THREE Scottish football legends have recorded wake-up alarms for Scotland’s early-morning World Cup game.
The 2am kick-off for Scotland’s first fixture against Haiti, a more reasonable 9pm in Boston, means that Scottish fans may struggle to stay awake through the night.
Whilst some 20,000 fans are expected to travel to Boston for the game, this project turns the focus to those watching at home.
For those choosing to get some rest before kick off, Tennent’s has released a set of "wake up" alarm tones to ensure nobody sleeps through the match.
Forward Ryan Christie, assistant manager Steven Naismith, and France ‘98 hero Gordon Durie have all recorded rousing wake up messages.
Scotland fan Chris Blackwood recalled following Scotland to France for their last World Cup appearance in 1998. He said: “I’d love to be over in Boston for the game, but couldn’t make it this time. In my younger days, I might have been able to last the pace but realistically, I’ll be trying to get a few hours kip before the game starts at 2am.
“And with these wake-up calls, I doubt I'll need to worry about sleeping through the alarm. I’ll be springing out of bed, ready to cheer the boys on.”
Tennent’s have launched this project as an official sponsor of the Scotland Men’s National Team.
The lager company first became an official sponsor of the Scottish National Football Team in 1974 for the World Cup in West Germany.
“While thousands will be planning all-nighters to watch the match, we know that doesn’t suit everyone and we thought some well-kent voices of Scottish football might make it that little bit easier for fans to get up and into the spirit of the game,” said Hazel Alexander of Tennent’s Lager.
As Scotland’s three games in the group stage are all due to finish beyond standard licensed hours for many premises, local councils have moved to permit extended opening hours.
The decentralised licensing system means that local licensing boards are able to make their own decisions on exceptional opening hours, according to the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005,
The Scottish Government called for licensing boards to take a “proportionate approach” allowing premises “where appropriate, to allow people to come together to watch games in a social environment by remaining open later than normal.”
Whilst all councils have permitted later pub opening hours for match screenings, some have done this via a "blanket extension" covering all Scottish matches, whilst others such as West Lothian Council require individual venues to apply for extended hours.
