Mcarthur holds back on 2020-21 season tickets offer

Dunfermline chairman Ross Mcarthur insists he cannot ‘morally’ offer season tickets for next term while massive doubt hangs over when – and how – football will return

After voting for the current campaign to be brought to a halt, the Pars chief, who is a member of the SPFL board, is in favour of a league revamp.

But, with talks ongoing over what form that might take, he admits clubs are facing a more fundamental issue right now as they await a decision on next season.

With First Minister Nicola Sturgeon insisting there will be problems even with closed-door games, planning for the future is hugely problematic, says Mcarthur.

And, against a backdrop of such uncertainty, he is adamant he does not feel he can follow the likes of Hibs and Hearts in starting to sell season tickets.

He said: “We don’t know when we’re going to start playing again, and on what basis. So, morally, I couldn’t put season tickets on sale at the moment.

“I know fans would buy them but I don’t know how many games we might have and if we will be able to sell out the whole stadium – all these different things. These are all the uncertainties and different variables that we don’t know.

“We know we’ll be in the Championship, but who else is going to be in the Championship, what size of a league is it, how many games will we have?

“You can’t start putting a budget together until you know all that.”

What has been a ‘godsend’ for Dunfermline, admits Mcarthur, is the government’s job retention scheme, which is paying 80%, up to £2,500, of salaries.

He added: “The furlough scheme is a godsend.

“For larger clubs it isn’t as much, because the players are on a lot more money.

“But, in terms of our sorts of salary range, it makes a massive difference.

“If you’re paying thousands and thousands of pounds a week it is not really a massive contribution. But it certainly helps us, for sure.”

Ross Mcarthur is unsure over selling season tickets.