Mcgowan: Club will still be here in 100 years
Hamilton Accies chief executive Colin Mcgowan this week boldly insisted that the club will still be here a century from now – even if Scottish football collapses due to the current financial crisis.
While some clubs are sinking because they have no income and there is uncertainty about the football restart, Mcgowan reassured fans that Accies will definitely stay afloat.
However, he urged SPFL bosses to act swiftly in securing sponsorship money and feed that much-needed cash to clubs as soon as possible.
“Now if for some reason that does not happen then it’s unlikely Scottish football as we know it will survive,” said Mcgowan.
“Although if there was a financial Armageddon then we would all be in the same boat.
“One thing I am absolutely certain of is that Hamilton Accies will still be here 100 years from now.
“Hamilton Accies’ proud history shows it surviving two world wars, a financial crash or two, and in more recent times a million pound cyber fraud – and now a worldwide pandemic.”
The new Premiership season is to start behind closed doors on the weekend of August 1 – if Scotland is in phase two of its coronavirus recovery.
Premiership clubs have been given a targeted return date of June 11 for player training before the new campaign.
Talks will continue regarding how lower league football will restart.
While football clubs are receiving financial support from the government to pay wages, Mcgowan insisted that the club is still losing out.
He said: “Although most staff and players are furloughed, this very generous and much appreciated government assistance only covers a proportion of our wage costs at Hamilton.
“We are honouring 100 percent of all contract amounts and owners and directors have made provisions to carry us into early July and in all probability we will reach August with all our commitments met in full.
“Thereafter it will be up to our football governing bodies to get football restarted and our SPFL commercial team to raise the necessary income from sponsors