HIT THE CHANNEL

For me, Rudden has been a good swap for Gullan due to the fact he is a proper striker and has offered a natural replacement/option to swap with Hamilton, even if you argue their measurable output is similar.

https://falkirksupporters.org/2024/03/20/artificial-pitches-vote/

Emailed my club (Raith Rovers) today on behalf of our group of 7 ST holders. Thanks to the OP and colleagues for the kick up the arse!

I can assure you I am not being disingenuous. Based on the comment from Artemis in the L1 thread (copied below) , the rules seem to hinge on the following point - "exclusively relates to or concerns a matter which is relevant to only one” division. To my mind it is just false to say that a decision on what surface is permitted in the top flight relates solely to those who currently occupy that division. Artemis: Are they using this (very poorly drafted) provision from the Articles? I’ve only had a quick look but it appears that the Chairman of the SPFL Board is the sole arbiter of whether a matter “exclusively relates to or concerns a matter which is relevant to only one” division. The reference to 61.2 is the provision that allows only Premiership clubs to vote on changes to the Premiership/Championship play-offs. 61.1 Subject to Article 61.2, where an Ordinary Resolution before a General Meeting, including a resolution proposing an amendment to a provision of the Rules, is not a special resolution, Qualified Resolution or a Commercial Resolution and it exclusively relates to or concerns a matter which is relevant to only one or as the case may be, more specific Divisions, of which the Chairman failing whom the chairman of the relevant meeting, shall be the sole judge, not less than 75% of the Members owning and operating Clubs entitled for the time being to participate in each of the relevant Division or as the case may be, Divisions, whether all of the relevant Members of the Company actually attend and vote or not, shall be required for the passing of the resolution.

Without trying to be the thread police, I think that the merits for and against artificial pitches are well rehearsed and folks have their (often immovable) views. What I would stress to fans of teams who don't currently have an artificial pitch is to try and see the bigger picture: Premiership-only voting on issues which impact the entire SPFL should be resisted hard. You can easily see how pitches one year becomes 'bans on open terracing with every punter, even if safe standing, needing a fixed seat in the top flight' (meaning enormous bills or down right exclusion due to it not being financially viable for clubs like Ayr, Morton, Arbroath, QoS, Montrose alloa etc. should they ever get promoted); or 'bans on TV gantries below X height in the top flight' etc etc. that just further pulls up the drawbridge. Not to mention that the principle of premiership voting could seep out beyond 'entry criteria'. So even if you hate artificial pitches and don't buy the community arguments, fine. But from a self-interest perspective, all fans of clubs outside the big boys should be concerned about this and the precedent it could set.

Indeed. And this is the key point, I think. Even if you don't like Artifical pitches, unless you support one of the real big boys, Premiership-only voting on issues that impact all the way down the SPFL should be fought hard to stop it becoming the norm.

Fair enough. And of course any organisation (including charities) have to grow and be financially successful to be able to then do good work. So yes, of course there is a business element to it. But as mentioned above by @stevoraith there is a real drive to make the club a force for good in a town that needs all the help it can get. And no other pitch could do the good work the same. No pitch outside the stadium could so easily connect parents/guardians bringing kids to play to the other events that happen in the club off the pitch (mens and women's fitness and mental health clubs, charity drives etc.). And no other pitch can create positive emotional connections to the football club the same way for kids off all backgrounds - connections that are genuinely needed in the country more than ever. All that may not be important to you or others, but its important to me. More than that though I am surprised that fans of most clubs (including you and your own) are not worried about the principle of premiership only voting. If it happens with this it can happen with other criteria (from open terraces [as opposed to 'safe standing seats'], to any other arbitrary criteria that is aimed at TV fans and self preservation - how big a press box you have, how high is your gantry etc. etc.).

@stevoraith and @grumswall fully agree on the damage to the community. That’s my main concern. Do email the club to get this point across and try and get some momentum for a fair vote

That’s very fair. And potential where the sweet spot is (I.e for the Premiership you cannot have a pitch older than 5 years or the like).

That isn't the worry (for what its worth our new board mentioned they are aware of potential changes coming and are planning - and based on the early stuff, you would fancy the board will get it right). The worry is we go up (sometime in the next 5 years) and doing so means we have to bring in grass that damages so much of the great work we are doing for the local community and town. It just seems a massive waste. Not going to repeat the many excellent arguments for the merits of good artificial pitches in Scottish football here (see thread in Prem forum) to contest comments about them not being professional (but again, they are used in the Champions League group stages!). But for other championship clubs I honestly don't understand why any have grass parks considering the benefits having an artificial one can bring. But each to their own and all that. Anyway, for those who are against artificial pitches, fair enough. Hopefully the OP is useful for even one or two, though.

Hi folks, most will have likely seen the moves to have a Premiership-club-only vote on banning artificial surfaces in the Scottish Premiership (if you want to get up to speed, have a look at the 'artificial pitch vote' thread in the Premiership forum and this from the Record: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/premiership-clubs-vote-banning-plastic-32311245 ). I imagine that for every club that has an artificial pitch, and many that don't but have a good chance of having one in future (likely ever club barring the top 5/6 teams in the country!), a ban of artificial pitches is viewed as highly damaging. But most importantly, the corrupt part of this seems to be having only 12 clubs vote on something which impacts the whole league system and the principles of merit-based competing/promotions etc. Drawing inspiration from the 'chasing VAR' thread and the idea to contact your clubs directly, I have created a template email for those who wish to raise this with their club to help prevent the ban/ensure a fair vote. I hope it is useful (and obviously edit as you see fit ). I have sent this email to my club (Raith Rovers). I know some people will say 'emails do nothing' etc. But a) fans can make a difference by communicating with their club (see The Rangers being blocked from entry into Premiership/Championship) and b) smaller teams can use their votes to collectively out vote some of the big boys (see COVID voting). Regardless, I at least want to be able to say 'I tried' and not just be gutted about a change that I view as massively damaging for the wider game, my club and my town but not having done anything about it. I strongly urge every fan of every club impacted (now and by restricting future options) to contact their clubs. Cheers! Email Template Dear [name of CEO/supporter group/supporter liaison officer], I'm writing to implore the club to strongly advocate (and make clear to us as fans how and when this is being undertaken): to oppose the proposed ban on artificial pitches in the Premiership that is being discussed. ensure that, as a matter that effects all SPFL clubs, any vote that does take place should i) entail all SPFL clubs being entitled to vote and ii) the rules regarding sufficient support in each division having to be met should be adhered to. All 42 clubs voted on VAR. And all 42 clubs had to vote with regards to the outcomes of the COVID-forced ending of the leagues. It seems utterly unfair, bordering on a corrupt 'pulling up of the drawbridge', that only Premiership teams would vote on artificial pitches in the top flight. At the time of writing 20 clubs could still potentially be in the Premiership next season, and 32 can potentially be in the Premiership by the start of season 25/26 - having only 12 vote is preposterous. Artificial surfaces are deemed good enough for the Champions League (see Bodø/Glimt). Grass pitches (see Dundee this very week) are notoriously unreliable in the Scottish climate. The argument that artificial pitches are bad for the game is just wrong. [Optional: Our artificial surface has allowed our club to connect to [place] and its local population in a way that is unprecedented in our history, allowing [your team] to make major positive contributions the community. This is not something that [your club] or any other club who have (or may have in future) an artificial surface should be denied by virtue of playing in the top flight. The ability for our club to be a hub of the community and make a major contribution to the physical and mental wellbeing of people of all ages in the local community is what makes me truly proud to be a [your team] fan. It is simply not possible to do this without our artificial pitch and having to change this should we ever be promoted would be a massive disappointment and ultimately a long term own goal for the health and success of the club. End of optional] Many thanks for your time. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, HIT THE CHANNEL

Hi folks, most will have likely seen the moves to have a Premiership-club-only vote on banning artificial surfaces in the Scottish Premiership (if you want to get up to speed, have a look at the 'artificial pitch vote' thread in the Premiership forum and this from the Record: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/premiership-clubs-vote-banning-plastic-32311245 ). I imagine that for every club that has an artificial pitch, and many that don't but have a good chance of having one in future (likely ever club barring the top 5/6 teams in the country!), a ban of artificial pitches is viewed as highly damaging. But most importantly, the corrupt part of this seems to be having only 12 clubs vote on something which impacts the whole league system and the principles of merit-based competing/promotions etc. Drawing inspiration from the 'chasing VAR' thread and the idea to contact your clubs directly, I have created a template email for those who wish to raise this with their club to help prevent the ban/ensure a fair vote. I hope it is useful (and obviously edit as you see fit ). I have sent this email to my club (Raith Rovers). I know some people will say 'emails do nothing' etc. But a) fans can make a difference by communicating with their club (see The Rangers being blocked from entry into Premiership/Championship) and b) smaller teams can use their votes to collectively out vote some of the big boys (see COVID voting). Regardless, I at least want to be able to say 'I tried' and not just be gutted about a change that I view as massively damaging for the wider game, my club and my town but not having done anything about it. I strongly urge every fan of every club impacted (now and by restricting future options) to contact their clubs. Cheers! Email Template Dear [name of CEO/supporter group/supporter liaison officer], I'm writing to implore the club to strongly advocate (and make clear to us as fans how and when this is being undertaken): to oppose the proposed ban on artificial pitches in the Premiership that is being discussed. ensure that, as a matter that effects all SPFL clubs, any vote that does take place should i) entail all SPFL clubs being entitled to vote and ii) the rules regarding sufficient support in each division having to be met should be adhered to. All 42 clubs voted on VAR. And all 42 clubs had to vote with regards to the outcomes of the COVID-forced ending of the leagues. It seems utterly unfair, bordering on a corrupt 'pulling up of the drawbridge', that only Premiership teams would vote on artificial pitches in the top flight. At the time of writing 20 clubs could still potentially be in the Premiership next season, and 32 can potentially be in the Premiership by the start of season 25/26 - having only 12 vote is preposterous. Artificial surfaces are deemed good enough for the Champions League (see Bodø/Glimt). Grass pitches (see Dundee this very week) are notoriously unreliable in the Scottish climate. The argument that artificial pitches are bad for the game is just wrong. [Optional: Our artificial surface has allowed our club to connect to [place] and its local population in a way that is unprecedented in our history, allowing [your team] to make major positive contributions the community. This is not something that [your club] or any other club who have (or may have in future) an artificial surface should be denied by virtue of playing in the top flight. The ability for our club to be a hub of the community and make a major contribution to the physical and mental wellbeing of people of all ages in the local community is what makes me truly proud to be a [your team] fan. It is simply not possible to do this without our artificial pitch and having to change this should we ever be promoted would be a massive disappointment and ultimately a long term own goal for the health and success of the club. End of optional] Many thanks for your time. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, HIT THE CHANNEL

Hi folks, most will have likely seen the moves to have a Premiership-club-only vote on banning artificial surfaces in the Scottish Premiership (if you want to get up to speed, have a look at the 'artificial pitch vote' thread in the Premiership forum and this from the Record: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/premiership-clubs-vote-banning-plastic-32311245 ). I imagine that for every club that has an artificial pitch, and many that don't but have a good chance of having one in future (likely ever club barring the top 5/6 teams in the country!), a ban of artificial pitches is viewed as highly damaging. But most importantly, the corrupt part of this seems to be having only 12 clubs vote on something which impacts the whole league system and the principles of merit-based competing/promotions etc. Drawing inspiration from the 'chasing VAR' thread and the idea to contact your clubs directly, I have created a template email for those who wish to raise this with their club to help prevent the ban/ensure a fair vote. I hope it is useful (and obviously edit as you see fit ). I have sent this email to my club (Raith Rovers). I know some people will say 'emails do nothing' etc. But a) fans can make a difference by communicating with their club (see The Rangers being blocked from entry into Premiership/Championship) and b) smaller teams can use their votes to collectively out vote some of the big boys (see COVID voting). Regardless, I at least want to be able to say 'I tried' and not just be gutted about a change that I view as massively damaging for the wider game, my club and my town but not having done anything about it. I strongly urge every fan of every club impacted (now and by restricting future options) to contact their clubs. Cheers! Email Template Dear [name of CEO/supporter group/supporter liaison officer], I'm writing to implore the club to strongly advocate (and make clear to us as fans how and when this is being undertaken): to oppose the proposed ban on artificial pitches in the Premiership that is being discussed. ensure that, as a matter that effects all SPFL clubs, any vote that does take place should i) entail all SPFL clubs being entitled to vote and ii) the rules regarding sufficient support in each division having to be met should be adhered to. All 42 clubs voted on VAR. And all 42 clubs had to vote with regards to the outcomes of the COVID-forced ending of the leagues. It seems utterly unfair, bordering on a corrupt 'pulling up of the drawbridge', that only Premiership teams would vote on artificial pitches in the top flight. At the time of writing 20 clubs could still potentially be in the Premiership next season, and 32 can potentially be in the Premiership by the start of season 25/26 - having only 12 vote is preposterous. Artificial surfaces are deemed good enough for the Champions League (see Bodø/Glimt). Grass pitches (see Dundee this very week) are notoriously unreliable in the Scottish climate. The argument that artificial pitches are bad for the game is just wrong. [Optional: Our artificial surface has allowed our club to connect to [place] and its local population in a way that is unprecedented in our history, allowing [your team] to make major positive contributions the community. This is not something that [your club] or any other club who have (or may have in future) an artificial surface should be denied by virtue of playing in the top flight. The ability for our club to be a hub of the community and make a major contribution to the physical and mental wellbeing of people of all ages in the local community is what makes me truly proud to be a [your team] fan. It is simply not possible to do this without our artificial pitch and having to change this should we ever be promoted would be a massive disappointment and ultimately a long term own goal for the health and success of the club. End of optional] Many thanks for your time. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, HIT THE CHANNEL

Coming in to here from the 'get VAR to f**k' thread and it got me thinking that a similar 'email your club' campaign might be useful (and that having a template like that produced by @velo army in the other thread) is a cracking idea. In the hope it helps, here is a draft: Dear [name of CEO/supporter group/supporter liaison officer] I'm writing to implore the club to strongly advocate (and make clear to us as fans how and when this is being undertaken): a) to oppose the proposed ban on artificial pitches in the Premiership that is being discussed b) ensure that, as a matter that effects all SPFL clubs, any vote that does take place should i) entail all SPFL clubs being entitled to vote and ii) the rules regarding sufficient support in each division having to be met should be adhered to. All 42 clubs voted on VAR. And all 42 clubs had to vote with regards to the outcomes of the COVID-forced ending of the leagues. It seems utterly unfair, bordering on a corrupt 'pulling up of the drawbridge', that only Premiership teams would vote on artificial pitches in the top flight. At the time of writing 20 clubs could still potentially be in the Premiership next season, and 32 can potentially be in the Premiership by the start of season 25/26 - having only 12 vote is preposterous. Artificial surfaces are deemed good enough for the Champions League (see Bodø/Glimt). Grass pitches (see Dundee this very week) are notoriously unreliable in the Scottish climate. The argument that artificial pitches are bad for the game is just wrong. [Optional: Our artificial surface has allowed our club to connect to [place] and its local population in a way that is unprecedented in our history, allowing [your team] to make major positive contributions the community. This is not something that [your club] or any other club who have (or may have in future) an artificial surface should be denied by virtue of playing in the top flight. The ability for our club to be a hub of the community and make a major contribution to the physical and mental wellbeing of people of all ages in the local community is what makes me truly proud to be a [your team] fan. It is simply not possible to do this without our artificial pitch and having to change this should we ever be promoted would be a massive disappointment and ultimately a long term own goal for the health and success of the club. End of optional] Many thanks for your time. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, HIT THE CHANNEL

This is a really good draft and one I will heavily borrow from to send an email to Raith Rovers this week (thanks mate!). Our board has been good at properly engaging with the fans so I would hope they will engage productively. I think the key 'aim' has to be to get each club to consult the match day going fans (ST holders and those who are in the system as attending a match this year) and hold a binding vote on whether the club should change policy on VAR. EDIT TO ADD: in the hope that some of this activism is transferable, I have also created a draft for fans to us to encourage their clubs to a) oppose the ban on artificial pitches in the top flight and b) ensure that it is fair vote of all 42 clubs. It is in the 'artificial pitch' thread.