we have heard, we must recognise the costs for fans of attending games. I have said before in relation to the world cup, and I would say in relation to football at any level, that we cannot or should not price ordinary working people out of the game that they love. Therefore, as Mr Whittle has done, I welcome and commend the schemes that are operated by clubs such as St Mirren and others that offer significantly reduced ticket prices for children or indeed free tickets for local schoolchildren. For families on low incomes, attending football matches can be particularly challenging.