SD Scotland AGM

Our AGM will be held on Sunday 22nd November at 12 noon.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions on face-to-face meetings, we will hold the AGM online for the first time, but still hope to have a great conversation with our members and are lining up some external presenters to share news from other parts of our network.

Details of the AGM were sent to our member organisations and individual Associate members last week. If you have not received yours please contact us at info@supporters-direct.scot

A gradual return to supporting has begun!

Last night saw the first glimmer of hope for Scottish fans, with 300 fans allowed in to watch the draw between Ross County and Livingston.

With most of the country still classified as Level 2 or 3, this is only possible in Highland, Moray, the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland for now - but hope that more regions soon move into Level 1 with them. Last night's match was deemed a great success, and Ross County, along with their highland neighbours, will see this as an important first step back for their fans.

We are keen to see fans return as soon as is safely possible, and have questioned the "one size fits all" approach within each local protection level. The risks to supporters are different at each football ground, and at each tier of our national game - at lower levels where there is greater opportunity for physical distancing we believe that it may be possible to let fans in sooner, and that supporting your local team can be an important way of reducing social isolation for fans. 

BeGambleAware

With all of the Scottish senior leagues and the league cup now under way - together with almost continuous top level football outside of Scotland - we wanted to remind you of BeGambleAware’s latest campaign which asks bettors to tap out of their betting app for some time out and avoid Bet Regret.

Bet Regret is the sinking feeling you get the minute you make a bet without thinking it through. Often when drunk, bored or chasing losses. It’s about avoiding those impulsive bets you kick yourself for as soon as you’ve made them. Extensive research validates that the action of tapping out helps you to avoid Bet Regret.

The campaign continues to run across TV, radio, digital and is being supported on social by Ladbible until the end of the month. To further support the campaign there are two new assets running across social channels which include famous WWE stars The Big Show and Kurt Angle encouraging bettors to always tap out of the app to avoid Bet Regret. To view the assets, click here.

Check out the new campaign and watch Barry and Dave learn the value of always tapping out for some time out here: www.begambleaware.org/betregret

Corporation Tax for Community Benefit Societies

We have prepared a guidance note for member trusts of Supporters Direct Scotland which are incorporated as Community Benefit Societies, as there is a common misconception that CBSs are not liable to pay corporation tax. This note seeks to explain the true position.

The note is general in nature and does not aspire to address the individual circumstances of all trusts and so members should exercise appropriate caution when acting on the guidance set out within it, and should obtain professional advice if further clarification of corporation tax rules applicable to their circumstances is needed.

The guidance note can be downloaded here.

And finally...

Articles, podcasts and videos from the archive

As part of our objective to better connect fans, share best practice within Scottish sport, to promote supporter dialogue and promote sport clubs through which positive societal change can occur, here we share some relevant stories from the recent months.

1. Ross County’s Fans Return Gives Us All Hope
2. Remembering Hearts Hero Marius Zaliukas
3. Putting A Price On Democracy
4. SPFL/SFA Need To Be Smarter When Arguing To Bring Fans Back
5. Can We Have A Government Help Out Scheme For Lower League Football?
6. Europa Success, League Cup Crisis & An Innovative Twitch
7. Fans Still Need To Be Patient Despite This Weekends Pilot Events
8. We Need To Support Oli McBurnie!
9. SD Scotland join BeGambleAware as a partner for Safer Gambling
10. Dunfermline Athletic to be acquired by German investment group

You can also check out our back catalogue of podcast episodes and subscribe to Behind The Goals using your favoured ‘podcatcher’ here.

We all have our matchday rituals, and can't wait to get back to them!

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more!

Supporters Direct Scotland are committed to helping football supporters enjoy responsible gambling; for many this is an integral part of their match day experience.

We have selected GamCare as our recommended support service for the prevention and treatment of problem gambling. GamCare operate the National Gambling Helpline (whose advisers are available on 0808 8020 133 or via web chat at www.gamcare.org), provide treatment for problem gamblers and their families, create awareness about responsible gambling and treatment, and encourage an effective approach to responsible gambling within the gambling industry.