A number of Gentlemen met
The minutes of a meeting held on July 9, 1867 begin with the words: "Tonight at half past eight o'clock a number of gentlemen met at No. 3 Eglinton Terrace for the purpose of forming a football club."
They might not seem the most noteworthy comments ever made, but they are the prelude to possibly the most important moment in the history of Scottish Football. That meeting in 3 Eglinton Terrace on the south side of Glasgow saw the formation of Queen’s Park Football Club, and the start of Scottish Football.
The game had been played before then, in public schools where they had their own code and their own established rules. But it was Queen’s who really set the ball rolling. The club set about laying down the foundation of the modern game, adopting a passing style of play which employed skilful ball control. The team worked as a unit, utilising team tactics, unlike that of their contemporaries of the day who played an 'individualistic' style of game which used kick-and-rush tactics, 'dribbling' with the ball, hacking and rough play.
It also took a decision that its players would not be paid ; adopting the motto: “Ludere causa Ludendi” - to play for the sake of playing. That decision holds good today, with no Queen’s Park player ever having received a wage from the club.
That amateur status is just one of the many factors that makes Queen’s Park unique in world of senior football.
