Supported by: Miles Briggs*, Brian Whittle*, Alexander Stewart*, Mark McDonald*, Annie Wells*, Donald Cameron*, Peter Chapman*, Lewis Macdonald*, Jeremy Balfour*, Michelle Ballantyne* *S5M-22479 Emma Harper: Stranraer FC Celebrates 150th Anniversary—That the Parliament congratulates Stranraer FC, the third oldest league club in Scotland and the twentieth oldest football club in the world, on celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2020; notes that the club, which took up permanent residence at Stair Park in 1907, has had a long and interesting past, with a number of victories and ultimately losses, notably narrowly losing to the then Scottish League Champions, Glasgow Rangers, in 1948 where the ground was said to have been packed full with in excess of 6,500 spectators; understands that Stranraer FC’s history includes entering the C Division in the 1949-50 season, which was a league full of reserve teams from many of the country’s big clubs, before finally achieving full league status in the 1955-56 season when the club was forced to fight for its place in the leagues in the early 1960s along with four other minnow clubs, due to a motion put forward by Glasgow Rangers, which threatened their expulsion; notes that, thanks to some legal wrangling, with Celtic stepping forward as a powerful ally, stating: “Stranraer are a small club which has done football a great deal of good” and “there should be no question of them being eliminated”, this motion was thankfully defeated; applauds the current manager, Stephen Farrell, who took charge in January 2017, with Stranraer bottom of the league, and guided the team to survival in three successive seasons, before the coronavirus outbreak and resulting votes brought an end to The Blues' eight-year spell in the third tier; thanks Stena Line, local firm, McLean's Taxis, the Craignelder Hotel in Stranraer and William Hill for their committed Friday 21 August 2020 12 Today's Business Future Business Motions & Questions Legislation Other Gnothaichean an-diugh Gnothaichean ri teachd Gluasadan agus Ceistean Reachdas Eile Motions | Gluasadan sponsorship of the club, which supports the employment of ground, ticketing, security and catering staff; thanks Stranraer FC players, the Chairman, Iain Dougan, and all of the volunteers, fans and supporters for making the club a team in which the local community can be proud, and wishes the club every success for the future, particularly as the country moves out of the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and which will allow the club to engage in match play again.