HIT THE CHANNEL Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 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 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otis Blue Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 Agree with what you say - not that it will directly impact QOS for the forseable future! It just reinforces what we already know about the avarice of the Premiership clubs and how they try to control it through their one sided voting structure as an effectively "closed shop" with the twin objectives of keeping the minnows down in their place and ensuring that the "established clubs" continue relatively safely to maximise revenue either directly or indirectly from the over-entitled OF. The dangers of the Premiership and the implications of its voting structure were of course raised prior to its creation by the minnows but of course we were deemed irrelevant then and are even more so now. NB - this could of course directly impact the Rovers this season, although I'm sure any such directive wouldn't be enforced so quickly as by next season. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HIT THE CHANNEL Posted March 19 Author Share Posted March 19 3 hours ago, Otis Blue said: Agree with what you say - not that it will directly impact QOS for the forseable future! It just reinforces what we already know about the avarice of the Premiership clubs and how they try to control it through their one sided voting structure as an effectively "closed shop" with the twin objectives of keeping the minnows down in their place and ensuring that the "established clubs" continue relatively safely to maximise revenue either directly or indirectly from the over-entitled OF. The dangers of the Premiership and the implications of its voting structure were of course raised prior to its creation by the minnows but of course we were deemed irrelevant then and are even more so now. NB - this could of course directly impact the Rovers this season, although I'm sure any such directive wouldn't be enforced so quickly as by next season. 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. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy1876 Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 On this note, the Falkirk Supporters Society have made a statement about the vote. https://falkirksupporters.org/2024/03/20/artificial-pitches-vote/ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Duck Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 29 minutes ago, Jimmy1876 said: On this note, the Falkirk Supporters Society have made a statement about the vote. https://falkirksupporters.org/2024/03/20/artificial-pitches-vote/ I know I’m biased but that’s a great statement 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higgenarse Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 I'm torn about this as it would be amusing to see Raith penalised due to their disgusting self preserving behaviour during covid and reconstruction vote. Downside is it may have an impact on my club 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.