Burnieman

C'mon for generations there was zero money put into Junior grounds when compared to level of spending on players, with only a few exceptions. 100% of HL have seats and lights and was even a requirement to join I believe. What percentage on Junior grounds upto the move to senior football had match lights and seats. 5% if I'm generous.

On the subject of SFA/Govt assistance to upgrade grounds owned by clubs, I guess part of the problem has been decades of certain clubs spending big on players whilst fans piss against a wall and get rained on. Should the taxpayer bail them out if the ground needs upgraded? SFA Licencing has forced some clubs down the road of having to think about it, but there are grounds that are so far gone only starting afresh elsewhere would solve the issue if a club wants licenced. The Highland League is an example of clubs investing in facilties over decades. The Junior game never followed suit.

I can see them calling it a day. They are so far away from where they began, their financial backer(s) are going to get fed-up eventually chucking the money in to keep them afloat. They ain't hiring Dumbarton for free.

Macauley Tait has gone from B team to Scottish Cup semi-final appearance in 5 months.

If Gretna also go down this season, it's squeeky bum time for the likes of Broomhill.

It's taken a decade to move from portaloos to recycled container toilets?

If you charge an entry fee, you should be obligated to provide M/F toilets at the very minimum, preferably hot/cold drinks as well. This isn't the 19th century, well...... I was at Linton Hotspur yesterday, a new EoS club from the Border Amateurs. Great set-up, large bar area servig food and drinks with TV & seating, another hospitality area under construction (all using new Portacabin style buildings), toilets and a seated stand for about 50. Their attendances are less than 100. If a club lke that can provide facilities, surely clubs who spend £000's on players can as well.

Almost certainly but in the short term it's only going to get harder as the Edinburgh Uni's and Gretna's of this world depart to be replaced by much better teams. That has a fair way yet to play out, and I'll stick my neck out by saying a former SPFL team will drop to tier 6 before one returns to tier 4 (in the LL).

So is it; League Cup: EK and Bo'ness Utd SPFL Trophy: EK, Bo'ness, Cumbernauld and Tranent (plus the B teams)

It's effectively profit sharing. So this year should be a decent whack on the back of Euro24 income.

Well member clubs receive their annual payment in December each year, and depends on what level you're playing at. It's anywhere between £4,000 to £12,000 in recent years for EoS clubs. Then there's Scottish Cup appearance money on top of that. Then of course, there was a Covid payment in 2021 from the National Lottery via the SFA which for LL clubs amounted to around £20,000.

Having been there, that's not a solution. It really is tin pot that a Premier club doesn't have toilets in their ground, a disgrace really and part of the problem okaying 3g cages.

Isn't it a WoSFL regulation that there must be toilet and food facilities inside the ground?

Plumped for a first visit to Linton Hotspur today and it was very enjoyable. A very impressive set-up for a club of their size and a borders derby win with a hard fought performance depite playing the last half hour with 10 men. Attendance around the 65 mark.

I wonder if Uni can buck the trend of going straight though the EoS Premier like a Saturday night Madras.

Unless there's some sort of agreeable solution, if it goes to a vote in 3 years time I think the B teams will be gone.

B teams already in for the next 3 seasons, by that time hopefully there's a long term solution.

Clubs like CCS don't survive on gate money alone. Lottery, raffles, bar takings, sponsors, SFA payments all add to it. Players may also be paid not much more than expenses. Either way, Jardine and his coaches do a tremendous job.

I don't think there is.

Low, from what I understand of it. Gary Jardine works wonders with them.

Their budget would probably be gobsmacking to most people.

Missed it out

I'd say an average of 268 is very decent for what amounts to U20 football (only 12 less than Albion Rovers, 20 less than Cowdenbeath), the 6th best average in the league. Celtic perhaps not so much. On the flip side Gala's top two league crowds were against the B teams, Linlithgow got their second and third biggest against the B teams, CCS their biggest and third biggest. Stirling Uni third and fourth. Broomhill and Cumbernauld got their largest crowds against Celtic B. That's a benefit in a league where you have four or five clubs that literally bring no fans at all.