QotS Chairmans views on the return of football.

i dont really think its the governments place to bail out football clubs
Correct.
Every business in the country that is employing people deserves the same consideration.
Football doesn’t deserve different consideration from any other part of the “entertainment” industry or even hospitality.
 
Natural selection will hopefully start thinning the herd. These small clubs are just financial weights around the neck of Scottish football. Less teams, bigger crowds, better product.
 
Its weird that they keep increasing the number of teams in the league. League 1 and 2 are not professional leagues. they should be outside the SPFL
 
He’s just looking for a hand out like all the other wee clubs. There are people far more deserving of government support right now than football clubs. It wouldn’t be such a bad thing if a third of the teams in Scotland went under anyway. Then you could move to two 16 team leagues, which would be more appealing. It’s not right these clubs can suck up money they have no right to in order to sustain them.
 
He’s just looking for a hand out like all the other wee clubs. There are people far more deserving of government support right now than football clubs. It wouldn’t be such a bad thing if a third of the teams in Scotland went under anyway. Then you could move to two 16 team leagues, which would be more appealing. It’s not right these clubs can suck up money they have no right to in order to sustain them.
A 16 team top league where 8 of the teams will be part time,I can’t wait it’ll be like being a kid again in the 70’s
 
Many clubs below Premier level will find it more sustainable to mothball for a season than recruit new squads and not get anywhere near the income to sustain them.

Logic tells me we are going to have a reduce league system (perhaps two leagues) with limited promotion/relegation between them and an agreement that mothballed clubs re-enter 2021/22.

This of course renders Budge's reconstruction talks a complete waste of time - we need to see who can actually participate 2020/21 first.
This is what i think will happen all the leagues below the premiership will mothball and restart once punters can get back into the grounds.that why hearts are in bother it could be a year before they play a game
 
'We want to be able to get back to full stadiums but we have to take Government guidance on that.'

Could I maybe point out this happens once in a 'blue moon', if ourselves or the rhancid bheast xi aren't involved, so where does he get that from ?

That is part of their problem, they hardly ever play in full stadia, therefore their income on matchday is not something they can rely on.

WATP
 
i dont really think its the governments place to bail out football clubs


Because they said they do not like to interfere in football especially when it came to helping Rangers, as eufa and fifa do not like political interference. This was what the MP's said when Rangers asked for help.
Fifa, eufa just do not like political interference when countries ask clubs or national teams to boycott events they do not say they cannot help clubs in times of stress.
So, as in the case of Rangers in 2012, they would not help. So they will not help now.
Be interesting to see what stance they take. If they were to help financially, then they would have to help all the businesses in the country who will go into admin if they don't get help. And like the SPFL, will they change their rules?
 
'We want to be able to get back to full stadiums but we have to take Government guidance on that.'

Could I maybe point out this happens once in a 'blue moon', if ourselves or the rhancid bheast xi aren't involved, so where does he get that from ?

That is part of their problem, they hardly ever play in full stadia, therefore their income on matchday is not something they can rely on.

WATP
Income on matchday is what these clubs rely on,that’s why many clubs will just mothball till the season restarts with crowds. budgets every year are set on what they get through the gates.teams in lower league football do no rely on trickledown money from the spfl.its very rare you will find the lower league teams running at a loss they break even most seasons
 
Following the Scottish Government announcement today on exiting lockdown, Chairman Billy Hewitson has been sharing his thoughts about the return of football. He says clubs across Scotland need to have some kind of financial guarantee before football can return and believes restarting the game without a package in place would be “financial suicide”.

Queens were due to host Ayr United in the Championship the day football was halted with a ban on mass gatherings due to the coronavirus outbreak. Since then the club has been in lockdown with all staff, including management and players furloughed and the Chairman is keen to see the return of match days as soon as possible but insists it can only happen if the financial risks are taken away.

“As we continue to work our way through the current pandemic that has engulfed the country we along with other clubs are seeking clarity from the Scottish Government before we can make plans for the future”.

“There’s a lot of proposals being talked about, including playing behind closed doors. This would only be an option IF there is a financial model in place from the Scottish Government, football authorities or any governing body who will cover the loss of income. If there is no financial model in place then playing games without supporters would be financial suicide for clubs like Queen of the South”.

“You have to have revenue that covers your expenditure, if you have no income then you can’t spend money. For us the biggest expenditure is player’s wages and I’m sure that will be the case for most full time clubs. It might be a less of a risk for part time clubs as players have other employment”.

With no football since March the club's directors have been balancing the books, Queens like other clubs have welcomed the furlough scheme which has helped during a time of limited income. Billy added “during this period and going forward with no supporters we have been and would be looking at running the club on just 30% of our income. So it’s a dilemma for us; could we start up again and train for eight weeks with a view to start playing in August? I thnk the Premiership clubs could just about do it but it’s not clear for other teams and the biggest problem is financial”.

“There are so many questions and a lot of unknown just now so that makes it difficult to say what is going to happen. We want to be able to get back to full stadiums but we have to take Government guidance on that. Match day testing would be impossible due to the number of games being played and the time it would take to get results back. The hefty cost of individual testing machines would rule out clubs purchasing their own equipment so you would have to rely on mobile testing".

One other possibilty could be for clubs to play half a season - would that work for Queens? "It would be a lot less risky as you could hold off signing players etc. but for me the ideal situation would be for the Government to underwrite the season and we can start immediately”.

While he waits for some clarity the Chairman will be taking part in discussions with his counterparts at other Championship clubs to try to find a way forward “over the next couple of weeks the Championship clubs will be setting out their own road map of how they see a return to playing. There are five or six scenarios that could happen, but for me we all need to stick together and come to a collective agreement and come up with a proposal to present to the SPFL Board”.
As I know him he's a little twat,you voted for it eat it;let's get one thing clear here,there will be local bears with allegiances to queens reading this post!This is the club that ripped up one of if not the best playing surfaces in Scotland,solway turf, according to the late Davie Cooper's "The best pitch he's played on"to replace it with a plastic pitch,which 2 years ago froze when they were playing Dundee hibs,the argument with their fans was "it's more economical etc etc,well guys you voted with the devil,accept your fate!
 
The Scottish Championship could be scaled down to just 18 games
By Stephen Mcgowan and John Greechan For The Scottish Daily Mail 00:33 22 May 2020, updated 01:03 22 May 2020
Scottish Championship clubs are set to discuss plans for a scaled-down 18-game season kicking off later this year.
And Raith Rovers chairman Bill Clark admits the second tier could even be mothballed until January.
The SFA and SPFL will present plans for a staged resumption to Scottish health minister Joe FitzPatrick and National Clinical Director Jason Leitch next Friday.
Plans for an 18-game Scottish Championship season are set to be discussed next week
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With a new £125million Sky Sports contract commencing on August 1 the Premiership will be the first league to resume, initially behind closed doors.
And Championship clubs will hold talks on Monday over a proposal to stage a season of nine home and nine away game later this year or early in the New Year when supporters could be allowed back into grounds.
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced plans for a phased exit from lockdown.
On Thursday night, however, Raith chairman Clark told Sportsmail that the cost of testing could force the second tier into cold storage until 2021 at the earliest.
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'I think what Nicola Sturgeon is talking about is, yes, professional football can start again - but maybe only at the Premiership level at first.
'Then it may be a phased introduction of it at Championship, then possibly - possibly - in League One and League Two.
The scaled-down season would consist of just nine home and nine away matches
'But, from what I'm hearing, it's very possible that the Championship might not start until January. And play only half the fixtures.
'So that's always a possibility - and that's based on the medical advice.
'It takes four to six weeks for players to train and get up to a professional level.
'And the testing costs for players and staff are enormous. I don't see how Championship clubs could afford to pay the costs involved - I really don't.'
Conscious of the need to grant Hearts a safe landing after relegation by committee from the Premiership, senior figures within the Scottish game insist the Championship will resume in some form.
However, Sportsmail understands the plan for an 18-game campaign placed in hibernation until autumn or winter will meet opposition from some Championship clubs on economic grounds.
Facing Covid-19 testing costs of between £3000 and £5000 per club per week, teams already deprived of gate receipts fear they would be unable to pay the wages of contracted players until the league finally got under way.
One league source said on Thursday night: 'This plan for a delayed resumption of a shorter season is being pushed by one or two clubs, but can we really afford to half the number of home games while paying players who aren't playing for six months? The league really needs to start in September.'
Scotland's lower leagues may miss a quick restart, with priority going to the Premiership
Clubs from Leagues One and Two, meanwhile, have asked for time to explore every possible option before agreeing to place the lower leagues in cold storage until January.
Chairmen from both divisions held a Zoom call with SPFL Chief Executive Neil Doncaster and Chairman Murdoch MacLennan on Thursday.
Acknowledging that the costs of testing players could be prohibitive, Stenhousemuir chairman Iain McMenemy insists clubs would rather find a way to start playing games - even if it means losing money.
'There is a desire amongst clubs to explore every avenue to play behind closed doors if that's the option.
'We cannot see how it can be financially viable. But if we can get to a point where we are at least not losing too much money then I think that would be the best option.
'The alternative to that is going into hibernation for an extended period.
'And that would probably do more harm than losing money by playing behind closed doors.
'All clubs want to get back to playing football. They want to explore every option possible to get the game back on. But only if it's safe and affordable.
There is financial concern for clubs surrounding testing, especially with no gate receipts
'It's a case of asking now whether we can find way to make behind closed doors work for lower league clubs - or can't we?
'It would require weekly testing of players and staff and we need to ask now if we can do that?
'I think everybody ants to get football back if we possibly can. But we have to face the fact it might not be possible.'
Placing the lower leagues in cold storage could have a knock-on effect on the Betfred Cup.
Due to kick off in mid-July to fulfil a new broadcasting contract with Premier Sports, the SPFL still intend to play the League Cup if possible.
On Thursday night, however, Neil Doncaster admitted timing is an issue telling Sky Sports: 'A number of part-time clubs are unable to be up and running because they can't accommodate playing behind closed doors and that's going to be a particular challenge to the League Cup.
'We'll work with our other partners for that competition, including Betfred, to try and find a way to do that as well.'
 
The Scottish football pyramid is a bloated mess. Teams living outside their means, teams essentially just taking up a numbered place in a league table.

All this romanticism of the lower leagues is just misty eyed shite.

Aww I went to see Peterheid with my Da and it was pure the best day of my life.

Our national game suffers because decisions need to pander to part time plumbers who train two hours a week and then play in front of 112 fans, most of who are only there cause their pigeon racing meeting got cancelled, whose Da's took them to a game 40 years ago.

Now these social clubs with sponsored strips are wanting tax payers money, to buy new mitre mouldmasters or prizes for their tombola.

Not a chance.

The criteria to be a professional club in Scotland needs to dramatically change.
 
I’ve been saying this for years. Too many teams, and when you add in the Rangers and Celtic effect, Scottish football could do with losing a few. Why the need for two teams in Dundee for a start?!
Or Edinburgh - I like mentioning to Jambo’s and Hobo’s that Wallace Mercer had the right idea a few decades ago.
 
This is what i think will happen all the leagues below the premiership will mothball and restart once punters can get back into the grounds.that why hearts are in bother it could be a year before they play a game
and they have taken a lot of st money for 18/19 home games.
 
Following the Scottish Government announcement today on exiting lockdown, Chairman Billy Hewitson has been sharing his thoughts about the return of football. He says clubs across Scotland need to have some kind of financial guarantee before football can return and believes restarting the game without a package in place would be “financial suicide”.

Queens were due to host Ayr United in the Championship the day football was halted with a ban on mass gatherings due to the coronavirus outbreak. Since then the club has been in lockdown with all staff, including management and players furloughed and the Chairman is keen to see the return of match days as soon as possible but insists it can only happen if the financial risks are taken away.

“As we continue to work our way through the current pandemic that has engulfed the country we along with other clubs are seeking clarity from the Scottish Government before we can make plans for the future”.

“There’s a lot of proposals being talked about, including playing behind closed doors. This would only be an option IF there is a financial model in place from the Scottish Government, football authorities or any governing body who will cover the loss of income. If there is no financial model in place then playing games without supporters would be financial suicide for clubs like Queen of the South”.

“You have to have revenue that covers your expenditure, if you have no income then you can’t spend money. For us the biggest expenditure is player’s wages and I’m sure that will be the case for most full time clubs. It might be a less of a risk for part time clubs as players have other employment”.

With no football since March the club's directors have been balancing the books, Queens like other clubs have welcomed the furlough scheme which has helped during a time of limited income. Billy added “during this period and going forward with no supporters we have been and would be looking at running the club on just 30% of our income. So it’s a dilemma for us; could we start up again and train for eight weeks with a view to start playing in August? I thnk the Premiership clubs could just about do it but it’s not clear for other teams and the biggest problem is financial”.

“There are so many questions and a lot of unknown just now so that makes it difficult to say what is going to happen. We want to be able to get back to full stadiums but we have to take Government guidance on that. Match day testing would be impossible due to the number of games being played and the time it would take to get results back. The hefty cost of individual testing machines would rule out clubs purchasing their own equipment so you would have to rely on mobile testing".

One other possibilty could be for clubs to play half a season - would that work for Queens? "It would be a lot less risky as you could hold off signing players etc. but for me the ideal situation would be for the Government to underwrite the season and we can start immediately”.

While he waits for some clarity the Chairman will be taking part in discussions with his counterparts at other Championship clubs to try to find a way forward “over the next couple of weeks the Championship clubs will be setting out their own road map of how they see a return to playing. There are five or six scenarios that could happen, but for me we all need to stick together and come to a collective agreement and come up with a proposal to present to the SPFL Board”.

A ban on mass gatherings affected QOTS v Ayr? Lol
 
Will go against the grain here but hope none go out of existence from a purely football view point.
Their love of their club is comparable to anyone’s, think of the guys that support say Arbroath who travel every second week, who are we to take delight in taking that from them.
The machinations taking place by the corrupt SPFL have nothing to do with your average fan, so I hope they survive but think many won’t.
 
Or maybe a country with 6 million people in it doesn’t require 40+ football clubs anyway.

Cutting club numbers isnt going to suddenly attract more people through the turnstiles at other grounds. We need more people to go to games on a Saturday afternoon and not either follow football from their armchairs or follow it on TV.
 
Will go against the grain here but hope none go out of existence from a purely football view point.
Their love of their club is comparable to anyone’s, think of the guys that support say Arbroath who travel every second week, who are we to take delight in taking that from them.
The machinations taking place by the corrupt SPFL have nothing to do with your average fan, so I hope they survive but think many won’t.

Its a sickening arrogance tbh. Anybody who loves their club and regularly follows them should have that commitment respected. Its not for the big teams to turn their noses up at the likes of Montrose, Peterhead, Edinburgh City or Annan and dismiss them as worthless. They mean the world to the fans who follow them and we'd be far better as a footballing nation if more people valued and supported their community clubs.
 
Cutting club numbers isnt going to suddenly attract more people through the turnstiles at other grounds. We need more people to go to games on a Saturday afternoon and not either follow football from their armchairs or follow it on TV.

do we not already have the biggest amout of fans per population?

Harrogate Town for example is a 5th tier club and full time.

You should not be playing in the scottish championship if not full time.

The part timers below should be playing amateur or junior leagues with the prospect of becoming professional IMO. Professional football should mean full time football.
 
do we not already have the biggest about of fans per population?

Harrogate Town are a 5th tier club and full time.

You should not be playing in the scottish championship if not full time.

The part timers below should be playing amateur or junior leagues with the prospect of becoming professional IMO. Professional football should mean full time football.

The figures are skewed by the old firm. Its an unreliable statistic.
 
We have far too many senior teams in Scotland. Around 1/2 of them at least need to be eliminated. They add nothing, absolutely nothing, to the game and are a drain on sparse resources. Look at the balloon in the interview, “we can’t afford this, we can’t afford that”, holding out the begging bowl for the Scot govt to pay for their continuing existence. What have QoS EVER given to Scottish football to justify being given taxpayers money?

The only good thing to come out of the Covid pandemic is the likely (please) liquidation of these parasites. They won’t be missed. Best of all would be if enough of them go out of business so as to make the SPFL unviable and we see an amalgamation with the English leagues.
And clubs like this have the same say in decision making
 
Prick has got a cheek .

his team were sitting second bottom , 2 points ahead of thistle having played a game more than them , yet thistle are relegated.

he should count himself lucky .
Just like the majority of them, you couldn't mark their neck with a blowtorch. I hope they go under and he takes a financial hit.
 
Harrogate Town are likely to have a bigger average crowd this season than Scottish championship club QotS. In fact I bet I could name 10 clubs in the national league with higher attendances. The fact these clubs rely on fans for income shows that the professional leagues in scotland has far too many clubs.
 
It’s full time clubs like qots that are in trouble if they remain full time.
I get that.
I have a soft spot for QotS (I was going to say ”soft spot for Queens“ there but thought this might be misinterpreted!) but, it doesn’t go as far as bailing them, or anybody else, out.
 
We have far too many senior teams in Scotland. Around 1/2 of them at least need to be eliminated. They add nothing, absolutely nothing, to the game and are a drain on sparse resources. Look at the balloon in the interview, “we can’t afford this, we can’t afford that”, holding out the begging bowl for the Scot govt to pay for their continuing existence. What have QoS EVER given to Scottish football to justify being given taxpayers money?

The only good thing to come out of the Covid pandemic is the likely (please) liquidation of these parasites. They won’t be missed. Best of all would be if enough of them go out of business so as to make the SPFL unviable and we see an amalgamation with the English leagues.
Well said. This guy wasn’t greeting for Partick or Hearts or Stranraer when he voted them down last month was he?

Cut the cord let’s see if he flies by himself
 
Will go against the grain here but hope none go out of existence from a purely football view point.
Their love of their club is comparable to anyone’s, think of the guys that support say Arbroath who travel every second week, who are we to take delight in taking that from them.
The machinations taking place by the corrupt SPFL have nothing to do with your average fan, so I hope they survive but think many won’t.

Don't disagree with any of that.

But Arbroath shouldnt have a say in the running of the national game.

These teams can go play football in the Auld Smokies western conference league or the Kipper cup or whatever.

I don't have an issue with football clubs existing and having loyal fans. Its their standing in the professional leagues I have issue with.
 
Cutting club numbers isnt going to suddenly attract more people through the turnstiles at other grounds. We need more people to go to games on a Saturday afternoon and not either follow football from their armchairs or follow it on TV.
No it's not going to suddenly attract more people but it's undeniably diluting an already poor total pot available to clubs which feeds directly in to the quality of product and the live experience. Downside is the lack of identification with surviving club and the travel involved. Another upside though could be the chance of not seeing your wee team getting humped so regularly.
 
I have mates and family back home who support forfar,arbroath and Montrose respectively.i went to Montrose games with my dad and grandad before I started going to see Rangers.they are quite content to win a promotion every so often and maybe a play off place.their is an arrogance saying well you don’t matter and you club isn’t important. the club they support is as important to them as Rangers are to us.
Just merge the teams is an easy answer and it doesn’t really work in terms of support Inverness Caley Thistle is a case in point while it has been a success on the park their are still a sizable number in Inverness who don’t go and watch them who were going to watch Inverness thistle and Caley
These clubs don’t have to end.

but the truth is we are supposed to have a professional league structure. In the space of 3 decades it was went from the vast majority professional teams to probably less than 50%. Because if you take out the old form crowds are dwindling. The young team don’t care about east fife or hearts they’ve got a hundred better games on tv.

it’s only going to get worse

They are essentially amateur teams who are in the wrong leagues and should drop to junior football.
 
Its weird that they keep increasing the number of teams in the league. League 1 and 2 are not professional leagues. they should be outside the SPFL
Regan and Dumbo, at the behest of their puppetmaster, were responsible for bringing them under the same umbrella as the SPL.
It was part of their continuing rape of Rangers.
 
Following the Scottish Government announcement today on exiting lockdown, Chairman Billy Hewitson has been sharing his thoughts about the return of football. He says clubs across Scotland need to have some kind of financial guarantee before football can return and believes restarting the game without a package in place would be “financial suicide”.

Queens were due to host Ayr United in the Championship the day football was halted with a ban on mass gatherings due to the coronavirus outbreak. Since then the club has been in lockdown with all staff, including management and players furloughed and the Chairman is keen to see the return of match days as soon as possible but insists it can only happen if the financial risks are taken away.

“As we continue to work our way through the current pandemic that has engulfed the country we along with other clubs are seeking clarity from the Scottish Government before we can make plans for the future”.

“There’s a lot of proposals being talked about, including playing behind closed doors. This would only be an option IF there is a financial model in place from the Scottish Government, football authorities or any governing body who will cover the loss of income. If there is no financial model in place then playing games without supporters would be financial suicide for clubs like Queen of the South”.

“You have to have revenue that covers your expenditure, if you have no income then you can’t spend money. For us the biggest expenditure is player’s wages and I’m sure that will be the case for most full time clubs. It might be a less of a risk for part time clubs as players have other employment”.

With no football since March the club's directors have been balancing the books, Queens like other clubs have welcomed the furlough scheme which has helped during a time of limited income. Billy added “during this period and going forward with no supporters we have been and would be looking at running the club on just 30% of our income. So it’s a dilemma for us; could we start up again and train for eight weeks with a view to start playing in August? I thnk the Premiership clubs could just about do it but it’s not clear for other teams and the biggest problem is financial”.

“There are so many questions and a lot of unknown just now so that makes it difficult to say what is going to happen. We want to be able to get back to full stadiums but we have to take Government guidance on that. Match day testing would be impossible due to the number of games being played and the time it would take to get results back. The hefty cost of individual testing machines would rule out clubs purchasing their own equipment so you would have to rely on mobile testing".

One other possibilty could be for clubs to play half a season - would that work for Queens? "It would be a lot less risky as you could hold off signing players etc. but for me the ideal situation would be for the Government to underwrite the season and we can start immediately”.

While he waits for some clarity the Chairman will be taking part in discussions with his counterparts at other Championship clubs to try to find a way forward “over the next couple of weeks the Championship clubs will be setting out their own road map of how they see a return to playing. There are five or six scenarios that could happen, but for me we all need to stick together and come to a collective agreement and come up with a proposal to present to the SPFL Board”.
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So, let me get this right, his team were 2nd bottom, Thistle were 2 points behind with a game in hand and were simply judged by the SPFL as relegated and to Hell with the rights and wrongs of it, and we're now meant to pass the plate round for him?
Has he and his club not already had their share of the breaks?
 
Cutting club numbers isnt going to suddenly attract more people through the turnstiles at other grounds. We need more people to go to games on a Saturday afternoon and not either follow football from their armchairs or follow it on TV.

Thats true but then there wpuld be less deman
W

Wow ! The first part of your post is arrogant in the extreme. No club has any more (or less) right to exist at their own level than any other.

You probably have a point but then REAL arrogance is this guy sitting on his hands and letting Thistle be relegated in a self serving, highly questionable vote when they were only 2 points behind his club, and with a game in hand.

And now he's gone public and bubbling about tough times and seeking handouts from the general public?

You'd think maybe, just maybe, he'd have the common decency to sit down and keep his big fucking trap closed.
 
Every diddy team has as much right to exist as us but their influence and level within the system should match their clubs stature. There should be a reduction in the number of teams at SPFL level rather than a reduction of teams. Two tier SPFL with between 20-26 teams.

The easy comparison to make is England. 92 senior clubs for a population of 60million gives you roughly 650k people per senior team. We have 42 for 6million at roughly 140k people per senior team. There is no logic to us having 42 senior clubs especially when half of them are part time and get crowds smaller than the juniors get.
 
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