Up to 10,000 free tickets will be handed out for Euro 2016 qualifier

The Scottish Football Association is giving 10,000 tickets away to community and grassroots football groups for the national football team’s crucial next home match.

Scotland play Gibraltar on 29 March, 2015 in the latest round of qualifiers for Euro 2016.

The SFA announced it created a partnership with the Scottish Government to make the tickets available in a bid to inspire the next generation of football stars.

Former first minister Alex Salmond, who helped broker the deal, said: “Football is our national sport and it is a dream of many of our young people to play for the Scotland team, and to watch the side in action brings them closer to their heroes.

“The work that goes on at the grassroots level in Scotland cannot be overlooked. Community coaches and football groups are the ones who give up their spare time to provide our youngsters with an introduction to the game, which hopefully fuels their desire to keep involved.

“This ticket giveaway is not only a thank you to them, but also a way of inspiring those youngsters with a love of football to follow their passion and hopefully pull on that famous strip one day.”

Scotland currently sit third in Group D, but are level on points with world champions Germany who are in second place.