Haughey offer to help Spiders turn pro

LORD WILLIE HAUGHEY, one of Scotland’s wealthiest businessmen, has offered to bankroll a move by amateurs Queen’s Park to turn professional. The country’s oldest senior club has written to members asking them to vote on a resolution to end 152 years as an amateur entity next Thursday night. Warning that an inability to offer professional contracts makes it impossible to retain their best young players and could result in the club dropping through a ‘trap door’ to the Lowland League, the Spiders committee have recommended their 200 members vote for the proposal. To allay fears over the financial implications, discussions have begun with Lord Haughey (pictured) over external funding which would hand professional contracts to the likes of Newcastle, Rangers and Celtic target Reagan Thomson. An honorary member of the Spiders, former Celtic director Haughey joined Sir Tom Hunter in

putting up £1.25million to help buy the club’s Hampden home for the SFA last year. Last night, he confirmed to

Sportsmail that he is also willing to prop up the player budget at Queen’s Park if next week’s vote ends in a historic switch towards professionalism. ‘Queen’s Park have asked me if I would be happy to discuss their situation with them if they turn professional,’ said Lord Haughey. ‘I’ve told them I would be happy to do that. ‘I have an attachment to the club because I played there as a kid. I lived next door to the facility for many years and was brought up around there. ‘And I’ve been proud to be an honorary member.’ The League Two outfit recently concluded a deal to sell their Hampden home to the governing body for £5m after the Euro 2020 finals.

Sportsmail understands the SFA paid £500,000 in February, with £2.5m due on August 1 next year. The balance of the payments will be made in eight instalments of £250,000, starting in August 2021. Facing a bill of £2.5m to upgrade Lesser Hampden by a projected entry date of January 1, 2021, Queen’s Park president Gerry Crawley fears the new home may become a Lowland League white elephant unless members agree to the move to turn professional. A 75-per-cent majority is needed to push through change at the EGM after Crawley warned in

Sportsmail last month that failure to move with the times could see the likes of Kelty Hearts and Bonnyrigg Rose take Queen’s Park’s place in League Two.