Queen's Park F.C.
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| Full name | Queen's Park Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | The Hoops, The Spiders | ||
| Founded | July 9 1867 | ||
| Ground | Hampden Park, Glasgow | ||
| Capacity | 52,500 | ||
| Chairman | G. M. Templeman | ||
| Manager | Billy Stark | ||
| League | Third Division | ||
| 2004-05 | Third Division, 4th | ||
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Queen's Park Football Club is a Scottish football team with much history and tradition, and the only amateur club in the Scottish League. Founded in 1867, the club plays its home games at Hampden Park, Glasgow, the home of the Scottish national team.
History
The club was responsible for incorporating crossbars, free-kicks and half-time into the game, and it can be argued that Queen's Park are significantly responsible for making football what it is today. A tour to Ireland to play Caledonians produced so much excitement that the first Irish football club, Cliftonville, was founded soon afterwards.
Queen's Park, also known as "The Hoops" and "The Spiders", developed its own code of rules for football. At this time there was no official code. The first official international match between Scotland and England was organised by Queen's Park and played under Queen's Park's rules. The Scottish side consisted entirely of Queen's Park players who wore their club jerseys, which were blue. Today, this colour is used by the national team. In 1873 the club changed its home strip to black and white hoops and these colours remain today. This is where the club's nicknames originated.
The club has historically resisted professionalism in the game; former professional players from other clubs were not allowed to play for Queen's Park and in 1890 the club refused to join the newly formed Scottish League. The club also feared the League would dominate the game and cause the demise of smaller clubs. Six of the founder members of the League soon went out of existence. Queen's Park were however being left behind by the League, so in 1900 they took up the opportunity to enter. Special favours were granted by the League; not only were they the only amateur members, they were also protected from relegation to the Second Division until 1922.
The club has twice finished runner-up, both times to Blackburn Rovers, in the predominantly English competition, the FA Cup. This was in 1884 and 1885, prior to the Scottish Cup, which they now enter.
Such was the club's dominance in the early days of football that it did not concede a goal until January 16, 1874 (or 1875; the page holding this information covers both '74 and '75, making it hard to tell which year is meant).
By the 1880s, the club was attracting large crowds for friendly matches. A new stadium with a larger capacity was built, this new ground retained the name of Hampden Park. The third (and current) Hampden Park was opened in 1903, the club renamed the second Hampden Park, Cathkin Park and sold it to Third Lanark.
Since World War II the club has been comparatively unsuccessful, rarely playing in the top division and failing to make a big impression when it did.
Only in the 1990s have former professional players been allowed to play for the club, thus allowing many of the higher quality players to play for Queen's Park. Only under the influence of coach John McCormack did the club management allow players to come on loan from professional clubs. Although still amateur, the managers are now paid "honorariums".
Queen's Park play in Hampden Park (otherwise known as The National Stadium) which has recently been redeveloped at the cost of about £65,000,000 of public money. The capacity of the ground is about 52,000 and the average attendance at their games is approx. 500 which gives fans a "Mary Celeste" experience when they visit. Only when Scotland international matches or cup finals and the likes are played there does the ground fill up.
The team is currently in Scottish Division Three.
Notable players for the team have included Andrew Watson, the first black international footballer, Ronnie Simpson, goalkeeper in the famous 1967 European Cup-winning Celtic F.C. team (the Lisbon Lions), Robert W Gardner, Scotland's very first team captain, and Alex Ferguson, later manager of Manchester United F.C..
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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