Football fans asked to get poetic
A Perth poet is helping to spearhead an artistic project to mark the start of what is set to be a unique football season.
Jim Mackintosh will be watching on TV as the Scottish Premiership season gets underway this weekend when St Johnstone travel to Dundee United.
Like football fans across the country, Jim will not be able to attend the game, with coronavirus restrictions meaning the season will start behind closed doors.
A former poet in residence at St Johnstone, Jim is now poet in chief at the Hampden Collection.
He has teamed up with Stephen Watt, the poet in residence at Dumbarton FC, in seeking out lines of poetry from fans of all teams across Scotland.
Jim said:“This will be like no season before with games across the country being played behind closed doors, being watched on televisions, tablets and even phones.
“Putting the legitimate health reasons aside, it’s extraordinary that, for the first time in history, fans are being locked out across the entire country, not just for one game but potentially for months.
“We want fans to write their feelings and frustrations, their hopes and aspirations down on a label, an envelope, a postcard, and photograph it tied to the locked gates of their team’s ground, in the letterbox at the main door, or the railings – you get the idea.”
Once the words are pulled together, the best will be published as a photographic essay in Nutmeg Football Periodical at the end of the year.
Stephen added:“We want contributions from any and all clubs, not just the pro teams.
“So if your team is in the lower leagues or the juniors the message is just as important – so send us a photograph of your label, your napkin, your deflated football– your words.”
Submissions should be emailed to Jim and Stephen at at tiedtomyclub@gmail.com