Surviving Lockdown

We're one month into Scottish football's suspension, but it feels like a lot longer since a ball was last kicked. We all have our part to play in keeping each other safe, but we also want to make sure our clubs get through this. Our newsletter this month showcases some of the work being done to ensure that Scottish football survives in the best health possible,

What Next For Season 2019/20?

With our clubs teetering on the precipice of making a decision about the conclusion of the current season - but the final decision in danger of being smothered by a war of words - it seems like we are no closer to a conclusion than we were earlier this week.

In a blog post last week we called for an end to the uncertainty, and for any plan for the tail end of this season and next season to have flexibility and transparency built into it, so that the integrity of our competitions can be maintained.

In the meantime, financial support was made available to clubs by by bringing forward scheduled SFA Club Licensing and Club Academy Scotland payments, and also distributing April's SPFL payments in March. These were funds that clubs would already be budgeting for, but early release was necessary to help clubs with cash-flow. We put together an overview of these payments here.

We also produced a guide to the government support that has been made available to clubs. The guidance document can be downloaded from our Club Development Scotland website.

We'll continue to share news of support packages on the Scottish Supporters Network website, social media feeds and in this newsletter.

Scoring With Innovative Ideas

In the absence of matches to entertain and frustrate us, clubs around the country have been working hard to keep us engaged. Our writer Scott picked out some highlights in his article about "Scottish football's good stuff".

Nutmeg Magazine have also begun a series called "Lost Weekends" and have continued their podcast series. If you've not read Nutmeg before, pick up a copy at their website.

Clubs have also been finding ways to raise funds to get through the lockdown period. Some have set up crowdfunding campaigns and share purchase schemes, others have begun selling season tickets for 2020/21 early, while others have been broadcasting pay-per-view matches from their archives and running "virtual matchdays" on their social media feeds.

If you are able to support your club, please give what you can afford. Here is a list of the club crowdfunders, with current totals raised:

• Albion Rovers (£9,610)
• Brechin City (£4,250)
• Dumbarton (£17,207)
• Elgin City (£6,220)
• Partick Thistle (£25,884)
• Raith Rovers (£46,934)
• Stirling Albion (£27,332)

Apologies to any clubs we have missed! Get in touch, so we can help promote your campaign!

Donate A Ticket

A crowdfunder has been launched that allows you to donate the cost of a match ticket to your club each weekend. 66 clubs from across the country are now registered on the site, and more than £10,000 has been raised already.

As the campaign site says…

Ticket sales make up the majority of Scottish football clubs income, so we’ve designed a platform for supporters to donate the value of a match ticket directly to their club, which they might have paid anyway had the matches gone ahead.

Our clubs are often the lifeblood of a community, and Scottish football more than any other relies on their community to support them. No matter who we support, our clubs will have given us some of the biggest highs we’ve known, and donating in this way will help YOUR club continue to provide these memories. Support your club when it’s most needed. #donateaticket now.

Donate a ticket here!

Think Twice Or You’ll Bet Regret It

We know that many of you will be at home, potentially struggling to fill the time, feeling a little isolated or anxious. In these times we’ll often turn to various forms of distraction to help the day pass, but placing risky impulsive bets shouldn’t be one of them.

In these difficult times the safer gambling message is perhaps more important than ever. Please remember to Think Twice or You’ll Bet Regret It.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or worried about your gambling at the moment the National Gambling Helpline is available 24/7 on 0808 8020 133 for free, confidential advice and support.

Restore the Hampden Mural

In February we were appalled to hear that the mural at the first home of Scottish football had been vandalised, just six months after it was unveiled. The mural at Hampden Bowling Club is dedicated to Scotland’s 5-1 victory over England in 1882, and had only been completed six months previously.

This mural belongs to everyone, all those involved in creating it, to the local community, to Glasgow, to Scotland and to the amazing sporting history of this site.

A new crowdfunding page has been setup to raise money for the restoration and fund security measures that will better protect the mural from vandals.

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 past month.

1. A Look At League Reconstruction
2. Saluting SLOs!
3. Scottish Football Needs To Stick Together
4. Should We Forget About “Getting Back To Normal”?
5. SFA and SPFL Payments Demystified!
6. Highlighting Scottish Football’s Good Stuff
7. My Favourite Scotland Jersey
8. Let’s Forget About League Titles!
9. Scottish Football Needs To Plan For Covid-19

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

With Covid-19 taking hold of Scottish football, fans can step up and help the most vulnerable clubs. This short video has some ideas about you can help.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more!

Supporters Direct Scotland and our partners at FansBet 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.