About
The Scottish Football Museum is housed within Hampden Park in Glasgow, the national stadium of Scottish football and one of the oldest football stadiums in the world still in regular use, and holds what is widely regarded as the largest and most significant collection of football memorabilia and history anywhere in the world.
The museum tells the story of Scottish football from its earliest organised beginnings in the nineteenth century, when Scotland played a pioneering role in developing the passing-based style of play that came to influence the sport globally, through to the modern national and club game, covering the men's and women's national teams, Scotland's historic rivalries, its major clubs, and the country's deep and often fiercely local footballing culture.
Among the museum's most prized possessions is the world's oldest national football trophy still competed for and the world's oldest club trophy, alongside an extensive collection of international caps, medals, shirts, programmes and photographs spanning well over a century of the Scottish game.
The museum also holds material relating to the Scottish Football Association, founded in 1873 and one of the oldest football associations in the world, and to Hampden Park itself, which once held the European record for attendance at a football match and has hosted Scottish Cup finals, international matches and major European club finals across its long history.
Displays trace the development of the game's laws, equipment and tactics, the emergence of professional football in Scotland, and the social and cultural significance of football in Scottish communities, from industrial-era works teams to the passionate support cultures surrounding clubs such as Celtic, Rangers and the country's many other senior and junior clubs.
The museum's location within a working national stadium gives it a distinctive character among sports museums, situating the collection within the very venue where much of the history it interprets actually took place, and visitors can often combine a museum visit with a stadium tour taking in the players' tunnel, dressing rooms and pitch-side areas of Hampden Park.
Because the stadium continues to host major matches and events, museum opening hours and stadium tour availability are subject to change around fixture dates, and visitors are advised to check the current schedule before planning a visit, particularly around Scotland international matches, cup finals and other events held at the ground.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
💡 Visitor Tips
- Check the current opening schedule before visiting, as museum and stadium tour access can be affected by matches and events at Hampden Park.
- Combine museum admission with a stadium tour for the fullest experience, including access to the players' tunnel and dressing rooms.
- Football history enthusiasts should allow extra time for the trophy gallery and the detailed early-history displays.
- Book combined tickets in advance online where possible, particularly around busy periods or major match dates.
- Use public transport where possible, as parking near Hampden Park can be limited around event days.
- Ask staff about audio guide availability for a more detailed self-paced tour of the collection.
- Families should check for any current activity trails or family-focused content aimed at younger visitors.
- Allow additional time if visiting on a matchday, as access arrangements may differ from a standard non-event day.
Highlights
The World's Oldest National Football Trophy
Among the museum's most prized exhibits is the world's oldest national football trophy still competed for, a centrepiece of the collection that underlines Scotland's foundational role in the early organised history of the sport. Displayed alongside detailed interpretation of its history and the competitions in which it has been won, the trophy offers visitors a direct physical connection to the earliest decades of organised Scottish football in the second half of the nineteenth century.
The World's Oldest Club Trophy
The museum also holds the world's oldest football club trophy still competed for, complementing the national trophy displayed nearby and further cementing the collection's claim to represent the deepest and most historically significant assemblage of football silverware anywhere in the world.
Together these two trophies anchor the museum's broader narrative of Scotland's pioneering role in the sport's early development.
Scotland's Pioneering Passing Game
Displays trace Scotland's influential development of the passing-based style of play in the nineteenth century, a tactical innovation that contrasted with the more individualistic dribbling game favoured in England at the time and went on to shape the development of football tactics internationally as Scottish players and coaches took the approach abroad.
This tactical history gives visitors insight into Scotland's outsized influence on the sport's global development relative to the country's size.
Hampden Park's Own History
The museum includes substantial material on the history of Hampden Park itself, the stadium in which it is housed, which once held the European record attendance for a football match and has hosted numerous Scottish Cup finals, international fixtures and major European club finals across its long history.
This self-referential dimension, telling the story of the very venue the museum occupies, gives the visit an unusually strong sense of place compared to sports museums located away from significant venues.
Collections
The Scottish Football Museum holds what is widely regarded as the world's largest collection of football memorabilia, anchored by the world's oldest national football trophy and the world's oldest club trophy, alongside an extensive collection of international shirts, caps, medals, programmes and photographs spanning more than a century of the Scottish game.
The collection traces Scotland's foundational and often pioneering role in the sport's early development, including its influential passing-based style of play, the history of the Scottish Football Association, founded in 1873, and the story of Hampden Park itself, the stadium within which the museum is housed and one of the most historically significant football venues in the world.
Displays extend beyond the elite national and club game to cover the deep social and cultural significance of football across Scottish communities, giving the museum a scope that combines world-class sporting heritage with genuine local and social history.
Scotland's Football Heritage
Core displays covering the history of Scottish football from its nineteenth-century origins through to the modern national and club game, including the world's oldest national and club trophies.
Hampden Park: Scotland's National Stadium
The history of Hampden Park itself, including its record-attendance history and its role hosting Scottish Cup finals and major international fixtures.
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.
Nearby Museums (5 within 6 miles)
Govanhill Baths Archives and Exhibition Space
Heritage & Culture
Govanhill, Glasgow — ~14 min walk (0.7 mi)