Threat to
Junior Football after revolt in Ayrshire
The Ayrshire Region of the Scottish Junior Football
Association could be on a collision course with the rest of Scotland's Junior
clubs after revealing their intention to breakaway from the grade unless their
retain their autonomy next season.
The Ayrshire Region rather pettily object to being governed
from Glasgow as a subsidiary league in the new West of Scotland Region and
claim they were duped into voting for losing their own identity at last
season's AGM of the national association.
An insider revealed: "Scotland's 167 clubs voted for change but it's an
absolute joke that teams from Banff and Fraserburgh were voting on the future
of the Ayrshire leagues. We don't want to stop the new leagues but we don't
wish to see the entire power base moved to Glasgow.
"A breakaway would only be the last resort - we hope
dialogue can resolve the issues. But we have consulted with Ayrshire senior
clubs and also approached the SFA and Scottish Football League to consider our
options."
One idea that would truly lead to the collapse of Junior Football - and there
are many that wish for that day to fall sooner rather than later - would be for
the Ayrshire clubs to go Senior, and play in a league with the four West-based
second strings of Queen's Park, Partick Thistle, Ayr United and Hamilton Academicals.
At the heart of the matter is Ayrshire's reluctance to let go of their power as
they are fearful of being outvoted on key issues by the larger body of Central
League clubs. They have failed to grasp the concept that the devisive regions
would no longer exist, hence ruling redundant any notion of 'us' and 'them'.
Any revolt in Ayrshire might lead to a knock-on effect of clubs deserting the
Junior grade. The East Region clubs were not happy that they will be playing
Tayside and Fife clubs in a Super league next season. There was of course a
second proposal put forward at the May 2001 AGM, one that interested clubs
across the grade.
Their preference was to play against the cream of Central and Ayrshire too in a
semi-National Junior League, and a wholesale Ayrshire defection would give them
perhaps the impetus to do the same. North Region may also at that point look to
become a feeder to the Highland League as the move towards a pyramid system in
Scotland comes ever closer.
Thanks to Jamie Wire and http://www.footballnews.co.uk
for allowing us to use this story.