A very simple concept that the other teams could not cope with - a passing game rather than the kick and rush approach that their southern counterparts used. QPFC were pioneers of their day. The team is calles Queens Park FC and this year they celebrate 150 years. Its s phenomenal milestone.
At this juncture it's important to ask where did it all start? Many of you will associate Queens Park with the existing National Stadium. It's their home along with the Scotland National Football Team. But flip back the pages of time and you will see that it wasn't their 1st ground. It's actually the 3rd one. How many people know that?
It's has been on the current site since 1903. Cathkin Park is the second Park and QPFC and Scotland played there from 1884. This Park is a monument to a club which is etched in Scottish football. history. Third Lanark. But Queens Park was there first.
So all of this is available online. Well discussed and you will find this out relatively easily. However if you were to ask the question 'where is the 1st Hampden?', you will find no book, no article, no known map which shows it. A stadium with capacity of 4000. The first purposefully built international Football stadium in the world.
There were hints to its location. There were accounts of it being moved because of the trainline. People had looked before but hadnt manage to figure it out. Then there was a bowling club called Hampden that had a legend that it was on the park.
So we went on a mission. Once and for all to resolve the mystery. A high risk move as we had been telling everyone we were on it for decades. First of all I searched all the maps of the National Library of Scotland of the local area. Nothing but another hint of the ground. And then I got in touch with National Records of Scotland. I sent off a list of documents relating to the Cathcart District Railway. What came back was that they had done further research and had dug out two maps that they thought showed the original Park. How exciting and last Saturday we opened the envelope. And revealed in Hampden style that it was indeed on the first Park. Undeniable. We are eternally grateful to the NRS and especially to Jennifer Ozers.
And then I cut the video and sent it out. Craig Stewart then helped loads to get it into the papers and it was picked up this week by the Scotsman and the Daily Express. It's an extraordinary story. Ged O'Brien said that this is the most important football building in the world. We have helped preserve this park as a bowling club for the last 114 years. Its there for all and we are now on a mission to restore it. We have big plans and we have set up a crowdfunding page to raise funds to restore it. Lots to do. For example we are going to mark the site so that it doesn't fall back into the mystery of time. We need to restore the world's first pavilion and ensure that it will be there for another 100 years. We need to sort the back wall and get rid of the graffiti. We need everyone's support and help. Everyone will say get grant funding but you have to show you are raising money at the same time. And that's exactly why we are doing this.
We are also doing the work that we are able to do. We cleared the the hill and has made a massive difference. We are also going to be the venue for the trybowls launch video as well - thanks again to Bowls Scotland - again raising the profile of the club. There is so much to come. We have finally proved our heritage once and for all and it's definitely the end of the beginning.
What happens next can only be bigger and brighter.
Have a great week!
HBC Secretary
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