Sport plays a central role inScottish culture. Thetemperate,oceanic climate has played a key part in the evolution ofsport in Scotland, with all-weather sports likeassociation football,rugby andgolf dominating the national sporting consciousness. However, many other sports are played in the country, with popularity varying between sports and between regions.
Scotland has its own sporting competitions andgoverning bodies, such as theCamanachd Association, theScottish Rugby Union,Scottish Rugby League. The country has independent representation at many international sporting events, for example theRugby League World Cup, as well as theCommonwealth Games (although not theOlympic Games).
Scots, andScottish immigrants, have made several key contributions to thehistory of sport, with important innovations and developments in:golf,curling, football,rugby union (the invention ofrugby sevens, first international, and first league system),Highland games (which have contributed to the evolution of modernathletics events),shinty (the predecessor of bothice hockey andbandy), cycling (Kirkpatrick Macmillan invented the pedal bicycle), andwater polo (first set of rules, games and internationals).
Highland games, the largest and most widespreadmulti-sport festivals of the 19th century,[1] are claimed to have influencedBaron Pierre de Coubertin and Dr William Milligan Sloane (a scholar of French History and close friend of Baron de Courbertin) of Princeton when he was planning therevival of the Olympic Games. De Coubertin and Milligan, who was researching his book on Napoleon at the time, saw a display of Highland games at theParis Exhibition of 1889.[2]
Ever since the 19th century, the two main football codes in Scotland are association football (which is more commonly referred to as just "football" or "fitba") and rugby union, though the former being significantly dominant sinceWorld War II. Some others are also played. For Gaelic football, please see under Gaelic Athletic Association, further down.
There is a long tradition of football games stretching back centuries. While these games were referred to as "football" (and numerous variants), many of them were very different from modern football, and involved carrying the ball. One of these games was outlawed in 1424.[citation needed] Thehistory of football in Scotland includes various traditional ball games, for example theBa game; some of these early games probably involved the kicking of a ball. Uncertainty about the specific nature of these games is because prior to 1863, the term "football" implied almost any ball game that was played on ones feet and not played on horseback. Some of these local games were probably played as far back as theMiddle Ages,[citation needed] although the earliest contemporary accounts (as opposed to decrees simply banning "football") come in the eighteenth century. Many of these accounts refer to the violence of traditional Scottish football[3] and as a result many games were abolished or modified. Severalburghs retain an annual Ba game, with theKirkwall Ba Game in Orkney being probably the most famous form of traditional football in Scotland. Elsewhere in Scotland, the greatest evidence for a tradition of football games comes from southern Scotland, in particular theScottish Borders.
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The world's first official international association football match was held in 1872 and was the idea ofC. W. Alcock ofthe Football Association, which was seeking to promote Association Football in Scotland.[4] The match took place at theWest of Scotland Cricket Club'sHamilton Crescent ground in thePartick area ofGlasgow. The match was betweenScotland andEngland and resulted in a 0–0 draw. Following this, the newly developed football became the most popular sport in Scotland. TheScottish Cup is the world's oldest national trophy, first contested in 1873 (although theFA Cup is an older competition, its original trophy is no longer in existence).Queen's Park F.C., in Glasgow, is probably the oldest association football club in the world outside England.
In April 2025, historian Ged O’Brien and archaeologists fromArchaeology Scotland stated that they had found "compelling evidence" that a small piece of land nearAnwoth Old Kirk inKirkcudbrightshire was the oldest known football pitch in the world, dating from at least 1627. Reportedly,Reverend Samuel Rutherford (who served the parish between 1627 and 1638) was outraged that parishioners played football during the afternoon ofSabbath and ordered that they place a row of large stones across the field to prevent further games. Soil tests from the site indicated that the stones had been placed there during Rutherford's tenure.[5]
TheScottish Football Association (SFA), the second-oldest national football association in the world, is the maingoverning body for Scottish association football, and a founding member of theInternational Football Association Board (IFAB) which governs theLaws of the Game. As a result of this key role in the development of the sport, Scotland is one of only four countries to have a permanent representative on the IFAB; the other four representatives are appointed for set periods byFIFA. The country has hosted several international football competitions, including the1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship, the1998 UEFA European Under-16 Championship andUEFA Euro 2020, and is scheduled to host the upcomingUEFA Euro 2028 and the2035 FIFA Women's World Cup competitions.[6][7]
The SFA is also responsible for theScotland national football team. The national stadium isHampden Park in theMount Florida area of Glasgow. Supporters of the national team are nicknamed theTartan Army and are well-regarded for their friendliness, receiving particular acclaim atEuro 2024 in Germany.[8] As of April 2025, Scotland's men's team are ranked as the 44th bestnational football team in theFIFA World Rankings.[9] Their highest ranking was 14th in 2007, and lowest was 86th in 2004. The national team last attended theWorld Cup inFrance in 1998, but finished last in their group stage after defeats to eventual runners-upBrazil andMorocco. They won a single point after a 1-1 draw withNorway. After a barren spell of 23 years without attending a major tournament, Scotland qualified for successiveEuropean Championships in2020 and 2024 underSteve Clarke.
Elite club association football in Scotland is represented by theScottish Professional Football League (SPFL). The Scottish Premiership was named byUEFA in 2024 as the best-supported league per capita in Europe, with 18.36 per 1,000 people attending games in the2023/24 season.[10]
The most successful teams in Scotland by far are Rangers and Celtic, collectively known as theOld Firm. No other teams have won theScottish Premiership title since 1985, and both are by far the best-supported clubs in Scotland and have the two largest stadiums in the country with 51,700 (Ibrox) and 60,411 (Celtic Park). With 120 trophies to their name, Celtic are currently the second most successful team in professional football, behindAl Ahly ofEgypt. Other successful clubs in Scotland includeAberdeen (the last non-Old Firm winners of the top flight),Heart of Midlothian,Hibernian andDundee United.
Scotland's association football clubs have had a fairly high degree of success internationally.[11] In terms of European competitions,Rangers,Celtic andAberdeen have all won a major honour.Rangers were the first team from Britain to reach a European Final, the1961 European Cup Winners Cup; they later won this honourin 1972. Aberdeen, under the management ofSir Alex Ferguson, famously beatReal Madrid to win the1983 edition. However, Celtic are the only Scottish team to have won Europe's premier competition, theChampions League (then known as the European Cup), doing so in 1967 and also becoming the first winners from Britain. Their victory is particularly historic as the competition was won by a team comprising no players born more than thirty miles (48 km) from the home of the club, Celtic Park.
The world's oldest regular rugby fixture was first played in 1858 betweenMerchiston Castle School and the former pupils ofEdinburgh Academy.[12] Edinburgh Academy was also involved in thefirst-ever international rugby union game, when a side representingEngland met the Scottish national side on the cricket field of the academy atRaeburn Place, Edinburgh on 27 March 1871, which Scotland won.
The Scottish Football Union (SFU) was founded in 1873 and is a founding member of the International Rugby Board (nowWorld Rugby), joining in 1886 withIreland andWales, England joining in 1890. In 1924, the SFU changed its name to become the modern-dayScottish Rugby Union (SRU),[13] who now administerrugby union in Scotland. Scotland was the host nation for the1973 International Seven-a-side Tournament, the1993 Rugby World Cup Sevens competition, as well as the1991 Rugby World Cup.[14] Whilst the country was not the official host nation, it hosted some matches during the1999 and2007 Rugby World Cup competition respectively.[15]
Murrayfield Stadium inEdinburgh is the home of theScotland national rugby union team. As of March 2025[update], Scotland rank 7th in theWorld Rugby Rankings,[16] their peak position being 5th in 2018 and 2023. The senior team annually takes part in theSix Nations and has participated in every iteration of theRugby World Cup, taking place every four years. Scottish players are also eligible for selection for theBritish and Irish Lions, a composite team that tours the Southern Hemisphere, also taking place every four years. Scotland's Six Nations fixtures at Murrayfield are regularly sold out.
Scotland has two professional sides that compete in theUnited Rugby Championship and theEuropean Professional Club Rugby tournaments:Edinburgh Rugby andGlasgow Warriors. Two other professional sides also formerly existed:Caledonia Reds and theBorder Reivers, these sides folded due to funding issues within the SRU. TheScottish League Championship exists for amateur and semi-pro clubs.
Rugby union is most popular in theScottish Borders;Melrose annually hostsits own rugby sevens tournament to which teams from around the world are invited. Despite football being by far the most popular sport in the country, it is a growing sport with 49,265 registered players and over 200 clubs as of 2020.[17]
Rugby sevens is a variant of rugby union, initially conceived byNed Haig, a butcher fromMelrose, Roxburghshire, as a fundraising event for his local clubMelrose RFC in 1883. The earliest recorded sevens match was played atthe Greenyards, where it was well-received. The first official international sevens tournament occurred atMurrayfield as part of the "Scottish Rugby Union's celebration of rugby" centenary celebrations in 1973. Due to the success of the format, the ongoingHong Kong Sevens was launched three years later, and numerous other international competitions followed. In 1993, theRugby World Cup Sevens, in which theMelrose Cup is contested, was launched, which is named after its town of origin. In the meantime, the annualMelrose Sevens tournament continues in popularity[1] and there is a healthyBorders Sevens Circuit. The annualIRB Sevens World Series, featuring international sides from around the world, used to feature theEdinburgh Sevens at Murrayfield, but that tournament has since been replaced by theParis Sevens.
Rugby league is administered byScotland Rugby League.[18] Themain international team has been playing since 1909 although their first proper international wasn't until 1996 when they beat Ireland in Dublin 6–26. In the2000 Rugby League World Cup, Scotland finished last in their group, although only narrowly lost to Ireland, Samoa and New Zealand. The latter two matches were played in Edinburgh and Glasgow respectively.[19]A major boost to rugby league in Scotland came when the Rugby LeagueChallenge Cup Final was brought toMurrayfield, Edinburgh. On both occasions over 60,000 watched the final. This was coupled with a fantastic 42–20 win over France in July 2001, possibly one of Scotland's best wins in their short history.[20][21]
Scotland finished top of Group C in the2013 Rugby League World Cup progressing ahead ofTonga andItaly but losing toNew Zealand 40–4. In the2016 Rugby League Four Nations Scotland came away with a historic draw 18–18 with New Zealand inWorkington, Cumbria although finishing last in the tournament.[22][23]
The top tier of the domestic game in Scotland is the semi-professionalScottish National League currently features teams including theAberdeen Warriors,Easterhouse Panthers,Edinburgh Eagles and theStrathmore Silverbacks.[24]
It is played on an amateur basis throughout Scotland. There are 14 under 18 teams ranging from Inverness Blitz in the North, Inverclyde Hawks in the West through toEdinburgh in the East.
7 teams currently play in theBAFA Community Leagues withGlasgow Tigers, Clyde Valley Blackhawks,Dundee Hurricanes,Highland Wildcats,Edinburgh Wolves andWest Coast Trojans playing in Division 2, and theEast Kilbride Pirates playing in Division 1.
A professional team theScottish Claymores played inNFL Europe between 1995 and 2004 based in Edinburgh and Glasgow.Lawrence Tynes,Joe Andruzzi andDante Hall all played for the team and went on to have success in the NFL.
Australian rules football is a minor sport in Scotland.
There are currently three teams in SARFL, most established in the early 2000s. It has seen growth around the major cities and now has a national team.
Futsal is a Brazilian form of football, similar to, but not the same asindoor football, which is more closely related to standard football.
Five-a-side (not to be confused withfives) is popular in Scotland, with many casual leagues.
For hurling and camogie, please see under Gaelic Athletic Association.
Cricket has a much lower profile in Scotland than it has south of the border in England. Scotland is not one of the twelve leading cricketing nations which playTest matches, but theScottish national team is now allowed to play fullOne Day Internationals, and takes part in theCricket World Cup, in which Scotland reached the final tournament in2007. Scotland has a well established recreational cricket structure. Scotland has co-hosted the1999 Cricket World Cup along with England, Ireland and Netherlands.
The governing body for Scottish cricket isCricket Scotland, which administers women's cricket and junior cricket as well as the men's game.
Cricket has an image as an "English" sport in Scotland, with many top players competing for theEngland national side, such as Jon Croft, and indeed, the national side competes in the Englishcounties system.
Freuchie Cricket Club in Fife famously won theVillage Championship in the 1985.[25]
It is widely played inScottish private schools, and has some presence in the major cities.Moreover, Scotland defeated England for the first time on 2018. They still remain unbeaten by Bangladesh and West Indies, the two full members in cricket, in T20I.They also participated in the 2015 ICC World Cup.
Scotland is the "home of golf", and is well known for its manylinks courses, including theOld Course at St Andrews,Carnoustie,Muirfield andRoyal Troon. The first record of golf being played was atLeith Links in 1457.[26]
Scotland is at the forefront of international golf, with some of the world's premier courses being located there. The most famous courses, such as St Andrews tend to be on the east coast's dunelands, which are known inLowland Scots as "links" – this word has passed over into golf terminology as meaning a course. There are also major courses atGleneagles, Ayrshire,East Lothian andLoch Lomond.
While there is considerable disagreement as to where in Scotland golf was invented – St Andrews, Leith or Bruntsfield – or even if it was invented within Scotland – both the Netherlands and China have staked claims – the modern game was codified in Scotland. Much of golf terminology has its roots inLowland Scots, e.g. caddy, links, tee etc.
Shinty or camanachd is the traditional game of theScottish Highlands, although historically it has a wider range.It is still played widely across the area today, with clubs also based in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Fife and Perth, and in most universities. Its governing body is theCamanachd Association (inScottish Gaelic,Comunn na Camanachd) who are based inInverness.
The sport's premier prize is the Scottish Cup, more popularly known as theCamanachd Cup. Shinty also has the honour of having provided, according to theGuinness Book of Records, the world's most successful sporting team,Kingussie Camanachd. Shinty was formerly played through the Winter but has recently become a primarily Summer game. It has common roots with theIrish sport ofHurling.
Baseball has existed in Edinburgh since the 1930s when it was played at US air bases atKirknewton andEast Fortune. In 2007 the Scottish National League was formed after previously being associated with British Baseball Federation. The league consisted of theEdinburgh Diamond Devils, Edinburgh Eagles, Strathclyde Falcons and the Glasgow Baseball Association. In 2011 the league was still going strong with theEdinburgh Diamond Devils, Edinburgh Cannons, Edinburgh Giants, and the Glasgow Baseball Association. In 2018 the first Postseason was established in line with the traditions of the game - The Caledonia Classic. In 2022 the Scottish National League split into two divisions. The lower, Single A, and the higher, AAA. There have been 8 Scottish baseball players to play in the Major leagues, and in 2023 a player who played in Edinburgh at ages 13 – 15 was drafted to the Philadelphia Phillies organisation in MLB.Baseball is still a minority sport in Scotland and is only played at an amateur level but is growing year on year.
The Scottish Croquet Association, formed in 1974, has responsibility forcroquet in Scotland.
Notable Scottish croquet players includeCompton Mackenzie.
Elephant polo is not played in Scotland, but gained notoriety within Scotland whenThe Duke of Argyll's team representing Scotland won the 2001, 2004 and 2005 Elephant Polo World Championships.[27]
Field hockey is mainly played in the Lowlands, where it displacedshinty. Field hockey in Scotland is run by theScottish Hockey Union.
Scotland has a very long successful history ofice hockey, and it is the third most attended team sport in the country after association football andrugby union. Scotland are host to the oldest ice hockey team in Britain which are theFife Flyers. At the moment there are four Scottish teams competing in the UK-wideElite Ice Hockey League.Edinburgh Capitals have been in theElite Ice Hockey League since it was formed and in 2010 they were joined by theDundee Stars and the newly formedBraehead Clan and in 2011 theFife Flyers were admitted as both their previous league and the Newcastle Vipers went bust creating an opening. Scotland has produced 3 of the top British Players of all time inColin Shields.
Eight professional ice hockey teams in Scotland compete in theScottish National League.[28]
ScottishTony Hand is the first ice hockey player booked for theNHL in Britain who got his puck lessons.
Lacrosse has a minor presence, tending to be played by girls at private schools, although there have been some male university teams as well.
Field lacrosse is the main sport, butbox lacrosse is also played. It is always at amateur level. However, lacrosse in Scotland goes back to 1890 atSt Leonards School, Fife, where women's lacrosse had been introduced byLouisa Lumsden. Lumsden brought the game to Scotland after watching a men's lacrosse game between the Canghuwaya Indians and theMontreal Lacrosse Club.[29] One of Lumsden's students,Rosabelle Sinclair, established the first women's lacrosse team in the United States was at theBryn Mawr School inBaltimore, Maryland.[30]
Scotland fields three national teams –men's,women's and anindoor side
Rock-It-Ball has a minor presence, tending to be played in the Central Belt but is spreading throughout Scotland. The Scottish team won the World Cup in 2007 and 2011.
Scotland is also leading the way in the individual version of the sport known as V2. The current World Champion is Scott MacMichael who plays his Rock-It-Ball with the Falkirk Cannons. He also is the only player to have won medals in the 2007 and 2011 team World Cup Victories.At Youth level Scotland has the top female player in World V2 in Meghan Plummer, who also plays her Rock-It-Ball with the Falkirk Cannons.
It is a relatively new sport, having been created in the 21st century.
Basketball itself was originally invented byJames Naismith, a Canadian of recent Scottish family origins, when he was in the USA.
basketballscotland is the governing body of basketball in Scotland.
Until the late 50s, Scotland was one of Europe's main teams as it twice qualified for theEuroBasket. Since then, the team declined. Scotland had some success at theFIBA European Championship for Small Countries where it has five bronze medals most recently in 2014.
Netball is played mostly by girls from the age of ten to fifteen, and is popular in private schools.
Cue sports are very popular in Scotland.
Pool tables are commonly found in Scottishpubs andsocial clubs.
Scotland has produced many greatsnooker players over the years, many of which have gone on to win the World Championship.Walter Donaldson was the first Scotsman to be crowned World Champion, winning in 1947 and again in 1950.
In the modern snooker era the most successful Scottish snooker player isStephen Hendry. He has won theWorld Snooker Championship a record 7 times, winning it 5 years in a row from 1992 onwards and holds the record as being the youngest ever winner, beating EnglishmanJimmy White 18 frames to 12 in 1990 aged just 21 years.
Between 1990 and 2012 Scottish players reached the final on 16 occasions, with Scots winning 12 Championships in that time. As well as Hendry's record 7 wins,John Higgins andGraeme Dott have also won the title.
In 1996, the Scotland Team of Stephen Hendry, John Higgins andAlan McManus won theSnooker World Cup.
BadmintonScotland is the national governing body for the sport ofbadminton in Scotland.
There are two major tournaments – theScottish National Badminton Championships and theScottish Open.
There are several formerracquets courts in Scotland:Eglinton Castle,Fyvie Castle,Kinloch Castle (Rùm). However, the game's popularity has dwindled.
Squash is played in most major urban centres.
A notable squash player isPeter Nicol. After initially representing Scotland in international squash, Nicol switched his representation to England in 2001, claiming that he felt he was not receiving sufficient support from Scottish Squash, the nationalgoverning body.[31]
Scotland competes as Great Britain in tennis, however its contribution to the pool of British players traditionally has been small in the modern era with almost all notable players being English. However, this has taken an about turn in recent years with emergence ofAndy Murray, and doubles playersColin Fleming andJamie Murray. Andy Murray is one of the best singles player currently representing Scotland as the previous UK number 1 and was also previously world number 1. On 7 July 2013 he became the first British player to win the men's singles atWimbledon sinceFred Perry in 1936, 77 years before. Brother Jamie and won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title along with SerbianJelena Janković in 2007, the first time any British player had won a major title at Wimbledon in 20 years. Colin Fleming along with his English partnerRoss Hutchins is currently ranked 9th in the ATP Doubles Team Rankings. There are no official ATP tournaments in Scotland however, with all major events in Britain being contested in England.
A wide range of martial arts are practised in Scotland, but are usually administered at UK level.
Scotland has produced Olympic fencers, many Commonwealth medallists and some very successful Paralympian and Commonwealth wheelchair fencers. There are nearly 50 Olympic-rules fencing clubs active, with 37 of them currently affiliated to Scottish Fencing, the Home Country Governing Body. The most commonly used weapon in Scottish fencing is the foil. Many of these clubs are classically focussed.
Scotland is at the forefront of the growth and development of the historic fencing movement with 16 historic fencing classes active, and many affiliated to the British Federation for Historical Swordplay. Many of these clubs are also classically focused.
Scots have been very prominent on the podium at the Judo events at theCommonwealth Games.
Karate in Scotland is mainly overseen by Karate Scotland, formerly known as the Scottish Karate Governing Body.[32] This is the body affiliated with theWorld Karate Federation (WKF), who were the global body associated with Karate's inclusion at the2020 Summer Olympics.
A number of other clubs are instead affiliated with theWorld Union of Karate Do Federations (WUKF).[33]
See also under Olympics and Commonwealth Games.
Scottish Athletics is the governing body for athletics in Scotland. It replaced the Scottish Athletics Federation in April 2001.
There are fourmarathons in Scotland:Edinburgh Marathon,Loch Ness Marathon,Lochaber Marathon and theMoray Marathon
Scotland has long been popular with anglers, both coarse and fly fishers. Many of its major rivers such as theSpey andTay have famous fishing beats.The Malloch Trophy is Scotland's premier award for salmon fishing. The award is given for the largest salmon caught – and safely returned to the water – on the fly in Scotland each year.
Lawn bowls is played in many parts of Scotland.Ten pin bowling arcades can be seen in a few places too. Much to the chagrin of bowling fans, bumpers are traditionally used in ten pin bowling.
Notable Scottish boxers include world championsBenny Lynch,Walter McGowan andKen Buchanan;Lord David Douglas-Hamilton (who went on to become a Conservative politician)
A number of Scottish rivers are popular with canoeists, including theRiver Spey. There is a national governing body, theScottish Canoe Association.
Climbing is popular in some parts of Scotland. Notable climbers includeHarold Raeburn.
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Cycling is a popular amateur sport, with 99 clubs throughout the country, from theShetland Wheelers to theStewartry Wheelers. At the elite level, Scots have been more successful attrack cycling rather thanroad racing, although Scotland has a long history of time-trialing on the road. The lack of road races within the country, with not a singleUCI-ranked event, is largely to do with the refusal ofScottish local authorities to close public roads to allow road races to take place safely. Scotland has threevelodromes, one atMeadowbank Stadium, inEdinburgh, another atCaird Park in Dundee and a third, theSir Chris Hoy Velodrome, which was built in Glasgow for the2014 Commonwealth Games. The governing body is theScottish Cyclists' Union.
In recent yearsmountain biking has become very popular, withScottish geography being ideal for training and racing. AWorld Cup event is regularly held inFort William.
Scotland has produced several world-class cyclists.Robert Millar finished in 4th place at the1984 Tour de France winning theKing of the Mountains jersey; He also achieved 2nd-place finished at the 1985 and 1986Vuelta a España as well as runner up in the 1987Giro d'Italia.
In the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games,Chris Hoy became the most successful British Olympian in over 100 years when he cycled to 3 golds in the velodrome in sprint events (Sprint, team sprint and keirin). His achievements earned him the honour of carrying the nation's flag in the closing ceremony and a knighthood in 2008.
Graeme Obree andDavid Millar (no relation) have also reached the very peak of their respective events.
Scotland is the home ofcurling which, although not as popular today as in Canada, remains more popular in Scotland than anywhere else in Europe. The Scottish men's team are the world's second most successful curling nation having won a total of 36 World Championship medals including seven golds, with the most recent coming in2023 and2025. The Scotland Women's Team have won 12 World Championships mdedals with gold on two occasions in2002 and2013. In theMixed Doubles discipline Scotland have won two gold medals in2021 and2022.
Although elite-level curlers have been assisted significantly by funding from theNational Lottery, facilities at the grassroots level have not benefited from this, with the number of ice rinks offering curling in Scotland declining from 31 in 1993 to 22 in 2018.[34]
Darts is popular in Scotland, with many pubs having their own teams. Former world champions from Scotland includeJocky Wilson,Les Wallace andGary Anderson.
TheGaelic Athletic Association (GAA) has had a long history in Scotland, thanks to Scotland's substantial Irish population. The base of the GAA in Scotland is atCambuslang, and GAA sports tend to be most popular in Greater Glasgow, although there is also a presence in various Scottish universities.
Scotland GAA is theGAA board that is responsible forGaelic Games in Scotland. Scotland is treated as a "County" by the GAA.
Gaelic football is played in Scotland, and the games are shown in some of the country's "Irish pubs". University teams have had great success, especially those ofHeriot-Watt andNapier.
The "Gaelic" part of the name refers to Ireland, rather than Scotland.
The following teams play Gaelic football in Scotland: Dálriada, Dúnedin Connollys, Glaschu Gaels, Sands MacSwineys, and Tír Conaill Harps.
Hurling is a close relative of the indigenous Scottish sport ofshinty, and there is an annual international between Scotland's shinty players and Ireland's hurlers, using composite rules. The traditional forms of hurling played in CountiesAntrim andDonegal, where many of Scotland's Irish immigrants originate from, were closest to Scottish shinty, and were at one point almost indistinguishable.
TheIreland national hurling team plays an annual international against aScotland national shinty team undercomposite rules.
Camogie is also played to a basic level. Currently, there is only one hurling/camogie club in Scotland, Ceann Creige, which was established in 2019.
As of 2020 Scotland has 5 BHA licensed racecourses.Hamilton Park races solely on the flat,Kelso andPerth provide jump racing under National Hunt Rules, whileAyr andMusselburgh are dual purpose courses providing both flat and jump racing. The flat racing course atLanark was closed in October 1977.
Point-to-point racing over jumps for amateur riders takes place at Overton in Lanarkshire and at Friars Haugh and Mosshouses in the Borders. The point-to-point course Balcormo Mains in Fife was used for an annual fixture in 2019 but after the 2020 fixture was closed due to COVID-19 lockdown it was announced that the course would close with immediate effect.
The main meeting held is theScottish Grand National, held over 4 miles and half a furlong atAyr each April.
One of the most valuable flat handicaps in Europe is theAyr Gold Cup held over 6 furlongs at Ayr each September.
The French sport ofPétanque is administered and promoted in Scotland by the Scottish Petanque Association There are 11 affiliated clubs in Scotland and many other groups which play on a casual basis.
Strathclyde Country Park is the home to the Scottish Rowing Centre, including an Olympic standard 2 km rowing course that has hosted rowing events at the Commonwealth Games and World Rowing Championships.
Dame Katherine Grainger, with five Olympic medals, is Great Britain's most decorated female Olympian.[35]
There are various events including theWest Highland Yachting Week.
Scotland hosts the UK's premier offshore power boat race, theP1 Scottish Grand Prix of the Sea.
TheScottish Highlands are one of the few parts of the United Kingdom to have a number of ski resorts.
Aviemore is a centre for the sport in theCairngorms. There are also other resorts such asAonach Mòr, and slopes atGlencoe Ski area andGlenshee Ski Centre. TheMidlothian Snowsports Centre near Edinburgh, known locally as "Hillend", is the largest dry ski slope in Europe.
Scotland currently has two Motorcycle Speedway teams racing in theSGB Championship,Glasgow Tigers andEdinburgh Monarchs.
The governing body is theScottish Amateur Swimming Association. Most major urban centres and medium-sized towns have a swimming pool. Seawild swimming has regained popularity afterCOVID pandemic in 2021.[36]
Underwater hockey is a growing sport in Scotland. The nation has eight clubs registered with theBritish Octopush Association and regular sees native born players compete forGreat Britain. Scottish underwater hockey overseas regional development within Scotland as well as the Scottish national team, but (like allhome nations) the national side is rarely used in favour of the Great Britain team.
| Year | A team | B team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1st | 6th | [37] |
| 2023 | Did not participate | ||
| 2024 | 1st | 3rd | [38] |
The Scottish Surfing Federation was established in 1975 and conducts National Surfing Championships.[39][40]
Water polo is considered to be invented in Scotland with the original rules being written by William Wilson for the Bon Accord Club in Aberdeen in 1877. It was based on a game played in the rivers Dee and Don in Aberdeen. The first game in a pool took place in Glasgow and the Scottish rules were those most adopted during the early years of the sport. Additionally, Scotland provided a number of Olympians to the GB squads that were successful in the early Olympics.
Scotland had a proud tradition of amateur water polo with many strong clubs across the country. However, it took a downturn after the early 1990s at which point it was successfully competing in home countries and 8 nations tournaments. As the rest of the world moved to deep water facilities, increased their training regime and professionalised their coaching structures, Scotland's water polo remained static and fell far behind. The national squad stopped competing in internationals in 2003 with the exception of the women's squad competing at the Commonwealth tournament in Perth in 2006. However, the sport has turned around since 2008 with fast growth of members, clubs and competitions. The national squads are once again competing internationally in the annual Celtic Nations tournament with recent wins in Women's 2010 & 2012 and Men's 2011. Scotland is expected to host the Commonwealth tournament in Aberdeen in April 2014.
All forms ofanimal fighting e.g.cock fighting, dog fighting,badger baiting etc. are banned, and have been for a long time.Fox hunting andhare coursing have been banned much more recently, and the former has never had a major presence in Scotland.
Aside from theHighland Games, a few localities have preserved traditional sports from before the standardisation of games. These include theba games ofJedburgh andKirkwall, and various forms of folkshinty, known as 'knotty' or 'hummie', which use improvised materials.
TheHighland Games are a distinctive feature of the national sporting culture. There are numerous annual games hosted in theHighlands includingBraemar andDunoon. They are also popular in various parts of the world, where large numbers of Scottish emigrants have settled.
Events at the Highland Games often test physical strength, such as theweight over the bar andsheaf toss, and novelty events of recent origin such ashaggis hurling.
Scotland is one of only six countries to have competed in every Commonwealth Games since the firstEmpire Games in 1930.
Scotland has hosted the Commonwealth Games three times,Edinburgh in1970 and1986, andGlasgow in2014.[41] The inauguralCommonwealth Youth Games were held in Edinburgh in 2000. 259 athletes and 166 officials were sent from Scotland to the2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, where Scotland won a total of 51 medals (13 Gold, 11 Silver and 27 Bronze).
Scotland sends three teams to theIsland Games tournament: one for theOrkney Islands,Shetland, andOuter Hebrides.
The2005 Island Games were hosted byShetland.
Scottish athletes have competed at everyOlympic Games, since the inaugural modern Games, as part of theGreat Britain and Ireland team (prior toIrish independence) and then theGreat Britain and Northern Ireland team. A Scot,Launceston Elliot, won Great Britain and Ireland's very first Olympic gold medal, in 1896 inAthens. Some of the most notable Scots athletes areEric Liddell, (whose story is featured in the filmChariots of Fire),Alan Wells, the Olympic 100m winner in 1980, andChris Hoy, winner of six cycling gold medals in 2004, 2008 and 2012.
Scotland have only ever won one Olympic medal asScotland, when themen's field hockey team won a bronze medal at the1908 Summer Games. This was also the only occasion when either England (gold) or Wales (bronze) have won a medal in their own right; and was Ireland's only medal (silver) prior to independence. The curling gold medal inChamonix in1924 was won by theRoyal Caledonian Curling Club team, the Scottish national team, and the women's curling gold inSalt Lake City in2002 was won by the top Scottish team at the time, skipped byRhona Martin. There is a long-runningCampaign for a Scottish Olympic Team
In 2009, two sports of Scottish origin, golf and rugby sevens were accepted into the Olympics. Curling has been an event at the Winter Olympics for many years.
For a list of Scottish Olympic medal winners, seeScottish Olympic medallists.
Scotland has a notable track record of success in the world of motor sport, being one of only five countries in the world to have produced World Champions on two, three and four wheels.
Several Scottish competitors have had illustrious careers at the top level and success has come in many different championships includingFormula One, TheWorld Rally Championship,Le Mans 24 hours,IndyCar Series, theBritish Touring Car Championship,Grand Prix motorcycle racing, theBritish Superbike Championship and theSidecar World Championship.
Scotland has had several Formula One drivers over the years since the championship commenced in 1950. A full list of these drivers can be found atCategory:Scottish Formula One drivers. Scotland's early successes in Formula One began withInnes Ireland, theDumfries man winningLotus’ first Grand Prix, at Watkins Glen in 1961. However, perhaps the best known Scottish drivers areJim Clark, who won 2 World Championships before his untimely death,Jackie Stewart who managed to gain 3 World Championships andDavid Coulthard who raced from 1994 to 2008 withMcLaren F1,Williams F1 andRed Bull F1. Coulthard has been Scotland's most successful driver in recent memory finishing runner up in the World Drivers Championships in 2001. Other recent successes includeBathgate'sPaul di Resta who drove forForce India between 2010 and 2013 andOban'sSusie Wolff who in 2014 became the first woman to take part in a Formula One race weekend in 22 years, at theBritish Grand Prix, atSilverstone. No round of F1 has however been held in Scotland making the country one of the most successful countries without hosting a race, however a 50 lap 100-mile (160 km) motor race run to Formula One regulations called theScottish Grand Prix was held in 1951 and there has been public discussion about the possibility of reviving the event in some form.
IndyCar refers to the top-level American single-seater racing championship and it just so happens that Scotland is home to one of the most successful drivers in the history of US single-seater racing –Dario Franchitti. Dario won theIndyCar Series championship four times and claimed theIndy 500 three times.
On 6 October 2013, he was involved in a serious crash at the Grand Prix of Houston, when his car flew into catch-fencing after contact with another car. Franchitti suffered two fractured vertebrae, a broken ankle and a concussion in the accident. A month later, on 14 November 2013, Franchitti announced his immediate retirement from motor racing on medical advice. He retired with 31 victories from 265 starts in American open-wheel racing, a tally which put him in a tie for ninth place on the all-time wins list.
The only other Scot to have had considerable success in US single seater racing, was the extremely versatileJim Clark, who won theIndianapolis 500 in 1965.
Away from the track, Scotland has always enjoyed a distinguished pedigree in stage rallying.
The McRae name is perhaps one of Scotland's most famous exports, withColin McRae winning theWorld Rally Championship in 1995. His ‘flat-out’ driving style earned him millions of fans around the world and he enjoyed cult status during his 15-year career at the top of the sport. Colin was the son of 5-time British Rally Champion,Jimmy McRae, and brother ofAlister McRae who also enjoyed success in the world of international rallying.
Scotland's most recent world crown was won in 2001, when Perthshire born co-driverRobert Reid won the World Rally Championship with Richard Burns.
Louise Aitken-Walker also made significant inroads into the male-dominated sport and is Britain's most successful female rally driver of all time, claiming the ladies world rally championship in 1990.
One of the most enduring stories from the world of Scottish motorsport is that of the legendaryEcurie Ecosse racing team. From a humble back-street mews garage in Merchiston, Edinburgh the team stunned the motor racing world by beating household names such as Porsche and Ferrari. In 1956, David Murray's team won the famous24 Hours of Le Mans race with a privately entered D-type Jaguar, driven by ScotsmenRon Flockhart andNinian Sanderson.
In more recent years, Scotland has continued to enjoy success in the world of endurance and sports car racing. Dumfrieshire'sAllan McNish competed in F1 in 2002 forToyota, but is best known for becoming one of the all-time greats in the gruelling world of sportscar racing, winning the24 Hours of Le Mans three times and finishing on the podium on no fewer than six further occasions. In 2013, he also won theFIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC).Peter Dumbreck has also competed in the1999 24 Hours of Le Mans, and is better known for his infamous accident in the 1999 event where hisMercedes-Benz CLR car suffered aerodynamic problems and took off, somersaulting through the air. In 2012, Bathgate'sMarino Franchitti was confirmed as the first driver of Nissan's innovativeDeltaWing as an unclassified entrant at Le Mans and in 2014 he won the12 Hours of Sebring. Another star Scottish endurance driver isRyan Dalziel who in 2012 won theFIA World Endurance Championship, as well as taking a class wins in the24 Hours of Le Mans and in the12 Hours of Sebring.
In theBritish Touring Car Championship Scotland has had a double champion inJohn Cleland. A number of drivers have raced successfully in recent years includingAnthony Reid,David Leslie andGordon Shedden, who won the championship in 2012. One round of the championship is annually held atKnockhill in Scotland.
In motorcycling, the legends continue.Jock Taylor took theSidecar World Championship in 1980 andJimmy Guthrie andBob McIntyre both set the standard for Scottish motorcycle competitors on either side of the war.
In the 1980s and 1990s,Niall Mackenzie andSteve Hislop led the way. Mackenzie competed in the 500cc Grand Prix championship (nowMotoGP) for nine years from 1986 to 1994, only twice finishing outside the top ten. He went on to win theBritish Superbike Championship no less than three times.
Borders man Steve Hislop won the British Superbike Championship in 1995 although was better known for his success in the Isle of Man TT races, winning no less than eleven TTs.
In recent years Stuart Easton continues the charge for Scotland in the British Superbikes, whileJohn McPhee promotes the Scots abroad, running in the highly competitive SpanishMoto3 class.
The Scottish off-road motorcycling scene has produced numerous British Enduro and Motocross champions, most recently Richard Hay in the British Enduro Veteran Class. Euan McConnell contested theWorld Enduro Championship from 2001 to 2007. In 2009 and 2010 teams from Scotland competed to medal results in theInternational Six Days Enduro and in each of the same years Scottish riders successfully finished the gruellingDakar Rally as the first Scots to do so. Scotland can even claim a World Champion in motorcycle stunt riding with Kevin Carmichael taking the title in 2002.
There are various motor sport venues throughout Scotland, the biggest of which isKnockhill Racing Circuit in Fife.
For motorcycle sport in Scotland, the governing body is the SACU.
Scotland has a distinct set of media products, especially when it comes to sports coverage.[citation needed] The mainScottish daily newspapers, theDaily Record,The Herald andThe Scotsman, have extensive coverage of Scottish and international sport; and coverage of Scottish sport is one of the key tools used by Scottish editions of British newspapers, most successfully employed byThe Scottish Sun. However, the vast majority of sports coverage in Scotland is of association football.
There are also a variety ofmagazine titles. Titles includeThe Celtic View,Rangers News,bunkered,Scottish Club Golfer andRally Action.
The main sports television shows on the largest two channels areScotsport onSTV andITV1 Border Scotland (which is recognised by theGuinness Book of Records as the world's longest running sports television programme) andSportscene onBBC Scotland.BBC Radio Scotland's main sports show isSportsound, and it has other sports output, for example the comedy showOff the Ball. All the mainindependent radio stations report on local sport, and often cover football matches live (although not the SPL, to which the BBC hold exclusive radio rights).
BBC Alba'sSpòrs shows one full, delayed SPL match.
In 2011, QuipuTV – a multimedia production company and digital broadcaster specialising in livestreaming – launched with the aim of providing a digital platform for minority sports in Scotland. They produce live programming for Cricket Scotland, Scottish Hockey Union, Scottish Swimming, and Netball Scotland.
Coordinated byScottish Universities Sport (SUS),[42] universities in Scotland participate inBritish Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) as well as holdingvarsity matches and supporting the national development of elite athletes.[43]
