Scottish Amateur Football Association - 1918 - 1939 Between The Wars

1939 Between The Wars

At the May 1919, AGM, there were three Associations and forty three clubs in membership, and whilst the President and Treasurer were re-elected, J Taylor of Albert Road FP was appointed Secretary, a position he was unable to occupy due to his mobilisation into HM Forces. The President stood in for the Secretary in the short term. On his demob Taylor immediately got involved with SAFA and was appointed Vice-President in 1928, Treasurer in 1929 and then served 3 years as President from 1930.

In May 1919, the Football Association (FA) asked the SFA to play the elusive first international match the following season, but they had to decline as Queens Park refused to release their first team players as they would have a fixture on the proposed date. In May of that year the SFA instructed the SAFA to remove the need for two SFA representatives on the SAFA Committee. I do not think this was because the SFA felt that the SAFA were competent to run themselves, more likely they felt it was simply not necessary as the SFA had the final word on any request from the member Leagues or Associations and used that facility ruthlessly.

By October 1919, twenty three new clubs had entered the Association though five others had dropped out. The 1921/22

Scottish Amateur Cup was won by Greenock HSFP after a replay against Coldstream, the first game at Cappielow Park, Greenock attracting 3000 spectators.

In March 1922, the SFA turned down the offer of an amateur international fixture against the French FA and a further approach from the FA was met with a similar response.

In April 1924, the SAFA again asked to play an international match against England only to be told that a team without Queens Park players was not in the national interest.

However the SAFA agreed in August 1926 that an amateur international match would take place against England on 18th December 1926 in Leicester. The Scottish team consisted of seven Queens Park players, one from the Army and the other three from English senior teams. Three days before the game the SAFA President and Secretary were invited to attend the game. Scotland won 4-1 and the expenses came to £291.19.2 (£291,97)

In December of that year, the SFA announced that they would be altering the Articles of Association to incorporate the necessary changes which meant that, from season 1927/28, the SJunFA and the SAFA were to be National Associations affiliated to the SFA. Each Association would be given a vote at SFA Council Meetings and the SFA was to set up an Appeals Committee to deal with appeals from each body. There would be no appeal against decisions which might delay cup competitions and defaulters would be liable for expenses in addition to the £5.00 Appeal Fee.

This was a major step forward in the development of the SAFA.

In 1927 P Buchanan, President of the SAFA was appointed delegate to the SFA, a complete reversal of the procedure set up in 1910.

In 1928 the SAFA hired a room from the SFA for meetings at a charge of £5.00 a year, and the SFA announced that any players in unauthorised football might apply to the SFA for reinstatement before 30th June to enable them to play the following season.

The second international match v England took place in May 1928 with Scotland winning 3-2 and showing a profit of £446.7.0 (£446.35). On this occasion there were eight Queens Park players, two anglos and I McDonald from Murrayfield Amateurs in the team.

In early 1929, the SAFA asked the SFA if they could play internationals against

Ireland and Wales, and these went ahead in October 1929, when Scotland beat Ireland 3-0 and in February 1930, when Wales were defeated 1-0.

The international team to play England in April 1931 included Queens Park goalkeeper R G C Peden. On qualifying as a teacher, Peden took up an appointment in Dundee and turned out for Midlands AFA side Hillcrest as a centre forward. In November 1932, he scored five goals in a 7-2 victory over Arbroath HSFP.

Returning from the international match v England in March 1931, the train carrying the players and officials was in a crash at Leighton Buzzard where six people were killed, many injured, but fortunately the Scottish party were unscathed.

In 1932 the SAFA were invited to have two representatives on the SFA Selection

Committee and dates for the internationals against the three other home countries were established. The SFA decided that the players who represented their country would receive a gold medal. R Gillespie of Queens Park, who had captained Scotland in the historic first amateur international against England, was once again selected for the forthcoming international and was also capped and captained Scotland in the full international against France later that year.

In February 1934, the SAFA met with the SFA to discuss what we would now find politically incorrect, “midget football”, but this was rejected by the SFA as being adequately provided for. This was of course youth or under age boys football as we know it today.

At dawn on the 1st September 1939 when the jackboot crossed the Polish border, Britain, after issuing two ultimatums to Germany declared war and thus began the Second World War.

At the behest of the Government, in September 1939 the SFA declared all football in Scotland be suspended but minor associations could continue.