In the context of football around 25 years ago the late Wallace Mercer, Chairman of Heart of Midlothian, referred to the “customer” and the “product”. This baffled many of his club’s support: “I’m no a customer, I’m a supporter! What’s a product? Fitba’s no a product, it’s a game!”
Mr Mercer was probably ahead of his time, but he had a point. Football is underpinned by the supporters in terms of both money and atmosphere, even if today a higher percentage of club income derives from other sources such as sponsorship, advertising, etc. And social clubs and hospitality, always important fund raisers, are based on supporters.
It is, therefore, with a degree of alarm that I noted two issues with the Highland League fixtures this weekend. Firstly, there was the agreement between Brora Rangers and Cove Rangers to play their Highland League Cup tie 24 hours later on Sunday if postponed on Saturday (which, in the event, it was not).
Secondly, following the postponement of the other preliminary round tie between Nairn County and Fort William, this match has been switched to next Saturday 31st January, resulting in the postponement of two league games scheduled that day between The Fort and Forres and Nairn and Brora.
If there’s a further cancellation, Nairn and Fort will play the cup-tie on the evening of Wednesday 4th February. That should be fun for the fans!!
Wallace Mercer would not have been happy and I’m with him. Surely one of the main reasons why a league fixture list is published in advance of the season is to allow both clubs and supporters to plan ahead. “Sorry, dear, I can’t take the kids swimming today, I’m off to yesterday’s match today!”
Some supporters make a weekend of it with or without their families in places like Wick, Brora, Inverness, Nairn, Fort William and, dare I say it….Inverurie! Some change other arrangements in order to attend games. Tampering with the original fixture list at such short notice is not right.
Now, in no way am I having a go at John Grant or indeed the clubs. Mr Grant is a highly respected and experienced administrator and I have a mental image of him wrestling night after night with the ever-worsening fixture tangle which, I suspect, this season is being exacerbated by the SFA’s obsession with a pyramid system combined with the usual bad winter weather in the north.
That pyramid system, in my opinion, is driven by “the East Stirlingshire question” rather than by any benevolence towards Highland League clubs.
Presumably those in Glasgow don’t recognise that north clubs do have supporters and sometimes even in larger numbers than League Two clubs!
I am not condemning the pyramid system, but I hope that both the SFA and Highland League will review the outcome of this first season’s reorganised fixtures in May and that such review will take account of supporters’ views.
The Highland League, I am sure, would have had a good friend in Wallace Mercer.