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{{short description|Fans of the Scotland national football team}}
{{for|the paramilitary group|Frederick Boothby#Tartan Army}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
[[File:Fansecosse1998.jpg|thumb|right|The Tartan Army at the opening match of the [[1998 FIFA World Cup]], a tournament at which the Scots won an award for good behaviour]]
The '''Tartan Army''' are [[Fan (person)|fans]] of the [[Scotland national football team]]. They have won awards from several organisations for their friendly behaviour and charitable work.<ref name="t-army"/><ref name = "charity nomination"/> They have also been criticised at times for aspects of their behaviour, however, such as jeering at "[[God Save the Queen]]" and alleged indecent [[exhibitionism]].<ref name="Tartan Army kilt lift">{{cite web |last1=Roberts |first1=Lesley |title=Tartan Army should quit lifting their kilts and start projecting the right image of Scotland to the world |url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/tartan-army-should-quit-lifting-9289196 |website=Daily Record |publisher=Reach Scotland |access-date=13 January 2022 |ref=indecent}}</ref><ref name="Tartan Army Exposure">{{cite web |last1=Vesty |first1=Sarah |title=Two men arrested at Leicester Square with Tartan Army supporters urged to avoid the area |url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/two-men-arrested-leicester-square-24351961 |website=Daily Record |publisher=Reach Scotland |access-date=13 January 2022 |ref=exhibitionism}}</ref><ref name = "eurosport"/><ref name = "scots rebuke"/>

== History ==
[[Image:Tartan Army.png|thumb|The Tartan Army in Milan, Italy]]
[[File:Stadio San Nicola.jpg|thumb|Scotland fans at the [[Stadio San Nicola]] in [[Bari]] for a [[UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying]] match against [[Italy national football team|Italy]].]]

[[Tartan]] is part of the [[Scottish national identity#Cultural icons|symbolic national dress of Scotland]], and the name Tartan Army first came into common usage in the 1970s, to describe the "[[Alcohol (drug)|well-refreshed]] hordes" who would stand on the terracings at [[Hampden Park]], or biannually at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley]] for the [[England and Scotland football rivalry|England match]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20060827/ai_n16697303/ |last=Grant |first=Michael |accessdate=14 August 2010 |work=[[Sunday Herald]] |title=Tartan Army truce | date=27 August 2006}}</ref> Scotland fans were criticised at that time for their [[football hooligan|hooliganism]], particularly after they [[pitch invasion|invaded]] the Wembley pitch and destroyed the goalposts after the 2–1 win against [[England national football team|England]] in 1977.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Carrell |first1=Severin |title=The Tartan army masses at Wembley, with Scottish confidence on the rise |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/scotland-blog/2013/aug/13/scotland-wembley-stadium |accessdate=16 October 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=13 August 2013}}</ref><ref name="tartan2">{{cite book |editor-last=Smith |editor-first=Adrian |editor2=Porter, Dilwyn |title=Sport and National Identity in the Post-War World |publisher=Routledge |date=2004 |isbn=978-0-415-28300-7}} p77</ref>

Two years later, 349 arrests were made and a further 144 fans were ejected from Wembley Stadium during the [[1979 British Home Championship]] match, mainly for drunk and disorderly behaviour and [[vandalism]].<ref name = "1979 problems">{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article6968352.ece |title=Tartan Army risked ban in London |work=The Sunday Times |location=UK |date=27 December 2009 |accessdate=15 August 2010 |last=Horne |first=Marc}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The behaviour in that latter match prompted the Scottish Sports Minister [[Alexander MacPherson Fletcher|Alex Fletcher]] to apologise to colleagues and led to the creation of the Scotland Travel Club.<ref name = "1979 problems"/>

The Scotland Travel Club was established in 1980 with the expressed purpose of encouraging responsible behaviour by fans.<ref name="t-army"/><ref name = "1979 problems"/> It has been suggested by Professor Eric Dunning that the improvement in behaviour arose mainly from a desire to look better than the English fans, who experienced significant problems with hooliganism during the 1980s and 1990s.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article3953876.ece |archive-url=https://archive.today/20081012185210/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article3953876.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 October 2008 |title=Who were the fans who shamed Rangers? |work=The Sunday Times |location=UK |date=18 May 2008 |last=MacDonald |first=Stuart |accessdate=15 August 2010 }}</ref> The Tartan Army have won a number of awards for their vocal support and friendly nature.<ref name="t-army"/>

The organisation of the Travel Club had an immediate impact, with the Scotland matches at the [[1982 FIFA World Cup]] being played in a "family atmosphere".<ref name = "1979 problems"/> The Tartan Army were named as the best supporters during the [[1992 UEFA European Championship|1992 European Championship]]<ref name="t-army" /> and also received an award for their behaviour at the [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998 World Cup]] in France.<ref name="t-army"/> [[BBC News]] described the Scotland fans as "one of the highlights" of that World Cup, noting their colourful appearance.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/118917.stm |title=Tartan Army on the retreat |publisher=BBC News   |date=24 June 1998 |accessdate=14 August 2010}}</ref>

Matches against England, which used to be played on an annual basis as part of the [[British Home Championship]], were eventually stopped after 1989 due to violence and organised hooliganism.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/blogs/stramash/scotland-v-england-bring-it-on-the-sfa-needs-the-status-and-the-money-1.999289 |title=Scotland v England? Bring It On . . . the SFA needs the status and the money |work=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]] |date=17 January 2010 |archive-date=5 October 2012 |access-date=15 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005062613/http://www.heraldscotland.com/blogs/stramash/scotland-v-england-bring-it-on-the-sfa-needs-the-status-and-the-money-1.999289 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Both matches that were played between the countries in November 1999 in qualification for [[UEFA Euro 2000]] had associated problems.<ref name = "court date"/> [[Strathclyde Police]] made 230 arrests in connection with the tie played at Hampden,<ref name = "court date"/> while trouble at the second leg in Wembley resulted in 56 supporter injuries and 39 arrests.<ref name = "second game">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1999/11/99/battle_of_britain/526119.stm |title=Cheers and tears for Scotland |publisher=BBC News   |date=18 November 1999 |accessdate=15 August 2010}}</ref> Police spokesmen downplayed the incidents after both games, however.<ref name = "court date"/><ref name = "second game"/><ref name = "police"/>

Comments after the first game indicated that the arrests were for minor public order offences and that the scale of violence witnessed was lower than a typical Friday evening in Glasgow.<ref name = "court date">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/520745.stm |title=Court date for arrested fans |publisher=BBC News   |date=15 November 1999 |accessdate=14 August 2010}}</ref><ref name = "police">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1999/11/99/battle_of_britain/518451.stm |title=Running battles as fans clash |publisher=BBC News   |date=13 November 1999 |accessdate=14 August 2010}}</ref> The [[Metropolitan Police]] adopted a "zero tolerance" approach for the second game, but the number of arrests was "comparatively small" and the "vast majority" of supporters were well behaved.<ref name = "second game"/>

===21st century===
The Tartan Army were awarded a [[Sportsmanship|Fair Play]] prize by the [[Belgium at the Olympics|Belgian Olympic Committee]] after a [[2002 FIFA World Cup qualification|2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier]] in Brussels.<ref name="t-army">{{cite news | title=Tartan Army wins fair play award | url= https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/scotland/1682841.stm |publisher=BBC Sport   | date=29 November 2001 |access-date=14 August 2010}}</ref> The fans had been praised by the [[List of mayors of Zagreb|mayor of Zagreb]] for their behaviour after a match against [[Croatia national football team|Croatia]] in the same competition.<ref name="t-army"/>

In April 2002, during the joint bid by Scotland and Ireland to host the [[UEFA Euro 2008]] tournament, [[First Minister of Scotland]] [[Jack McConnell]] cited the "worldwide reputation" of the Tartan Army as a strength of the bid, stating that other countries welcome their arrival "with open arms".<ref>{{cite news|title=Tartan Army to Woo UEFA|newspaper=The Scotsman |location=UK |date=21 April 2002 |url=http://news.scotsman.com/euro2008bid/Tartan-Army-to-woo-Uefa.2320374.jp |accessdate=14 August 2010 |last=MacLeod |first=Murdo}}</ref> In 2005, the Scotland Travel Club became the Scotland Supporters Club, with sections for younger fans being established.<ref name = "ssc history"/> Membership had grown to 17,000 by this time.<ref name="ssc history">{{cite web |url=http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football.cfm?page=355 |title=History of Club |publisher=[[Scottish Football Association]] |accessdate=14 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809230100/http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football.cfm?page=355 |archive-date=9 August 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[UEFA Euro 2008]] qualifying campaign saw membership numbers increase dramatically to a capacity of 27,500, with a waiting list of over 10,000.<ref name = "ssc history"/> The Scotland Supporters Club is operated by the [[Scottish Football Association]], with membership guaranteeing one match ticket for all home fixtures and offering the opportunity to apply for away match tickets.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football.cfm?page=353 |title=About the club |publisher=[[Scottish Football Association]] |accessdate=14 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809230035/http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football.cfm?page=353 |archive-date=9 August 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> As of August 2010, the club was at its maximum capacity of 35,000 members and did not accept new applications.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football.cfm?page=354 |title=Scotland Supporters Club |publisher=[[Scottish Football Association]] |accessdate=14 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809230121/http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football.cfm?page=354 |archive-date=9 August 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In August 2008, [[Irish Football Association]] chief executive Howard Wells criticised jeering from Scottish supporters during the British National Anthem, "[[God Save the Queen]]", before a friendly international match against [[Northern Ireland national football team|Northern Ireland]].<ref name="eurosport">{{cite news|url=http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/21082008/1/lack-respect-isn-t-howard-s-way.html |title=Lack of respect isn't Howard's way |publisher=[[Eurosport]] |date=21 August 2008 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080824230512/http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/21082008/1/lack-respect-isn-t-howard-s-way.html |archivedate=24 August 2008 }}</ref><ref name = "scots rebuke">{{cite news |url=http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotlandsfootballteam/Scottish-fans-earn-rebuke-from.4417345.jp |title=Scottish fans earn rebuke from Irish FA |newspaper=The Scotsman |location=UK |date=22 August 2008 |accessdate=14 August 2010}}</ref> The [[Scottish Football Association|SFA]], who had pleaded with fans not to jeer the anthem,<ref name = "sfa escape"/> admitted that they were also "disappointed" by the booing.<ref name = "eurosport"/><ref name = "scots rebuke"/><ref name = "sfa escape"/> The [[Scottish Government]] also criticised the Tartan Army, commenting that it had "tarnished" their reputation.<ref name = "eurosport"/> Scotland were not punished for the booing because the match was a [[friendly match|friendly]], which fell outside the jurisdiction of [[UEFA]].<ref name = "sfa escape">{{cite news |last=Esplin |first=Ronnie |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/internationals/scotland-escape-sanction-after-anthem-is-booed-anthem-905297.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/internationals/scotland-escape-sanction-after-anthem-is-booed-anthem-905297.html |archive-date=26 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Scotland escape sanction after anthem is booed anthem |newspaper=The Independent |location=UK |date=22 August 2008 |accessdate=14 August 2010 }}</ref> The British anthem was used by Scotland until the 1970s, but it was replaced by "[[Scotland the Brave]]"<ref name = "broadfoot"/> and subsequently "[[Flower of Scotland]]",<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ferguson |first1=Brian |title=Flower of Scotland anthem 'will never be replaced' |url=https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/flower-scotland-anthem-will-never-be-replaced-1497378 |accessdate=16 October 2020 |newspaper=The Scotsman |date=18 August 2015}}</ref> due to consistent booing at matches.<ref name="broadfoot">{{cite news |url=http://www.theherald.co.uk/sport/headlines/display.var.1708988.0.flower_of_scotland_is_national_disgrace.php |title=Flower of Scotland is national disgrace |newspaper=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]] |date=24 September 2007 |accessdate=14 August 2010 |last=Broadfoot |first=Darryl |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20070804034304/http://www.theherald.co.uk/sport/headlines/display.var.1708988.0.flower_of_scotland_is_national_disgrace.php |archivedate=4 August 2007 }}</ref> This issue recurred when Scotland played [[Liechtenstein national football team|Liechtenstein]] in September 2010, as [[Oben am jungen Rhein|their national anthem]] uses the same tune as the British anthem.<ref name = "liech boo"/> SFA acting chief executive George Peat publicly apologised for a section of the fans jeering the anthem.<ref name = "liech boo">{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/8980064.stm |title=George Peat blasts fans for booing national anthem |publisher=BBC Sport |date=8 September 2010 |access-date=8 September 2010}}</ref> The British anthem was again booed by Scotland fans when the team played Northern Ireland in the [[2011 Nations Cup]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/feb/09/scotland-northern-ireland-nations-cup |newspaper=The Guardian |location=UK |last=Murray |first=Euan |title=Scotland sweep aside Northern Ireland in Nations Cup |date=9 February 2011 |accessdate=10 February 2011 |quote=The game had been preceded by the booing from the Scotland support of Northern Ireland's anthem, God Save the Queen. The Irish contingent afforded the same treatment to the onset of Flower of Scotland. Some people get terribly excited by such antics; on this occasion, it was entirely predictable. As was the low attendance.}}</ref> and England in a September 2023 friendly.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/sep/18/the-booing-of-the-national-anthem-shows-the-vulnerability-of-king-charless-reign |title=The booing of the national anthem shows the vulnerability of King Charles’s reign |first=Zoe |last=Williams |newspaper=The Guardian |date=18 September 2023 |accessdate=22 October 2023}}</ref>

The Tartan Army has been a consistent opponent of the concept of a [[Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic football team|Great Britain team]], particularly its participation in the [[2012 Olympic Games]], due to concerns that such participation would endanger the separate status of Scotland within international football.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lomax |first=Andrew |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/london2012/4400046/Scotland-Wales-and-Northern-Ireland-put-Team-GB-opposition-in-writing.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204191407/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/london2012/4400046/Scotland-Wales-and-Northern-Ireland-put-Team-GB-opposition-in-writing.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 February 2009 |title=Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland put Team GB opposition in writing |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location=UK |date=30 January 2009 |accessdate=14 August 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/londonolympics2012/Tartan-Army-to-shun-Olympic.5319290.jp |title=Tartan Army to shun Olympic Team GB |newspaper=[[Scotland On Sunday]] |date=31 May 2009 |accessdate=14 August 2010 |last=Leask |first=David |archive-date=8 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608213214/http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/londonolympics2012/Tartan-Army-to-shun-Olympic.5319290.jp |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/scotland/2010/02/28/london-mayor-blasts-scots-for-blocking-team-gb-football-side-at-london-2012-olympics-86908-22075486/ |title=London mayor blasts Scots for blocking Team GB football side at London 2012 Olympics |newspaper=[[Sunday Mail (Scotland)|Sunday Mail]] |date=28 February 2010 |accessdate=14 August 2010 |last=Stewart |first=Stephen}}</ref>

Scotland qualified for [[UEFA Euro 2020]], their first major finals since the 1998 World Cup. The tournament was spread around Europe, meaning that two of three group stage games were played at [[Hampden Park]], but over 20,000 Scotland fans travelled to London for the game against [[England national football team|England]].<ref name = england2021>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-57516928 |title=Euro 2020: Thousands of Scotland fans gather in central London |website=BBC News |date=18 June 2021 |accessdate=19 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-57538350 |title=Scotland fans clean up London after Euro celebrations |website=BBC News |date=19 June 2021 |accessdate=19 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-57535302 |title=Euro 2020: Crowds celebrate Scotland's 0-0 draw with England |website=BBC News |date=19 June 2021 |accessdate=19 June 2021}}</ref> This was despite Scotland only being allocated 2,600 tickets, due to [[COVID-19 pandemic|COVID-19]] restrictions.<ref name = england2021/>

== Composition ==
Research carried out in 1996 noted that the proportion of the Tartan Army comprising [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]] supporters, "traditionally the backbone of the Tartan Army", had declined since the 1980s.<ref name=brad>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/942807.stm |title=Scotland's Tartan Army revealed |publisher=BBC News   |date=26 September 2000 |accessdate=15 August 2010}}</ref> However, Rangers still provided the single largest proportion with 21%,<ref name=journal>{{cite book |last=Bradley |first=Joseph|chapter=Images of Scottishness and Otherness in International Football |title=Social Identities: Journal for the Study of Race, Nation and Culture|volume=9|issue=1 |publisher=Routledge |year=2003|page=4}}</ref> while west-of-Scotland Catholics, traditionally associated with [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]], were still notably under-represented.<ref name=brad/> Politically, the [[Scottish National Party]] enjoyed the support of almost two in five Tartan Army members.<ref name=brad/>

== Charitable work ==
The Tartan Army received a nomination in the inaugural International Scot Award, as part of ''[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]]'' newspaper's [[Scottish Politician of the Year]] ceremony, for their charitable work.<ref name = "charity nomination">{{cite news |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/billionaire-philanthropist-honoured-for-charitable-work-around-the-world-1.844271 |title=Billionaire philanthropist honoured for charitable work around the world |last=Schofield |first=Kevin |newspaper=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]] |date=16 November 2007 |accessdate=14 August 2010}}</ref><ref name = "scot award">{{cite news |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/cabinet-colleagues-become-rivals-for-holyrood-s-top-political-award-1.844267 |title=Cabinet colleagues become rivals for Holyrood's top political award |last=Fraser |first=Douglas |newspaper=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]] |date=15 November 2007 |accessdate=16 August 2010}}</ref> The Tartan Army Children's Charity (TACC) and [[Tartan Army Sunshine Appeal]] (TASA) are both registered Scottish charities run by Scotland fans, raising money for disadvantaged children in Scotland and in the countries visited by fans following the team.<ref name = moldova/>

The Sunshine Appeal was first launched after Scotland's away fixture against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Sarajevo in September 1999 during [[UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying]], when a group of Scotland fans, who had traveled despite the Foreign Commonwealth Office discouraging travel in the wake of the [[Bosnian War]],<ref name = "Away with the Tartan Army Article">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57271602|title=What to expect in ''Away with the Tartan Army – Scotland's Best Moments'' |last=McPheat |first=Nick |website=bbc.co.uk/sport |publisher=BBC Sport |date=9 June 2021 |accessdate=18 July 2021}}</ref> were introduced to Kemal Karic, a local boy who had lost his leg in the shelling of Sarajevo.<ref name = moldova/> TASA's aim is to make a donation in every country where Scotland play a game, which they have done since 2003.<ref name = moldova>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/59211590 |title=Moldova v Scotland: How the Tartan Army aim to give a little back to Europe's poorest nation |first=Nick |last=McPheat |website=bbc.co.uk/sport |publisher=BBC Sport |date=10 November 2021 |accessdate=10 November 2021}}</ref>

TACC has donated funds to projects for disabled and blind children in [[Ukraine]], Georgia and [[North Macedonia]].<ref name="tacc">{{cite web |url=http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football.cfm?page=788 |title=TACC |publisher=[[Scottish Football Association]] |accessdate=14 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614215450/http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football.cfm?page=788 |archive-date=14 June 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2009, £30,000 was donated to each of two projects in South Africa, where the Tartan Army had hoped to visit for the [[2010 FIFA World Cup]].<ref name = "tacc"/><ref name="tacc sa">{{cite web |url=http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football.cfm?page=1786 |title=TACC in South Africa |publisher=[[Scottish Football Association]] |accessdate=14 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614215432/http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football.cfm?page=1786 |archive-date=14 June 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The TACC, which is the nominated charity of the [[Scottish Football Association|SFA]], also organise trips for disadvantaged Scottish children to watch Scotland play at [[Hampden Park]].<ref name = "tacc"/> TACC's main fundraising events are a lottery monthly lottery and the TACC Kiltwalk, an annual 26-mile sponsored walk from Hampden Park to [[Loch Lomond]].<ref name = "tacc"/>

== Music ==

In 2007, the Tartan Army joined Scottish folk-rock band [[Runrig]] to record a version of ''[[The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond|Loch Lomond]]'', christened the Hampden Remix, for [[BBC Children in Need]]. The song peaked at #9 on the UK Singles Chart and at #1 in Scotland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/20071118/7501/|title=Official Singles Chart Top 100 18 November 2007 – 24 November 2007|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=20 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/scottish-singles-chart/20071118/41/|title=Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 18 November 2007 – 24 November 2007|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=20 June 2018}}</ref> in April 2022, their recording was [[Music recording certification|certified]] silver by the [[British Phonographic Industry]] (BPI) for sales and streams exceeding 200,000 units.<ref>{{cite certification|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Runrig/The Tartan Army|title=Loch Lomond|award=Silver|certyear=2022|id=18007-5919-1|access-date=19 April 2022}}</ref>

== Official tartan ==
[[File:Tartan 2389 of Tartan Army.jpg|thumb|upright|The Tartan Army tartan]]

Prior to the [[1998 FIFA World Cup]], Ian and Alan Adie, two Glasgow businessmen, trademarked the name "Tartan Army" in 1997.   They approached the Scottish Tartans Authority to assist in creating a tartan.   Keith Lumsden designed the corporate tartan on their behalf and it was registered on 1 March 1997 under number 2389 with both the Scottish Tartans Authority (STA) and the Scottish Tartans World Register (STWR).<ref name = "tartan"/><ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/JOIN+UP+FOR+THE+TARTAN+ARMY+plc.-a061083502 | title=JOIN UP FOR THE TARTAN ARMY plc. – Free Online Library}}</ref>

It is mostly Balmoral Blue {{color box|#1474B4}} and Torea Bay {{color box|#2C2C80}}, with Freedom Red {{color box|#C80000}}, Gainsboro White {{color box|#E0E0E0}}, and Golden Poppy {{color box|#E8C000}}.

The Scottish Tartans Society notes that the design was taken originally from [[Royal Stewart tartan|Royal Stewart]] and modified having [[Black Watch]] added as a background.<ref name = "tartan"/> It was first seen in common use at the [[1998 FIFA World Cup]].<ref name = "tartan">{{cite web |url=http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/tartanDetails.aspx?ref=4073 |title=Tartan Details – Tartan Army |publisher=[[National Archives of Scotland]] |accessdate=14 August 2010}}</ref>
{{Clear}}

==''Away with the Tartan Army – Scotland's Best Moments''==

In June 2021, the BBC produced a documentary hosted by ''[[Off the Ball (radio series)|Off the Ball]]'''s [[Stuart Cosgrove]] and [[Tam Cowan]] counting down the top 10 great Scotland supporting memories ranked by a group of journalists, pundits and former players and including interviews with Tartan Army members.<ref name = "Away with the Tartan Army Article"/>

# ''Ally's Tartan Army'' – [[1978 FIFA World Cup]] in Argentina
# ''Turf And Goalposts'' – [[1977 British Home Championship]] vs. England at Wembley, which included the pitch invasion
# ''We'll Always Have Paris'' – [[UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying]] vs. France at the [[Parc des Princes]], remembered for [[James McFadden]]'s long-range winner
# ''The Greatest Show on Earth'' – Opening the [[1998 FIFA World Cup]] vs. Brazil at the [[Stade de France]]
# ''Six Minutes of Insanity'' – [[2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)|2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying]] vs. England at Hampden Park ending with late goals from [[Leigh Griffiths]] twice from free kicks and [[Harry Kane]]
# ''Ciao Bella'' – [[1990 FIFA World Cup]] in Italy
# ''An Army of Peace'' – [[UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying]] vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina in Sarajevo, which led to the creation of TASA and TACC after the Tartan Army collected donations for those affected by the [[Bosnian War]]
# ''The Swedest Thing'' – [[UEFA Euro 1992]], where the Tartan Army were named as the best group of supporters
# ''[[One team in Tallinn]]'' – [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)|1998 FIFA World Cup qualifying]] vs. Estonia, which was abandoned after three seconds after Estonia did not appear for the match but included an impromptu match between the Tartan Army and Estonian security guards, which the Tartan Army claims to have won 1-0
# ''We'll Be Coming Down The Road'' – [[UEFA Euro 1996]] vs. England at Wembley including [[Paul Gascoigne]]'s famous goal

As a finale, the programme included reactions to Scotland's victory on penalties against [[Serbia national football team|Serbia]] in Belgrade to qualify for [[UEFA Euro 2020]], their first major tournament since 1998, which was played behind closed doors due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic|COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic]].

==See also==
* [[Ally's Tartan Army]]
* [[Football in Scotland]]
*[[Tartan Army Sunshine Appeal]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Scotland national football team}}

[[Category:Association football supporters' associations]]
[[Category:Scotland national football team]]