text: In April 2002, during the joint bid by Scotland and Ireland to host the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament, First Minister of Scotland Jack McConnell cited the "worldwide reputation" of the Tartan Army as a strength of the bid, stating that other countries welcome their arrival "with open arms". In 2005, the Scotland Travel Club became the Scotland Supporters Club, with sections for younger fans being established. Membership had grown to 17,000 by this time. The UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign saw membership numbers increase dramatically to a capacity of 27,500, with a waiting list of over 10,000. The Scotland Supporters Club is operated by the Scottish Football Association, with membership guaranteeing one match ticket for all home fixtures and offering the opportunity to apply for away match tickets. As of August 2010, the club was at its maximum capacity of 35,000 members and did not accept new applications.
  In August 2008, Irish Football Association chief executive Howard Wells criticised jeering from Scottish supporters during the British National Anthem, "God Save the Queen", before a friendly international match against Northern Ireland. The SFA, who had pleaded with fans not to jeer the anthem, admitted that they were also "disappointed" by the booing. The Scottish Government also criticised the Tartan Army, commenting that it had "tarnished" their reputation. Scotland were not punished for the booing because the match was a friendly, which fell outside the jurisdiction of UEFA. The British anthem was used by Scotland until the 1970s, but it was replaced by "Scotland the Brave" and subsequently "Flower of Scotland", due to consistent booing at matches. This issue recurred when Scotland played Liechtenstein in September 2010, as their national anthem uses the same tune as the British anthem. SFA acting chief executive George Peat publicly apologised for a section of the fans jeering the anthem. The British anthem was again booed by Scotland fans when the team played Northern Ireland in the 2011 Nations Cup, and England in a September 2023 friendly.