Amateur FA - Moving Forward?

The Scottish Amateur Football Association, are currently recruiting a Chief Executive Officer. A quick scan of the Person Specification and Job Description suggests that the Amateurs are looking to significantly raise their profile within the Scottish game. Just how easy it will be for the new appointee to do this remains to be seen.

Getting to grips with the structure of Scottish Football is hugely complex. The Scottish Football Association is the governing body but it has an enabling role rather than an organisational one. They do run the national teams and the Scottish Cup, and they coordinate the refereeing system, but much of the day-to-day running of the game is devolved to the Affiliated Association s and Leagues.

The SPL and SFL are the most prominent of these. But the Scottish Junior FA, Scottish Amateur FA and Scottish Welfare FA are the main organising bodies for adult football below these levels. The Welfare FA are pretty much an irrelevance these days, but the Junior and Amateur FAs have substantial membership.

Just as the SFA is an enabling body, in some ways so are the Junior and Amateur FAs. Each organises a national cup competition but devolves responsibility for other leagues and competitions to their own member associations and leagues. In the case of the Amateurs there are upwards of 60 member groupings covering Saturday and Sunday Amateur football, and both Summer and Winter seasons.

Most of the Amateur Leagues cover a smallish geographic area but not all. The Caledonian League has teams from all over Central Scotland and the top clubs are at least as good as middle order Junior teams. In a few geographic areas where there is no Junior or Senior non league football the Amateurs are the top level outside the Scottish Football League. In the Stirling area, for example, Bannockburn Amateurs, Milton and Cambusbarron Rovers have traditionally had set-ups that are equivalent to Junior clubs. In Fife, clubs in the Kingdom Caledonian League mainly have grounds that are close to Junior standard.

Two Amateur clubs retain ‘grandad rights’ to enter the Scottish Cup. Burntisland Shipyard and Glasgow University have retained their SFA membership when many others let it lapse.

The new man at the Scottish Amateur FA is tasked with raising the profile of Amateur football. He, or she, will also be expected to develop the ‘Community Clubs’ concept that the SFA are so keen on. The Amateur football club should be at the centre of the community in small towns and villages across the land.

The problem for the Chief Executive is that they will be responsible to the Executive Committee of the Scottish Amateur FA. The committee structure bedevils Scottish football at every level. It may, in theory, be democratic and retains power in the hands of the clubs, but it also encourages self-preservation. Resistance to change seems to be endemic amongst football committees with their members fearful of losing their power, influence and perks.

Still, if the Scottish Amateur FA get the right person in post, then they have a fine opportunity to gain greater recognition. An ambitious and forward-looking person could also get them involved in talks about a pyramid structure feeding into the proposed North and South Leagues.

We'll just have to wait and see who they appoint. if it is a time-served 'committee man' from within Amateur football then nothing much will change. If it's a new man, with fresh ideas and perspectives, then the future for the Amateurs could be very bright.