Football on a student budget: there are more teams than the two giants of Glasgow football

A guide to watching football as a student in Glasgow.

If like so many of us, you are football mad, Glasgow is undoubtedly the city for you. What we may lack in footballing ability, is certainly made up in passion and true obsession for the beautiful game. You cannot be blamed for immediately thinking about the two giants of football in Glasgow: Celtic and Rangers. But as clubs continue to feel the effects of the Covid hit season, it is incredibly important that we support our less followed teams in the city. Unfortunately, football in Glasgow has also been heavily impacted by the cost-of-living crisis, resulting in soaring ticket prices and increased travel costs. Therefore, making it that bit trickier attending games in Glasgow as a student. So, here’s our guide to watching football as a student in Glasgow.

Partick Thistle:

The Jags can be found in the heart of Maryhill and have had a long-standing relationship with university students across the city. Having moved away from their original home of Partick all the way back in 1907, they have been playing at the historic Firhill Stadium, holding just over an impressive 10,000. After controversially being relegated to Scotland’s third tier (League 1), in the 2019/2020 season, due to the technicality of an early stoppage to the season because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ian McCall’s Partick Thistle have fought back bravely since relegation, securing promotion, then just missing out in the playoff semi-final, after an impressive fourth-place finish. The Jags currently find themselves just one point away from the top of the second tier (Championship), as they continue the push of returning to the Scottish Premiership. 

Mainly due to its location of being so close to the University of Glasgow (Firhill Stadium being only a 15/20-minute walk from Kelvinbridge Subway Station), as well as the club offering £15 concession tickets to all students with a valid student ID, Partick Thistle is an ideal team to start following in their pursuit of returning to the Premiership, as a student in Glasgow.

Queen’s Park: 

A team in Glasgow with an incredibly rich history, Queen’s Park is a side who is safe to say, going through some radical changes. Being Scotland’s oldest association club (founded in 1867!), the Spiders boast being the third most successful team in clinching the Scottish Cup, winning the famous trophy an impressive 10 times, following behind Celtic and Rangers. Surprisingly to some, Queen’s Park also appeared in two FA Cup finals (1884 and 1885), being the only Scottish side ever to do so. Unfortunately for Queen’s Park, success in the Scottish top flight has not been witnessed for decades, jumping between the lower divisions for several years. However, in 2019, Queen’s Park decided to turn professional after some major investment, a move that those in League 2 were certainly not accustomed to. This led to Owen Coyle’s side gaining back-to-back promotions, currently finding themselves just behind Partick Thistle in their aims of finally returning to Scotland’s top division after so many years. 

Queen’s Park currently reside in Stenhousemuir’s stadium, Ochilview Park, found in Larbert as the club move away from Hampden Stadium and continue to wait for the completion of the new stadium, Lesser Hampden. A trip to Ochilview takes about 25 minutes on the train from Glasgow, much longer than a 8 minute train to the club’s new stadium when completed, with a student matchday ticket only costing £13. 

Open Goal Broomhill: 

Open Goal Broomhill can be found much further down the Scottish Football pyramid, within the Lowland League, the fifth tier of Scottish Football. The reason for choosing a team so far down, is due to the recent purchase of Broomhill FC by Scottish sports media company Open Goal, who have become a household name for the vast majority of Scottish football fans, due to the faces of the company; Simon Ferry, Paul Slane and Kevin Kyle, who’s podcast and multiple Hydro filling live shows have gone down a huge success by fans and critics. The club now managed by Open Goal host and former Celtic, Dundee and Peterhead player Simon Ferry, hope that this new project will bring the part time side up the football leagues. 

Open Goal Broomhill currently can be found at the Broadwood stadium, just a 15-minute walk from Croy station, the first stop on the extremely frequent Glasgow to Edinburgh line. With a train ticket costing under a fiver and just £9 to get in the stadium, this exciting new journey in football is an excellent alternative to watching football in Glasgow.