Since Michael’s piece on fixing the atmosphere in Scottish football grounds sparked a lot of debate and our own Scottish Comedy FC writers’ had their own ideas about how best to get the excitement back into stadiums, we asked you, the fans, what you think clubs should be doing.
The results are varied, weird, sometimes wonderful and mostly incredibly expensive but here’s the fans’ suggestions on how to fix Scottish football…
There was the suggestion of restructuring the league to allow more teams and have each team play each other only twice…
@ScotComFC @MichaelJayPark @spfl reduce the prices and restructure the league's it's what fans have been asking for a decade time to listen
— Peter Burrell (@BurrellPeter) October 20, 2015
Under5 from the KillieFC forums (where the original article was posted for feedback) takes it and runs with it…
I’m sick of seeing us play same teams over and over. I don’t really care that much if we draw with Dundee as there is enough other games to see us safe. Bigger league, play each team twice would be my preference then maybe a trip to say Motherwell becomes more appealing as I know it’ll be the only one this year. Bigger crowds, better atmosphere.
You’d be surprised how often we heard this suggestion:
@ScotComFC @MichaelJayPark @spfl Play half-decent football would be a good start.
— Tartantrums (@Tartantrums) October 20, 2015
There are little things which Scottish clubs can be doing to improve the atmosphere too. red_dug on the KillieFC forums had a fair point about all this handshaking nonsense which goes on before games…
The slow trudge out the tunnel followed by a thousand handshakes kills the atmosphere before it’s even begun.
What about outside the ground? There are plenty of grounds which have a lot of space around them, just like Rugby Park (RP)…
@KittyCarrot @ScotComFC @MichaelJayPark @OneTeamAyrshire RP has plenty of space for stalls/community events/activities outside the ground.
— Scott McClymont (@mcclymontscott) October 20, 2015
There were even ideas from the sublime notion of a vuvuzela-filled New Douglas Park…
@ScotComFC @MichaelJayPark @spfl lower prices and allow musical instruments
— dougie frame (@DougieFrame) October 20, 2015
To the ridiculous…
@ScotComFC strippers. Hunners of strippers.
— Paul Dabek (@Dabek1990) October 21, 2015
And that old ticket price conundrum reared its ugly head again, even making it down into the murky depths of the Championship:
@ScotComFC @MichaelJayPark @spfl ticket prices, hibs charging Rangers £28 in the second of Scottish football sums it all up
— Jamie (@JamiepRFC) October 20, 2015
And the idea of encouraging the next generation was also prevalent…
@ScotComFC u12 s free entry. Fiver a ticket through December.
— Gary Young (@gazthebuddie) October 21, 2015
But sometimes atmosphere doesn’t equal passion…
@ScotComFC Was at a J League 2 game on Sunday. Nearly 10000 there and better atmosphere than SPFL but zero passion. pic.twitter.com/zwOPIqV3Cx
— Peter Thomson (@pedrothomson) October 27, 2015
There are clearly plenty of ideas among the fans which can see Scottish football improve incrementally and while these ideas might not outright fix the problems which surround the clubs and the league, they’re little improvements which aren’t going to hurt and might help to improve the chronic matchday atmosphere at a number of Scottish grounds.
We just hope that the clubs are willing to listen to the fans.
Follow Scottish Comedy FC on Twitter: @ScotComFC