Tartan Army fan flies back to Scotland to work TRNSMT before returning to US for Brazil game

For many Tartan Army fans, commitment to the national team has been measured in long journeys and eye-watering costs to make it Stateside for the World Cup.

James Dean and his son at a bar in Boston before returning to the UK for work to then fly back to the US for the Brazil game | Katharine Hay

For lifelong Scotland supporter James Dean, however, the tournament has required dedication not only to his country but also to his work.

Having flown to Boston with his son Lewis to watch Scotland’s match against Haiti and celebrate the younger Dean’s 21st birthday, he is now heading back across the Atlantic to return to work at TRNSMT Festival.

The Glasgow man runs family business TLC Welfare which delivers welfare support at large outdoor events and festival across the UK.

His wife, Debbie, missed the first Scotland game while covering for the business at recent Zach Bryan and Take That gigs back on home soil.

“My wife is a lifelong Scotland fan so we are feeling a bit guilty, obviously,” Mr Dean said.

James Dean with his son, Lewis, before flying back to the UK for work to then return to the US for the Scotland Brazil game next week | Katharine Hay

However, included in the £10,000 he estimates the family will spend on their World Cup adventure is a return trip to the United States with Debbie to watch Scotland take on Brazil in Miami on June 24.

When he lands in the UK this week, Mr Dean will drive a campervan from London north to the Royal Highland Show, where Mrs Dean will be based while providing welfare support at the major event near Edinburgh.

“I’ll then go on to cover TRNSMT, which is this weekend as well,” he said.

The couple and their son will then return to London on Tuesday before catching a connecting flight to Tampa on Florida’s west coast. From there, they will hire a car and drive to Miami for Scotland’s final group-stage match.

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“We are only there for two days, then we get a flight back to London and then back to Glasgow to cover Glasgow Summer Sessions, a festival which starts on June 27,” Mr Dean said, laughing at his schedule for the weeks ahead.

“It’s the busiest time of the year for us.

“But we couldn’t not make Scotland playing in the World Cup. It’s been 28 years. Who knows if this will happen again in my lifetime?

“I remember France 1998 and just wishing I was there.

“Now, however many years later, we can afford to go and so, of course, we were going to make it happen however we could.”

Lewis, putting an arm around his father, interrupted.

“If it’s going to be another 28 years until the next one, he’ll be dead,” he joked.

“I’m lucky I turned 21 in February this year, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to join in having a pint here in the US.”

While disappointed to miss Scotland’s match against Morocco on Friday, Mr Dean stressed that his work remains important to him.

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“With TLC Welfare, we look after anything that’s not a medical emergency really — from people who just need a rest, to those dealing with stress, to people who find large crowds overwhelming,” he said.

TRNSMT Festival in Glasgow will air the Scotland Morocco match on the Main Stage big screens.

“We’ll party if we win, we’ll party if we lose,” added Mr Dean.

“Then it’s here we come Miami.”