Scottish Amateur Football Association - 1946 - 1949 The Post War Years

1949 The Post War Years

After the war, most Leagues and Associations struggled to resurrect and made stuttering progress caused by loss of personnel, lack of equipment and kit, problems due to travel, effects of rationing. A glimpse into the Minutes of the Border Amateur Football Association (BAFA) typifies the problems faced throughout the country at this time.

On 17th October 1945, a meeting of eight clubs in Newton St Boswells agreed to reconstitute the Border Amateur Football Association though due to lack of equipment it was unlikely that a full fixture list could be operated and help was to be sought from the SFA to obtain clothing and equipment certificates (coupons). It was agreed that all member clubs should make a one off payment of £1.00 in addition to the Association membership fee to assist the purchase of equipment. A later meeting tells of the SFA saying they could only assist with coupons unless all member clubs were affiliated to the SAFA. The Association later agreed that no league fixtures be arranged but two cup competitions be organised. By January 1946, six further clubs had joined though Eyemouth United were refused admittance on the grounds that this would provide all other teams with great difficulty in obtaining Saturday transport.

A public dance was to be held to raise funds, and a recently appointed Patron, Lord William Scott, donated two guineas

(£2.10) to the Association funds. The sole football played in this first post war season was for the Dudley Cup which was won by Kelso United who went defunct in 1974. The rival Border Football Association (BFA) then requested return of the Dudley Cup and there followed a dispute as to its rightful ownership. All ended happily when the BFA agreed to permit the BAFA to use the trophy provided they formally applied for permission each year. League football got underway on 5th October 1946, a later date than first envisaged due to the lateness of the harvest, with nine clubs participating. The SFA had by now offered to pay 75% of the coupon value for clubs wishing to purchase jerseys etc. Referees were in short supply, and it was with great reluctance that the Association applied to the SAFA to permit the increase in the tariff from three and six (17p) to five shillings (25p) plus expenses to attract more officials. There was concern that some local school masters would not permit boys to play football unless it was with the oval shaped ball. The severe weather caused postponement of all fixtures in February and March 1947 and there were doubts if the league fixtures could be completed due to the overtime on the farms and the government ban on evening games. Such was the concern that the Association agreed to abandon all cup competitions for the season, and if any future league game was postponed it would be called a draw. Clubs were now withdrawing from the Association due to the conscription of players into the armed forces. Yes, a very different scenario to what faces Associations and Leagues in 2008.

In 1946 SAFA President W W Terris resigned and on leaving presented a cup for Under 16 competition.

The SAFA AGM of 1946 saw thirty seven delegates attend and there were one

hundred and twenty six entries for the Scottish Cup. In 1947 the SFA rejected an Appeal against an SAFA Sub Committee decision and advised the SAFA to set up a Right of Appeal to Council. !947 also saw Orkney FA and Shetland FA apply for affiliation to the SFA and permission was granted by the SFA for the SAFA to play Northern League, Northern Ireland in Belfast in June of that year.

Amateurism had to be seen to work, and in July 1947 a John Campbell of Minishant was reported for accepting a Savings Certificate as a prize. He was spared his amateur status only after he returned the gift.

The SAFA again applied to the SFA to resume internationals against England, Ireland and Wales but were refused on the grounds of “not full strength teams” and “a team without Queens Park players would be deluding the public”.

Orkney and Shetland FAs were granted affiliation to the SFA but did not require to pay fees as they were denied representation for playing outwith the SFAs accepted season. The SAFA were again granted permission to play Northern League, Northern Ireland in Dumfries in May 1948, and in an about turn by the SFA they were told they could arrange future internationals against the other home countries. They were reminded that they would be fully responsible for all expenses incurred.

At the behest of some member clubs the SAFA requested SFA permission to set up a National Registration Scheme but this was eventually rejected by the SAFA Council as “being diametrically opposed to the amateur principles”. 1948 also saw Inverness area clubs refusing to join or affiliate to the SAFA and they were then reported to the SFA

for playing unauthorised football. They continued to rebel but the SFA hit back by declaring (1) all clubs were ineligible, (2) players would have to apply to the SFA for reinstatement from unauthorised football,(3) SFA member clubs must have no dealings, offer pitches etc and (4) referee’s were advised they could not officiate in matches. The President and Secretary of the SAFA made a pilgrimage to Inverness in December in an effort to resolve the problems and repeated the journey to Sutherlandshire in the same month to put out the embers of rebellion in that area.

There is no clear picture of how long it took to bring the clubs to heel, but the amount of players who applied to the SFA for reinstatement from unauthorised football during the course of the next year suggests it lasted no more than a season.

By the 1948 AGM, there were forty three Associations /Leagues, six hundred and four teams and one hundred and seventy three Youth members within the SAFA, and the Association accepted an offer from the SFA to hold their meetings at the SFA offices in Glasgow. At the 1949 AGM, it

was agreed all Past Presidents of the SAFA should be given automatic Life Membership. A Murray McNab was appointed Secretary and he accepted provided his company received payment of £150.00 for use of office staff to carry out the duties. Once again a proposal for a National Registration Scheme was rejected.

The SAFA arranged its first amateur international against Ireland in Aberdeen and invited two delegates from the SFA to attend. There were seven Queens Park players in the team whilst the reserve team had another five. There was no happy ending to the first international match as Scotland were defeated.

In 1949 the SAFA received an invitation to play their French counterparts in Paris the following year but had to decline the offer as they could not afford to finance the trip nor could the players take the necessary five days off work to participate. The rules, of course, strictly forbid players being reimbursed for loss of wages.