SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell believes VisitScotland are in debt to the Tartan Army for the positive image of the country they have transmitted around the world during the Euro 2024 finals in Germany this month.
Hundreds of thousands of Scots have travelled here to cheer the national team on in the first tournament they have been able to attend in large numbers – Covid 19 social distancing restrictions were still in place at Euro 2020 and crowds were restricted – since France ’98.
They were yesterday named as the best fans at these finals by viewers of German news channel RTL after receiving 52 per cent – 41 one per cent more than the followers of the host nation, who finished a distant second - of the votes which were cast in an online poll.
Maxwell, who has travelled to Stuttgart to see if Steve Clarke’s players can beat Hungary in their final Group A match in the MHPArena this evening and make history by reaching the knockout rounds for the first time ever, believes they are a credit to their homeland.
“The Scottish Tourist Board should be looking after every fan when they get back because they couldn’t have done any more for the benefit of the country,” he said. “You can’t buy that kind of PR.
“It’s just bonkers. As they always do, they’ve endeared themselves to the German locals. The mayor of Cologne was on social media saying they really wanted Scotland to reach the last 16 and go back there. The fans are a credit to themselves.
“It generates so much interest in the game all over the country. It’s about maximising that now and keeping it going. And a big part of that is making sure we get to the next tournament. By doing this on a regular basis drives that interest.”
Maxwell continued: “I was there in Munich (for the Euro 2024 curtain raiser against Germany) and to see the numbers that travelled was just incredible. Walking around the city centre was amazing.
“On the day of the Germany game, I went to the team hotel and was talking to Callum McGregor. I said to him it would have been brilliant if we could have found a way of getting the players to get a view from above the city to see what it meant to the supporters. I told Callum, ‘You guys are responsible for this’.
“There is no-one in Scotland who doesn’t know someone who has been over in Germany in some capacity. My boy Christopher was over with his pals for the games and he said to me: ‘Dad, this has been the best five days of my life’. He can’t stop talking about it.
“To get over the disappointment of the Germany result and to sing the national anthem the way they did in Cologne, was unbelievable. I was back home watching and I could feel it coming through the TV.
“Everybody I’ve spoken to who was there that night say they’ve never heard anything like it. I’ll guarantee they’ll be even louder on Sunday. I don’t think you can describe in words what it would mean to the country if they could go through. It would be a fantastic achievement.”
Maxwell stressed the SFA will not make a substantial profit from Scotland’s involvement at Euro 2024 because of the costs incurred sending the national squad and their support staff to Germany. However, he is hopeful there will be significant benefits for the sport in this country in the long-term.
“Nothing in Germany is cheap, but it was important the team had a good base camp in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.It costs millions of pounds to make sure we give players the best possible chance of being successful. But it is important.
“Of course, there’s a financial benefit for Scottish football, but it’s more about engagement for us. Once fans are engaged with the national team over this summer we have to look at how do we then get them going to watch their club and get attendances up.”
Meanwhile, Maxwell has expressed confidence there are players coming through the Scottish youth system who will be able to help Scotland qualify for World Cup and European Championship finals in the years to come.
“The SFA Performance School programme is producing players for us,” he said. “You only have to look at Billy Gilmour, Nathan Patterson and Aaron Hickey as evidence of that. They’re at an age where they’ll be in Scotland squads for a long time.
“The whole of Scottish football is responsible for developing talented players. The clubs obviously play a big part in that and the more local talent they develop at club level, the better chance we’ve got.
“When clubs produce them, their value goes up if they play for the national team. That value increases again if they get to play at major tournaments. So there’s a benefit right across the game.”
Maxwell continued: “Of course, it’s an on-going challenge for us, but there’s not a one-size-fits-all model. The Performance Schools are playing their part but the bit after that, between the ages of 16 to 21 is still difficult. We’re working on what the best mechanism is for Scottish football in that regard.
“We need to push that. The likes of Callum McGregor, Kieran Tierney, John McGinn and Kenny McLean were all in first-teams at a very young age. So how do we ensure the next generation of talent get that opportunity as well? I’ve got no doubt that there’s talent coming through the ranks.
“One or two players in this Euro 2024 squad probably won’t make the next one because of their age. So it’s about finding the players who come up behind them to fill in those blanks. We have to keep that stream going.”
