Introduction

The Netley Abbey Tartan Army (NATA) was first spoken about in a drunken moment by Rich (The Ladies Man) and Paul (The Fat Man) sometime between France '98 and Prague in 1999, although it's hard to pinpoint exactly when and where.

After arguing over the name (Hampshire Tartan Army, Southampton Tartan Army, South Coast Tartan Army) it was agreed to settle on the name of the village where Paul, Rich and Darryl (The Wee Man) had all spent their teenage years (and where Rich still lives).

It was never intended to expand massively, such are the constraints of basing a Scotland supporters club in a small Hampshire village, nonetheless NATA has taken on cult appeal in attracting carefully selected new members and has had a presence at pretty much every Scotland game since its formation.

Note: for anyone who has stumbled across this page and is not familiar with the Scottish international football team and its supporters, the term “Tartan Army” is used to describe the fans, named after their usual attire of kilts and tartan scarves, and was first coined by television commentators some time in the 1970s (possibly initially in relation to rugby).

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About Netley Abbey

Netley Abbey is a small coastal village on the eastern boundary of Southampton. It takes its name from an old abbey (now in ruins), and was the site of a famous First World War hospital (Royal Victoria Hospital – now a country park).

It boasts several pubs, a railway station on the Southampton-Portsmouth line and even a hotel, however the tourist trade hasn't really overwhelmed Netley just yet. This is despite our very own Rough-ish Guide to Netley Abbey. Check out this (tongue-in-cheek) guide for a look at what Netley Abbey can offer the tourist, including sights and a comprehensive Netley Pub Guide.

You can also take a look at two sets of photos, 10 sepia tone photos taken in 1994 and 17 colour photos taken in 2001.

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Proud to sponsor...

Worthing FC (Sponsor board at Woodside Road)	Clydebank FC (Sponsor board at Glenhead Park)

In the past, NATA has been proud to sponsor advertising boards at two successful and well-supported non-league clubs during the 2003-04 season.

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Join us

Well, sorry to disappoint, but there's not really much to join. NATA started off as a bit of a joke, but basically we're just a group of pals who like to meet up around Scotland matches for a bevvy and a banter. We rarely arrive in the country together, and we are spread far and wide.

Several members living down south are paid-up members of Loony Alba – Lunnain Albannaich, or London Scottish to us non-Gaelic speakers. Due to the geographical location of Netley Abbey, we suggest that anyone looking to join an organised club should have a look at www.loonyalba.com

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