Received a copy of this interesting letter that appeared in the Courier last Friday to see if anyone had any thoughts.
The recent uncertainty surrounding a new summer season for the Campbeltown and District Amateur Football League (CDAFL) is a source of concern for many in the footballing community of Campbeltown and South Kintyre.
This year, the league looked as potentially competitive as it has ever been, with two ‘mini-leagues’ of non-amateurs and amateurs respectively. However, one or more member clubs intimated a concern for the leanings of the referees due to take charge of matches - a frankly absurd observation. This creates an atmosphere of mistrust among other clubs, deflecting attention from the football, the reason for coming together in the first place. In this case, it lessens the chance of any league at all.
It is sorely predictable that infighting and paranoia damage Campbeltown football again; the reasons for coaches taking teams should be for the players benefit, not on the premises of quid pro quo or self-glorification.
Summer football in Scotland should be the norm, but ill-wisdom at the top of the game renders it a distant possibility for now. At least in a Campbeltown amateur context we can surely find a way to keep young footballers playing, developing, interested and fourthly even gaining a head-start on the pre-season slog, if involved in the amateur set-up with Campbeltown Pupils AFC.
By law of averages, fewer footballers at 16 now than say in 1990 will mean even fewer at 21 and above involved regularly. It is therefore supremely important to keep participation high - every month of the year.
John McCallum