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| Action from the Scotland v Hungary under-21 match at Tannadice in March |
I was astounded when I
found out that Scotland had not played an full international match in Dundee
since 1936. In recent years Scotland have played matches in Aberdeen,
Edinburgh and even in Kilmarnock. They have also played at Ibrox Stadium
and Celtic Park. I think that it is right that the national team does
play in places other than Glasgow from time to time. On reflection,
despite it not being ideal I do think that Hampden is the home of Scottish
football and that bigger matches should be played there. However, it is
clear that it is not always practical to play at Hampden and therefore I think
that serious consideration should be given to playing in Dundee. As part
of the review which the SFA is undertaking at the moment they should set out
criteria for those matches which will be played away from Hampden.
I think that Dundee should certainly be included in any
list of venues for possible international matches. The recent under-21 match
in Dundee against Hungary proved that there is an appetite for Scotland matches
locally. Indeed the problems at that match were due to the fact that it
was more popular than the SFA expected. There have only been 4 full
Scotland internationals played in Dundee and the last one of those was in
1936. If the SFA is looking at changing where they play international
matches then surely it is time for Dundee to get a chance.
Playing an international match in Dundee would be good for
football fans as they would get the chance to see the best players playing
locally. It would also be good for Dundee because it would bring visitors
to the city and international attention to the city which would be good for the
city's economy. I hope that the SFA listen positively to my suggestion.
