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Andy Mitchell

@andymitchellmedia.bsky.social
956 followers 270 following 472 posts

Scottish football historian. Edinburgh. www.scottishsporthistory.com

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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
With Andy Robertson set to win his 100th Scotland cap tomorrow, it would be nice if the Scottish FA could reinstate its Roll of Honour. It's been unobtainable since the website was revamped in the spring (for both the men's and women's teams). www.scottishfa.co.uk/en/roll-of-h...
scottishfa.co.uk
Scotland International Roll of Honour - Scottish FA
The official website of the Scottish FA. Get the latest news, fixtures, results, video, and more.
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University of Stirling Archives @unistirarchives.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Today is National Sporting Heritage Day 2026 #NSHD2026 the perfect time to celebrate the fantastic work @sportingheritage.bsky.social does and also to promote our #SportingHeritage collections! www.stirlingcollections.org.uk/archive-coll...
stirlingcollections.org.uk
Sporting Heritage
The University Archives works to preserve and promote Scotland’s sporting heritage through the development and care of our sporting collections and the provision of advice and support to sporting clubs and organisations across the country. At the core of our sporting heritage collections sits the Commonwealth Games Scotland Archive which preserves a detailed record of […]
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Martin Polley @historymartin.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
New blog post: Olympic River martinpolley.co.uk/2026/09/29/w...
martinpolley.co.uk
Olympic River – Martin Polley, Sports Historian
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Edinburgh football collector fair tomorrow (Sunday 27 September). Admission is free, come along!
Advert for Edinburgh football collector fair, Sunday 27 September 2026
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Old Edinburgh Club @oldedinburghclub.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Tickets for the Family History Fair, featuring 12 exhibitors, happening on the 6th November 2026 at HES Library and Archives, Bernard Terrace, Edinburgh, are now available to book on Eventbrite. buff.ly/RzvduQ7
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EdinburghMinute.com @edinburghminute.com · 18/09/2026
🌤️  Good morning Edinburgh. It’s the 1,000th edition! The headlines: Uni staff plan 5-week walkout, culture groups win 25% funding boost, Leith Walk has more bikes than cars + 135 artists open their homes ⏰ Read more in Edinburgh’s ad-free local newsletter: www.edinburghminute.com/the-edinburg...
People on bikes on a city street. Text over reads: The Edinburgh Minute - Weekend edition: 18 - 20 September 2026: University staff plan five-week walkout, culture groups win 25% funding boost, Leith Walk has more bikes than cars + 135 artists open their homes this weekend
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Sensible decision. The sky really is bluer here.
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Hah! If you'd ever been to a Rollers gig you would know that listening to the band was not an option. Just incessant, hysterical screaming. 1976 was peak Rollermania. As an observer in the back row, quite the experience.
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Fifty years ago tonight: the Bay City Rollers in Edinburgh. I took the precaution of sitting at the back of the rear circle. Should have brought ear plugs as well...
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
New blog: A rare look at Scottish football club programmes from the 1880s, held at National Records of Scotland. www.scottishsporthistory.com/sports-histo...
scottishsporthistory.com
A treasure trove of Victorian sports programmes
I recently came across a remarkable collection of Scottish sports programmes dating back to the 1880s , many with a strong football connection. They are held at National Records of Scotland, having...
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
I've been going through some 1880s cycling programmes and I'm loving the contraptions that were advertised for sale in Edinburgh. Tricycles, tandems, racing bikes and the 'Psycho Safety'.
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Graham Ruthven @grahamruthven.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Yup, greatest tifo I’ve ever seen (VfL Osnabruk fans against Bayern Munich in the DFB Pokal) 🎢
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Gerry Farrell @gerrytastic.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
With only a handful of games left before Dalymount Park's demolition and redevelopment I'll be leading a final set of free tours around the famous old ground, this Sunday, September 6th, at 11am and again at 2pm. Arrive on time in Dalymount Lane in front of the Jodi stand at either 11am or 2pm.
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Prof Frank McDonough @fxmc1957.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
2 September 1913. Bill Shankly was born in Glenbuck, Scotland. After becoming LFC manager in 1959, he transformed the club from a 2nd division side when he arrived to one of the best teams in England and Europe. He won League title 3 times, FA Cup twice and EUFA Cup.
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
If you're watching A House Through Time, there's another famous resident of Calton Hill who doesn't get a mention - but he also has a fascinating story. John Laing, an Edinburgh artist, was the world's first tennis player to be photographed, circa 1846. www.scottishsporthistory.com/sports-histo...
scottishsporthistory.com
In search of Mr Laing - Hill and Adamson's famous Edinburgh 'tennis' player
This well-known image, claimed to be the world's first photo of a tennis player, was taken by the pioneering photographers Robert Adamson and David Octavius Hill in Edinburgh around 1843. It features....
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
For any fellow researchers who want to get involved with National Records of Scotland, there's an opportunity to join their Customer Advisory Panel. I'm already a member, it's an interesting insight. www.nrscotland.gov.uk/about-us/cus...
nrscotland.gov.uk
Customer Advisory Panel application
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
29 years today since the death of Princess Diana, sparking a national wave of emotion which led, somewhat incongruously, to a crisis in Scottish football. Here's what happened: www.scottishsporthistory.com/sports-histo...
scottishsporthistory.com
'Please call the game off' - seven days that shook Scottish football
by Andy Mitchell This is the story of an extraordinary week in 1997 when events unrelated to football conspired to make the Scottish Football Association and its boss vilified throughout the UK.  ...
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
New on my website - the fascinating origins of heading the ball in football. www.scottishsporthistory.com/sports-histo...
scottishsporthistory.com
Why do footballers head the ball?
This article is based on a talk I gave to the British Society of Sports History conference in Edinburgh, on 27 August 2026. ​Why do footballers use their head? It might seem a daft question: in...
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
New on my website - the fascinating origins of heading the ball in football. www.scottishsporthistory.com/sports-histo...
scottishsporthistory.com
Why do footballers head the ball?
This article is based on a talk I gave to the British Society of Sports History conference in Edinburgh, on 27 August 2026. ​Why do footballers use their head? It might seem a daft question: in...
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Martin Calladine @uglygame.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
🚨 New from me 🚨 As Infantino fights to retain control of Fifa, and avoid jail, here’s my review of Forward, the self-commissioned book about his first ten years in charge. Studs up. theuglygame.wordpress.com/2026/08/27/t...
theuglygame.wordpress.com
The End of Fifa
Review of ‘Forward: The revolution in football: The first 10 years of Gianni Infantino at Fifa’ by Alessandro Alciato.
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BSSH @bssh.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Andy Mitchell kicks off panel 9 with a presentation on heading
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Sarah Elizabeth Cox @oispooky.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
It's been a while! 🥊 A new blog about Jem Smith and his wives, Anne Smith and Mary Ann Smith. Includes a call for experts in Victorian marriage stuff, especially involving Catholics, or generally anyone with a bit of time on their hands. Please wade in... grapplingwithhistory.com/2026/08/25/t...
grapplingwithhistory.com
The lonely life of the champion’s wife, Anne Smith
When James Smith and Mary Ann Smith had been married almost 30 years, newspapers across the country reported that the former Heavyweight Champion’s wife was dead. Which might have been rather…
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
The British Society of Sports History @bssh.bsky.social annual conference takes place in Edinburgh this week, and I'm looking forward to meeting some top sports historians. I'll even be giving a talk on 'Why do footballers head the ball?' which looks at the obscure and quirky origin of heading.
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
I've just got my copy of this new book, a statistical record of East of Scotland senior football from 1875 right up to 2026. It is an incredible piece of research with 380 pages, A4 size, and costs just £10 from Amazon (with free postage in the UK). www.amazon.co.uk/LOTHIANS-BOR...
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Saw this lovely presentation of medals at Edinburgh University AFC, to commemorate the great Dr John Smith - ten caps for Scotland 1877-84, scoring ten goals inc seven against England. Mauchline, EUAFC & Queen's Park. Also a prominent rugby player, went to Australia with the British Lions.
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Good luck to Hibs when they face KAA Gent tonight - and if they are looking for a good omen, the last Hibby to play a competitive match there came up with the goods! #AndyMurray
Andy Murray lifting the Davis Cup in Gent in 2015
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Here's a picture of the KAA Gent squad practising to face Scottish opposition. (and yes, I know it's from a few years ago, when Hein Vanhaezebrouck was the manager, but still...)
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Good luck to Hibs when they face KAA Gent tonight - and if they are looking for a good omen, the last Hibby to play a competitive match there came up with the goods! #AndyMurray
Andy Murray lifting the Davis Cup in Gent in 2015
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Thanks, that would be interesting if you could email it to me sometime. NB another angle to the final was that both teams were coached by Scots! Johnny Madden was in charge of the Czehcs.
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Very little info on him during WW1. He clearly came back to UK but probably too old for active service. Likely based in or near Bristol. No refs that I can see to him being involved with Belgian causes, although it wouldn't be surprising.
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
If Belgian Sébastien Pocognoli is to be the new manager of Scotland, let's hope he returns the compliment - a Scot called Willie Maxwell made Belgium world champions in 1920. Here's a piece I wrote a while back: www.scottishsporthistory.com/sports-histo...
scottishsporthistory.com
The Scot who made Belgium world champions - Willie Maxwell
As I write, Belgium are set to face Scotland at Hampden Park, fresh from an excellent World Cup campaign which saw them finish in third place. Yet perhaps their greatest honour came in 1920 when they....
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Fare network @farenet.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Linlithgow Rose FC has woven Show Racism the Red Card's message into matchdays, digital content and community education. buff.ly/cMswm07
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
The launch of @davidolusoga.bsky.social #AHouseThroughTime tonight should give a new lease of life to my mother's excellent book, The People of Calton Hill, which covers the history of the same area in Edinburgh. Published in 1993 but there will be second hand copies out there.
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David Olusoga @davidolusoga.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
The new series of A House Through Time - on at 9pm tonight - on BBC Two.
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
The launch of @davidolusoga.bsky.social #AHouseThroughTime tonight should give a new lease of life to my mother's excellent book, The People of Calton Hill, which covers the history of the same area in Edinburgh. Published in 1993 but there will be second hand copies out there.
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Martin Polley @historymartin.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Football City, event on London's football past and present featuring @joshbland13.bsky.social @oritgat.bsky.social and Simon Inglis @playedinbritain.bsky.social, hosted @ltmuseumfriends.bsky.social on 10 Sept: thehttps://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/talks/football-city-london-and-beautiful-game
ltmuseum.co.uk
Football city: London and the beautiful game | London Transport Museum
Join us for a panel discussion on how London shapes and is shaped by football.
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
I went to see the Legacy of Slavery exhibition today, part of the official #Edinburgh Festival programme. A tough visit but a must-see, which tells in graphic detail how the legacy of pain and injustice continues to this day. Free admission. www.eif.co.uk/events/the-l...
eif.co.uk
The Legacy of Slavery | Edinburgh International Festival
Discover a comprehensive history of the legacy of slavery and racial injustice – from Scotland to America – in the first international exhibition from the
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe starts this weekend but the 416 pages of tiny print in the weighty programme are nothing less than daunting. So I'm hankering after simpler times, and dug out my programme from 50 years ago (1976) which was a single fold-out sheet. And there's more.../
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
The Edinburgh University group included Bob Last and Hilary Morrison, later the gurus of Scottish indy music. A random favourite was the Doomcaster Town Book of Football, by Strode-Jackson. And none of the Fringe shows I saw in 1976 cost more than £1 (he said, wistfully). A lifetime of hoarding!
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
A very young Crispin Letts did an open air show on Calton Hill, while the RSAMD featured a number of young Scottish actors who went on to successful careers, eg Ian Aldred, Julie Ann Fullarton, Jennifer Black. /
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
There was Rowan Atkinson with the Oxford University Theatre Group, doing his famous biscuit sketch on a park bench. And Griff Rhys Jones with the Cambridge Footlights. /
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
I've also been looking through my tickets and show programmes, rediscovering some famous names starting out in their careers. /
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe starts this weekend but the 416 pages of tiny print in the weighty programme are nothing less than daunting. So I'm hankering after simpler times, and dug out my programme from 50 years ago (1976) which was a single fold-out sheet. And there's more.../
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Historic Environment Scotland are running a public consultation on football sites, to record places that are important in the history and development of football. There are two weeks left to have your say, it closes on 20 August: haveyoursay.historicenvironment.scot/heritage/tel...
haveyoursay.historicenvironment.scot
Tell us about important football places - Scottish Football Heritage Project - Historic Environment Scotland - Citizen Space
Find and participate in consultations run by Historic Environment Scotland
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Historic Environment Scotland are running a public consultation on football sites, to record places that are important in the history and development of football. There are two weeks left to have your say, it closes on 20 August: haveyoursay.historicenvironment.scot/heritage/tel...
haveyoursay.historicenvironment.scot
Tell us about important football places - Scottish Football Heritage Project - Historic Environment Scotland - Citizen Space
Find and participate in consultations run by Historic Environment Scotland
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Just use image search, it comes up as Leven in Fife. For example: www.alamy.com/leven-early-...
alamy.com
Leven early 1900s Stock Photo - Alamy
Download this stock image: Leven early 1900s - PRM8P7 from Alamy's library of millions of high resolution stock photos, illustrations and vectors.
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Outside Write (Chris Lee) ⚽️ @outsidewrite.co.uk · 05/05/2026
If you are into #groundhopping, football history, and culture, give me a follow! 🎙️ PODCAST: Look for ‘Outside Write’ wherever you listen ✍️ SUBSTACK: I post a new football travel or football history post each Sunday 📱 SOCIAL MEDIA: Also follow on Instagram 👉 outsidewrite.substack.com
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Andy Mitchell @andymitchellmedia.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
A treasure trove of Victorian football: a bound volume of programmes from the Edinburgh Exhibition of 1890, held at the National Library of Scotland, contains marvels within. Some of these are the earliest known programmes for the clubs. New blog: www.scottishsporthistory.com/sports-histo...
scottishsporthistory.com
An 1890 Exhibition of football in Edinburgh
When Edinburgh hosted an International Exhibition in 1890 , the organisers knew that they would have to put on special entertainment to draw the crowds through the summer and autumn months.  ...
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Tariq Panja @tariqpanja.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
In a week of incendiary statements, this from Kevin Lamour, who at least for tonight remains FIFA COO, is incredibly damning in that it is from an insider that goes beyond this one scheme and is an assassination in a few hundred words of the FIFA president as a leader of global football.
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The Edinburgh Reporter @edinreporter.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Edinburgh-born Tennis pioneer’s trophy sold A tennis trophy won by Edinburgh-born Harold Mahony, the first Scottish-born Wimbledon winner 117 years before Sir Andy Murray, has fetched nearly £5,000 at auction....
theedinburghreporter.co.uk
Edinburgh-born Tennis pioneer’s trophy sold
A tennis trophy won by Edinburgh-born Harold Mahony, the first Scottish-born Wimbledon winner 117 years before Sir Andy Murray, has fetched nearly £5,000 at auction. Mahony, who was born in Charlotte Square, won the silver rose bowl for winning the Cheltenham Lawn Tennis Tournament in June 1890. He lifted the "Residents Challenge Cup" first prize after beating Australian-born James Baldwin in four sets in the final. Mahony, who was 23 years old, made his Wimbledon debut the following month, going on to win the men's singles title six years later and set a precedent for a Scots-born player matched only by Murray in 2013.
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