| UEFA | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 13 March 1873; 152 years ago (1873-03-13) |
| Headquarters | Hampden Park, Glasgow, G42 9AY |
| FIFA affiliation |
|
| UEFA affiliation | 1954 |
| IFAB affiliation | 1886 |
| President | Mike Mulraney |
| Vice-President | Les Gray |
| Website | www |
TheScottish Football Association (Scottish Gaelic:Comann Ball-coise na h-Alba; also known as theScottish FA and theSFA) is thegoverning body offootball inScotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development offootball in Scotland. Members of the SFA includeclubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations. It was formed in 1873, making itthe second-oldest national football association in the world. It is not to be confused with theScottish Football Union, which is the name that theSRU was known by until the 1920s.
The Scottish Football Association is a member of bothUEFA andFIFA and holds a permanent seat on theInternational Football Association Board (IFAB) which is responsible for theLaws of the Game. It is based atHampden Park in Glasgow.[1] In addition, theScottish Football Museum is located there.
The Scottish Football Association is responsible for the operation of theScotland national football team, the annualScottish Cup and several other duties important to the functioning of the game in Scotland.
Following the formation of Scotland's earliest football clubs in the 1860s, football experienced a rapid growth but there was no formal structure, and matches were often arranged in a haphazard and irregular fashion.
Queen's Park, a Glasgow club founded in 1867, took the lead, and following an advertisement in a Glasgow newspaper in 1873, representatives from seven clubs – Queen's Park,Clydesdale,Vale of Leven,Dumbreck,Third Lanark,Eastern andGranville – attended a meeting on 13 March 1873. Furthermore,Kilmarnock sent a letter stating their willingness to join.
That day, these eight clubs formed the Scottish Football Association, and resolved that:
The clubs here represented form themselves into an association for the promotion of football according to the rules ofThe Football Association and that the clubs connected with this association subscribe for a challenge cup to be played for annually, the committee to propose the laws of the competition.[3]
The following eight football clubs founded the Scottish Football Association:
| Club Name | Location |
|---|---|
| Queen's Park | Glasgow |
| Clydesdale | Glasgow |
| Vale of Leven | Alexandria |
| Dumbreck | Glasgow |
| Third Lanark | Glasgow |
| Eastern | Glasgow |
| Granville | Glasgow |
| Kilmarnock | Kilmarnock |
The chief executive of the Scottish Football Association oversees the development of football in Scotland and the administration of disciplinary matters, and is also responsible for the general organisation of the national side. One of the most prominent roles of the chief executive is to hire and dismissScotland national football team managers.[4]
As well as theScotland national football team, the Scottish Football Association is also currently responsible for organising theScotland national football B team, as well as men's national teams atunder-21,under-19, under-18 andunder-17 levels. There was also asemi-professional team, but this was disbanded in 2008.[10] In women's football, there is the fullScotland women's national football team, under-19 and under-17 teams. InFutsal, there is a fullnational side.
The Scottish Football Association organises theScottish Cup and theScottish Youth Cup. Although the SFA are not involved in the day-to-day operation of theScottish Professional Football League or other league competitions, they do appointreferees to officiate the games in these leagues, as well as dealing with player registrations and disciplinary issues.[3]
All SFA member clubs are assessed annually in four areas (ground, first team, youth team, and governance) and, if appropriate, awarded a licence at platinum, gold, silver, bronze or entry level. As of June 2025,[update][11] onlyCeltic are currently holders of a platinum-level licence, while four others (Hibernian,Rangers,St Johnstone, andSt Mirren) hold gold-level licences. All clubs in theScottish Professional Football League are required to be licensed at bronze level,Highland Football League, andLowland Football League are required to be licensed at entry level or above.
The Scottish Football Association established a number of performance schools around Scotland in 2012 with the aim of developing footballing talent in young people and at grassroots level. The programme is for under-12 players, and will provide them with 800 hours of additional coaching.[12] As of June 2023[update], seven performance schools exist:
As of June 2025,[update][11] 125 clubs are full members of the Scottish Football Association, comprising:
The Scottish Football Association has affiliated to it the following seven national associations:[20]
There are 10 local associations affiliated and the competitions they manage are also listed below:[20]
|
|
The following six leagues with their affiliated leagues and cups are recognised by The Scottish Football Association:[20]
Scottish FA rebrand on St Andrew's Day, coinciding with launch of fans' survey. Note subtle inclusion of Saltire.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
