From the Vaults 1: Original Thinking
I’ve been digging through some old files and came across various bits of writing I’ve done that may (or may not!) merit an airing on here. I’ve added a few more Killie U21 reports from days of yore and below is the first of a few general articles I’ll post up. This first appeared in the Killie Hippo issue 50…
Original Thinking
Like many fans, for me the League Cup has lost much of its lustre. As competitions go, it’s a tired beast and since it no longer offers its winner a UEFA cup place, in a football sense it’s ultimately pointless. This is reflected in low crowds, almost no television or radio coverage, and consequently minimal sponsorship. Managers and players see it as little more than an irritation or, at best, a chance to dabble in idiotic team formations. For the Old Firm, winning it only sheepishly marks the first part of a possible treble – it has no merit on its own. It’s time it was scrapped. The fact that Killie have never won it may or may not be influential in my opinion….
But what to replace it with? Some people – particularly those of a “big-club” persuasion who constantly moan about players being over-played – may argue that the blank spaces created in the fixture calendar should be left unfilled. Supporters and custodians of smaller clubs, for whom the League Cup at least offers the opportunity of additional income, would quite rightly argue the opposite. But these, I think, are typical of the parochial arguments we so often make of football in Scotland. When considering innovations in our game perhaps we should be looking as far as Australian Rugby League for inspiration.
The annual State of Origin series in Australia is an interstate three game series between Queensland and New South Wales. It is one of Australia’s biggest sporting events, and highest rating television programmes, and is played to sell-out crowds. To understand what relevance this has for Scottish football it is important to understand how this series became the success it is.
Since its inception in 1908, Australian Rugby League has held an interstate championship between Queensland and New South Wales (the two states where this code is played). Up until 1981 each team drew its players from the clubs based in that state. No notice was taken of the state origin of the players themselves. Historically, New South Wales dominated this match and peculiarly, given the current talk of Super Casinos at Ibrox and other stadia, a change to gambling laws in that state in 1956 cemented their domination. It was at this time that gaming machines (I think we’d call them puggies!) were legalised in New South Wales clubs providing them with vast new revenue. As the clubs grew stronger so did their pull on the best players from rival Queensland clubs and the interstate matches became a no contest. Years of debate ensued on how to address this inequality and the pivotal moment arrived in 1980.
With Queensland already 2-nil down in the series the game’s administrators, taking the lead from the rival code’s Australian Rules’ State of Origin games between Western Australia and Victoria, announced that the third match in the series would be based on new selection rules, i.e. players playing for the state they originally played in as juniors. Many, especially in the New South Wales media, were sceptical of this and the usual modest crowd of 5,000 was predicted. Yet the Queensland supporters, given the chance to see the first fair interstate contest in years, responded; 35,000 of them turned up to see their team win 20-10 and Rugby League’s State of Origin was born.
The reasons for the State of Origin’s success are apparent. The players and supporters are passionate about their home state, the two teams are competing on an even basis, and there is unpredictability to the outcome. These seem to me like ingredients much of Scottish football is currently sadly lacking.
Could a similar model work in Scottish football? I’m positive it would. In practical terms, I would suggest something along the lines of the following. Scotland could be divided into six regions, say: Highlands, Islands & the North; Stirlingshire, Perthshire & Tayside; Edinburgh & the Borders; Glasgow; Lanarkshire; and Ayrshire & South of Scotland. Not perfect, perhaps, but a good starting point. Teams would play each other once in a mini league format with the finishing top two teams playing at Hampden in a one-off final. There would be other considerations such as choices of venue for matches, appointing of managers etc, however nothing that couldn’t be sorted out.
In the State of Origin today players are selected according to which of the two States they first played in at junior level. The player doesn’t have to have been born in that state, although they usually were. When applying this model to Scottish football, I would be in favour of taking the selection criteria a step further and limiting the regional teams to players born there thus negating the advantage – at least in this competition – of certain regions “mopping up” the best players at youth level.
Such a competition is an attractive proposition in many ways. Principally, though, it fulfils two main requirements for an average supporter. Firstly, it gives him an affinity with his team – with the belief that the players have that same affinity by birth even if they no longer play in the area. ”Playing for the jersey” has become a hackneyed expression and a forlorn hope of most fans, however the Australian example suggests that players take immense pride in representing their State. Secondly, with player selection not reliant on finance, it would provide all teams with a fair chance of winning and therefore every supporter a realistic shot at glory.
There are also benefits for the wider game in Scotland. The showcasing of the best in Scottish talent in a competitive environment can only be good for the National side. Indeed, in Australia the State of Origin games are considered as trial matches for selection to the Australian Rugby League side. This goes a long way to ensuring that the games are taken seriously by the players. It should also be viewed as an inclusive competition. The Scotland team receives fanatical support from many people who don’t regularly watch a club side. In the same way I think there is potential for all football fans to feel pride and attachment to a regional team. Furthermore, the increased income generated from the Cup would be fed evenly back into the game across the whole of Scotland.
Not much gets off the ground these days without the correct marketing. This competition would be a marketers dream. There are six new strips to be designed and sold for a start! There are team names (and, indeed, a competition name) to come up with. The novelty alone would ensure decent exposure in the media and the “product”, if we have to talk of it in those terms, could surely be packaged a lot easier on TV and radio than the League Cup.
Undoubtedly there are some obstacles to such a competition, however. Regional sides would no doubt create “club v county” conflicts, though, provided the games are given sufficient prominence this shouldn’t prove too much of an issue. In any case, the “big teams” that do most of the moaning in this regard don’t exactly play with many Scots anyway! The usual topics of injury payments etc would crop up, but these issues are already dealt with at National level.
The most interesting challenge, I think, would be the uniting of normally rival supporters under a common cause. As a Kilmarnock supporter would I sit side by side with an Ayr fan cheering on the Ayrshire & South Scotland whatevers (no, I can’t think of a name)? I have to say yes. Under this circumstance I’d be no more at odds with another fan than if I was at Hampden supporting Scotland. Whether they spent their Saturdays normally watching Stranraer, Queen of the South, Cumnock or Largs Thistle wouldn’t matter. What would matter is that they, like me, would want us to beat those Weegie bastards from up the road.
Some fans may see such a competition as the first step on a slippery slope to mergers and regionalised super clubs – I don’t see it like that. The identity of individual clubs within Scotland is too strong to accommodate such a move, and long may that be the case. Remember, too, that the State of Origin approach is based on a different premise: the team is made from players from a region – the club that player plays for is irrelevant to all but the small-minded.
It is worth noting that a similar competition was played for many years in English Rugby League, but latterly with limited success. This was the “War of the Roses” match between Yorkshire and Lancashire that ran from 1895 to 1989 with player eligibility based on region of birth and where they first played professionally. It was revived in 2001 under the name of the Origin Series, inspired by the success of the State of Origin matches in Australia, however it ceased two years later due to poor crowds.
Whilst this does cast doubt over the viability of an Origin-based competition in football, I think the ultimate failure of the English competition was due to it not fulfilling a need at the time. Both counties have successful rugby league teams, therefore supporters on both sides are no strangers to success. Furthermore, the league game had already experienced a successful re-branding with the Super League concept.
There is no doubt that the introduction of an Origin-type Cup to Scottish football would require a significant leap of faith. Yet, fundamentally, Scottish football doesn’t like change. The game’s administrators are frightened of change. Supporters, whether they care to admit it or not, are frightened of change. And when change does occur, more often than not it is only to the benefit of the few, with little regard for the game as a whole. This attitude – more than anything else – must be removed from our game for it to prosper. Its prevalence is why we have out-dated, stagnant competitions like the League Cup. Embracing innovation in our game – whilst rediscovering some of its ideology – may yet remind us why we cared so much in the first place.
In any case, whatever the outcome of such an experiment, it would have to be better than spending a Tuesday night in September losing to Ayr, Airdire, Alloa or Brechin….
