Adam Lovatt
| Adam Michael Lovatt
| |
|---|---|
| Born | 1984[1] Glasgow (birth registered at Martha Street)[1] |
| Residence | England[2] |
| Occupation | Lawyer; in-house counsel, Dugout Ltd (2017)[3]; director, Bruce Finance Limited[4] |
| Known for | Rangers supporter; guest on the Press Box podcast, July 2025 |
| Parents | Stanley Lovatt and Carole Lovatt (née Haase)[5] |
| Education | Hutchesons' Grammar School; University of Glasgow (law)[3] |
Adam Michael Lovatt (born 1984) is a Rangers supporter who appeared as a guest on Graham Spiers's Press Box podcast episode "Is an Israeli footballer welcome in Scotland?", published on 20 July 2025, alongside Andrew Smith.[2] His birth was registered at Martha Street, Glasgow, in 1984.[1] He is the son of Stanley Lovatt and Carole Lovatt (née Haase): the ScotlandsPeople birth index records his mother's maiden name as Haase,[5] and Stanley Ivan Lovatt married Carole Haase in Glasgow in 1971.[6]
Education and career
In a 2017 interview with the Journal of the Law Society of Scotland, in which he was described as in-house counsel at Dugout Ltd, Lovatt said he had been at school at Hutchesons' Grammar School in Glasgow and went on to study law at the University of Glasgow. He said he still had a season ticket at Ibrox, and that he had joined Dugout, a social media app connecting football fans with content from clubs, in September 2016 as its sole in-house counsel.[3]
Companies House
Companies House lists Adam Lovatt, born November 1984, as a director of Bruce Finance Limited (SC065766) from 10 April 2003 to 12 October 2005, with the correspondence address 17 Broompark Drive, Newton Mearns, Glasgow G77 5DX. It lists Adam Michael Lovatt, also born November 1984, as a director again from 13 April 2026, with the correspondence address 28 High Street, Paisley PA1 2BZ.[4] The birth month and year are consistent with his birth registration in Glasgow in 1984 (ScotlandsPeople ref. 613/622).[1]
Bruce Finance is the Lovatt family's company. His father, Stanley Lovatt, has been a director since before 23 December 1988, and his mother, Carole Lovatt, was a director and the company secretary until 21 April 2026. His sister Gillian Barmack and brother Mark Warren Lovatt were directors from 2000 to 2005 and were reappointed on 13 April 2026, the same day as Adam.[4]
Press Box podcast, July 2025
The episode discussed whether Scottish clubs should sign Israeli players, following reports linking Rangers with the Israeli footballer Dor Turgeman.[2] Lovatt's remarks included the following (timestamps refer to the episode).
- Signing Israeli players (3:40–7:50): "my take is that I don't think where an individual comes from should play any part in whether Rangers or indeed any football club in Scotland or beyond…should sign them." He added: "I think it is very difficult to turn round and say that Rangers should not sign an individual because of where that individual happens to come from", and "I don't fundamentally think that we can get ourselves in a situation where we sign or don't sign players in Scotland or beyond because of their nationality or religion or skin colour or whatever that may be."[7]
- Supporting Rangers (3:40–7:50): "I've been a Rangers fan for 30 years Graham and I support Rangers because they were the club that was closest to me growing up."[7]
- Flags at Ibrox (13:05–13:50): "I've never seen a Palestinian flag. I have seen Israeli flags".[8] Later (23:40–25:23): "I have seen Israeli flags at Ibrox. I've never seen a Palestinian flag at Ibrox unless it's waved by Celtic supporters but I think that element of the Rangers supporters who are waving Israeli flags are doing it as a way of sticking two fingers up to the Celtic fans for the flags that they are waving."[9] And (25:42–27:12): "If I wasn't looking for it I wouldn't see it ... you're talking a handful."[10]
- Celtic (18:50–21:05): "I would say that Celtic have both a Jewish problem and an Israeli problem the same way as Rangers have problems with different sections of society as well." In the same passage he spoke "as someone who lived in Glasgow for a large proportion of my life".[11]
- Tony Bloom hypothetical (25:42–27:12): "Let's say that hypothetically Tony Bloom who is a prominent Jewish businessman, who's supported charities in Israel, him or someone similar to him comes along to Celtic and said we want to buy the club for 500 million ... would Celtic accept an investment from an individual like Tony Bloom and would they accept an Israeli international coming from one of his clubs like USG to Celtic?"[10]
- Russia and Israel (later in the episode, in reply to a question from Andrew Smith on why Russia was banned but not Israel): "if you go back to the origins of the current conflict - and I'm not talking about 1948 -you go back to the origins of the current conflict involving Israel and the origins of the current conflict, involving Russia, they commenced in very very different ways."[2]
- The Israeli government (later in the episode): speaking of "some people within Gaza who will say that they want Hamas out", he said: "Whether the force is proportionate or not - I'm not having that conversation - but the point being that there might be some that say d'you know what? The Israeli government are doing what the Israeli government has to do. Andrew will disagree - but I'm just saying that there may well be some people who say that".[2]
- Residence (later in the episode): he described himself "as someone who lives in England but loves Scottish football and doesn't particularly love English football".[2]
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 ScotlandsPeople, Statutory Registers index, births: Adam Michael Lovatt, 1984, registration district Glasgow (Martha Street), ref. 613/622, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Graham Spiers (host), with Adam Lovatt and Andrew Smith, "Is an Israeli footballer welcome in Scotland?", Press Box podcast, Patreon, 20 July 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Law Society of Scotland, "A new ball game" (in-house interview with Adam Lovatt), Journal of the Law Society of Scotland, 14 August 2017, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Companies House, Bruce Finance Limited (SC065766): officers, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 ScotlandsPeople, Statutory Registers index, births, searched by surname Lovatt and mother's maiden name Haase, from 1942 (three entries, all registered at Glasgow, Martha Street): Gillian Susan Lovatt, 1972, ref. 613/811; Mark Warren Lovatt, 1975, ref. 610/334; Adam Michael Lovatt, 1984, ref. 613/622; accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ ScotlandsPeople, Statutory Registers index, marriages: Stanley Ivan Lovatt and Carole Haase, 1971, registration district Glasgow, ref. 644/2/285, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Graham Spiers (host), "Is an Israeli footballer welcome in Scotland?", Press Box podcast, Patreon, 20 July 2025, at 3:40–7:50.
- ↑ Graham Spiers (host), "Is an Israeli footballer welcome in Scotland?", Press Box podcast, Patreon, 20 July 2025, at 13:05–13:50.
- ↑ Graham Spiers (host), "Is an Israeli footballer welcome in Scotland?", Press Box podcast, Patreon, 20 July 2025, at 23:40–25:23.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Graham Spiers (host), "Is an Israeli footballer welcome in Scotland?", Press Box podcast, Patreon, 20 July 2025, at 25:42–27:12.
- ↑ Graham Spiers (host), "Is an Israeli footballer welcome in Scotland?", Press Box podcast, Patreon, 20 July 2025, at 18:50–21:05.