Bathgate boss wants switch to summer football

Dec 2 2010 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

Graeme Love

BATHGATE Thistle boss Graeme Love believes a switch to summer football could be the way forward for the junior game which has again been severely disrupted by the Scottish winter.

The entire junior card was wiped out last week with this weekend’s round of games also expected to be victims of the white-out.

And the Jags gaffer insists it is an option which needs to be looked at and considered.

He said: “Summer football is something which has been discussed and it throws up some issues but it is something which I think will help junior football.

“It is a difficult one and I think if the winter facilities available to clubs were better then it wouldn’t be such a problem.

“But summer football is definitely something which is worth looking at a wee bit more.

“There will always be clubs for it and clubs against it and the key is to try and find the best scenario for everyone.

“We have already had games postponed in November and it doesn’t look like there will be a lot of football played in December. Sometimes the biggest problems come after the snow has thawed. When that happens you have to get rid of the water and if the park is frozen you can’t so you can go literally weeks and weeks without a game.

“I think a winter shutdown would be good for the game and would help and I think summer football could be a good thing. It would definitely create more benefits than hindrance.

“I’d like to look at the pros and cons’s and find way to try to make things better.

“This weather makes it difficult for us to train and this week we couldn’t ask our players, many of whom live in the west, to drive in the snow to train so it is not ideal.

“It becomes an issue when things get this bad that you can’t train outdoors and finding suitable indoor facilities is difficult.

“The problem can often be that so many clubs are in the same boat and all chasing the same facility to train.

“There is also the financial aspect of it with paying to use indoor facilities and not taking anything in with all the games being off.

“Looking at the weather just now it is hard to gauge when we will be back playing games again but I don’t expect to be playing this weekend.”