The Pars and the Wasps club together to beat COVID-19

Dunfermline Athletic Football Club and Alloa Athletic Football Club are both delighted to announce a working partnership for season 2020-21.

With the challenges posed by Covid-19, both clubs have agreed to work together next season, in the first such partnership in Scottish football, to assist each other with the sharing of resources and facilities.

Dunfermline Athletic will use the Indodrill Stadium as its designated training facility for the forthcoming season, with separate changing facilities and storage, in a Bio-Safe environment.

Both clubs have agreed a reciprocal arrangement, whereby, in the event of an emergency, if either East End Park or the Indodrill Stadium is out of commission next season, for any reason, then we can host each other’s first team fixtures. In addition, both clubs are currently reviewing other Covid-19 costs that they could share, which could include other local Professional football clubs in the Forth Valley.

Mike Mulraney, Alloa Chairman stated :

 We are convinced that this agreement shows that in these difficult times clubs can work together to ensure that we all not only survive, but can learn new ways to thrive even in the most difficult of circumstances, building resilience for both clubs will be only one of the very positive outcomes achieved.  We believe that this shows a positive way forward for clubs to share resource where appropriate and we thank Ross and all at Dunfermline for their positive approach and commitment to building a great outcome for both clubs”

Ross McArthur, Dunfermline Chairman stated :

We are delighted to agree this arrangement with our near neighbours, as next season will undoubtedly cause issues we have not experienced before. I am extremely grateful to Mike for working with us over the last few weeks to create something that will be of value to both clubs moving forward, in terms of meeting the JRG guidelines but also sharing costs.  I see this as a good new story of two clubs, in close proximity, working closely together for each other’s benefit. From DAFC’s perspective, it also provides us with certainty, as using a facility operated by a local authority next season could be extremely challenging on a number of fronts.”

Manager Peter Grant made his first signing of the close season, bringing in 23 year old defender Nicky Jamieson who had been with Queen’s Park last season.

Alloa Athletic manager Peter Grant said-

“We at Alloa Athlectic Football Club,are delighted to announce the signing of Centre Back Nicky Jamieson, Nicky came through the ranks at Greenock Morton as a youngster and then played at Largs Thistle Junior’s and the last few seasons at Queens Park. We believe Nicky will be an asset to the squad and learn well from the senior players in the position he plays, having played at different levels in the game he has shown that he has a desire and hunger to keep improving, Nicky was also named in the SPFL League 2 team of the year last season,Welcome to Alloa Nicky”.

Thanks to Iain Cairns for use of pictures.

Alloa Athletic FC can confirm Kevin O’Hara has today joined Dunfermline Athletic FC.

Since joining the club at the start of last season from Falkirk FC, Kevin has produced the form which has earned him plaudits which attracted attention of a number of clubs during the January transfer window.

With Kevin wanting to repay the faith manager Peter Grant had shown in him, he went on to win the Ladbrokes Championship Player of the Month for January 2020 and swept the board at the end of the season collecting Alloa Athletic Supporters Club “Player of the Year” along with the Alloa Advertiser “Player of the Year” awards.

He ended up the club’s top goalscorer for the season, scoring 14 goals in 33 appearances. The club would like to thank Kevin for his time with Alloa Athletic FC and wish him well in the future.

Alloa Athletic FC would also like to thank Dunfermline Athletic FC who have conducted themselves so diligently throughout the process at all times.

Enjoy online streaming and priority access to home games

Season ticket holders will be able to watch all Alloa Athletic home league games online at no extra cost for the 2020/21 campaign.  This is an important development in ensuring our supporters can watch matches for as long as social distancing measures are in effect.  It has also been announced that the Championship Season will begin on 17^th October with Championship clubs having voted to play each other three times rather than four.

A further agreement with broadcasters will enable matches to be available for broadcast by the club in the UK and Ireland for the first time for season 2020/21.

Full details on how to watch live streaming of the games will be made available soon.   “We are working through the details of how it will work in practice and will update supporters shortly.

Season ticket holders will also get priority access to games once social distancing measures are relaxed but will also have the additional access to online streaming should they not be able to attend games i.e. due to work or family commitments until the end of the season.

“I hope this clarity will provide further incentive to supporters to now buy their season ticket if they can.”  We thank you in advance for your continued support.

Prices

Adults £170.00 / Senior Citizens (over 65) £115.00 / Juvenile (under16 * please note no live streaming access at this time for juveniles) £40.00

Family £200.00 (Adult + 1 child (£40.00 each additional child)

How to purchase

By Phone – pay over the phone using a credit or debit card by calling Lime Tree House 01259 720444

By Post – Send in a cheque with your contact details to Lime Tree House, North Castle Street, Alloa, FK10 1E

Martin Ross, Vice-Chairman, Alloa Athletic FC

To all Season Ticket-Holders, I hope you and your families are all well and keeping safe. You may recall a few weeks ago I asked whether you wanted a refund or a credit for the four unused games from last season after the lockdown.

The SPFL have now said if Season Ticket holders do not want a refund or credit, we can reclaim the VAT on the ticket as it can be treated as a donation and thus non-vatable. Its not a lot of money, maybe £ 1,000/£ 1,200 but every little will help us to stay afloat.

The way we can do this is that unless you contact me at martin@martinross.org.uk or 07786 078484 or Robert Wilson at fcadmin@alloaathletic.co.uk before Friday 10th July, 2020, to say you want a credit / refund we can assume you do not wish a credit / refund and we can then reclaim the VAT. This does not apply to the season ticket holders who have already contacted us and let us know their preference, they can ignore this post

Hopefully we can see the season starting in October but what form it will take remains still to be seen.

.

I’ve made the decision to retire. Choosing to retire was not an easy decision but I think it’s the right time for me. I’ve had a great time at the club and I’d like to thank, the Chairman and the board, managers and assistant managers – both past and present, the back room staff, the supporters and all my teammates throughout my time at Alloa Athletic.

The club would like to thank Iain for his outstanding service to the club, we are sorry to see him go but we respect his decision and wish him all the best for the future. Iain has been a model professional in his time with the club, signed by Paul Hartley at the beginning of Season 2013/14 having previously played full-time for Kilmarnock, Partick Thistle, Morton and Falkirk, he has been a highly influential member of the team, and is one of the most skilful and creative players out with the Premier League. He always makes time on the ball and plays with great control and vision and can be counted on to display his ability especially at set pieces. We have been very fortunate to have him for the last seven seasons being a player which other club’s always admired which saw him included in past PFA Team’s of the year, Iain played a total of 221 competitive games for “The Wasps” scoring 36 goals which will be looked back in admiration in years to come. Thanks for the memories.

The club can confirm we have signed up the bulk of the squad for next season, fifteen of last season’s squad renewing their contracts with the manager delighted to keep the nucleus of last season’s squad; we are happy where we are at this time. The players who have re-signed are:-

Neil Parry, Andy Wilson, Andy Graham, Scott Taggart, Liam Dick, Steven Hetherington, Jon Robertson, Alan Trouten, Adam Brown, Blair Malcolm, Kevin Cawley, Liam Buchanan, Robert Thomson, Cameron O’Donnell & Nathan Gilhooly.

Joint response group update

On Thursday 9 April 2020 The Scottish FA board met via video conference this morning to discuss the implications of the most up-to-date government and medical advice on the governing body’s suspension on football. Based on this advice, it has unanimously agreed to extend the suspension at all levels of the game from professional to recreational until at least 10 June. The board had initially suspended football until further notice and with a stipulation of April 30 at the earliest, in order to give member clubs greater certainty on player welfare and wellbeing, as well as financial clarity. Since the announcement on 19 March, the Joint Response Group has received daily updates from the Scottish FA’s Medical Consultant, Dr John MacLean, based on his discussions with medical colleagues in Scotland and the United Kingdom, as well as within UEFA and the World Health Organisation.

The Scottish FA board has also given due consideration to a letter received by the Scottish Government Minister for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing, Joe FitzPatrick, drawing attention to the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions) (Scotland) Regulations 2020, which banned public gatherings of more than two people. Mr FitzPatrick stated that these restrictions were unlikely to be lifted for at least 13 weeks and that NHS Scotland had been placed on an emergency footing until at least 10 June 2020. Mr FitzPatrick indicated that no group training would be permitted before the legal restrictions are lifted and noted the medical advice that competitive matches could not take place for about six weeks after training and conditioning recommences. This was consistent with the advice of the Scottish FA’s Medical Consultant, as well as UEFA’s confirmation on a recent videoconference that its fixture calendar working group was now looking at dates beyond June 2020 for the resumption of its competitions across Europe. It was after full consideration of all these facts that the board has decided to extent the suspension of all football, which for clarity also applies to all training and conditioning of players.

Rod Petrie, Scottish FA President:

We are grateful to Dr John MacLean for his input to the Joint Response Group and to the Scottish FA board.

The message is very clear: the government restrictions introduced to save lives must be adhered to and there is no prospect of an early resumption of training let alone organised football in Scotland for several weeks.

The decision to suspend all football until at least 10 June is to help clubs ensure the safety and wellbeing of players, staff and supporters as well as take steps to mitigate their costs. Scottish football applauds everyone working within NHS Scotland and the care sector and should place no additional burden at a time when their resources are being tested to the limit because of COVID-19.

The SPFL and SFA have announced the suspension of all professional & grassroots football under their jurisdiction effective from Friday 13th March, 2020, due to the coronavirus situation.

The Joint Response Group can confirm the decision of the Scottish FA Board to suspend ALL domestic professional and grassroots football under the jurisdiction of the Scottish FA until further notice.

As a result, the SPFL has announced the postponement of this weekend’s and following midweek’s fixtures, starting with tonight’s Premiership match between Motherwell and Aberdeen and the Championship match between Queen of the South and Ayr United.

The Scottish FA and SPFL will continue to liaise with governments and UEFA in relation to domestic, European and International fixtures in the coming days and more information will be communicated at the appropriate time.

The Scottish FA Board made its decision in the interests of the health and safety of players, match officials, staff, supporters and the general public.

Ian Maxwell, Scottish FA Chief Executive:

Since the guidance outlined by governments last night we have been engaged in extensive dialogue to clarify the position and implications of that guidance for Scottish football.

Today’s announcement is made in the interests of public health but, equally, the health and safety of players, match officials, and staff across the game. This is of paramount importance as the country enters the ‘delay’ phase of the coronavirus pandemic.

It is also why the Scottish FA is compelled to ensure that the suspension is cascaded through the non-professional and grassroots games until further notice.

Neil Doncaster, SPFL chief executive, said:

As everyone knows, this is a fast-moving and unprecedented situation for the entire country. “We have been in intensive and detailed discussions since last night and have also been taking on board the experience of our counterparts in England and across Europe. As a result, the board of the SPFL has agreed this morning that all league fixtures this weekend and next midweek will be postponed until further notice.

The health and safety of fans, players and officials is absolutely paramount. We have not yet had any confirmed cases of Coronavirus amongst players in Scotland, but, given the nature of the outbreak, it seems only a matter of time.

We realise that many people will be bitterly disappointed and we would obviously prefer to be in a position to continue as normal, but that’s neither realistic or possible.

We will update this message as soon as any further decisions are made, the announcement is made in the interests of public health but, equally the health & safety of the players, match officials, and staff across the game. This is of paramount importance as the country enters the delay phase of the coronavirus pandemic.