BILLY BREMNER MEMORIAL JOIN OUR CAMPAIGN
Date: 23rd February 2025
BONFIRE YOUR VANITY…
It’s an unpopular opinion, I realise, but the fact of the matter is that I still believe that Scottish Football can and has the possibility of engaging with many fans groups and coming to a view over the use of pyrotechnics within the sport.
Recently, within the Scottish Football Supporters Association, I have noted that I am not in the majority.
I’m happy not being in the majority because in any democracy we should be listening to other people’s opinions and scoping out just exactly what people who are not in line with our thinking. We ought to challenge our own opinions and have an opinion based upon evidence rather than just prejudice – I realise that is becoming an even more unpopular political opinion!
To that end, I have been challenged by the decision, by Dumbarton Football Club, who were plunged into administration this season, to take a firm stance over supporters who are continuing to set off pyrotechnics illegally within their stadium.
Dumbarton have also reported incidents of antisocial behaviour in the town centre, which has tarnished the club’s reputation, and there have been disturbing antisocial incidents within the stadium. It has meant Dumbarton engaging with authorities in ways that they should never have had to.
To add to that banning the entry of under-16s to further matches this season, unless they are accompanied by an adult, is draconian. In fact, it is more than draconian. It’s appalling.
But I cannot find a single reason in my armoury of defence of anybody using pyrotechnics to argue against it.
The number of people who engage in misbehaviour that ends up with a football club who are currently facing oblivion, having to take drastic action which would reduce their revenue, is just simply difficult to contemplate. I know that Dumbarton losing thousands, never mind millions is unlikely, but the fact they have to do this is wrong. When struggling, contemplating the possibility of not encouraging new and young supporters to come through the turnstiles to support their local team is anathema to the majority of us.
We should be encouraging those who are closest to our stadia to support their local team, to provide the finance that is required for the thriving of football in places which are not getting the attention of large media, of the premiership, but happen to have a strong community focus within their club. I am just appalled that a football club like Dumbarton has to take this action.
However, let’s not forget Dumbarton prior to going into administration, their management of the club hardly set the heather alight in terms of engagement with the local community. They did not find a positive means to encourage young people and fans to become more involved. The last time I heard there was concern over police involvement in how this club ended up in administration. To that end, as far as I’m concerned, the ban is even more concerning, because it feels like an appropriate response to the problem that they face.
But it does for me bring to the table once again an issue happening increasingly, particularly at televised games. Unless people knock heads together and sit round the table and find some kind of solution to this, the very grassroots of our game are going to be faced consistently with the possibility that they are going to lose a distinctive revenue, which has other implications. Their future fan base is diminished. They are unable to encourage and engage with children and young people who may not have a stable background at home or may not follow the same club as their parents or have single parents or whatever the reason behind getting to club and being seen as a young supporter. They shall be denied celebrating their community, the opportunity to play for their and in their community and becoming a spectator at their local stadia.
That for me is the greatest challenge – getting young people engaged with their local club rather than wearing the shirts of high-level La Liga clubs or French or Italian clubs, but simply getting more Ross County, Dumbarton and Airdrieonian shirts on the back of our community.
We are left to hope that the SFA are alive to it and that someone somewhere puts their hands up and says we need to do something about this in a position of authority where they can actually achieve that otherwise more clubs are going to find this happening more and more. They are going to ban children and young people from the legacy that they deserve to have from their community and that would be the greatest and worst effect of pyrotechnics, but also of our inability to deal with them.
This article is a personal view and does not reflect the position of the SFSA on pyros, as outlined in numerous articles on our website. We believe every fan should be able to attend any match in safety and free from danger and intimidation.
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Tags: oor Donald, pyros, Scottish footbal