QTV Joins the Football’s Square Mile Alliance and Supports the Call to Save The Site of the First Hampden Park
- FSM Blogger
- Dec 19, 2025
- 3 min read
Friday 19th December
QTV, Scotland's award-winning and leading independent outside broadcast facility, joins the Football’s Square Mile Alliance and adds itself to the growing list of organisations calling for the site of the First Hampden Park to be saved.
Over the last 3 years, QTV have captured the pivotal moments in this story. As part of our #Fitba150 events in November 2022, to mark the 150th anniversary of the world’s first international football match, QTV recorded the key events held at Clydesdale Cricket Club, Scottish Football Museum’s Hall of Fame, and at West of Scotland Cricket Club. This has been followed up with further projects, including our presentation at The International Football History Conference, and the formal launch of Football’s Square Mile in conjunction with the SFA, Glasgow City Council and Glasgow Life. This rolling list of filmed footage is a brilliant testament to the volunteer-driven celebration of Scotland's wonderful, rich history in the development of the global game.
Jack McGill, CEO, QTV, explains, "The work of Football's Square Mile is vital to our understanding of the origins of international association football. Glasgow's role in the development of the global game should be recognised by all football fans, and QTV has been proud to capture and help bring to life the important events that FSM has hosted in their quest for this recognition. It, therefore, is entirely appropriate, obvious, and a great source of pride, for QTV - as fans of football, cricket, and the promotion of sport in general - to join the FSM Alliance and formally add our name to the supporters of their cause, and the campaign to save the site of the First Hampden Park.”
The #Fitba150 showcase kicked off a decade of 150th anniversaries, celebrating the most important decade in world football, when the world’s biggest social phenomenon began to explode.
David Coutts, FSM Director, explains, "When we celebrated the 150th anniversary of the first men's international football match (#Fitba150), we wanted to do more than just hold a series of events. We aimed to create special moments that would help everyone understand our mission and to share it with more people. That’s why teaming up with QTV has been fantastic. They did a brilliant job capturing our special moments and putting everything together perfectly."
One of the incredible stories we are sharing with the wider world is the role cricket played in the development of the global game. Richard Young, FSM Director, explains, "The historical links of the Glasgow area cricket clubs, such as Clydesdale and West of Scotland, with football are a fact very few know. Countless football clubs were born when cricketers turned to football during the winter months of the 1870s and later decades, thereby triggering the explosion of football across Glasgow, Scotland, and then the world through the actions of the trailblazing Scotch Professors.
On St Andrew’s Day 2022, we celebrated the 150th anniversary of the world’s first international football match, which was ‘Game One’ of international football, where Queen’s Park Football Club chose an enclosed cricket ground to generate enough income to fund ‘Game Two’ and beyond, a template for what would become modern stadium sport and also the development of football as a global sport.”
This announcement adds to the number of organisations, including The National Trust for Scotland, Cricket Scotland, and the Sheffield Historian's Team, calling on local and national organisations to work together to save the site of the First Hampden Park. This shows how important this site is from football, cricket, and social history perspectives, both nationally and internationally.
Graeme Brown, FSM Director, explains, “Our mission started in 2016 to showcase the importance of the First Hampden Park site, and it is the centrepiece of our UNESCO World Heritage campaign for Football’s Square Mile. Hampden Bowling Club will close on 28th February 2026, and we are actively working with the local residents group and wider Football’s Square Mile Alliance to ensure this site is left to an uncertain fate. The clock is ticking, and we need everyone’s support to safeguard this site for future generations to enjoy."
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