Andy Mitchell

THE DEVILS' DANCE FLOOR will be published on 25 February 2027 and pre-orders are open NOW! Come and meet Hezekiah Moscow, Alec Munroe, Henry 'Sugar' Goodson, Jack Wannop, Jack Davenport, Alf Ball, Jem Haines, Jem Smith, and a little bit of Felix Scott... 🥊🔪🦁🐻🤜🏻🤛🏾 linktr.ee/thedevilsdan...

Congratulations to Richard McBrearty of the Scottish Football Museum, whose thesis is now published: "The development of organised football in Scotland: 1824-1875". A fabulous piece of work and research. storre.stir.ac.uk/handle/1893/...

Just acquired today! Two volumes of the Scottish Athletic Journal, 1882-3 and 1883-4. Scotland's first sports newspaper, covering football, cricket, athletics, tennis, cycling and much more. Not to mention some fabulous adverts. What wonders lie within?

A trip to Edinburgh this week for #FloodlightFriday and we get straight to it on the cover for a change. Terrific photo, small but perfectly formed. footballfanzineculture.blog/2026/10/09/f...

It's Thursday and that can mean only one thing; a new blog is up. This week we we delve into the myriad ways fanzines “North of the border” got themselves in a pickle with…well, just about everyone really. footballfanzineculture.blog/2026/10/08/t...

Meanwhile, Fifa readies to welcome Russia's official team at the Under-15 World Cup which starts on 22 October in Azerbaijan, the first step towards full reintegration in Infantino's "football family". Many countries are boycotting the event. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not.

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...

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...

New blog post: Olympic River martinpolley.co.uk/2026/09/29/w...

Edinburgh football collector fair tomorrow (Sunday 27 September). Admission is free, come along!

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

🌤️  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...

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...

New blog: A rare look at Scottish football club programmes from the 1880s, held at National Records of Scotland. www.scottishsporthistory.com/sports-histo...

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'.

Yup, greatest tifo I’ve ever seen (VfL Osnabruk fans against Bayern Munich in the DFB Pokal) 🎢

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.

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...

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...

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...

New on my website - the fascinating origins of heading the ball in football. www.scottishsporthistory.com/sports-histo...

New on my website - the fascinating origins of heading the ball in football. www.scottishsporthistory.com/sports-histo...

🚨 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...

Andy Mitchell kicks off panel 9 with a presentation on heading

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...

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.

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...

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.

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

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...

Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Linlithgow Rose FC has woven Show Racism the Red Card's message into matchdays, digital content and community education. buff.ly/cMswm07

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.

The new series of A House Through Time - on at 9pm tonight - on BBC Two.

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.

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

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...

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.../