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Fort Up In Flames


HibeeJibee

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The Maryhill social club can be accessed from inside the ground iirc

 

You could try although there aren't any eye level windows looking onto the park and the doors are only opened at halftime - you'd only be able to see about a third of the pitch at best if you tried to watch the second half from there! 

 

One that you'd have a better shot at watching the game from is Yoker, as it's elevated although it's end on to the pitch. Another one is Selkirk in the LL, but again I doubt you'd be able to see all the action.

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I could perhaps have started a new thread called "Fort William on the brink?" but this old one may suffice. Fort William is the latest HL club to run into bother, and have called a public meeting next week over quitting HL or possibly folding altogether.

From the statement it appears a lack of committee, as well as financial problems, are putting their future into doubt:
 

*** PUBLIC MEETING ***

Due to the possible imminent retiral of some of the Board and Committee, Fort William FC urgently require volunteers to assist in the running of the Club, especially on match days. Without assistance, the future of the Club, and particularly its participation in the Highland League, will almost certainly be in jeopardy. Financial support is also required.

Please come along to a Public Meeting at the Social Club, Claggan Park on Monday, 24th April at 7pm.

If you are unable to attend the Meeting but feel you can offer the Club assistance then please contact Club Secretary, Marie McMillan on 07803049571.

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24 minutes ago, Whitburn Vale said:

Banks O Dee come on in......,though it would be a shame if this happens as the West Highlands would have no league side!!

If champion got promoted and Fort folded might they take chance to reduce to 16?
 

5 minutes ago, parsforlife said:

Return to NCL?

Or local amateurs?

Wondered that myself. NCL maybe, bit less travel and lighter program? Only welfare football locally IIRC.

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Shame for Fort William if they do go down the tubes but would be good to see Banks o' Dee making the step up if the opportunity arises 

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20 hours ago, HibeeJibee said:

I could perhaps have started a new thread called "Fort William on the brink?" but this old one may suffice. Fort William is the latest HL club to run into bother, and have called a public meeting next week over quitting HL or possibly folding altogether.

From the statement it appears a lack of committee, as well as financial problems, are putting their future into doubt:
 

*** PUBLIC MEETING ***

Due to the possible imminent retiral of some of the Board and Committee, Fort William FC urgently require volunteers to assist in the running of the Club, especially on match days. Without assistance, the future of the Club, and particularly its participation in the Highland League, will almost certainly be in jeopardy. Financial support is also required.

Please come along to a Public Meeting at the Social Club, Claggan Park on Monday, 24th April at 7pm.

If you are unable to attend the Meeting but feel you can offer the Club assistance then please contact Club Secretary, Marie McMillan on 07803049571.

Last time I was at Claggan Park there was a fair crowd but nobody available to work the bar. Strangely they managed to find people to run the private free bar for the blazers though. Rules are rules.

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If Fort William have to quit the HL due to financial issues/lack of members, they will be the first club to do so for 82 years. As we all know there were clubs that have left to take the step up and there were also football teams from the armed forces who quit for obvious reasons, the last one mentioned was in 1949/50 as 1st Batt. H.L.I., as for a non forces football club it would be Inverness Citadel who played their last season in 1934/35.

I don't know if they continued in the Junior ranks or amateur leagues after that.

 

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It must be very difficult to keep Fort sustainable. Very few from that area are both going to be up to standard and willing to travel to the distances required. Their player pool therefore seems to come from Inverness, meaning they have Clach, Nairn, Forres, Buckie, Brora, Strathy Thistle, Rothes and even ourselves I suppose who can attract part time players more easily from that area due to location and/or budgets. Even Huntly signed guys from Nairn over the summer, at least some of whom I know are based in Inverness. Unlike every other town in the league there is actually another sport to compete with as well.

It feels defeatist but I struggle to see how Fort can progress from what must be a pretty rubbish situation (travelling long distances every other week and getting scudded).

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10 hours ago, afca32 said:

It must be very difficult to keep Fort sustainable. Very few from that area are both going to be up to standard and willing to travel to the distances required. Their player pool therefore seems to come from Inverness, meaning they have Clach, Nairn, Forres, Buckie, Brora, Strathy Thistle, Rothes and even ourselves I suppose who can attract part time players more easily from that area due to location and/or budgets. Even Huntly signed guys from Nairn over the summer, at least some of whom I know are based in Inverness. Unlike every other town in the league there is actually another sport to compete with as well.

It feels defeatist but I struggle to see how Fort can progress from what must be a pretty rubbish situation (travelling long distances every other week and getting scudded).

Aye, football comes a fair way below shinty in Fort William. Added to that most players leave town when they finish school and don't come back. A few years ago some American company wanted to set up the club as a TV reality show, importing a squad of good American college players to follow them during a season. Taking the pish a bit I suppose but it would have been cracking viewing, seeing them trying to say nice things about places like Buckie. Nothing came of it of course.

 

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Yep an unusual club : I have seen them a few times this season. They actually had one or two really handy players; two lads up front, one who just played when home for his Christmas holidays from Australia, where he is a pro footballer, (Sean Ellis) and another guy- their top scorer, (Davidson) who could be a good player but is too lazy /selfish to make it at a level any higher than the Highland League. Both those guys scored absolutely snorting goals in the games I saw. Just a shame that defensivley, the Fort are about as organised as a jakey's sock drawer and have two or three players that would struggle much beyond poor junior level.

Hope the club can find a way to survive in the Highland League, yes they have been largely unsuccessful at that level but they do provide a good outlet for younger and emerging footballers in the West Highlands who want to play at a good standard.

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11 minutes ago, Ivo den Bieman said:

Yep an unusual club : I have seen them a few times this season. They actually had one or two really handy players; two lads up front, one who just played when home for his Christmas holidays from Australia, where he is a pro footballer, (Sean Ellis) and another guy- their top scorer, (Davidson) who could be a good player but is too lazy /selfish to make it at a level any higher than the Highland League. Both those guys scored absolutely snorting goals in the games I saw. Just a shame that defensivley, the Fort are about as organised as a jakey's sock drawer and have two or three players that would struggle much beyond poor junior level.

Hope the club can find a way to survive in the Highland League, yes they have been largely unsuccessful at that level but they do provide a good outlet for younger and emerging footballers in the West Highlands who want to play at a good standard.

Another problem is that as soon as they get a couple of decent players and start collecting a few points, they get snapped up by wealthier Highland League sides. I'm surprised they've held on to Scott Davidson, good on him. Same happens to Clach and other HL sides without money though.

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yeah, for sure. Ellis at most plays six games a season for them and Davidson will be offski in the summer.

sadly the hope that many HL and other fans have that they can carry on looks a bit forlorn. If the money's not there and the experience of keeping the club afloat has gone with the death of a long standing committee member then the future looks a bit bleak. Particularly when locals regard the club with little more than disdain, in the main.

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5 minutes ago, Ivo den Bieman said:

yeah, for sure. Ellis at most plays six games a season for them and Davidson will be offski in the summer.

sadly the hope that many HL and other fans have that they can carry on looks a bit forlorn. If the money's not there and the experience of keeping the club afloat has gone with the death of a long standing committee member then the future looks a bit bleak. Particularly when locals regard the club with little more than disdain, in the main.

It doesn't help having a bog for a pitch. Most seasons there's barely a home game from November till March, so it's hard for fans to get into the habit. And for some reason you have to stand a long way from the pitch, it's the worst view of the game in the HL, amidst the best scenery.

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true- although it has been better than normal this season. Sad that their existence is under threat just after pulling themselves off the bottom of the table- and with Strathspey facing Buckie on Saturday they should avoid the wooden spoon this term.

Let's hope someone has a bit of cash to keep them afloat. On the FB page there's lots of well wishing from groundhoppers in England and good wishes, hopefully something more concrete behind the scenes.

With a decent younger manager (e.g. the young man rather unfairly binned by Rothes earlier this term) with a good eye for junior /amateur players who can take the step up then the club really has some potential.

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