By ANDY BYER (GU)

 

If you’ve paid attention to the headlines surrounding Scottish football recently, then you’ll already know that the mood surrounding the beautiful game is one of doom and gloom. There are many reasons for this, but the most obvious one should be clear for anyone looking down a high street on a Saturday - far too many football fans are neglecting their local team for the glitz and glamour of the English Premiership and the Old Firm outfits, Rangers and Celtic.

 

Whilst Rangers time in the top flight may have come to an end for the time being due to well documented problems, they still draw more support than any team outwith Celtic, whose participation in the Champions League recently has now pulled them further away from the pack financially.

 

Long gone are the days when a Scottish football fan didn't have to look across the border for exciting, world class football. The seemingly endless Scotland talent pool which produced a myriad of greats such as Kenny Dalglish and Denis Law looks like it may finally have run dry, and the once competitive Scottish league will now be a one-horse race for the foreseeable future.

 

Last season Celtic received £4 million for winning the Scottish premiership, whilst teams relegated in the English Premier League still received upwards of £60m. Combine this with the fact that the other 11 teams in the Scottish top flight have to share £10m between them, and the gap between them and even some teams from the third tier in England becomes mind-boggling.

 

In fact, according to former Dunfermline boss Jim Leishman, the gap is now insurmountable for smaller teams. Leishman has been in charge of a series of ‘smaller teams’ since 1982, when he took over as player manager at the Pars. When asked if attendances increasing would make the league more competitive, the now Lord Provost of Fife answered promptly:

 

“No, at this rate clubs would need to treble the attendances to have a chance of keeping these guys at our clubs. When youngsters go down to England they can make £15,000 a week. I’d imagine no one earns more than £750 a week as a youngster here. Every team in Scotland has to sell to make their living. TV is everything in football nowadays, we just have to adapt.”

 

Leishman is no stranger to the struggle of getting the wider community involved with their local team: “When I took over in 1982 it was like that. We just had to start building up a support. When they weren’t training, players were out trying to establish a following: going round the local schools and sports clubs, to get the most that we could out of the community, as well as giving the youngsters valuable experience in return. That’s not done enough nowadays.

 

“You’d be 100% better off going and seeing your local team for enjoyment. It’s a much better experience going and seeing live teams, watching the movement of the players, hearing the roar of the crowd. It’s just a more authentic experience, being with likeminded people and enjoying the banter. You can shout anything you want as well!”

 

Making the effort on getting along to your local team doesn’t mean you're putting a limit on the atmosphere you can experience either. With both Dunfermline and Raith Rovers on the cusp of promotion in 2011, the Fife Derby between the two teams attracted an 11,000 sell-out crowd, proving that the support is there.

 

The sense of community is certainly something you won’t get at either of the country’s big two, and when the attendance flashes up on the scoreboard at full time it will feel personable; you won’t be just another drop in the ocean. Besides, how can you feel proud of a club and support their achievements when you follow them from your armchair?

 

Dunfermline www.dafc.co.uk/ - Adults £15, Concessions £10, U12s £5

Raith www.raithrovers.net - Adults £17 (13 with student card) Concessions £9

East Fife www.eastfifefc.info  - Adult - £13 concessions £5