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Elgin City Football Club -
quick profile: established 1893 - very successful north team - won 45
trophies in the Highland Football League, including the Championship 15
times - joined the full Scottish League in 2000.
My name is Steve and I live in Elgin in the North-East of Scotland. I'm a
fan of my local football team Elgin City and have been going to their
matches for nearly 20 years. Many of my fellow spectators have supported
the team for 30 or more years. There aren't as many of us as there used to
be, but we still travel for several hours on a Saturday by bus or car to
support the team at away games.
The bad news...
Our much-loved club is struggling. Five years ago Elgin made the ambitious
step up from the local Highland League into the national Scottish League.
We knew it would be a major challenge but, if successful, competing
against bigger clubs from all over Scotland would be good for the club,
benefit local sport and would boost the town's profile and civic
confidence. Football is an important part of daily life for many Scots
and, when the team you support is doing well, the whole community benefits
from the feel-good factor.
Elgin haven't made a great start to life in the national league. Being so
far north and having to travel further has meant that costs have
spiralled. Our location also means that it's harder to persuade
experienced players to join the club or to attract the business
sponsorship needed to operate successfully at this level. Elgin's stadium
has also been seriously damaged twice by flooding. The team have regularly
finished near the bottom of the league and the number of spectators has
declined. The club itself has made mistakes along the way and everyone
associated with Elgin City has experienced a steep learning curve in the
last 5 years. Club officials and supporters are doing what they can in
terms of fundraising, volunteering etc, but the club's accounts are not
healthy and something needs to be done to turn the situation around.
The good news...
Despite the current problems, there are a lot of positives to focus on.
We've former Scotland, Glasgow Rangers and Leeds United defender David
Robertson as our manager; team performances are improving; we've an
enviable youth system in place that's giving local talent a chance to
progress and will benefit the club for years to come; the club officials
are a group of dedicated local people who are working hard in difficult
circumstances; and we're still convinced that competing in the national
league is the right way forward for the club and the community. The club
is just bursting with potential and I really want it to be able to realise
that potential.
You can help...
I'm sending out this plea to see if there are any individuals or
organisations out there who'd be interested in helping to turn this club
around, to be a catalyst towards better times. Here's how I see the
situation:
Short-term priorities Finance - advertising
sponsorship
investment
interest-free loans
Expertise - business know-how
financial advice
Moral support - we feel so alone !
Longer-term Infrastructure - improved/new stadium
improved/new training facilities
Expertise - 10 year business plan
Moral support - be part of the Elgin City success
story!
Finally...
I'm not great with words and probably haven't put Elgin City's case
forward as well as it deserves, but I hope I've done enough to persuade
you to want to find out more. If so, the best way to contact me initially
is through my e-mail at work:
steve.coomber@chivas.com
or by post:
Steve Coomber
32 High School Drive
Elgin
Moray
IV30 6UE
Scotland
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this. Good luck to you in
whatever is your favourite sport.
Regards,
Steve Coomber
Elgin, Scotland |
