HibeeJibee

He did say any "decent" game: they began a week past Saturday by losing 13-0 😎. I'd also doublecheck fans are being admitted - no mention on social media.

Have they ever had much of a support? Over last 35yr in HL they have never got out of bottom third... plus over last 25yr only in 2014-15 have they got out of the last 2 or 3 places (often sat last). They only once qualified for Scottish Cup - in their very 1st year: losing to Stirling Albion after a replay - then since it went all-in 15yr ago have won twice v Preston and Vale of Leithen. Have they ever reached a cup final since joining HL? Hasn't been much to get people excited sadly. In recent years they've tried all manner of weird 'n wonderful ideas... from US reality TV to a BBC documentary to loaning an entire XI from Inverness.

Do you actually have any further home games before August 9th?

West of Scotland League seems to stick almost exclusively to Wednesdays when it comes to midweek cards. EK v Caledonian Braves in LL. Otherwise you're talking Dunipace, Camelon or various West Lothian games in EOSL.

They've never had more than 14 in Superleague; and always 2 small divisions below IIRC - frequently switching between First+Second and First East/First West.

Qatar v USA is other SF of course after invitees saw off El Salvador, having raced into a 3-goal lead which wasn't quite clawed-back. USA have so far scraped past Haiti, gubbed Martinique, scraped past Canada and scraped past Jamaica. Surely we're not going to see a team from the Middle East in the Final of the North American championship...?!?!

Why don't the horses get medals? EDIT: Incidentally should the horses not be the same nationality, too?

Some interesting points there: * if the work wasn't going to be finished in time... how did it end-up needing the intervention of a member of the public and an emergency meeting 6 days before the game? * would it really have been OK to enter abeyance then come back into HL next year? They seem most people's tips to finish bottom and lose the playoff. * very generous of their opponents to effectively cross-subsidise travel. (Of course some may make a bit from hosting their games depending how draw tickets/pies/etc. are accounted).

Noticed that for Fort William v Fraserburgh on Saturday - now due at Fraserburgh of course - it's actually Fraserburgh themself promoting the match, their usual prices apply, their own STs are valid, usual raffle running... Interesting to see if those become standard arrangements.

For all their inconsistencies and red tape: at this point the level 0 limit/council exemptions/etc. are fairly unimportant in the grand scheme. They only run up until 2nd weekend of the league season... encompassing 1 or 2 ties in EL... for which preparations will already largely have been made. It all boils down to whether or not the 'end of restrictions' due August 9th includes an end within football (and without a sting of caveats in the tail), as previously indicated. If so no more empty seats between groups & individuals; no more artificial capacity limits; no 'bans' on away fans; no tests or passes; and difficulties are basically resolved. We find-out a week tomorrow IIRC.

Could anyone sum up how these leagues are operating this season? Superleague obviously playing 2x for 26 games. First Division playing 4x for 28 games? Second Division playing 3x for 24 games (over 27 dates)? What about promotion is it 2-up-2-down? What about playoffs? I see League Cup has 1 group of 3, 6 groups of 4, and 1 group of 5 (so that group will take longer to complete) with games dotted around mainly on midweek Jul-Aug-Sep with winners into QFs. Are they any other cups beyond North Cup and North & Tayside (which Nairn didn't enter)?

Interesting charts posted by Soupie over on FitbaNorth... Over last decade Claggan Park has been waterlogged as often as next 3 worst, or best 9, put together.

Don't understand criticism of HL on this. They could hardly say "carry on with that pitch", "move to a playing field" or "relax - just get back to us once it is sorted". Seems pretty obvious this is the culmination of years of problems. It's not like this has come out of the blue and blotted an otherwise excellent record. Btw if their pitch is a wreck I'm not sure what else a league is supposed to do: their only options are expel/suggest they withdraw, find another licensed ground, or wander. Some would argue that even wandering like this bends licensing beyond its intended limits. What would stop a club in Edinburgh wandering around whichever licensed ground in that city happened to be free each week, or Broomhill deciding they wouldn't have a park at all and play away or whatever. Obviously we all appreciate what has happened here but it's clearly a reaction to an emergency circumstance - with the season already underway - not a sustainable solution. With feeders below abeyance isn't even an option now - at least in terms of returning to HL like nothing has happened - particularly with clubs below investing in licensing.

Not necessarily? Cove spent several seasons homeless including 1 season using different licensed grounds every week "like a travelling circus". Grass - or lack thereof - seems to be their problem 😉. In all seriousness... looking at photos online there is surely no chance that pitch was going to be safe and playable in 6 days time. Their home game last season was postponed shortly before kickoff - and there were serious issues with pitch (and other arrangements after away team and fans arrived) that day IIRC. EDIT: Saturday 28th November 2020 - Fort William P-P v Strathspey - quoting Keithb from FN: Shambolic, embarrassing & amateur from Fort today I'm afraid. Strathspey squad turned up to find that changing rooms weren't even open, & when they did get in discovered that nothing had been set out as per 2m protocols etc so had to do it themselves. Boggy areas on pitch for ref's initial 2.30pm inspection & he instructed that he had concerns & needed sorting out before he'd give a formal pre-match yay or neh. Cue Fort volunteers piling barrowloads of sand onto the offending areas whilst team warm up around. Teams back into changing rooms & ref out to pitch, with ref trying to get a ball to bounce in the offending areas, & when it didn't, not surprisingly calling off proceedings. My visit to the Gents discovered no handsoap, handtowels or sanitiser, & looked like they hadn't been cleaned since March! God knows what the supposed drainage work did, as it doesn't seem to have improved the offending area that saw the game called off by the ref when I last visited Fort 12 months back, & there also now seem to be two more bad areas. And if after all this time you can't get a pitch playable & Covid basics like sanitation & distancing right, then I seriously wonder whether there will be a game played at Claggan Park this season. I'd reverse all the fixtures now if I were Mr Houston. Presumably well short of licensing. Are there any spectator facilities - particularly considering current protocols and restrictions? Canal Park in Inverness has been used by Clachnacuddin but presumably club rugby is resuming. They'll surely keep the receipts - might even be better than home gates given local 'away' fans! - and a lot of their players aren't from around Fort William. Nevertheless they'll presumably have committee and some players travel expenses to meet; rents; plus they'll be playing hours away from their community. That is surely the real concern when already at such a low ebb.

Aotearoa Maori played in RLWC 2000 - they beat Scotland by 1pt at Firhill and avoided bottom in their pool. Other Nationalities and the British Amateurs have also played in tournaments.