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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Ava Whyte

Boston newspaper and baseball team pen love letters to Tartan Army

Scotland Fans during the Fifa World Cup (Image: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire/PA Images)

SCOTLAND'S Tartan Army captured the hearts of people across Boston, receiving thanks from an award-winning newspaper and baseball team.

The Boston Globe penned a heartfelt letter to Scottish football fans visiting Massachusetts for the Fifa World Cup.

This was then published, taking up a full page, in Friday’s edition of the 150-year-old daily paper.

The letter in Friday's edition of the Boston Globe (Image: Newsquest Scotland)

The Tartan Army brought “laughter, bagpipes, and memories” to Boston, which will be “talked about for years”.

After a 10-day takeover, with one win and one loss on the pitch, Scottish fans are said to leave behind a legacy in Massachusetts.

The letter reads: "Dear Tartan Army, "You came for the World Cup, but gave us something more.

"For a week, you turned train stations into sing-alongs, Fenway into a football ground, and an ordinary June into something we'll be talking about for years.

"Boston has hosted championships, parades, and celebrations of every kind. But we've never hosted guests quite like you all.

"Thank you for the laughter, the bagpipes and the memories. The World Cup will move on. So will the songs, but we'll never forget the joy you brought to our city."

Scotland triumphed over Haiti on June 14, winning their first game 1-0, but lost their second match against Morocco on Friday.

The national team has now left Boston, headed to base camp ahead of their face-off against Brazil in Miami on June 24.

Before their departure, the team were “honoured” to receive another letter from the Boston Red Sox thanking players and fans.

Sam Kennedy, president of the professional baseball team, noted that the Tartan Army showed spirit that “has no equivalent in American sport”.



This letter reads: “On behalf of all of us at Fenway Sports Group , we wanted to take a moment to say thank you.

“What happened at Fenway Park on June 14 was something none of us will forget. We knew the Tartan Army was coming.

“We did not fully understand what that meant until we saw it. Hundreds of Scotland supporters gathered at the foot of a statue of Robert Burns in the Back Bay and marched all the way to Landowne Street to the sound of bagpipes.

“Kilts and Scottish flags filled out the ballpark with a spirit that has no equivalent in American sport. It was genuinely one of the most moving things we have witnessed at Fenway Park in a very long time.

“Throughout its 114-year history, Fenway Park has seen World Series championships, historic rivalries, and more than a few unforgettable nights.

“And yet on Sunday evening, a ballpark that is typically filled with a baseball crowd became, for a few hours, a meeting point between two sporting cultures.

“Our fans embraced your supporters without reservation. Your supporters responded with exactly the generosity and good humour that have made the Tartan Army beloved everywhere in the world they travel.

“Scotland’s return to the World Cup after 28 years deserves every bit of the enthusiasm your supporters brought to Boston.

“We are proud that Fenway Park could be part of this chapter in your celebration. Please extend our deep gratitude to your staff, to manager Steve Clarke , and the full Scottish FA delegation, and above all to the Tartan Army itself.

“They treated our home like their own, and we are better for it.”

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