Historic Environment Scotland has recognised the remains at First Hampden in Glasgow.
Remains of the 19th century pavilion at a site described as the “belly button of world football” have been given protected status as a scheduled monument.
The remains at First Hampden in Glasgow, said to be the world’s first purpose built international ground, have been given the designation by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) in recognition of the site’s special place in the history of football in Scotland.
The wider site within which the remains are situated served as the ground of Queen’s Park FC, Scotland’s oldest football club, which is said to have played a pivotal role in the development of the game.
The first match played at the ground took place on October 25 1873 and it went on to host Scottish Cup finals.
It became the home of the national side in 1878 and was the venue for the 5-1 victory against England in 1882.
Archaeologists confirmed the location of the pavilion from its buried remains following a ground penetrating radar survey in 2021.
HSE said the aim of scheduling is to preserve the country’s most significant sites and monuments as far as possible in the form in which they have been passed down to us today.
Dara Parsons, head of designations at HES, said: “Football is Scotland’s national sport, and a key part of the identity of communities all over Scotland.
“The men’s national team will take part in their first World Cup finals for nearly 30 years in just over a month, and the excitement and anticipation building for those games is a keen reminder of the importance of the sport for so many people.
“It feels timely to recognise the central role that Scotland played in the development of the sport, and the place of First Hampden within that story.
“The remains of the pavilion at First Hampden are a link to the earliest days of football in Scotland, and its importance to and impact on communities.
“It is a monument to our national game and to the origins of the modern football stadium.”
The designation comes after a public consultation which found there was clear public support for the proposal.
Early developments at First Hampden, in the Crosshill area of Glasgow’s southside, saw the ground being enclosed with fencing, pay gates introduced to control entry and a rope placed around the pitch to separate it from the crowd.
Terracing for spectators was added along the south side of the pitch in 1876 and the pavilion was installed in 1878.
Ged O’Brien, football historian and founder of the Scottish Football Museum, said: “In a world with millions of famous football images, the 1878 photo of the Queen’s Park members proudly posing in front of their new pavilion is as iconic as they come.
“Football is the world’s most popular sport, and Glasgow is the historical capital of world football.
“The First Hampden is the home of the world’s first purpose built international ground. And in the north-western corner was the first building designated as a changing room and home for Queen’s Park and Scotland.
“In a year when the World Cup will be held in countries who owe much of their game to Scottish emigrants, it is important to link the Scottish side of 2026 with the men who changed in that pavilion – men who delivered 7-2 and 5-1 drubbings to an England team that had not yet learned how to play Scottish Combination.
“Every stadium that hosts a World Cup Game can trace its architectural roots back to that small corner of Kingsley Gardens, on the south side of Glasgow.
“The Hampden site is the omphalos – the belly button – of world football. From that pavilion came the Scotch professors who changed the world and gave us the modern game of football.”
First Hampden was proposed for designation by Football’s Square Mile, a project which aims to recognise, preserve and promote the origins of association football in Glasgow and Scotland.
Graeme Brown, the project’s engagement director, said: “We are delighted that our designation application has been successful, and the site of the First Hampden is now nationally recognised and protected.
“We see it not as a lost stadium site, but as a living and breathing asset within Scotland’s global footballing heritage.”
