150th anniversary of first international football match

That this House notes that St. Andrew’s Day marks the 150th anniversary of the first international football match played between Scotland and England at the West of Scotland cricket ground in Glasgow in 1872, attracting a crowd of around 4,000 each paying one shilling for entry; notes that the final score was 0-0 following a disallowed Scotland goal in the first half; acknowledges that this match marked the beginning of football as an international game, with the formation of the Football Associations of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland in subsequent years as well as the Danish Football Association, the first football governing body outside of these isles; notes the crucial role Scotland has played in the development of football over the past 150 years, including Andrew Watson as the first black international football player and administrator in the world, the innovations in play brought about by the Scotch Professors who dominated the game north and south of the border in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and exporting football around the world to become the global game it is today; notes that Scotland also produced the first World Club Champions in 1888 with Renton FC’s victory over West Bromwich Albion; and looks forward to a further 150 years of Scotland playing a pivotal role in the world’s most popular sport.