The lasting Celtic and Rangers friendship crossing Glasgow’s divide

Boardroom statements playing to angry galleries had yet to become a thing and while the teams were fierce rivals on the pitch, directors of the two clubs still did their best to maintain a harmonious relationship off it.

“There was one day I was at Ibrox in the early 1980s when the team was not doing so well,” Ogilvie tells The Fixture. “The phone rang and it was Sean Fallon, Jock Stein’s former Celtic assistant.

“I had known Sean from my days with the Scottish League and he says, ‘I know you’re going through a rocky spell, so I’m coming over for a cup of tea’.

“Over he comes. And I think Willie Thornton was there as well.

“So there was a very close relationship in those days.

“I go back to the Willie Waddells and Willie Thorntons and there was always that respect. More recently that was there with the likes of Celtic’s Jack McGinn and so on.

“I’m not there now and for all I know there still is. But certainly when I was there and Eric was at Celtic we could talk to each other.”

Riley oversaw Celtic’s finances for more than 20 years until health issues prompted him to scale down his full-time commitments.

He nods in agreement. “John McClelland [former Rangers chairman] was one we [Celtic] could talk to. And Martin [Bain] I suppose, when he came along a bit later.

“Between myself and Peter Lawwell, the relationship between the clubs off the field was actually quite strong.

“But on the field we still wanted to win. We still wanted to beat each other.”

The competitive edge between Celtic and Rangers can be compelling and ugly in equal measure. In March, tensions spilled over when when supporters clashed on the Ibrox pitch after a Scottish Cup quarter-final. The clubs sought to blame each other and, while the Scottish FA have imposed swingeing punishments, the fall-out rumbles on. A former president of the SFA, Ogilvie thinks tech billionaires have much to answer for.

“It’s fair to say there was no social media in those days. In general terms, you know all the toxic stuff that can bring.”

Taking the view that football should unite as much as it divides the pair have now been given the chance to work together on the board of trustees of Walking Football Scotland, a thriving sport providing opportunities for fans of all clubs to put their allegiances to one side, get the boots back out the cupboard and roll back the years. The physical and mental benefits, they swear, are many.

Currently, more than 5000 people play the game in Scotland across 160 clubs, with participants ranging from their 40s to – incredibly – 93. Under the auspices of chief executive Matt Ramsay, Walking Football Scotland has signed a sponsorship deal with William Hill to support the game’s development and provide more opportunities for the lonely, the bereaved or the retired to leave the house and kick a ball around for the first time in years.

Everyone who plays walking football has their own story and ability is neither here nor there. The loss of a partner, a job or structure in their day might drive them to climb out of an armchair and playing the game is the thing. In Riley’s own case, it was down to ill health.

“I suffer from Parkinson’s, among other things, I should say,” he said.

“I was getting assistance though Stobhill Hospital. And the physiotherapist there, who specialises in Parkinson’s patients, got in touch to say there was a project going on at Toryglen where they were playing walking football and assessing you to see what the benefits may or may not be.

“She asked, ‘Are you interested?’ because they new I had a sporting background. I said, ‘Of course’.

“She said there are 10 or 12 dates being earmarked. I could do only eight but I came along and it was fantastic. I really enjoyed it because a) you are back playing football again; b) you have the camaraderie and c) you have the home baking afterwards which I never really get at home.

“I don’t know if they still do it but two weeks out of three somebody would come with cakes. Fantastic. Then they start the stories and it gives you another outlet.”

The 12-week course found walking football – exercise, generally – was beneficial to the well-being of those undergoing treatment for Parkinson’s. Drawing support from the Celtic FC Foundation, the sessions at Toryglen just carried on.

“We have the odd person who gate crashes,” laughs Riley. “We have the odd ringer and we live with them.

“But it’s a great forum for exchanging information on the illness.

“What one person might have been lucky to find out, he will share with someone else.

“It might not necessarily be appropriate to that person, but at least they know about it.

“They find out where they should go to chap the door if there is any financial assistance or other assistance available.

“And then there is a bit of banter about the football itself. It makes the world go round, doesn’t it?”

His own playing time was curtailed by a hip replacement operation last March. Doctors now want him to have his right knee replaced, a consequence of the wear and tear incurred in his sporting prime.

A Glasgow District rugby representative, he played basketball to the same level and, had he been granted a work permit, would have taken up an opportunity in New Jersey to be financial director and tennis coach of a plush sports complex. He also played with Judy Murray in the Scottish Championships.

“Parkinson’s is different for each individual. I personally am a great believer in the weather – the sun helps. And even if I am kidding myself on, the fact that I believe that helps me.

“Secondly, those who give you their expertise as consultants will tell you that exercise helps. I have found that.”

The physical benefits of walking football are only half the story. The camaraderie, friendships, and the WhatsApp groups bring mental support to those who feel isolated and spend too much time in their own thoughts.

Walking Football Scotland hear all the the stories from players and now plan to turn them into hard data in a quest to persuade the authorities that the game can no do more for an ageing population than any drug available on the NHS.

“We are trying to do some studies with universities to get that data  –physical and mental – and get it to the government,” adds Ogilvie

“We want to prove the benefits then we could make this prescriptive through surgeries. But we need the hard facts on mental and general health and that is where we need help.

“We see the benefits day to day anecdotally. But that doesn’t bring you the data.

“Sponsorship helps. We want to raise the awareness of walking football, making people aware that it is there.

“We still have the stigma in some people’s eyes. But if people see the benefits on physical and mental health, and if we can get that data, we could get to the stage where we could prove the benefits then the NHS and the government would see the proof in black and white.”

A former managing director of Hearts, he remembers rolling his eyes when he first heard of walking football during his time at the SFA. These days, he plays outdoors at Drumchapel United once a week and talks up its benefits with the passion of a bible belt preacher.

“To be honest, I didn’t fancy trying it but one of my pals played at the Kelvin Hall and he said, ‘Come along and try it’,” he says.

“That was about eight years ago and it was indoor and that was it. I never looked back.

“When you have finished working, there is a void, not mixing with people, not being with people, and walking football certainly has helped me fill that.

“One of my grandsons, who is 10, came along to watch a session and said two things. Firstly, it is a bit more intense than he thought and second, there are no pink boots.”

Chipping in, Riley says: “That would be an affront, that would be unacceptable.”

Walking Football Scotland currently competes with amputees, autism, deaf, powerchair, PAN

disability, frame, mental health and cerebral palsy football groups for a slice of the Scottish Para-Football pie.

Ogilvie and Riley want to help with funding by adding political clout to a board which also features former St Mirren and Aberdeen defender David Winnie and ex-Dundee and Morton CEO David MacKinnon.

The goal is to become a self-sustaining body with development officers and regional representatives capable of spreading the gospel and, to that end, plans are afoot to compile a database of players to show to potential sponsors.

“The other thing we have tried to do is get the Scottish FA involved,” adds Riley.

“Myself and Campbell have been involved for about a year and we have made progress with coming under the auspices of the SFA. I think that’s how it should be.”

The number of people aged 65 and over in Scotland is projected to grow by nearly a third by the middle of 2045. The number of those aged 90 and over is expected to double between 2020 and 2045. The nation has the lowest life expectancy of any UK country or comparable nation in Europe, placing more stress on a stressed National Health Service.

Walking Football Scotland believe they can play a key role in improving the health of a population growing old together.

In June, over 1000 players took part in the Scottish Cup tournament at Glasgow Green, with an open invitation to players to undergo blood tests for prostrate cancer.

“There were a high percentage who went as well,” Ogilvie reports. “So all these opportunities are there to help. And I love being involved in that.

“When I started, I asked someone, ‘How would you sum up walking football?’

“And he said to me, ‘It’s a cross between watching Barcelona and the Gurkha Warriors’.

“What I really loved was the end of an over-75s tournament where one player turned to another the same age and said, ‘Good game son…’.

Eric Riley and Campbell Ogilvie were speaking at the announcement of William Hill as Official Sponsor and Proper Supporter of Walking Football Scotland. To find your nearest game visit www.walkingfootballscotland.org.