Members of the Tartan Army who are taking their bagpipes to Germany for the European Championships won’t have to pay for extra baggage fees after SkyBet stepped in to cover the costs.
The bookmakers has been working with the Scotland supporters group after it was agreed that bagpipes would be allowed in stadia across Germany during the summer tournament, which kicks off on Friday night.
Steve Clarke’s men face Germany in the opening tie of the group stage and a huge amount of Scots are currently making the trip to Munich for it.
It’s the first time since 1998 that Scotland have qualified for a major tournament that wasn’t majorly affected by Covid and being held on home soil, with two of the Euro 2020 games they were involved in being played at Hampden Park.
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There was a battle to ensure bagpipes were allowed into games after a ban was placed on ‘mechanical sound-emitting devices’ in 2010 but after meetings between fan representatives earlier this year a change was made.
SkyBet’s ‘For The Fans’ campaign has been looking to ensure that the modern football fan has a better experience at matches and with their help there will be plenty of noise from bagpipes inside the Allianz Arena for the opening match.
Bagpipes have been a long tradition among Scotland fans and Tartan Army Magazine editor Iain Emerson said: “Bagpipes are deeply rooted in Scottish culture and for the Tartan Army, they are essential to our fan-experience during major tournaments.
“If there’s a lull in the play, or Scotland are not doing so well on the pitch, the Tartan Army might be a bit quieter, but once you hear a piper playing, it lifts everybody.
“With Sky Bet’s support we’re delighted that our pipes will be with us every step of the way in Germany. Nothing’s cheap these days, so the help has been really appreciated.”
SkyBet’s head of content and publishing Kevin Brain added: “We are thrilled to support the Tartan Army pipes players this summer.
“We love the passion and spirit Scottish fans bring to football, they are what make the game truly special and it is great they’ll be able to bring their iconic sound to this summer’s tournament.”
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