The World's Oldest Football

Greetings! We hope that all of our readers had a wonderful summer after an exciting FIFA World Cup.

A couple of weeks ago, Alex visited Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum in Stirling, Scotland.

The occasion was to see with his own eyes the return to Britain of the world's oldest surviving football, now that it is home from its World Cup USA 2026 adventure.

Details available on the museum's website, and of course even more information is provided around the display in the museum, it is well worth a visit. But here is some of the description taken from the website:

"This round and rather plain looking object has a fantastic tale to tell. It is in fact the world’s oldest football at almost 500 years old – and it belongs to Stirling! It was discovered, like all real treasure, hidden away during building works at the Castle in the late 1970s. Tucked behind panelling installed in the roof of the Queen’s Chamber in the 1540s, a time when a young Mary Queen of Scots was living in those very rooms. We know from historical writings, that Mary was keen on sports – she played football, tennis and golf. It is not too great a leap of imagination to wonder if this football belonged to her, used in the castle courtyards and the royal gardens."

We highly recommend a visit to see it, surely a must-see item for all true fans of football history.