While working at the Scottish Football Museum in Glasgow as a tour guide, Lindsay Hamilton found her calling as a storyteller. Full of inspiration and a wealth of knowledge of Scottish football history, she created her own walking tour guide business Glasgow Football Tour. The walking tours explore Glasgow’s fascinating footballing history taking in iconic locations like Firhill Stadium, Ibrox Stadium, Cathkin Park, Hampden Park, and Celtic Park.
Lindsay is also one of the founding members of the Celtic F.C LGBTQIA+ supporters club Proud Huddle C.S.C and it’s how we got to know each other supporting the bhoys and ghirls!
As one of the upcoming special Read The Room issues will be focusing on women’s football, I thought it would be brilliant to kick off 2024 with a little interview with Lindsay, looking back at the past year and what’s to come for Glasgow Football Tour.
Alfie Whitby: 2023 has been quite a year! What did Glasgow Football Tour get up to? Any personal highlights? Tell us about your achievements!
Lindsay: We got up to a lot of things on this year's tour. I think reaching out to a number of tartan army groups was a real highlight, and also having two privately-booked women-only tours was also a huge deal for us. That meant a lot to us! The proudest moment of this year would be being invited twice onto the BBC’s weekend football show Off The Ball with Stuart Cosgrove, Tam Cowan, and Ray Bradshaw. It was immense and a real honour and testament to the business.
AW: If 2023 was a football chant, what would it be?
Lindsay: That’s easy! ‘Muchachos’ / ‘Land of Diego And Lionel’. If it’s good enough for Lionel Messi then it’s good enough for me. Plus my beloved Celtic created their own version. It’s class! It’s passionate. I love that!
AW: Have there been any standout matches or footballing moments that you’ve particularly enjoyed in 2023 (women’s and men’s football)? We’d love to hear all about them!
Lindsay: First one that springs to mind is Scotland men v Norway in the Euro qualifiers in Oslo. I watched that game in the Strathclyde Union with the newly formed Proud Tartan Army (their LGBT supporters group), and the place was jumping! Another is Glasgow City v Brann in the Women’s Champions League. They lost that night, but the crowd at the Peasy was fantastic! Loads of Brann fans travelled from Norway in their numbers. It was superb! The third would have to be witnessing a new attendance record for the SWPL (Scottish Women’s Premier League) being set at Celtic Park between Celtic Women & Glasgow City. The Green Brigade made a huge spectacle for the occasion, and it was really life affirming for me personally as a female football fan.
AW: What are your plans for 2024? Any exciting projects in the works?
Lindsay: Number one would be Euro 2024 in Germany! I’m all booked up and cannot wait to take in the atmosphere and meet fans from all over the continent. We are hoping to grow the business and soak up every opportunity that comes our way.
AW: Do you have a message for your future self? Is there anything you’ve learned in 2023 that you should definitely take into 2024 with you?
Lindsay: I always say, ‘keep fighting the good fight,’ so I’m going to stick to my guns: keep the head down, work hard, and keep fighting the good fight.
You can find out more about Glasgow Football Tour on their website: glasgowfootballtour.com.
Words and interview: Alfie Whitby (they/them)
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