Football and dementia
Words Michael McEwan
In 2015 it was estimated 90,000 people in Scotland were living with dementia - a number expected to nearly double by 2035.
While more common in those aged over 80, dementia can affect people much younger.
For people with dementia, photographs can act as a memory trigger for people with dementia and assist with short term recall.
To that end, the Football Memories Scotland project involves gathering archives represented by thousands of images from Scottish football history.
Football and dementia members at Hampden Park
Starting as a one year pilot in 2009, after being set-up by the Scottish Football Museum and members of the Scottish Heritage Network, it proved such a success that Alzheimer Scotland took over with the Scottish Football Museum providing support as a senior partner.
"You’ll have someone come in - head down, seeming totally withdrawn - and then you’ll show him a picture and his face will just light up,” said Michael White, club historian at Falkirk. White was a founding member of the project, first suggesting the idea in 2008, and has been involved in the evolution of the project ever since.
"The real inspiration for taking the idea forward was a guy called Willie Corbett who was a member of the first ever group I ran.
Willie Corbet
At first, Willie was quite reluctant to join the group. He was quite shy and retiring and preferred to sit reading his newspaper. His pal Jimmy let it be known that Willie “was no a bad player in his time”, which it later turned out to be quite an understatement.
Willie was persuaded to join our group and soon opened up to reveal his incredible story, of how at 19 he had become a national hero with a Man of the Match display for Scotland against England at Wembley in October 1942.
Willie recalled his big day with amazing clarity; the journey to the stadium, the pre-match instructions, the weather, and his colleagues were all described in the most amazing detail. On the night, Willie's task was to mark the legendary Tommy Lawton, who had proven the scourge of Scottish defenders before. At the top of his game, Lawton was virtually unplayable; strong, determined, brave and deadly in front of goal – and probably the greatest header of a ball ever seen.
Willie was told to get between Lawton and the goal and give him no space at all. He did just that and the game ended 0–0. The Sunday Pictorial carried a feature on the player in the following day’s edition and highlighted the local connection. The headline read ‘Wembley’s Star Turn: Thanks, Mum!’
After telling his story, Willie held out his hankie which was soaked through. ‘See this?’ he asked me, ‘It’s soaking wet. Wet with tears of joy’.”
It’s not just former players who benefit from reminiscing over photos of games past and Michael reels off quotes from fans who have been to the group;
“I remember one fan lost in memories saying ‘I close my eyes and I can smell the liniment, the pipe tobacco and the Bovril’. Another smiled and told me ‘those were the best days of my life’”.
Following its success Football Memories has expanded to 230 registered groups, across 130 care providers. It now operates in hospitals, football stadiums, care homes, day centres, public halls, sheltered housing and libraries across Scotland.
Scotland's Football Archive is part of The Scottish Football Museum based at Hampden Park, Glasgow.