No sense in Junior break
As the senior game returned from international break, Junior clubs were taking a weekend off for the same reason. Yes, that’s correct. An international break in Junior football.
The Junior International Quadrangular Tournament was taking place in Glasgow featuring sides made up of the best players in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and the Isle of Man.
Northern Ireland ended up winning the tournament with Scotland finishing second, losing out on goal difference.
It’s a good show of the strength of our Junior game and a great idea but, in reality, did every team need to take a week off?
Junior football teams can be the heartbeat of towns and communities, especially in Ayrshire.
They bring a social side as well as the footballing aspect and although not as thriving as perhaps they once were, many of these clubs are the ‘sleeping giants’that can rise again with the right backing and support.
A lot of the faults with Junior football over the past decade don’t stem from the clubs themselves, more so the organisational skills of the SJFA.
While the best teams will have players picked for the Scotland squad, to hamper five leagues in the West Region alone is mind-boggling.
Every year without fail, a team will be struggling to fit in all their fixtures by the time May rolls around and could find themselves playing three games in seven days.
This is typically due to poor weather through the winter months leading to postponements and cancellations.
So to waste a weekend in the middle of October is something I can’t get my head around.
Granted, the weather in October at Beltane Park to watch Wishaw Juniors is hardly the Algarve but at least there’s more chance the game would go ahead than if it were played in December.
Clubs like Wishaw, Shotts Bon Accord, Newmains United and Carluke Rovers feature regularly in the Wishaw Press because of the interest they receive from readers.
We’ve had the pleasure of teaming up with Wishaw Juniors to promote the good work they do for the
Why did every team need a week off?