OFFSET YOUR WORLD CUP TRAVEL WITH GREENERTRAVEL
Date: 25th April 2026
FOOTBALL AT THE POLLS: FAN EXPERIENCE, COMMUNITIES, BROADCASTING
With just under a fortnight left before the Scottish Parliamentary elections on Tuesday 7th May, the contending political parties have recognised that with 59% of Scots following the game, a manifesto without a ‘football pitch’ is missing a massive chunk of the electorate. A little over a month ago we set out our own prospectus for major change. This set the bar necessarily high.
Last week we reported on what the SNP, Labour, the Greens and the Conservatives are saying on the major issues of fan ownership and ticket pricing – two big concerns that SFSA and our members have been lobbying them on. The answer is that they are moving in the right direction. But it will be important press both parliament and the government hard after the election.
What else is on offer? The Scottish Greens (who are mostly looking for support on the regional lists, rather than in most constituencies) have pushed the boat out by creating a lively debate around a £1 Stadium Tax on tickets for events with a capacity over 2,500. They propose that this money should be reinvested into grassroots sports. Others suggest it should be over 5,000 venues or graduated to protect smaller clubs.
The Greens have also linked sport to their broader transport goals, proposing Fan Travel Schemes that utilise their pledged free bus travel for all, aiming to reduce the carbon footprint of match-day travel.
Meanwhile, Labour have said they want to redirect more National Lottery and dedicated sports funding specifically toward local neighbourhood health hubs, which would include improved football facilities in deprived areas.
The SNP have highlighted the upcoming UEFA Euro 2028 competition and Scotland’s bid for the 2035 FIFA Women’s World Cup as catalysts for infrastructure investment. Building on recent parliamentary debates, they also propose using football clubs as primary delivery partners for mental health and social inclusion programmes, particularly for men in hard-to-reach demographics.
The Conservatives propose proposed piloting the reintroduction of ‘safe and controlled’ alcohol consumption at matches, alongside support for more safe-standing sections to improve the fan experience. They favour financial incentives for clubs to play more young Scottish players, linking this to wider public health and community benefits.
The Liberal Democrats, meanwhile, want to expand the ‘listed events’ (the games mandated to be on free-to-air TV), with at least 10 Scottish Premiership matches and 10 Scottish Championship matches to be broadcast for free every season. They argue that a “Sky Sports monopoly” is pricing out low-income families and older fans, and want the Scottish Women’s Premier League to receive equally prominent broadcast billing. The LibDems also propose reforming local government finance to help councils turn local football facilities into multi-use community health hubs for social prescribing and youth mental health.
Finally, Reform UK look least amenable to our own proposals and ethos. They rigorously oppose a fans’ right-to-buy and the stadium tax proposals of the Greens, and favour market solutions (including the abolition of business rates) rather than fan power. They want a Zero Tolerance pledge against antisocial behaviour and propose that clubs be given more power to issue lifetime bans for “hooliganism” or “sectarian chanting” without accountability to the courts and the legal system.
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SFSA Co-Founder and consultant Simon Barrow is following these issues closely. We will provide a summary assessment of ‘football at the polls’ next week.
Posted in: Latest News, Review of the Game
Tags: Holyrood, Holyrood2026, Scottish Elections, Scottish football, SFA, SFSA, SPFL