| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales |
| Dates | 22 February – 3 May 1902 |
| Teams | 4 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Scotland (11th title) |
| Runners-up |  England |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 6 |
| Goals scored | 22 (3.67 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Andy GaraRobert Hamilton(3 goals) |
1902–03 → | |
The1901–02British Home Championship was an internationalfootball tournament between the BritishHome Nations which was meant to herald the arrival of the full professional game offootball as bothEngland andScotland fielded fully professional teams for the first time. The championship was however dominated and overshadowed bya disaster during the final deciding match between England and Scotland atIbrox Park, which claimed 25 lives.[1] Six minutes into the game, a section of the wooden West Tribune Stand suddenly collapsed due to heavy rainfall the night before.[2] Over 500 people were injured as the stadium was packed to its 68,000 capacity for the match. Although play was stopped in the immediate aftermath of the disaster as players, police and stewards rushed to aid the injured, it was later continued. The continued match finished 1–1 despite the players' reluctance and repeated pauses to allow police and injured spectators to cross the pitch. After the match theScottish andEnglish Football Associations decided to void the result, and the match was replayed atVilla Park.[3] All proceeds from the replay were contributed to the Disaster Fund set up to aid victims of the accident.[4]
Ireland kicked off the tournament in fine style, beatingWales 3–0 inCardiff with a good performance. Their luck did not hold out in their second game however, thumped 5–1 by an impressive Scottish side inGreenock. Scotland continued their run of good form against Wales, with another 5–1 victory, setting them up as tournament favourites going into the final games. England had played poorly in their opening matches, drawing 0–0 with Wales and scrambling a 1–0 victory over the Irish. The final match up was marred bytragedy and the game was eventually relocated to England due to the turmoil in the Scottish football community as a result of the disaster. The match was fiercely fought and ended with a 2–2 draw, sharing the points but giving the championship to the Scots.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland(C) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 5 |
| England | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 |
| Ireland | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 2 |
 Wales | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | −7 | 1 |
| Ireland | 1–5 | Scotland |
|---|---|---|
Milne 88' | RC Hamilton 43',70',74' Walker 49'Albert Buick 76' |
The match between Scotland and England was cancelled after being suspended at 51' (1-1) due to the1902 Ibrox disaster. Days later the match was repeated (2-2).
| Name | Apps/Goals by opponent | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
WAL[5] | IRE[6] | ENG[a][8] | Apps | Goals | |
| Alex Smith | 1/3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Bobby Walker | 1 | 1/1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Jock Drummond | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Harry Rennie | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Jackie Robertson | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Bob Hamilton | 1 | 1/3 | 2 | 3 | |
| Albert Buick | 1/1 | 1/1 | 2 | 2 | |
| John Campbell | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Nicol Smith | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Bobby Templeton | 1/1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Ronald Orr[a] | 1/1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Andy Aitken | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Bob McColl[a] | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Alex Raisbeck | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Henry Allan | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Sandy McMahon | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Hughie Wilson | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| George Key | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| William McCartney | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
