Blackburn relish senior moment
Blackburn president McGinty shares views on going senior
Blackburn United joining the East of Scotland Football League was ‘a natural step’ according to club president Ian McGinty.
The Dem-Master Community Stadium outfit will leave the Junior ranks at the end of the season and become West Lothian’s second senior football club after their application to join the East of Scotland Football League was successful.
It was a move a long time in the making, says McGinty, and he’s in no doubt that it was one that is in the best interests of the club.
Speaking to the Courier, he said: “It’s been a gradual progression towards applying to join the senior league system. The club prides itself in being part of a set- up that brings together football provision in the community for boys and girls at all age groups, as well as for ladies, over and above simply an adult men’s side.
“In 2009, we became one of a small number of clubs to attain SFA Community Club recognition at Standard Level, before gaining the full Community Level award just a year later. As the club are now also one of only a few to hold the SFA’s prestigious Legacy Club award for our work in the community the next, natural step to take with a view to growing the club was to make an application for the men’s side to join the East of Scotland Football League.”
He added: “The East of Scotland Football League offers a place in the Scottish Football pyramid at Tier 6 and potentially offers greater media exposure to the club.
“Membership of the league also offers Blackburn United the opportunity to become a fully licensed member of the SFA should certain ground and administration requirements be met, and with such a license the club would be able to enter the Scottish Cup.
“Every bit as importantly, membership of the EoSFL offers the club the opportunity to enter an under- 20s team into the Lowland Development League and this is something we see as an excellent way of continuing to develop our player pathway from our Soccer School all the way through to the senior side.”
United were able to showcase their facilities to their new bosses when the club hosted the EoSFL’s Football Nation Qualifying Cup Final between East Kilbride and Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale earlier this season, and McGinty believes the delegates were impressed with what they saw.
He commented: “I believe our application was successful because they saw an excellent facility and a club that was vibrant, ambitious and willing to work with them in growing the profile of their league in West Lothian.
“We hosted the cup final between East Kilbride and Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale and their delegation at the game were impressed both with what they saw, and with what they heard from the club.”
The immediate nature of the game outside the SPFL is somewhat murky, with United being one of several clubs moving from Junior to senior ranks in the off-season, while the league structure of the 2018/19 East of Scotland Football League still to be rectified, but McGinty believes one pyramid system in Scotland would be the ‘sensible’ move.
He said: “The board of the EoSFL are working on a number of suggestions as to how best to structure the league next season. I feel the game in Scotland at non-league level would benefit greatly from more Junior teams making the move into the pyramid system and, certainly here in the east of the country, bringing all the Juniors under the umbrella of the East of Scotland Football League in an agreed and negotiated merger would be an entirely sensible move in my view.”
As for the short and mediumterm aims for the club, who have impressed in their maiden Premier League season in the East Region this term, the hope is to simply continue the good work, both on and off the pitch.
“In the short term we hope to be able to compete in the top half of the EoSFL and build on the improvements we have seen on the pitch in recent years after winning promotion from the South Division last season and competing well in our first season in the Premier League where, hopefully, we’re likely to finish in the top six,” he said.
“Longer term we hope to secure involvement in the Scottish Cup from season 2019/20 onwards and use the increased exposure this will bring to redouble our efforts to strengthen all aspects of the club and to further engage with the local community as well as reaching out to local businesses to hopefully bring them on board to help grow and improve their local football club.”
There may be a lot of things still up in the air, but one thing is for certain – there’s exciting times ahead for Blackburn United.