Back to the Future: The Tennent's Sixes Return to Scottish Football

The Tennent's Sixes were a cherished part of the Scottish football scene from 1984 to 1993. Imagine the best players in Scotland taking a weekend off to showcase their skills in a thrilling six-a-side tournament. That was the magic of the Tennent's Sixes during the 80s and 90s. Fast forward 33 years, and the 'creaky joints' of Scottish football, as Rangers legend Ian Durrant puts it, will once again take to the field on an artificial pitch laid over the ice of Braehead Arena. This weekend marks the return of this iconic indoor event, with former players representing all 12 teams from the Scottish top flight. Saturday will see them battle through group stages, culminating in a new champion being crowned on Sunday evening. Barry Ferguson is at the helm for Rangers, supported by Durrant, and they'll have a squad featuring names like Charlie Adam and Andy Halliday. On the Celtic side, Aiden McGeady and Charlie Mulgrew will take to the pitch, while Hearts legend Rudi Skacel also joins the fray. Back in the day, current first-team players often participated, underscoring the tournament's significance. For those who remember, Davie Cooper, hailed as one of Rangers' finest, netted the inaugural goal of the Tennent's Sixes in the mid-80s. Then there was John Collins, a key player for Celtic, who helped his team secure victory in 1992. Now, picture Callum McGregor and a few of his Celtic teammates stepping away from serious training for a weekend of six-a-side action. Can you imagine the uproar from sports scientists? Gary Harkins, who will play for Dundee, muses about the potential fallout if a high-priced signing suffered an injury from something as trivial as tripping on a loose rug. "Imagine if one of your £12m strikers was sidelined for the season after a game of fives," he quips. Scott Allan, managing Hibernian, echoes this sentiment, marveling at how things have changed. "It's incredible to think that this used to happen. I'd love to see it today, but it just wouldn’t fly." The stories surrounding the Tennent's Sixes highlight just how much the game has evolved over the years. Back in 1988, when Rangers opted out, Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest stepped in. The thought of a Premier League club sending a six-a-side squad up north today seems unfathomable. Clough, a managerial icon, missed out on adding this trophy to his collection of European Cups. That particular year, Dundee took home the trophy, but Partick Thistle has held the title since 1993, despite their manager John Lambie's absence from the event. For Thistle, just participating was a reason to celebrate, with victory being a delightful bonus. The prizes? Tankards sponsored by Tennent's, which became a source of good memories for former striker Gerry Britton. “I remember us hitting the Glasgow nightclubs, tankards in hand, asking for them to be filled with Tennent's,” he recalls, now serving as chief executive of Firhill. Decades later, if you find a group of weary men nursing their aching joints at Glasgow's Savoy this Sunday, chances are they spent their weekend reliving the nostalgia of the Tennent's Sixes.