How much more… Donald C Stewart

Date: 23rd January 2026

How much more…

Donald C Stewart

Over the tail end of 2025 and going into 2026, two institutions within Lanarkshire have faced and come away from the threat of complete and utter destruction.

Firstly, Cumbernauld Theatre received the welcome boost from the Scottish Government that they are going to get funding, which means they can celebrate Cumbernauld’s 70th anniversary of being announced as a new town.

Further down the M74, Hamilton Academical, currently being nestled in Cumbernauld at Broadwood Stadium and not at the stadium that was built for them, were bought over.

At the time, a lot of people felt that both of these decisions happened were the right things to do: the saving grace that they had been praying for.

What they weren’t, were amazing graces given to them, which meant that all the problems were banished.

For Cumbernauld Theatre, they still have a hole in their budget that they have to fill.

But for Hamilton Academical supporters, they are sitting now wondering what it is that they can take any more of.

The punishment that has been meted out by the Scottish Football Authorities, rightly so, in many ways, has seen them ending up in a dark and dangerous place. Due to the ownership of the club, at the time, and their management that, ironically, couldn’t manage anything, has meant tumbling down a league table and they are now nestled towards the bottom of League One. Splitting Cove Rangers and Kelty Hearts with the vainglorious hope that they, without a manager, and quite a few players, as they both were not paid, still hold hope they can climb up the table, find safety and then return home to Hamilton.

After all, they are Hamilton Academical.

Then came news there is a possibility that Hamilton Academical FC shall end up in administration and face insolvency, anyway. Now, it appears that the previous owner sold Hamilton Academical to Morley Sports Management. However, there is a debt owed to Funding Glove, who have been helpful insofar as they gave money as a loan to pay wages in 2025. This financial services firm is now looking to be paid back.

After all, that is their business. They hand out money, and like a bank, when they are looking for it to be paid back, they have the right to have it so done.

Just exactly how much has not been mentioned in many of the reports, however, it doesn’t matter.

The fact is, despite this takeover, there is a possibility that Hamilton Academical are going to disappear, and supporters, once again are facing the very real prospect that they, and we are going to lose one of our oldest clubs.

Now, tradition is not something I would invoke as an indication of support – find a lot of it outdated and twee – but surely, footballing authorities, supporters and the new owners can get round the table to find some form of solution that allows Hamilton to rebuild and provide the type of community engagement that they were doing before they relocated to Broadwood.

In fact, the type of academy that they had, which brought success to Lanarkshire young people not just in terms of football, but also in terms of health plus all the benefits of mental resilience that football has been demonstrating for years is what Hamilton Academical were really good at.

There is an infrastructure that will still be there. There will be volunteers who are kicking their heels. There will be people who once wore the badge with pride are now having it hidden in a tracksuit in a cupboard somewhere, hoping that the red and white show can triumphantly walk back into Hamilton. They can help to resurrect their club in a meaningful manner, and we all can then talk about our favourite times in Hamilton.

They need to still be there, fighting from League One into the Championship and potentially going back to where their supporters feel they rightly belong, in the Premiership.

We all might disagree with that.

But what we will not disagree, as supporters, with is that fans are consistently the ones who are punished when authorities, whether they be the blazers of the footballing authority, or those in HMRC or the suits with the briefcases handing out money and demanding it back are in charge.

We need to support Hamilton in a way in which allows them to get their club back, their future secured and ensure that we continue to have 42 clubs in the Scottish Professional Football League, including a very big stalwart in Lanarkshire.

I think Hamilton back to the vibrant community club needs to be put back in its rightful place and that is not in a debtor’s court or facing insolvency.

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Tags: Hamilton Accies, oor Donald