Fears grow for lower league football next season
Dunfermline are releasing 17 players who are out of contract at the end of the season as the full financial impact of the coronavirus starts to bite on Scottish football.
The decision by the Championship club comes amid increasing uncertainty over whether lower-division football will take place in Scotland next season.
Lee Ashcroft, Tom Beadling, Danny Devine, captain Paul Paton, Ryan Scully, Joe Thomson and Andy Ryan are among the players departing as the Pars say they are not in a position to offer new contracts.
A Dunfermline statement read: “All Scottish football clubs are now faced with challenging and uncertain times.
“As a consequence of this continued uncertainty, we are afraid to announce that unfortunately our club will not be in a position to offer new contracts, at this time, to any of the players who are out of contract over the coming days.
“As we don’t know when we will be playing games again we have no other option but to protect the future of the club itself. This has not been an easy decision to make, being aware of the impact this may have.
“We would like to offer our very best wishes to all of the players and their families, as well as thanking them for their services to our club.”
The uncertainty is set to go on as SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster warned clubs that the coming season could present more problems than the campaign just finished.
He pointed out the challenges facing the Betfred Cup, while reiterating the importance of getting fans back to stadiums.
On top of that, there are talks set to take place regarding a shortened Championship season. Doncaster set out the key
areas of concern in an interview on
Doncaster explained that the SPFL have made the Scottish Government aware of the need to play football with supporters in attendance.
The Betfred Cup is due to start in July – kicking off a new broadcasting deal with Premier Sports.
“The Betfred Cup is a particular challenge, particularly around the involvement of part-time clubs,” said the SPFL chief.
“We have never faced a crisis of this magnitude. It’s something which really does threaten the existence of the game in this country.
“There is going to be huge stress in the coming season. We may all look back at season 2019-20 as being one of crisis, but I don’t think that will prove to be the case. I think we’ll be saying season 2020-21 was where the real problems were.”
He added: “Separate from that, we’d look to have a date when we can get fans back in the stadiums. Scottish football is reliant on broadcasting income but far more from money generated coming through the turnstiles. We’ve made it clear to the Scottish Government that if we can’t get fans back anytime soon, that causes very real threats to all clubs.”
Meanwhile, Raith Rovers chairman Bill Clark revealed that the second tier may not begin until January, in keeping with the Scottish Government’s process to exit lockdown. That could see the Championship cut in half.
The SPFL are keen for the Premiership to get back up and running with the new £125 million broadcast deal with Sky Sports beginning on 1 August.
Championship clubs will meet on Monday to talk through possible plans for an 18-game campaign to start later this year or 2021.
Clark said: “From what I’m hearing, it’s very possible that the Championship might not start until January and play only half the fixtures. “It takes four to six weeks for players to train and get up to a professional level. And the testing costs for players and staff are enormous. I don’t see how Championship clubs could afford to pay.”