 The next item of business is a debate on motion 1049, in the name of Marie Todd, on the role of football in Scottish society and communities. I would invite those members who wish to speak in the debate to please press the request to speak buttons, and I call on Minister Marie Todd to speak too, and to move the motion up to 11 minutes, please, Ms Todd. Thank you, Presiding Officer, well. Few issues managed to unite members in this Parliament, but proving the famous Bill Shankley quote about football being more important even than life and death, football appears to be one such issue. I welcome the support across the chamber and from all parliamentary groups for today's motion for debate, and I look forward to hearing members' contributions. I am sure that we were all shocked, as I was last week, to see the proposed guidelines that the traffic commissioners for Great Britain published on the consultation that they published on taking passengers to sporting events in Scotland. The consultation that was launched without any prior engagement with the Scottish Government, with the football authorities or with supporters in Scotland sought views on a range of restrictions that relate to the carriage of supporters to sporting events by public service vehicles, so that is coaches, in other words, and which purported to bring Scotland into line with England and Wales. The list of sporting events to which those new guidelines would apply were all and only football matches. Those guidelines would therefore not apply to a coach full of supporters going to Murrayfield to see the rugby or to a concert or to any other event. It is extremely difficult to see how those proposals could be workable under any circumstance, but they are especially impractical and demeaning in the current positive circumstances in which our national game finds itself, and without offering any evidence to suggest that they are necessary. Certainly, I am happy to give way. I thank the Minister for giving way, and I agree with everything she has said so far and agree that those rules around coaches were not appropriate. However, would she also accept that there is an element of antisocial behaviour around football? We have people urinating in the street, drinking alcohol in the street within my constituency, and we have celebrations by both Rangers and Celtic, which were a major problem for my constituents in Glasgow. Mr Mason and myself have discussed those issues already in the chamber very recently, and I certainly acknowledge that there is a very small minority of fans whose behaviour requires attention and effort from everyone who is involved in the game, who wants to ensure that the football game that we all love—it is our national game—is a huge level of positivity about football in Scotland, but we want to make it inclusive for absolutely everyone. Mr Mason is correct that some of the behaviour of a small number of fans is particularly challenging. I do not think that those fans who Mr Mason highlights who were particularly troublesome in his constituency would have the same need for a coach to travel to their fixtures, as people, for example, in my constituency, who are travelling a very long distance to watch football and who are causing no problem whatsoever. I am happy to give way to Mr Kerr. John Mason misses the point completely. Matters relating to this issue should be dealt with by the authorities in Scotland. Is that not the main issue that we are all united around? That is a very welcome change indeed. The regular organised supported coaches that attend league matches, the length and breadth of a country on a weekly basis, present little or no issues from a football safety officer or policing perspective. Many of them have local arrangements with pubs and clubs to get access, pre-match for a beer and a bite to eat, whether that would be a substantial meal or a microwaved scotch pie. However, those proposed guidelines portrayed a travelling football support that required to be highly regulated in how, when or where they travel by bus to avoid a risk to public safety and order. That portrayal is appalling. It is misleading and it is wrong, and it bears no relation to the reality. It paints a picture of Scottish football, which I simply do not recognise. The truth is that the vast majority of supporters' clubs and organised buses actually aid the maintenance of public order. Look at any bus travelling this weekend to any match and you will see men of all ages, but you will also see grandparents, grandchildren, young people, families, women and girls. Indeed, organised buses and supporters' clubs often enable fans who might not otherwise get to matches to do so. Of course, every fan that travels in a bus is potentially a car off the road, so they play their part in tackling climate change and cutting emissions, too. I welcome that under pressure the traffic commissioners for Great Britain chose to withdraw the consultation, and I would strongly—yes, certainly—I welcome the change of heart from the traffic commissioner, and his failure to consult was very wrong indeed. Failure to consult often leads to problems. We have a situation in which, in terms of rateable values, the Scottish Assessors Association fundamentally changed the methodology for rateable values for football clubs and stadiums. I know that the SFA and the SPFL have written to the Government, and I wonder if the minister would persuade her colleagues to consider the briefing that the SPFL and the SFA have sent the Government on the subject. I am certainly always happy to speak up for the SFA and other sporting governing bodies within Government. I am someone who, at my core, absolutely believes in the power of sport. I think that it is something that should be celebrated. I agree that sport reflects society, and sometimes there are challenges, but through sport and through football we have an opportunity to lead the way in some of the social challenges that we face. I would strongly urge that future proposals are developed with the full involvement of the Scottish Government and the Scottish football governing bodies, and, most important, supporters and fans. I have written directly to the traffic commissioners to make that request. However, this stromash has also provided our Parliament with a welcome opportunity to highlight the positive contribution that football makes to so many aspects of Scottish life. Never in my lifetime, as a Scotland fan, have we had such a purple patch at national level. I will certainly give way to Mr Cole-Hamilton. Alex Cole-Hamilton. I am very grateful to the minister for giving way. The minister rightly spoke earlier about the impact that football can have on helping to sustain public order. She talked about the transcendent qualities of football. Will she join me in paying tribute to the many youth work clubs around the country who use football as a means of bringing young people together, to give them skills, development and personal development, sometimes at great effect in reducing anti-social behaviour in their communities? Absolutely. More than happy to support those calls. I hope that we hear more about how football is used not simply for young people but for everyone in society to bring them together and to use the power of football for good. We might not have got the result that we wanted on Tuesday night at Hampton, but pretty much everything else about that sell-out match was fantastic. The national teams won an incredible five out of five qualifiers for the European Championships in Germany next summer, and back-to-back qualifications for that tournament are a very real possibility. Fans are not only flocking to international matches in huge numbers, but domestic football attendance, as many of you will be aware, is by some distance ahead of the rest of Europe on a population basis. A recently published figure showed over five million people attended matches in the 22-23 season, a record high. Of course, it is not just men's football that is growing, the women's game is going from strength to strength with the creation of the SWPL and the first-ever women's Scottish Cup final held at Hampton in 22. Last season's SWPL title went down to the final day with anyone of three teams capable of winning it, and our national women's team are inspiring people, especially girls, to take up the sport. Accelerate Our Game is the first-ever strategy for the entire girls' and women's game in Scotland, and it sets ambitious targets across participation, performance and club football. With endorsement of our strategy from UEFA Scotland's considered a best practice model, through this week's news report, still show how far we have to go to create a truly equitable approach. We have a strong track record in creating inclusive opportunities. CP football and homeless world cup are two powerful examples, and Scottish para football under the leadership of Ashley Reid runs parallel football for participants for whom the mainstream game is not accessible, including walking football, power chair football, football memories and autism football. Scotland is seen internationally as a leader in this and having recently won a UEFA gold award. We are very honoured to be hosting the APT Football Nations League in Fife in October, which I hope to be able to attend. Presiding Officer, with over 2,500 clubs across the country and over 900,000 people involved in one way or another every week, football is helping to deliver on key policy priorities for the Scottish Government. Football is at the heart of every community. 83 per cent of our population live within 10 miles of an SPFL ground. That is over 4.5 million people, but the research also shows that those living closest to those stadiums are three times more likely to be living in poverty, and football is playing its part in tackling poverty and linked challenges such as physical and mental wellbeing, education and attainment, employability and social isolation. We have quite a bit of time in hand, minister. Can I take a little bit more? Thank you so much. I will take an intervention from McPherson. I thank the minister for taking that intervention and fully endorse her points about the wide-ranging positive effect that football has on our communities. Would she, like me, pay tribute to the efforts in my constituency of Edinburgh Northern and Leith that the Spartans Community Foundation undertake, Street Soccer Scotland undertake and the Hibernian Community Foundation undertake, providing so much opportunity and wellbeing improvements across the constituency of Edinburgh Northern and Leith? Absolutely. I would heartily endorse the efforts going on in Ben MacPherson's constituency, but what I would say to the chamber is that that work is being replicated all over Scotland and the power of football is being used in every corner all over Scotland. I wanted to highlight the work of one club and a project that I had the absolute pleasure of visiting this August, the Bonnie Rigg Rose Football Club. The club offers a huge range of activities for men, for mums and for anyone who might be isolated. Many of the people who benefit from the support on offer there might have been reluctant to seek support through more traditional routes. Those people for whom accessing health care, accessing mental health help through traditional routes, are able to go to their community club and meet very professional councillors who can help them with a range of issues from domestic abuse to neurodiversity to the struggle with addictions. It was phenomenal. The work of clubs, like Bonnie Rigg Rose, is absolutely priceless, but its social return on investment can now be measured through UEFA's model. The model shows that the impact of community participation in the club was worth £3.95 million. I thank the minister for taking that intervention. I remind the Parliament that I am the convener of the PFA Scotland parliamentary interest group. In this debate about the role of football in Scottish society and as the minister responsible for mental wellbeing as well as sport, I wonder if the minister is prepared to lend her support to the campaign for recognition that dementia in former professional football players is an industrial injury? Certainly, I am keenly aware of the debate around the issue of dementia and its association with football and the association with head injury in acquired through sport and other diseases and concerns. There is a lot of work going on in this, not least in the areas to where women may be more susceptible to concussion than men. What I would say is that the evidence base is not entirely clear yet, but I and everyone with an interest in the game is watching keenly to see that evidence base develop and to see what we can do to firstly make participation in sport more safe in future and secondly to ensure that those who have acquired injury through sport are supported in later life. I would have to say that it is, I would say, a sadness to me that the traffic commissioners of Great Britain appear to know so little about this rich hinterland of Scottish football. How else to explain how they arrived at the proposed guidelines that failed to recognise the reality of being a travelling football supporter in a country that is 98 per cent rural? It is unclear what problem they thought they were trying to fix, other than to bring Scotland into line with guidelines elsewhere in the UK. Imposing unnecessary and unhelpful rules without understanding the consequences of those suggests that here is yet another area where we need the powers to make such guidelines for ourselves in the future. A four nation approach to issues of transport safety is absolutely still important, but there is no reason why this could not be achieved through co-operation and collaboration where needed. Presiding Officer, would the lady like to make an intervention? Rachel Hamilton. I would just like to point out to the minister that co-operation works both ways. Certainly does, so having this imposed on us without any consultation, even with the Government, never mind the governing bodies, never mind the fans and clubs, is absolutely outrageous. I am really pleased to see that my Conservative colleagues agree with me that having issues imposed in Scotland simply to align them with England without any consultation is absolutely not good enough. I thank you for your support on that. I hope, Presiding Officer, that today's members' contributions will show the commissioners just how strongly Scotland's Parliament feels about the issue and feels about football more widely. I urge them to listen to what we have to say, to go away and to think again, not least as to whether those guidelines are needed at all and, at the very least, to adopt a fair play approach to that process. I move the motion in my name. Minister, as the chamber will have picked up, we have extra time today, and therefore members wishing to display their creating skills will be indulged in that. I would invite those who are looking to participate in the debate and who have not yet pressed their request to speak butons to do so as soon as possible. I call on Stephen Kerr for a generous seven minutes, Mr Kerr. I saw what the Prime Minister did there, boom, boom, on the extra time in this debate. Well done, Presiding Officer. My goodness me. I started off by talking about how we're going to be united about football and then spent the next 15-16 minutes creating division where there doesn't need to be division. That was the speech that was going to be given to the previous motion, but it couldn't be bothered to update it so it gave the old speech instead. It's ridiculous, frankly, that the minister couldn't actually live up to our opening paragraph about the fact that this is something that can unite it. This is a rare privilege for me as a backbencher now to respond to a Government motion in this Parliament. Some first reflections on football, Scottish football in the last week. Tuesday was only a friendly. As Steve Clark said, sometimes you need to take your medicine. The men's team will come back stronger because what's being achieved right now by Steve Clark and the Scotland men's team is truly exciting to watch. Now, the FA need to come up with their own anthem for when England play. It's that simple. They really shouldn't be using God save the king. That anthem is the anthem of the whole United Kingdom, not England. Matter relating to football fans travelling to and from matches in Scotland in buses or any other means of transportation is a matter for the authorities in Scotland end of story. No need to go talking about it anymore. It's dealt with. It doesn't exist. Those guidelines withdrawn and rightly so. In a chamber debate last week, I said something about us not living our lives as isolated beings. Even though we have our individual identities and preference, we are woven together in society. I believe in the power of community, in the importance of the identity of a community. I believe in civic pride. Whenever I think about football and the community, my mind goes back to 1978. Yes, I am that old. I can remember 1978. Apologise to Mr Kerr for interrupting. I want to hear what he's got to say, so I very gently ask for your guidance to ask members to speak through their microphones. Thank you very much for that point of order. I was going to make that point myself. I didn't know whether or not, with the projection that Mr Kerr has, that it would be but I think it is valuable advice to Mr Kerr and everybody. Mr Kerr, you can have the time back. Yes, I'm terribly surprised that you couldn't hear me up there. It's not very far, but I think about 1978. I will pull the microphone down. How's that? My first exposure in 1978 to the power of football and civic good, and it relates to my hometown's football team, Forfer Athletic. Archie Knox had the managerial reins at Station Park, and he'd go on to do other things with Sir Alex Ferguson, Walter Smith, but the loons, we need microphones that hang down, don't we? That's just another suggestion, but the loons had reached the semi-final of the league cup. They were to play Rangers, the mighty Glasgow Rangers, the Rangers of Jock Wallace, John Gredd, Derek Johnson, Davie Cooper, and the game was supposed to take place in the November of the year before, but bad weather had forced it to be played on a Monday night in February 1978. There was a huge build-up to the game, and I think that the whole population of Forfer travelled to Glasgow, to Hamden Park for the March, and we were bursting with pride, pride in the team, pride in the town, and as I remember it, even Forfer's Rangers supporters had got behind Forfer Athletic. On the night itself, the part-time players of Forfer Athletic took the mighty Glasgow Rangers to extra time. I suppose realistically speaking, the result was inevitable, but you can dream in that night, even though we were defeated, we all floated home to Forfer, because it was a dream fulfilled. We, and I emphasise we, had nearly caused a football sensation, and the way being the team and the people of Forfer. What hasn't changed since 1978, is the profound significance of football clubs to communities, and the positive impact they can have. It's my belief in community that leads me to urge caution against one-size-fits-all policies that neglect the importance of individuals within the wider context of a community. Politicians should empower the people, not instruct. People are agents, not objects. Football clubs remind us of this by serving individual needs while bringing communities together. For young people, football clubs inspire dreams, dreams of playing. For working people, they offer a 90-minute escape from life stresses. Football brings people together, promotes intergenerational companionship, strengthens family bonds and creates cherished memories. For me, growing up, it was about going to station park with my dad, complete with the half-time Forfer bridey, and later taking my daughter and sons to the football. Those who have not partaken of a Forfer bridey have missed out on one of life's great culinary delights, so I urge my colleagues to try brideys. The family outings that I am describing resonate across our nation. We should be mindful, as policymakers and lawmakers, about what will strengthen and give support to the institution of the family. Communitarian identity cannot be imposed from above. It happens when local people come together and act voluntarily, and football plays a powerful role in bringing communities together. Its impact extends beyond the stadium, as fans gather in pubs and cafes before and after games, supporting local businesses. Football can combat the blight of loneliness. We do not speak enough about loneliness in this Parliament, because I believe that it is one of the biggest silent killers in our society—isolation and loneliness. Football brings people together. Football clubs increasingly offer work experience to young people, especially in the realms of social media and marketing, and it creates and lays career pathways that many go on to follow. Through charity work, football clubs support vulnerable community members and global causes. Whilst there are numerous examples in central Scotland that I would like to draw on, I want to bring the chamber's attention to the work that is being done by East Stirling Football Club, who have recently announced their EcoVision project, which aims to make the club carbon neutral by 2035. This season alone, East Stirling is offsetting carbon emissions from all away game travelling, planting a tree for every 10 programmes sold at home games, and using recycled materials for all new goods sold. At the heart of East Stirling's project is sustainability, but sadly for many football clubs across the country, financial sustainability is becoming more difficult. With football inflation, rising costs in the general economy changes in how people partake in football, support football, running a football club in the lower divisions is becoming increasingly difficult financially. Because of the social benefits the society benefits that local football clubs create, this parliament I think has a duty to explore the ways in which we can get behind our local football clubs. We should explore how to use football to create more social good and to create sustainable and tangible better outcomes. When the minister was being positive in about the three minutes of her speech where she was positive, she did talk about things that are of vital importance. I have mentioned loneliness, she mentioned physical, mental and emotional health, and these issues are best tackled through social interaction and cohesion that the local football club can create. It is good for people and it is also good for the local economy. Of course, I am not arguing for a blank check for football clubs, but public bodies as well as third sector organisations ought to be exploring how to develop deeper connections with football clubs to harness their broad appeal to power social change and social good across the entire demography of a community. Football clubs are at the heart of our communities. They bring people from different generations together, they strengthen family bonds, they bring individuals a sense of identity, a civic pride and that is shaped by a shared history and a shared local culture. Football is at the heart of Scottish life and we in this parliament should recognise and encourage the creative and positive reach of Scottish football and for the remainder of our debate. I hope that we will hear less of grievance and grudge and much more a celebration of what community football clubs are achieving for their communities right across our nation. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I welcome the chance to speak in this debate. First, I must declare an interest. I love football and that is why I am leading this debate for Scottish Labour today. Secondly, I must declare I am sadly not any good at football hence why I am leading this debate for Scottish Labour today. Of course, I am not alone in my passion for football. Football is not just a sport in Scotland, it is woven into the very fabric of our society. The legendary sports journalist Hugh McElvaney and his book on football quotes Arthur Hopcraft when he wrote, football is built into the urban psyche as much a common experience to our children as school and extended family. It is not a phenomenon, it is an everyday matter. Presiding Officer, this week we celebrated 150 years of international association football in a match between Scotland and England in Glasgow. Football has been central to the life of our communities over the last century and a half. It is our national game and a force for good, as other members have already said. It is important that we recognise this anniversary as it makes us reflect on just how much the game has grown and evolved. Today we should celebrate football and debate more we can and should do to support it. Before I turn to that, Presiding Officer, I do want to welcome the halting of the traffic commissioner's proposed guidelines. The draconian proposals that include the restrictions on arrival and departure times, pick-up points and reporting to a dedicated police officer were set to punish football fans in Scotland. Those proposals were completely unnecessary and interfering in people's lives when they are merely trying to watch the game they love. That is why we completely oppose them and that is why we will support the motion today. Cesar Luis Menotti, Argentina's former World Cup winning manager said, football belongs to the working class and has the size and ability and generosity to allow everyone to enjoy it as a spectacle and everyone should be able to enjoy it. Of course we expect football fans to behave appropriately and responsibly, but let's be honest here, there's often a snobbery and it is a snobbery towards working-class football fans from the establishment that is not felt by fans of other sports. We know here in Scotland what happens when the government fails to listen to fans and overreacts to. The prime example of this was the pushing through of the discredited and now thankfully repealed offensive behaviour at foot black when football fans were again on fairly target and treated as second-class citizens. This is just one example. The Scottish Government should reflect on its own track record because sadly many fans don't view the Government as a friend and ally of football and that is regrettable. In fact the Government should be the game's biggest fan and champion. Just as the Scottish Government has recently stated its intention to reset its relationship with businesses, perhaps in this moment the Scottish Government should also reset its own relationship with football fans and clubs. I thank the member for giving way and I take his point that football fans should not be unfairly discriminated against but would he accept that it's at football games where we have rangers and Celtic especially fans shouting hatred at each other, hatred of the Irish, hatred of Catholics and that does not happen at netball and rugby and basketball. Of course we want fans to behave responsibly and I was just going to come on to the issue of relationships between clubs because I've called for a reset between relationships between government and fans. I also actually think there needs to be a reset perhaps between relations between our clubs as a result of opposition fans continuing to receive limited or zero allocations at our way games. I don't accept the premise of what Mr Mason has said. Often it's said that people attend other sporting events are impeccably haved and it's only football fans that misbehaved. I do not accept that at all. I said earlier that football is a force for good. Would he also accept it, despite what John Mason says, that we have a completely different relationship with football than we do with all the sports that he just listed, that the traditions, the history of Scottish football are something to be respected and admired. John Mason's contributions in this debate so far seem to be all geared to somehow belittling or reducing Scottish football and we shouldn't be doing that, we should be celebrating it today of all days. Neil Bebachan, I would agree when we should be celebrating football and the force for good that football is and I want to pay tribute to all our coaches and players, especially those at the grassroots who give up their time for their teams. We invest in football because we recognise that it can reach people, government and the authorities often can't. There are numerous examples of great charitable work by our clubs on things like employability and tackling obesity. One example I want to highlight is the fantastic Street Stuff initiative, a partnership programme between Renfrewshire Council, St Merrin and the Police, which provides weekly activities primarily in the evenings and weekends, which are free to young people throughout Renfrewshire. Since 2009, Street Stuff's approach has contributed to a reduction of 65% in reported youth disorder and antisocial behaviour. Initiatives like these provide evidence to show the multiple benefits that football has in our communities and society and that is why investment in the game is vital. Whilst we celebrate 150 years of international football this week, we must remember also the disgraceful banning of women's football between 1921 and 1974. It is therefore hugely welcome to see women's football grow and thrive in recent years and we must recognise that this hasn't happened by chance. It has happened because of the pioneering work of inspirational women and I would say that they are inspirational to girls but I think they are inspirational to all of us. Inspirational work by those many women across Scotland including those at Glasgow City FC who I recently met. They told me of a time when they were forced to use car headlights in place of floodlights in order to play. This reinforces the need to reverse cuts to playing fields and investment in sports facilities to make them accessible to everybody who wants to play the game. Finally, we also need to receive positive reform to support the game and to ensure the interests of the fans are always at the heart of the game. Independent research by the Scottish Football Supporters Association has revealed a disconnect between supporters and those running the game. Scottish Labour therefore welcomes the publication of the fan-led review by the Scottish Football Supporters Association. We are considering carefully all the recommendations in that report and urge the Scottish Government to publish their own response to the review as soon as possible and I would suggest that we should also have a full parliamentary debate on that issue too. Presiding Officer, football has played a crucial role in our society for 150 years with a reset in relations with fans, a reversal of cuts to facilities and reform of the game we can and should make our national game fit for the next 150 years. We now move to the open debate. I call Fulton MacGregor to be followed by Douglas Lums in around six minutes. It is a great privilege to speak in this debate. I would also like to start by drawing members' attention to the fact that I am the convener of the cross-party group on the future of football in Scotland in this Parliament. Love it, like me, or love it, like I am sure others. The fact is that football is an integral part of Scottish society and therefore of great value to all the communities that we in here represent. In terms of those who support the game, let's consider some of the stats. In the last season, in 2022-23, the SPFL enjoyed record attendancies exceeding 5 million people, the highest attendance per capita, anywhere in Europe. Furthermore, a study by the Fraser of Allander Institute showed that the activities of SPFL clubs and spending by fans at league and cup competitions as far back as 17-18 contributed over £400 million to the Scottish economy and helped support over 9,000 jobs. That is why, and I will not dwell on this too long, Stephen Kerr, I will be happy to hear, that is why the traffic commissioner's proposed consultation on proposed new guidelines for fans travelling to football matches in Scotland was so outrageous and misplaced. I am glad that it has now been withdrawn and I take on board Stephen Kerr's comments. I think that he can't get fairer than that. Fans are the lifeblood of the game and the recently published fan-led review of Scottish football, as just mentioned, is perhaps another demonstration of that. While talking about fans, I just do want to touch on John Mason's points, because he did receive a couple of interventions on that. I don't think that John Mason's points can be ignored. We all know that sometimes fan behaviour can be difficult. Those need to be addressed, although the answers, as we found out in previous legislation, are not simple. As I said, I will not dwell on that too long, but I do not think that we can simply ignore those concerns. We do know that they are always a very small minority. Moving on to the stats for those playing the game, they are just as impressive. It is estimated that an impressive 800,000 people play some form of football in Scotland. That includes those involved in regular ffifocides, like myself, as you know. Walking football, like that run by Albin Rovers in the community, that I had recently the pleasure of visiting. Powerchair football, among many others. In terms of the grass-roots game, the SFA have highlighted that, in 2019, there were over 147,000 players, the majority of those being young people and children at a grass-roots level. I thank the member for taking the intervention. Does the member agree with me that we must all be focused and determined to make sure that we continue to have a substantial amount of facilities in communities for people to take up the game and discover the game? Given that local authorities need to give that focus, would he, like me, urge local authorities, including City of Edinburgh Council, to make sure that there is adequate provision of football pitches? Unfortunately, in my constituency, we have seen a decline in the number of football pitches available. I totally agree with that point, and I will come back to it later. I want to thank my friend and colleague Ben Macpherson. Local parts in community hubs across the country are full every night of the week, with young people playing the game and learning life skills. I have a bit of experience in this, too, as a football parent, with my eldest child playing at Dunbeth FC, how well-established football team in Coatbridge. Indeed, for him that is interesting, he will be going straight to training after the decision time tonight. Of course, Dunbeth is only one of many teams in my constituency, and I would like to pay tribute to all the coaches and volunteers who work selflessly at these teams to ensure such good experiences for the young people. It is also great to notice the huge rise in the girls' game at grass-roots level, mirroring what is happening in the professional game. I know that all clubs locally are doing work in this area, but I would like to highlight that of Burnbank FC and Bedley FC for the groundbreaking work that they are doing in this area. So, as demonstrated through the recent UEFA growth report, football is very much a force for good in helping to deliver the Scottish Government's health and wellbeing priorities for individuals and communities. It is also worth what is estimated whopping £1.35 billion to the Scottish economy. Presiding Officer, as I highlighted the outset, I am the convener of the cross-party group on the future of football in Scotland. The SFA are the secretariat there, and I would like to thank Paul McNeill from the SFA for all his support to the group over the years. I hope that he is watching. As I did not say on the night, I would like to thank him for all his work on the recent reception that I hosted in here back in May, celebrating 150 years of the SFA and an excellent evening, celebrating the value and power of football in changing lives. There are a number of things that we have discussed at the cross-party group, and I would recommend to the Government and local authorities today. Firstly, as Ben Macpherson already preceded me in saying, is access to facilities. I know in my local area that teams often struggle to get pitches, even if they are within the town itself. A new school hub in Cairnborough and Coatbridge with pitches opened up only a couple of weeks ago, and was already booked out before even a ball was kicked, with many local clubs left disappointed with their allocation. North Lancer Council, to be fair, is carrying out a review of football pitches across the authority. We in the cross-party group believe that some work needs to be done at a national level to ensure equity of access, and that must also include appropriate facilities to help to promote the growth of the women's and accessible games. Furthermore, we do think that more can be done to make the game more affordable in deprived areas. I welcome the First Minister's recent announcements in this area, but if football is free for young children, or at least for those who cannot afford it, this will be an investment in the long-term, not an expense. The third ask would be more support for the community clubs to grow their facilities and community engagement. On that note, I welcome the minister's response to my recent letter in accepting an invite to visit Albin Rovers in the coming months to hear more about their plans in this area and the challenges that they are facing. In conclusion, the men's national team might not have won on Tuesday night in a 150-year heritage match, but we are on course for Germany, which is very good. Even more importantly than that is the pivotal role of football in our society, and it has been well demonstrated here in this debate, and I think it will continue to be. We have the power in this chamber and across the country to harness it even further to improve our wellbeing, community cohesiveness and prosperity as a nation. Just last week, the Parliament heard the former First Minister saying that this Parliament needs to be less polarised. That happened last week briefly, it seems, thanks to an unusual source in the UK Transport Commissioner. I am glad that the commissioner heard the united roar of anger from members of all parties and scrapped their ill-thought-out proposals. From sitting on the finance committee, it is clear that there are too many commissioners in this Parliament, but it seems that the UK Parliament may have a similar problem. As a football fan, I am getting fed up with being branded a criminal just because a small minority of fans cannot behave. The proposals that were put on the table were completely over the top, unworkable and unwanted. However, to be fair, it is not just the actions of the Transport Commissioner that looks to treat football fans unfairly. As has been said already, this place has often passed laws that have branded fans as criminals and not targeted the minority who cannot behave. We also have different laws on alcohol, for example, in stadiums between rugby and football fans, so there is a discrimination there. One fan who could not behave the other night was our First Minister, Smirkin, when God saved the king who was booed. An absolute disgrace for someone in his position, he should be leading, not laughing. I will indeed. It is interesting to note that the First Minister and his wife had just spent the weekend at Balmoral with the king. Douglas Longstone. I thank the member for that intervention. It is rather quite ironic that he was meeting the king one minute and then smirking the next. That is my rant over. I will take an intervention. The entire intervention agrees with the member Stephen Kerr that perhaps another national anthem ought to be chosen to avoid controversy. We will write to the FA in England to appraise them of their stance. I thank the minister for that intervention. I cannot talk for everyone else on the Conservative benches, but it is certainly my view that I share with Stephen Kerr that they should have their own anthem. I will take another intervention on that point. Ben Macpherson. Just on that point, as somebody whose mother is English, would the member agree with me that the great country of England should have a national anthem that talks about more than one person? Douglas Longstone. That would be something for the English FA to decide. The point that it was making was that the First Minister, in his position, should not be laughing at what was happening the other night. I will move on, Presiding Officer, because that is my rant over. I promise to be more positive from now, but it demonstrates how important football is to our society and how emotive it can be. Football has always been part of my life. It provides stories and memories. I remember as an 11-year-old queuing up all night to get a ticket to see Aberdeen beat by a Munich 3-2. I remember my first Scotland game, not such a happy memory. I happened in 1989 when we were gnarly beat by England and the long bus journey home. Closer to home, my son and daughter came along, helping out with their school teams, and when they got older, travelling the country to watch games. Memory is what I can remember from years ago, while at the same time I can't remember what I had from a dinner last night. We had an event in Parliament this week, celebrating volunteers in Scottish sport, hosted by my colleague Liz Smith. I want to give a big shout-out to all those volunteers who help to run sports clubs, including football, right across Scotland. Without those volunteers, grass-roots football wouldn't exist. As a councillor at Aberdeen City Council, I was able to see first-hand the impact football trusts make in our communities. I want to talk about two of those just now. Since being set up in 2014, Aberdeen Football Community Trust has shown the important role that football plays in our local communities. Over the years, the trust has partnered with 17 primary schools and seven academies across the north-east. Their work has increased pupils' attendance and timekeeping and improved attainment and behaviour. Amazingly, a total of 119 pupils have achieved SQA qualifications through the trust's interventions. The Trust's Youth Ambassador programme gives young people the opportunity to gain real-world experiences, skills and qualifications to volunteer in opportunities and work experience. However, the work of the trust goes beyond educational. The Trust's 12-week mindset programme, which breaks down the stigma around mental health, has been delivered to every S1 pupil in three secondary schools in Aberdeen City academies. The work of the trust is not limited to young people. The football memories programme and the regular health walks offer a safe space to those suffering with dementia and their families while improving participants' mental and physical wellbeing and tackling loneliness, as Stephen Kerr had mentioned earlier. It is because of the programmes that the trust offers and the positive impact that it has on our local community, it is not surprising that the trust has been awarded both the UEFA Best Professional Football Club in the community award and the Queen's award in 2019. As a councillor, I often thought how the AFC community trust could reach out to people the local authority could not, but I guess it ties back into how the clubs are woven through that is a part of the fabric of our community. In Aberdeen where we are lucky, we also have the great work done by the Dennis Law Legacy Trust. The trusts were instrumental in setting up croif courts in Aberdeen. Those free-to-play courts have a huge impact on some of the areas of Aberdeen. I approved them in partnership by then the Conservative-led administration, I was proud to lead. The Dennis Law Trust also worked in partnership with local police in tackling anti-social behaviour, providing their street sport programme five nights a week, improving health and wellbeing, and reaching out to youngsters right across the city. It is not just the Conservatives and local government that are helping grass-roots football. Let us not forget the recent announcement of the UK Government in investing 20 million in grass-roots multi-sports facilities in Scotland. A huge boost, warmly welcomed by the SFA, who will see a significant portion of this cash and said that this will help to reinforce the power of football locally and, in doing so, develop our national game. Of course, there are huge economic benefits that football brings. Travel operators and hospitality venues benefit hugely on the back of match days. Town centres benefit hugely by having our stadiums close by, so I really hope that Aberdeen Football Club and the local council can work together to ensure that the UK's first net zero stadium can be built in this city. The 150-year anniversary of the Scottish Football Association association really is something to celebrate. The SFA can rightly be proud of its contribution to world football, and if England claimed to be the mother of football, then Scotland claim must be to be the father of football, and that, Presiding Officer, should make us all proud. Stuart McMillan, to be followed by Michael Marra, around six minutes. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. First of all, I was keen to speak in today's debate as a football fan. I'm a Greenock Morton fan, and I also follow the national team. Supporting both over the years has not always been easy. However, football fans do live for these days when we actually get a chance to witness something special. As in France for the World Cup in 1998 for the Scotland-Norway game, and your memories have stayed with me for the rest of my life, I also had the honour of piping our national anthem in Hampden in 2019, when Scotland played Cyprus in a qualifying match. I also had the pleasure of piping at Capilloh, and also around Finland when Morton took part in our pre-season tour in 1996. As colleagues in the Chamber will know, in 2017 I did the paperthorn around all the senior football clubs in Scotland to raise some money for charity. In recent years, I've been able to take both my daughters to watch both Scotland and Morton, and I've also attended a Scotland women's match at Hampden. I'm going to touch upon the growth of women's game in a moment, but for anyone who wasn't aware, not only did the first men's international take place in Scotland, the first women's international in Great Britain took place in Greenock, at Ravenskig stadium on the 18th of November 1972. It was a Scotland versus England match. The match was held at the stadium last year to mark the 50th anniversary of the game, and there is no line saying that Scotland is a home of international football. The football has the ability, possibly like no other sport, to impact a local town or a nation's mood. Just think of the collective anticipation that we all felt on Tuesday in the build-up to the Scotland-England match. Sadly, the result wasn't what I certainly would have wanted, and I can see Mr Simpson smirking over there. The men's national team is on the cusp. I shouldn't need to point out to Stuart McMillan that I am a Scotland fan, but I was born in Aberdeen and I think he knows that, so I was rooting for Scotland. Stuart McMillan? No, thank you. As an English born Scot, my loyalty is clearly on one side on Tuesday night. Certainly for the men's national team that are on the cusp of reaching our second Euros in a row, and there is so much optimism and excitement around the men's national team at present, and long may that continue. There is no doubting the role that football plays in our societies and communities. No playground would be the same without a ball being kicked and it would not be a family party without someone talking about the most recent football results. Football is ingrained in Scotland. It's hard to ignore our national game. Even those who are not regular football spectators got involved during the Euros in 2021. Their length and breadth of the country felt the excitement that only those old enough to remember the halcyon days of Craig Brown and Andy Roxburgh taking us to international tournaments. Sure. Douglas Lumsden? He mentioned Craig Brown and I just wondered if he would like to join me in remembering what a great man Craig Brown was, and obviously we lost him recently. Great manager for Scotland and Aberdeen. Stuart McMillan? I absolutely agree with the comments mentioned by Craig Brown. He was an outstanding manager and a servant to football in Scotland, and obviously managed elsewhere too, but an outstanding servant to Scottish Football, and a great loss. My local club, Gwnt Morton, celebrates their 150th anniversary next year, and I look forward to colleagues to sign the motion where I put it down in due course. No one can enter or leave Inverclyde without driving past Capitol, one of Scotland's most traditional grounds, also with one of the smallest pitches, and it's got so much character to it. Many parent-child bonds have been developed standing in the Cowshed in the stadium, cheating on Morton legends like Alan McGraw and the Richie and Alan Mahood just to name just three, but football has that ability to actually unify us in the most special way. When the late Alan McGraw passed away earlier this year, there was an outpouring of emotion for Mr Morton, a man who was inducted into the club hall of fame in 2017 after spells as a player and a manager of the club. In 2019, a group of Morton fans called Morton Club Together began with the aim of contributing to the first team playing budget. That goal developed into pursuing community ownership, and now, as of June 2021, Gwnt Morton Football Club is owned by its fans. Morton Club Together is an entirely volunteer-led organisation with many dedicated people giving up time, effort and also money to help make community ownership a success. Where else would you see people giving up so much time, effort and money to something that they can often put sometimes in the worst of moods? Football clubs have that enduring hold over their fans. Morton also have the community development trust, and I had a member's debate about the Morton community development trust a number of years ago, and Morton and the community is what they're called. They're an example of what can be done with the right attitude and desire to make things better for people living in a community. Now led by Brian McLaughlin, the organisation has been operational since March 2013. They have created a healthier and safer region by working closely with key partners in the public and private sectors to create inclusive programmes that engage people of all ages and abilities. These range from physical literacy classes in nursery schools to non-elite coaching sessions with two to 16-year-olds, employability training for people of all ages, promoting healthy lifestyles and physical and mental well-being sessions. More than 5,000 people are engaged in these programmes on an annual basis. Inverclyde communities together and probably in other medium, certainly football can affect our communities so much better and so much more, but I want to finish by touching on the women's game. I generally think it's a really exciting time for young women and girls for football. No other time in history has there been so much support for the women's game. Generally I'm in no way in saying that things are equal because they're not, still got a long way to go, but young girls for the first time are having it normalised to see elite women's football and television at prime time. I know that many people watch women's football for the first time in Scotland to qualify for World Cup in 2019. The Scottish teams compete at a high level in European competitions and domestic games now appear regularly on LTV. I hope that the feel-good factor around the women's game at present continues to grow. Growing up at Scotland games, the men's games are free on TV. Before I was elected to this Parliament, I put forward a petition to the then Petitions Committee in about 2003-4 calling for the men's game to once again be shown on free to LTV. During this cost of living crisis, we should not be asking football fans to pay even more money to watch our national team play. The UK Government needs to hear these calls loud and clear to make sure that every young person's Scotland has the ability to watch our national teams at such an exciting point in our footballing history on free to air channels. Thank you very much. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Can I begin by giving my sincere apologies for missing the first two minutes of the Minister's speech? There's nothing worse than arriving late at the football to find you've missed the only goal of the game. I'm sure it was a highlight in that regard. I'm always glad of the opportunity to discuss Scotland's national game by day or night. I'm also glad of the outbreak of consensus around supporters' buses and the quite ludicrous and unwarranted proposals from the traffic commissioner, which resulted in receiving a lot of traffic in my inbox from fans across Dundee and the north-east. Those buses are a part of thousands of Scots' lives every fortnight, and they're their own wee communities that cross generations and cross classes. From the proposals, you would have thought that they were touring groups of Hell's Angels, bringing terror to our streets, but you're far more likely to find people doing quizzes about Scottish cuplins in the 1970s, their daily crossword before tucking into the handpiece that they made at home. But what we have seen in this policy, Presiding Officer, is not unusual. Football fans in Scotland do seem to be set apart from the general population, and over the last decade, they have become more and more used to being on the front line for blame for various versions of Scotland's ills by this SNP Government. The offensive behaviour at Football Act is set out by Mr Bibby was certainly the most obvious egregious and was also completely incompetent. It flowed from the tendency of this Government to set football fans apart, not just in policy but as a class in law, in that football fans are somehow different from all other sports enthusiasts and can be targeted as such for easy headlines. There is, of course, a historical class prejudice that runs through this, and our licence of the law as being different for football from rugby is the obvious illustration of that. The manner in which football fans were treated during Covid restrictions is a broader example. When restrictions were lifted, there was no food to be sold at football grounds while other sports had the beer taps flowing. The infamous cancellation of the Aberdeen versus Celtic match to make an example of thousands, because one young player made a very bad mistake with his own isolation, yet another example. At a time when the general observation of Covid rules was vital and having the willing co-operation of the public was also vital, it felt to football fans that they were to be the recipients of a different approach from this Government, that only punishment of kinds could teach them a lesson. For many, the absence of the game in their lives during Covid was intolerable. The huge rebound in match attendances to well above pre-Covid levels shows how much we wanted to be together, how much we missed the community and that part of our lives. Football is integral to the rhythm of Scottish life. We sit with our parents and our children, our friends and those who would be far flung strangers from different walks of lives but for this one shared obsession of highs and lows. We do stand on touch lines in horrific rain, watching daughters and sons and grandchildren. There are the volunteer coaches, the committee members, treasurers, bus conveners, league administrators, programme writers, bloggers, historians, journalists, fans and players of five, sevens and elevens who walk, who wheel, who sprint and who fall. Stephen Kerr is grateful to Michael Marra. I feel obliged since party leaders are not here that he did not mention match officials, I do not think, so I think I better put the record straight on that score so that I can lead another debate at some point. Michael Marra. I thank the member for that intervention. I do recall as party leader, referee in a match at Tannadise, running the line at Tannadise just last season when I done the United States conceded a penalty, a dubious penalty to hearts and the gentleman in question had flagged and my son started screaming at me, that's that man that you work with. I had to try and quickly abuse that we worked in the same building rather than very much closer than that but certainly our referees and the linesmen, the officials, play a huge part in our game. I think of Johnny's stressed days and sleepless nights over this goalkeeper search for the riverside under 10s, so many hours and so much passion, not all of it rational. Our game, of course, is not without its flaws, 21 men playing one game at hand in the other night and Jude Bellingham playing an entirely different sport. A reality check perhaps for our game is in need of, but an urgent further reality check is required when it comes to the damage done to players by repeated head impacts that my colleague Richard Leonard has mentioned already in the debate. It has left so many suffering from degenerative brain disease incurred in the line of their work. These are industrial injuries which the Scottish Government must recognise as such. They have to ensure that families are afforded the support based on what is overwhelming medical evidence. I am delighted that our injury time campaign and this most serious of issues is being discussed at Westminster this very afternoon, a debate brought forward by Ian Blackford MP and supported by Chris Stevens MP of the SNP. It is a good sign of cross party support for this very present and coming issue. We know that our national game has grave legacies to confront carefully and honestly. Sectarianism, homophobia, misogyny, racism, a microcosm of our society indeed, but all exist in the context of the love of the game and that should give us some hope. We watch football in this country more than anywhere else in Europe. We play as much as anywhere in the world and today we are at a moment when football, I believe, is more hospitable and more inclusive than at any time in its 150 years since the wise old men of Mount Florida invented the modern game. There is huge potential for football to help transform our health and how we see each other. It can be truly common ground between all of us. The community trusts of our senior clubs that feed berns, put boots on their feet and give them a rare chance for some of them of joy. The football fans in training, combating, obesity, a street soccer change centre in Loch E, working with people with addiction, the fans supporting food banks that started in Merseyside were copied in Dundee and is now spreading across Scotland, the inexorable rise and joyous rise of the women's game, but Rachel Corsay this week in court leading a captain's fight for equal treatment for her players. Zander Murray, a gay man changing attitudes with his honesty and his play, a new icon to stand alongside Andrew Watson 140 years ago the first black captain of our national team. So these are our stories in our national game in which we are all players. I welcome this debate and want to start on a positive note by celebrating that football contributes significantly to the culture, social, economic and sporting fabric of Scotland. That includes through the work of the Scottish FFA, which celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2023. Football right across the country and in every single one of our communities contributes to healthy lives, socialisation and even to careers and lifelong interests for so many of our young people. Millions of Scots attend games every year and pour money into the economy while enjoying football. It is not only the clubs that benefit, but it is also the hospitality sector, food and drink producers and indeed transport companies. Transport providers bring me nicely to my next point. I too, like many football fans, the length and breadth of Scotland, was outraged that the traffic commissioners for Great Britain published proposals last week to change the guidelines around supporters' buses in Scotland. If introduced, the changes would have had an impact on every fan travelling by bus to a game in a country. A joint statement from the Scottish FFA, Scottish professional football league and Scottish women's premier league said that the proposals were unnecessary and heavy-handed. Those plans came without any consultation with the Scottish Government and it would appear no consultation with Scottish football clubs, and it seemed completely unworkable. Reaction from Scottish football fans was overwhelmingly negative and Minister for Social Care, Mental Well-being and Sport, Marie Todd, wrote to the commissioner to better understand where the ludicrous proposals came from. As a result, the traffic commissioners for Great Britain ceased the consultation exercise, and I add my thanks to the minister. The scrapping of those ridiculous proposals is a victory for every Scottish football fan who stood up and made their voice heard loud and clear. The whole episode reeked of complete snobbery and the very fact that the UK traffic commissioner tried to do this speaks volumes of the contempt in which they hold our national game. Scottish football is something to be celebrated and our fans should be heraldied, and perhaps it is time for consideration about how football fans are treated more broadly. Let's ensure that this type of attack in our national game never happens again, and let's treat supporters like we do everyone else fairly. I ask the minister to continue to act in this vein. I thank the member for taking an intervention, and I do think that we should be treating everyone fairly. Does she think that the licensing laws that discriminate between football and rugby, for example, should be looked at again? I totally agree with you, and we should actually look at that again. As an advocate for equality, with a particular interest in women's participation in sport, I want to touch on women's football and celebrate the success of women's football in Scotland. I welcome that the Scottish Government is a committed and long-standing supporter of women's and girls football. Great progress has been made in recent years, and the Scottish Government is working with the Scottish FA and Scottish Women's Football to build on those strong foundations. The Scottish Women's national team now plays at Hamden and has delivered record crowds for women's qualifiers in Scotland. Elite Women's Football became the responsibility of the Scottish Professional Football League from season 2020 to 2023. The Scottish FA published its bespoke women's football strategy to accelerate our game in 2021. That strategy is helping to harness that power to ensure that women and girls' football in Scotland goes from strength to strength. The Scottish Government wants to increase the participation of women and girls in sport, and the success of the women's team will inspire more women and girls to get involved in sport from grass-roots activity to elite level. That includes the East Kilbride Dissel Girls Football Club in my constituency. The team has gone from strength to strength in recent times and is a great example of an inspirational Scottish women's football team. I would like to extend an invite to the minister to visit the team when her diary allows. Across Scotland, policy makers, businesses, institutions and individuals are embracing new ways of thinking to prioritise our collective wellbeing and help to build flourishing communities. The Scottish FA commissioned a wellbeing alliance Scotland report to foreign policy makers about the value of football and assist them with its potential contribution to policies aimed at building a wellbeing economy. Football has long been at the heart of Scotland's communities and has a unique reach. It is played and watched by children, young people and adults across Scotland, in the streets, in parks, in halls, on pitches and in stadiums. It is a sport that everyone should be able to get involved in when provision is tailored. Teams can comprise players of different ages, genders, physical ability and levels of performance. It should and must continue to be celebrated. In conclusion, I again want to celebrate the contribution of football to Scotland. I welcome the scrapping of the ridiculous guidance by the UK traffic commissioner and ask that we all work to celebrate the contribution of football, particularly women's football, to Scotland. To get straight to the point, the proposed restrictions before they were taken off the table on travelling football fans were unwarranted, unworkable and entirely out of touch. Having been rejected by the SFA, the SPFL, the SWPL, clubs and fan organisations, those proposals serve little purpose other than to demonise law-abiding citizens. In Scotland, our football fans should be celebrated. She talks about policies that are unenforceable and unworkable. Will she think about the ban on alcohol on SNP-run ScotRail, which started with banning alcohol on match days and is now extended to a permanent 24-hour ban, which bans alcohol on trains any time of the day, but goes as far as carrying alcohol in an unopened bottle unless it is in a bag that is not see-through. Is that not also unenforceable and unworkable? Shouldn't the SNP Government reconsider the ban on alcohol on our trains? I thank the member for that intervention. I am sure that he is aware that I am not the transport minister and I am sure that he would put the proposals to her and see what she says about that. A higher proportion of people attend football matches in Scotland than anywhere else in Europe, as we have already heard this afternoon, with our fans enjoying a wonderful reputation internationally for the support and atmosphere that they bring. On the rare occasions incidents occur, police and other bodies already have the powers needed to deal with them. I think that sweeping generalisations about football fans and their behaviour is frankly irresponsible. This afternoon was shown the value and benefit of football to our communities and I want to shine a light on the fantastic work carried out by some of the many football clubs and their supporters in my central Scotland region. As a fan-owned club, the difference from other well-mates to their local community should not be underestimated. In December last year, the club teamed up with Samaritans, Breathing Space, Childline and Local Charity Chris' house to launch a charitable kit that encouraged fans who are struggling to speak up, speak out and be heard. All profits made by the club on the kits were split equally between the four charities who provide a vital first point of contact for those who are needing to talk or are feeling suicidal. In 2021, a year disrupted by lockdowns, restricted numbers and travel, a social return on investment report found that Motherwell Football Club community trust brought benefits of £13.64 million to the local community. As the official charity of Motherwell Football Club, the trust uses the brand name of the club and the power of football to bring positive change to the local community through programmes that bring health and wellbeing benefits, tackle isolation and increase participation in sport. In recent months, supporters of Motherwell have raised thousands for mental health charities, at Christmas they organise a toy drive and regularly participate in food bank collections, something that is replicated by fans supporting food bank groups across Scotland. Similarly, at Falkirk Football Club, their community foundation is a community leader and provider of sport, health, education and employability activities to children, young people and adults. The community's wellbeing is integral to their work. Tacking deep-rooted issues is of the utmost importance. One initiative that stands out is their hugely successful partnership with Falkirk and Clackmannanshire carers. That partnership has resulted in over 600 season tickets being gifted to carers and cared for persons for the current football season. Their work is invaluable, and last year they had 3,603 unique participants through their door, making up more than 250,000 hours and providing 1,312 SQA qualifications, allowing local people to develop skills and opportunities to secure future employment. Football is very much a force for good, and fan ownership clearly has its benefits to those clubs. We need to understand what barriers there are to other clubs joining them and how we can facilitate that. Fan groups such as the Hamden Collective and the Scottish Football Supporters Association do phenomenal work to preserve our footballing heritage and encourage fan engagement. We need far more of that at a national level. The ludicrous proposal, which has thankfully been withdrawn that we are discussing this afternoon, was an infringement of the civil liberties of football fans. The demonisation of football fans is clear from the outset of the proposal. Although the title of the paper references sporting events, the word football is used 35 times in the document when no other sport is mentioned. While I welcome cross-party concern, it is important to highlight that harsh treatment of football fans is not a new concept and that we all have a responsibility to stand up to and challenge wherever we see it. The proposals were unmanagable. It was suggested that supporters could only buy alcohol in a pub with a substantial meal. That sounds like something that you would hear in a sitcom rather than on an official document published on a Government website. The knock-on effect for small businesses could have been significant, with pubs and restaurants near football stadiums on match days relying heavily on passing trade. In a cost-of-living crisis, we should be creating opportunities for traders not putting them under further pressure. The strength of feeling is emphasised when you have Rangers fans in agreement with Celtic fans and when you have parties across the chamber in agreement and when you have the SFA in agreement with supporters groups. We have to, however, remain vigilant. The proposal has been removed for now, but there is nothing to stop something like that coming back. If it does, we must together condemn any more attacks on our fans. I have to pay tribute to the fans who highlighted the proposal in the first place on social media. Going forward, we need to support fan groups, build on and empower their work, increase fan ownership of clubs and get more Scotland games on free-to-view TV. I fully support the calls from Stuart McMillan on that. We also need to do more to promote women's football as Collette Stevenson highlighted and provide parity for them. Fans are a phenomenal resource and support to their clubs and everything that we can do to support them benefits football across the country. Thank you. I call Brian Whittle to be followed by Kenneth Gibson. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I need to declare a couple of interests here. One, I have two grandkids who play for a youth team from our Premiership Club in Scotland. One of them just having come back from Borussia Dortmund playing in a tournament with Dortmund Real Madrid and Everton, quite an experience for an 11-year-old. Second, I have to declare that I have played football at a senior level. Yes, now, now, now. A long time ago. I'll put this in context, Presiding Officer. I was coaching Air United and during a pre-season tournament, we ran out of players and I had to put my shinny join and go on. In the post-match media, the manager Gordon Dale described my participation as I ran about a lot and drank a lot of water. Those of you who have seen me playing football will say that that is probably true. I am delighted to rise to speak about sport again. Indeed, the opportunity to highlight the positive contribution that sport has in our communities and the wider country well-being. The motion points to the role that football clubs play in their wider communities, and I think that that is a really crucial point. Many supporters have been encouraged to participate in exercise and weight loss programmes organised by clubs. I'm sure that quite a few of us have visited football clubs where mental health groups are held. Many of the participants would not access similar help from statutory services. I would point out here that the work of Cymaroc Football Club of Air United and St Myrran, I have to mention those three because I have coached at all three of them. Also, though, hearts and hips to name a few have fantastic programmes. You see, Presiding Officer, football clubs provide an environment that supporters feel comfortable in. They can walk the same paths as their heroes and heroines that they watch week in and week out. Football clubs are central to many community activities. Way beyond just watching the club, I do think it's important that we support these efforts as much as we can, not just assume that the football clubs will flute the bill. Even given this kind of interaction, I think it's a very, very positive thing for the football club as well, and those bonds with the respective communities delivering for a long-term future of the clubs as well as the wellbeing of the supporters. And we need to look at how we can build on those relationships for the health and future of those communities. Now, you wouldn't be surprised, Presiding Officer, to hear me advocate for the role of sport in our society. And I don't think I've said it often. We give the value to sport an activity that it deserves, said it many times. Physical activity is a key cornerstone of good health, and we need to consider how we do more to encourage physical activity given our very poor health record in Scotland. Of course I will. Douglas Lumsden I thank the member for taking the intervention. I think it was Ben Macpherson who made the point about lack of facilities. When I was trying to run football teams, it was not just the lack of facilities but also the cost of some of these facilities were making football out of reach for so many children. Brian Whittle I thank my colleague for that intervention because I think the biggest inequality that we have in this country is the inequality of opportunity. And I will again reiterate that sport is increasingly becoming the bastion of the middle classes. This is an issue that I and the member have exchanged views on and other points during the chamber. I am sure that the member would welcome that football, in fact, despite all the challenges, is the one sport that has equal participation right across the social and economic divide. That is indeed to be celebrated. Brian Whittle I will tell you from my personal experience here because I have my three eldest grandchildren. The eldest plays rugby and the next two play football, I said, for a senior. It happens now that they go for a senior club now. They did not used to go for two different senior clubs. That is three kids that had to be transported to three different venues at a weekend. Sometimes they had to call up paps, that would be me, to come and help. The problem that I have, as I said, is becoming the bastion of the middle classes. Scottish school sport is increasingly being dominated by private education. I know that you have challenged me in this before and said to me that it has ever been the case, but I have to say that you are just wrong. Brian Whittle I apologise to the minister. When I was at school, there were 36 rugby playing schools in Ayrshire. The last time I checked, that number was now six. If you look at the various Scottish schools' championships across many sports over the years and the sports, you will see this correlation. School sport has declined, along with access to sport, and at the same time, as the number of fast food outlets has exploded, this has led to the cost of obesity to the Scottish economy, standing at a staggering £5 billion. The mental health bill sits at £4.5 billion. Diabetes treatment accounts for 10 per cent of the NHS spend. I am a simple man who looks for simple solutions. The way we participate in sport now is increasingly about going home from school and then going somewhere else. The school estate here is very much part of the solution. That school environment is part of the solution. When I was at school, I never went home at four o'clock. There was always something else to do. We have to look at the issues that we are considering here. I regret not, because we are using up all the spare time that we have had. I want to look at the issues that we are trying to consider in the education environment, such as attainment, poor mental health, physical health and behaviour, and hunger. An investment in preschool activity along with a breakfast can help to address those issues, as well as dealing with that stigma. I will cut my speech here to sum up. Sport not only helps with physical health, but also the interaction, the camaraderie, the confidence, the resilience and the aspiration that spills into all aspects of life. Sport is such a force for good both in participation and in volunteering. It is time that we recognise that, and we are brave enough to change the goalposts when it comes to access to sport. Football clubs and sports clubs are at the centre of so many communities, and it is time that the Scottish Government recognises that and is properly invested in sport. I congratulate the Scottish Football Association on their 150th anniversary. Of course, the history of Scotland's beautiful game dates back much further, possibly to the middle ages. In its modern guise, football enjoyed rapid growth after the formation of Scotland's earliest clubs in the 1860s, and the SFA was established to organise how our games should have played and structured. In the generations since, our clubs and national teams have experienced many highs and lows, bringing joy and more than the occasional tear to millions. Earlier on, Stephen Kerr talked about Forther's epic journey to the League Cup semi-finals, and I recall that the fact that Rangers were not doing particularly well at that time. There was a certain allegation of the hot balls and cold balls when they did the draw so that Hart's forfer, Rangers and Celtic, being in the last four miraculously Rangers and Celtic avoided each other. That continued until St Myrran's magnificent 1-0 Scottish Cup final victory in 1987, when they sold out the cup final at Hamden and possibly thought, you know, we don't actually need to do the hot ball, cold ball thing. We'll sell out the final every year anyway, and since then there's been a plethora of different teams competing in the final and indeed winning it, Mr Kerr. Stephen Kerr, I assume that the member is using parliamentary privilege to make such a scurrilous accusation against the football authorities. That's why the word alleged is always important in such occasions. In the 1970s, Scotland had some of the world's most formidable players who played for European trophy-winning sides at Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa and Aberdeen. Sadly, a lack of self-beliefing at times, good luck on the pitch meant that Scotland fans were denied some of that great success that clubs achieved on the international stage. Celtic won the 1967 European Cup with a team entirely from the west of Scotland that included my solcoats constituent Bobby Lenox, still going strong at 80. Rangers won the cup, won us cup in 1972 and Aberdeen won two European trophies in 1983 and a classied and denited team beat Barcelona home and away, twice also a magnificent achievement. The professional game has seen radical change since and such results would be difficult in this day and age where money talks louder than ever before. The English Premier League is a wash with TV money and across Europe, many football clubs in the hands of capricious billionaires at best and all rich governments with questionable human rights records at worst and that makes it increasingly difficult for our club size to compete on the international stage. It is not surprising that some fans feel increasingly alienated from the modern game, which often prices out the most ardent. However, what gives us hope is that in Scotland, despite our club size no longer being as competitive as it were, the passion and enthusiasm of supporters shows no signs of abating. In fact, the Scottish professional football league continues to talk the match attendance per carter table across the world, with 21.3 attendees per 1,000 people at matches across our top four divisions and an average weekly support of 117,700 fans. That is 65 per cent more than second place Netherlands and despite Tuesday night's tactical setback, the national team is doing better than for years. We may have had to field players from Bournemouth, Norwich, Southampton and Watford, against those of Man City, Ban, Munich and Real Madrid, but the team has fire in its belly. Two smaller population in less than 30 years since securing independence, Croatia, with only 3.9 million people, has appeared in two World Cup semifinals, a European nations final and in the 2018 World Cup final against France, they were clearly robbed. Uruguay, with three and a half million souls, has twice won the World Cup and been South American champions 15 times six times more than Brazil. Who can forget tiny Iceland with fewer people than Ertug, defeating England 2-1 in Euro 2016, despite going one down in seven minutes to a dodgy Wayne Rooney penalty? If these countries can do well, so can Scotland. Football has always been a bit more than pitch action. The importance of football is difficult to overstate, giving many a social network feeling a belonging or sense of identity. Supporters also make a vital contribution to their communities and Scotland is a nation, although many charitable and community initiatives, through many charitable and community initiatives and money injected into local economies by fans travelling to attend games. That is not to say that Scottish football does not still have a problem with sectarianism, it does. Nevertheless, compared to fans of other sports, today's football fans face more restrictions following their teams on match days. I am therefore glad that the Scottish Government's motions refer to the traffic commissioners, ludicrous and widely criticised proposals to unfairly target football supporters following their teams. The commissioners' u-turn is a clear win for Scottish football fans supported by the SFA and First Minister who made the frustration at the proposals known loud and clear. I hope that the outcry will give way to more consideration as to how football fans are treated more broadly and involve representation of clubs and fans more directly. A prime example of this is the 2021-22 programme for government commitment, over the lifetime of this Parliament that will provide financial support to allow more communities to purchase a share in their local sports club or facilities by creating a fan bank. I am delighted that, earlier this year, Falkirk support of society was awarded a £350,000 interest-free loan as a first beneficiary of the programme, allowing them to buy collective shares in the club. It would be desirable in the long run to look at the German model as the growing, glowing example of how clubs should be governed whereby a minimum of 50 per cent plus one share of the club must be owned by club members. The results speak for themselves and the league's strength and financial stability, as well as its passionate fans who often pay as little as £10 for a standing ticket at one of the country's top Bundesliga clubs. In 2016, while LFC became the first top flight club in Scotland to be fan-owned, that is undeniable led to financial consolidation and stabilisation on and off the pitch with the team reaching cup finals and the club becoming ever more deep-rooted in the local community. While I have mainly focused on professional football in the men's game, let's not forget that the football we celebrate is played all over Scotland by men, women, boys and girls, in large stadia, to the pitches of junior and amateur clubs and in local parks and schools. Scrush fans do not need to see global stars pull on their team's kit in order to be passionate about their club or country, whether they need to be treated with respect and have their voices heard and how their clubs are run so that the club's interests and not shareholders are always put first. Thank you and we move to winding up speeches and I call on Colin Smyth up to six minutes please. Thank you Presiding Officer. It may not be when I and as we've heard Neil Bibby and Brian Whittle play it, but football really is the beautiful game. I've enjoyed listening to members talk of their love of the game, sharing the highs and lows of their teams from Stephen Kerr's memory of the loons missing out narrowly to Rangers in the Cup in 1978 and Douglas Lums in a slightly more successful trip to Potogy to see the dons defeat Bayern Munich on that memorable journey to Gothenburg 40 years ago. It's felt a wee bit like group therapy at times as we share our highs and lows and I'm going to add to that. I've followed my home team Queen and the South since I was a boy through thick and maybe slightly more thin. I was nine when I went to my first game at Palmerston, Patrick Thyssel at home, February 1980. The fourth round of the Scottish Cup, it wasn't a classic, my lasting memory was Alan Ruff's cuddly perm. I've seen Queen's and their only Scottish Cup final in 2008. It didn't matter that we didn't win thousands of the balloon white army still proudly paraded through Dumfries behind the open top team bus days after the game and of course getting to that cup final meant Queen's getting to Europe against Denmark's FC Northland and the chance to go to Copenhagen with so many fellow Dunhamers. Bill Shankley was right when he said football without fans is nothing but, Presiding Officer, we have heard in the debate that sometimes you wouldn't know that when you see how fans are often treated. Several members rightly commented on the recent now withdrawn proposals from the traffic commissioner for taking fans to football proposals that were ill thought out, unworkable and unenforceable. Neil Bibby was right when he said those plans showed the snobbery towards working class fans who are often treated as default criminals, just as they were by the also now dropped laws on offensive behaviour at football. That disrespect for our fans can often spill over into some of the decisions by football authorities. Gillian McKay and Stuart McMillan were right to highlight the calls for Scotland matches to be shown on terrestrial TV. Of course we need to maximise the income for our game, but the deal sign means that if you want to watch Scottish men's clubs and the national team, you need to subscribe to three separate two TV providers. Presiding Officer, I may stop short of repeating Bill Shankley's much misquoted words mentioned by the minister that the game is more important than life and death, but it does matter to fans. It's part of who we are, our history, our heritage. The spending power of our clubs, our fans, creates thousands of jobs across Scotland. It's one of our most significant economic and cultural exports, with Scottish footballers playing for huge clubs around the world and Scottish fans following the national team across Europe, including, I'm sure, Germany next year. Let's hope that I don't have to change the parliamentary record on that one. Football is also good for our health, it's good for our wellbeing, it can be and it is a force for good. That good goes beyond the big national and international men's teams. A number of members highlighted rightly the growth of women's football, inspiring girls and boys from the edge of the seat excitement of Glasgow City, snatching the SWPL title in injury time last season to the European Champions, the Lionesses journey to the recent World Cup final, and we also have the equally inspiring growth of para football. Local grass-roots clubs continue to be the heartbeat of our communities, often run by volunteers, real local heroes, and our local professional clubs are increasingly going beyond the pitch. Tragically, suicide remains the single biggest killer of men under 45. Last year, my home team, Cwunithys South, launched the changing room at Innovative Mental Health Project, delivered in partnership with Sam H and the SPFL Trust, supporting men between 30 and 64 through a 12-week programme trying to tackle the social isolation caused by Covid and lockdowns. I, too, would pay tribute to all the clubs that have changing rooms now at their heart to tackle suicide and to ensure that there are prevention methods in there. I think that clubs have also got to be applauded for all the other community, the work that they do. In terms of social isolation, some of the work that is being done in dementia, in Aberdeen and in other places is absolutely fantastic and really brings folk back to life. I wonder if Mr Smith agrees with that. I am going to come back to the issue of dementia in football when I respond to some of the comments that my commander made, but I think that, given that you are absolutely right, there are so many great examples of that memories programme from teams like Cwunithys South, Commander Football Club and the South of Scotland that are making such a difference. I visited one of those projects and you just simply have to see the way in which those who go along eyes light up when they get those memories of matches that they were at maybe 40 or even 50 years ago. So it's a fantastic piece of work that many clubs are doing. Another local team in my region are Arun Athletic who are the very definition of the community, they're owned by that local community. More than seven years ago, Arun began working with the Cooperative Supporters Direct to explore a new ownership model to put the fans at the heart of the club. It culminated in 100% community ownership through a community benefit society. It will now put in those community values into action from back in the fit my first project to hosting the Arnforces Veterans Breakfast Club. Stuart McMillan shared a similar story of Great Morton and we should be encouraging, in fact, enabling more of that community ownership model. But, Presiding Officer, what football brings community values to life, as we've heard, it also carries inherent risks. Michael Marra highlighted the growing concern about the long-term impact of head injuries in football, with emerging research showing that former footballers are three and a half times more likely to die of brain injuries, including dementia. I pay tribute to his injury time campaign, along with PFA Scotland and the GMB, which was also mentioned by Richard Leonard, trying to encourage the Government to recognise brain injuries by professional footballers as an industrial injury. One of my football heroes involved in that campaign, former Queen of the South centre back Kevin Herrington, diagnosed with Alzheimer's at just 58 years of age. I hope we can use Kevin's and others battles as a force for good to bring better support and protection for our players, in the same way that the memory of Frankie Cappell struck down by dementia at 59 led to the inspiring campaign by his wife Amanda Cappell to extend free personal care to those under 65. It's clear from this debate that, despite what people sometimes think, us politicians aren't different from most. We love the beautiful game, and we recognise in a rare sense of consensus that it really can be—it really is—a real force for good. It's been a largely positive debate. It didn't quite start off that way, but I would invite the Minister when she responds to make her closing remarks wholly positive—100% positive—to reflect the nature of the debate that we've just had, because that's what you'd expect, given the subject area. Everybody who has spoken is a fan of football. Some of us will have played football at some point in our lives, and to varying standards, not very high in my case. I suspect Stephen Kerr has never pulled on a pair of boots. I'm not sure it's a sight I would wish to see. He may wish to intervene to disabuse me of that notion. Stephen Kerr gives way. I can confirm to the record that I have indeed worn a pair of football boots. Graham Simpson. Thank you. He didn't say he played football. He said he'd worn football boots. I'm not entirely sure I'd like to see Mr Kerr marauding across a football pitch. I did notice that Mr Kerr did not refer to Falkirk FC in our own shared region. That was a shame, because I was recalling ahead of this debate of the time that I played at the former Brockville ground for a team from the Sun newspaper. I think it was during that game that we played a few that former Partick Thistle manager Jerry Collins body checked me off the pitch rather brutally. I was also at the time successfully manmarking one of my football heroes, Danny McGrane, until our manager made the tactical blunder of taking me off, and it all started to go wrong. Now, I mention this because, well, he's laughing. I'm telling the truth, Presiding Officer. I mention it because football gives people great memories, you know, whether you play or whether you just watch or do both. It's a game that brings people together, and it could be good for your mental and physical health or maybe not, depending on who you support. Now, this was originally meant to have been an entirely different debate following the deeply flawed consultation on supporters' buses by the traffic commissioner. It was a mad idea from the start, and I'm pleased that it's been dropped. I hope we don't see it again, because I'm not aware of there being an issue to solve with fans on buses in Scotland, so let's not create one. Presiding Officer, I want to talk about the good that football does in the community. In 2018, Scotland became one of the first countries in Europe to take part in a landmark UEFA study to illustrate the unique benefits of football participation nationwide. The strategic return on investment model was created to provide national associations with a tool to understand the value of football participation at all levels. It provides tangible evidence of how football can improve lives. The SFA actually put a monetary value on participation in football. The 2018 report concluded that the total number of registered players involved in the game are worth more than £500 million annually to Scotland. Within my own region, one of the best-known community clubs is Motherwell, mentioned by Gillian Mackay, who has a community trust that uses the brand name of the club and the power of football to bring positive change, really positive change, that Gillian Mackay has visited and served to the local community. In 2021, the UEFA social return on investment report demonstrated a huge variety of social, economic education on health benefits associated with the local community in Motherwell because of the programmes available through the trust and the club. Social benefits include improved educational attainment, reduced school absence through social targeted projects and participation programmes, spanning projects for disability football and children and young persons football. I was delighted to visit them last year at Fur Park to see first hand how much of a positive impact they have for people of all ages and backgrounds. Their efforts to have me pull on my boots again have so far proved fruitless, but you never know that it might happen. Now, with a staff of just seven supplemented by more than 60 volunteers, the 2021 UEFA report concluded the impact of Motherwell community trust activity was worth £13.6 million across social, economic, health and education measurements. It is really very impressive indeed. Cumbernauld Colts is another excellent example of how the presence of a community football club can positively impact the lives of women and girls. The women's team was launched earlier this year with the aim of becoming the biggest club in North Lanarkshire, offering girls football. I should also mention Hamilton Ackies. They have been running a very successful scheme that goes into local schools to teach young people about drug safety. They have also got food bank, men's shed, this is at the ground and even a beach. Go there, they have got a beach behind the ground. Can I just briefly mention the contribution of some others? There have been various calls for the England football team to have its own national anthem. That sounds like a pretty good idea to me. Nobody made any actual suggestions on that. I am thinking of the top man, Land of Hope and Glory or maybe Jerusalem, but there will be other ideas. Always look on the bright side of life as Mr Kerr does regularly. Neil Bibby talked about snobbery towards football. Douglas Lumsden revealed his own football memories but then told us he cannot remember what he had for dinner last night. Stuart McMillan was reminiscing about his piping to football grounds and his love for Greenock Morton. Michael Marr and Richard Leonard both mentioned the very serious issue of brain disease linked to heading the ball. That is probably something that we should be debating further. Gillian Mackay mentioned her earlier. She mentioned Motherwell and Falkirk and rightly said that we need to see more Scotland games on free-to-view telly as Tuesday's game was. Now, speaking of Tuesday's game, I spent some time with British Transport Police before the game at Glasgow Central Station just watching how they marshaled the fans. It was a seamless operation. England fans were in good spirit, but I hope both teams get to the Eurofinals. I'm sure they will and I'm sure they will do well and support the motion. I call Marie Todd to wind up. Football is a subject that many of us clearly feel passionate about. We have heard a lot of contributions this afternoon that demonstrate the incredible impact of football on people's lives and which highlight the amazing work that football clubs and their associated trusts and foundations do in their communities. At the end of May, like many of you, I had the great pleasure of attending a reception here at the Scottish Parliament to mark the 150th anniversary of the Scottish Football Association. We heard from a number of speakers, including David Duke of Street Soccer, who told a very powerful story about how involvement in football had helped him turn his life around and how Street Soccer was doing the same for many other participants. We heard from new SFA President Mike Mulroney about his priorities for the Scottish FA, particularly around the on-going challenge of facilities that has been raised by a number of members, an issue that we fully recognise and will continue to work with the SFA to achieve a solution for. We also heard from Sam Milne, Scottish FA club development officer, about the positive impact that football had made on the lives of women and the significant benefits to their physical and mental health through participation in recreational football. The Scottish FA presented its strategic plan to MSPs at this event and they continue to reinforce the power of football with the Government and cross the political spectrum on a regular basis. I believe that all of us will continue to work in partnership with the SFA to realise its benefits. We have talked about the importance to our physical and mental health of being physically active and the SFA's drive and determination to provide more opportunities to play football for as wide a range of participants as possible and how that is paying dividends. Our national game continues to grow in popularity and reach wider audiences and I know that the SFA is committed to continuing to grow and develop the game. However, as we have said, football is not just about participation. Supporters are the lifeblood of the professional game and it is vital that their role is recognised. Fans should be able to have real influence over the future of their clubs that they love and support. That is why earlier this year we launched the fan bank, which is intended to support organised fans groups to become more involved in the ownership of their club, ensuring that their interests are represented on clubs boards and protecting those clubs for generations to come. The fan bank will make a positive change to football and will help to put real power in the hands of supporters and the local community. As Kenny Gibson mentioned, Falkirk Supporters Society was the first recipient of a loan from the fan bank and we are in discussion with a number of other supporters groups about potential bids into the fan bank. I am glad that this initiative has involved Brub popular with football fans. I will give way to Mr Kerr, who has been trying for some time. Stephen Kerr. I am grateful to the minister and also for the positive tone of our closing remarks, but would you also agree with Ben Macpherson and Brian Whittle and others who have pointed out that there is not equality of opportunity for all of Scotland's young people when it comes to having access to facilities and community assets? Will she agree that we should unite across all the parties and do what we can to make sure that every community asset, when it comes to playing sport of all types, but especially football, is sweated? Absolutely. I would happily agree to that. Although, as I have pointed out, football is a shining light among all sports in terms of the participation in that sport from right across the socioeconomic divide. A number of people raised the issue of unacceptable behaviour by football fans. I know from time to time that the behaviour of fans can cause concern and disruption, but let's be absolutely clear in this. A vast majority of football supporters go to games to support their teams, to see their mates and to have a great day out whatever the final scored. I mentioned in my opening statement that the SPFL had record aggregate crowds of over five mullen last year. Yes, I will give way to Mr Somston. I thank the minister for taking the intervention. If it's about treating fans fairly, would the minister support a review of licensing laws so that football fans are not discriminated against because not everyone is lucky enough to get corporate hospitality invites to sporting events when alcohol is free-flowing? On the issue of licensing, it's an issue that predates devolutionists. We're all aware and it came about in the early 80s after an old firm Cup Final. It's an issue that's been raised with me by clubs and football authorities, and what I've said is that I would need to be persuaded that no unintended consequences would occur if a law that's been in place for over 40 years is removed, but I'd be happy to look at the evidence that they bring forward. Police Scotland's view on any change in legislation would obviously be vital. We can't ignore incidents of anti-social threatening or offensive behaviour and we condemn the actions of those people who engage in such actions. I fully support Police Scotland in taking appropriate and proportionate action in response to any such action, but it's something all of us, with an ability to influence and a change, must contribute to eradicating. I was honoured to be invited to attend the Women's Scottish Cup Final at Hampton at the end of last season. I was truly inspired by the quality of the game, the commitment of the players to engaging with their fans long after the final whistle. We saw both captains in with their fans for longer than any of the supporters, any of the official supporters in the hospitality suite, as Mr Lumson mentions, were long after they had left. The captains were still out in the field engaging with the fans. It can be done, and we should work together to ensure that the very small proportion of people who see football as a cause for anti-social behaviour can begin to rethink their ways. Neil Bibby, and a number of other colleagues, mentioned the review of Scottish Football, which was launched on 21 June by the Scottish Football Alliance and the Scottish Football Supporters Association. We have a really good relationship with the SFSA, and they have been really helpful in brokering discussions with supporters' groups on the fan bank. We are also working with them to support grass-roots clubs to purchase a defibrillator, which really can be the difference between life and death when someone suffers a cardiac arrest on a football pitch. The Alliance's review covers a very wide range of issues, and many of them, around the formation of the leagues or division of prize money, for example, are simply not for the Scottish Government to comment on. That said, I have already met football authorities to discuss the Alliance's review, and I will continue to discuss it with them, and I will challenge them on how we can continue to grow and improve the game here in Scotland. We have heard what football means to people in terms of both participation and what it means to fans to support their club and to their country. To many people, if there are many people listening in Scotland, there have been a few surprises. I must admit that I never thought that I would hear the Scottish Tories' campaign against the singing of God Save the King at football matches, but we have also heard to just how much a force is for good that football is in local communities and people's lives are not least in the lives of children and young people. I passionately believe that sport, including football, has the power to change lives for the better. The evidence of that is all around us. There is no doubt that, like all of our society, football represents both the best and the worst of us. Scotland has a complex relationship with alcohol, and it is right and proper that we address that. Football has a part to play here as do other sports. Again, I commend the women's national team for taking an ethical stance on alcohol sponsorship. They do not have alcohol sponsorship on their shirts, and I think that is a really good thing. But just as we are a disputatious nation, we will not allow rivalry to become something less edifying. Our football authorities can and must do more to support tolerance, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of the sport. That cultural shift is every bit as important for football as a sport, as it is for us as a society. So many contributions have shown that when football leads, real change can be achieved in attitudes and behaviours. Football can and does play a powerful role in leading the way to address wider societal challenges. Yes, football divides, but it also unites. Scotland has had a long love affair with the game that we founded, and it still holds a special place in our hearts. It reaches the parts that other sports and other activities can't. It offers community and opportunity to many who often can feel on the outside of mainstream life. It allows still we girls and we boys to pull on a shirt and to dream big. Like no other issue could, it has brought this Parliament together to agree on its contribution and importance to the cultural, social, economic and sporting fabric of Scottish life. It truly is the beautiful game. Presiding Officer, might it be helpful to clarify for the chamber and the official record that Scottish Conservatives are all in favour of singing God Save the King at every possible opportunity, but we happen to think that England's football team should find another anthem? Mr Kerr will be well aware that that is not a point of order. We will therefore move on. The debate on the role of football in Scottish society and communities is concluded, and we will move on to the next item of business. There are two questions to be put as a result of today's business. The first is that motion 1049 in the name of Shirley-Anne Somerville on United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Incorporation Scotland Bill reconsideration be agreed? Are we all agreed? The motion is therefore agreed. The final question is that motion 1049 in the name of Marie Todd on the role of football in Scottish society and communities be agreed. Are we all agreed? The motion is therefore agreed. That concludes decision time, and I close this meeting.