As we embark on a new season, I am honoured to address you as the incoming chairman of our club. First and foremost, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to our outgoing chairman, Finlay Noble. His dedication, leadership, and commitment to Fraserburgh FC have been instrumental in shaping the club we are today. We owe him a great debt of thanks for his years of service as chairman. Thankfully for all involved Finlay will still be heavily involved in the club as we move forward.
For the last 16 years Finlay has been a dedicated chairman and overseeing one of the most successful periods in the club's history. His tenure has been marked by unwavering commitment, and a deep-rooted passion for the club. Finlay's association with Fraserburgh FC began long before he took on the role of chairman. As a lifelong supporter of the Broch, he understood the club's significance to the town and its people. When he stepped into the chairman's role, he brought with him a determination to elevate the club's status both on and off the pitch. Under Finlay's leadership, Fraserburgh FC has experienced remarkable success. The club ended a 20 year wait for the Highland league title, with the 2021-22 historic treble-winning season. During Finlay’s tenure the club has won 1 League title, 4 Aberdeenshire Shields, 6 Evening Express Aberdeenshire Cups and the Aberdeenshire League. One of Finlay's most significant contributions has been his emphasis on youth development. Recognising that the future of the club lies in nurturing local talent, he has been a strong advocate for Fraserburgh's youth set up. This focus has not only produced players for the first team but has also strengthened the club's ties with the local community. Finlay's tenure has not been without challenges. The financial pressures of running a semi-professional club, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the constant need to compete with larger, better-resourced teams have all
tested his resolve. However, his steady hand and long-term vision have helped the club navigate these obstacles successfully.
As Finlay Noble prepares to hand over the reins, his legacy at Fraserburgh Football Club is secure. He leaves behind a club that is stronger, more successful, and more deeply integrated into its community than ever before.
Looking ahead, we face both exciting opportunities and challenges. Our primary goal remains to build upon the solid foundation from last season and to continue competing at the highest level possible. We aim to strengthen our squad, enhance our youth development programs, and improve our facilities to provide the best possible experience for our players and fans alike.
Community involvement has always been at the heart of Fraserburgh FC, and we will continue to strengthen these ties.
To our fans, your passion and dedication are the lifeblood of this club. We promise to work tirelessly to make you
proud and to create unforgettable moments at Bellslea Park.
I must also highlight our other directors who have decided to retire from the board. Jason Nicol and Bobby Cowe. Without either of these two Fraserburgh FC would not be the club it is today. Again, I am very grateful that Jason will remain on the committee supporting the cub and the board as he has done for many years. Bobby has been a stalwart of the sponsors lounge and ground keeping team for many years. His cheery and approachable manner is missed by all at the club, but we hope to see Bobby at the ground as the season begins as we will never be able to thank all three retiring directors enough for the many years of dedication.
As has been mentioned in previous posts the board has been strengthen by the addition of Lorraine Smith and Charles West who have been involved in one way or another with the club for many years and we look forward to working together.
Here's to a successful season ahead.
Welcome back as we prepare for another footballing campaign for season 2024/25. An unexpected late surge last season saw us finish third, only 3 points off of top place. Quite an achievement considering we were around9thatonestage.
Quite a bit of planning has been put in for this season. Player recruitment is always a hot topic and things haven’t quite worked out how we would have liked as yet but we are continually looking at ways of improving the team where we can.
We ultimately lost Ryan Sargent this season to Elgin of League Two. Ryan has always indicated that one day he would like to test himself at a higher level and with Allan Hale now being the manager at Elgin and with knowledge of the Highland League, we were always expecting an enquiry to come our way. It did and we as a club are not ever going to stand in anyone’s way of progressing. A fee was agreed between the clubs and Ryan moved on with our blessing. We wish him well on his next challenge and he knows that there will always be a home for him at Bellslea Park.
The only other player to leave the club was Ryan Cowie. He decided to retire from football due to not being able to recover from an injury previously picked up. I’ve watched Ryan over the last year work so hard to get himself back and then one training session he would overstretch or turn sharply and his knee would give way. I think the fear of it happening at any time was always in his head and something which wasn’t going to go away. Again he won’t be a stranger to the club and will be back I’m sure when he can to support his older brother.
It has been a difficult market to try and work in. Transfer fees in my opinion have escalated to crazy levels with everyone trying to get as much as they can in. The club have supported me this summer and although we have spoken to numerous players, we haven’t quite
managed to complete any signings outwith one.
We have taken in Liam Strachan from our good friends and neighbours Fraserburgh United. Liam was a youngster with us which didn’t work out at the time and that saw him go to Turriff and laterally to the Junior Superleague. I had an abundance of sources telling me we should look at him and thankfully we were able to do that with aid from Russell McBride. Liam has trained with us all pre season and has done really well. To be honest it wasn’t until our friendlies that he really has shone through. I think by his own admission he wasn’t quite ready before but from what we have seen so far, he has matured since then and looks like he is going to be a great asset to the club. All the best Liam and welcome to Fraserburgh FC.
Although we are still looking to add, we have been delighted with the young players who took part in our pre-season. All came along in the first two weeks with Stuart Laird, Daniel Cummings, Cammy Robertson, Dylan Robertson and Jonny Adams going out on loan.
For now Adam Henderson, Flynn McKay and
Jake Garden are to stay with the first team to assist with cover but also because of their efforts over pre-season. Adam will head off to university down in the central belt at some stage but has shown how much of a leader he can be despite his young age. Jake was thrown in to play Peterhead and acquired himself really well but we did feel he was close to being ready for our team. Flynn McKay has probably been the biggest surprise. We knew how much of a talented player however we weren’t sure if he was physically ready. His attitude and performances though have answered that question and he has been brilliant up until now with a real desire to play for Fraserburgh. Well done to all and all the best to those on loan as well as those with the first team.
We have done well through pre-season with some very good performances. With a bigger squad it’s difficult to get everyone up to speed right away but we have tried to make sure we have done that. All the preparations are now complete and we are ready to get in to the real business with a first game away to Wick. Quite a travel for the first game however we are all looking forward to it and hopefully we can get off to a good start.
Let’s enjoy the season and I hope you all enjoy watching FFC play. Thanks again.
The team are looking forward to the start of the season with excitement following what has been an enjoyable and positive preseason.
I’m particularly looking forward to seeing some of theplayerssteppingupfrom our youth teams who have particularly impressed in trainingandarepushingfor placeswithinthesquad.
Following some holidays, Euros, offshore trips, injuries(some),thesquadis finallylookingmorehealthy as we approach our first game. Wick will be a good testforuswhoIbelieveonly lost4homegamesalloflast season.
It will also be another good opportunity for some of the newer members of the squad to settle in with the team during the journey and hopefully next month I will be able to report on somegoodinitiationstories!
We wont have much time to recover from Wick as August is going to be hectic with a home game midweek in the
Cup against Hearts. Having never won a game in this competition we are determined to set that recordrightandprogress.
Up next local derby with the Vale who I am sure will be looking to improve on their previous season. Their new Manager ‘Woody’ historically gives us a tough time and I am sure he will be looking to replicate that asamanager.
It doesn’t get much easier with Buckie and Brechin nextonthehitlist.
The players have wished Ryan Sargent all the best in
his new challenge and althoughhewillbemissedit gives another an opportunity to step up and deliver.
Ryan Cowie’s influence on and off the park will be missed but the ‘Hawk’ continues to develop and gain confidence and will be pushing for a place in the team.
I was delighted that Liam Strachan’s trial was successful and looking forwardtoseeinghimatthe Bellslea after an impressive preseason.
Willie
Click or Double Tap for Deveronvale Squad List
Flynn McKay forces a spectacular save during the recent visit of Ellon United.
Barry Walker
As we look forward to the new season with the usual excitement, I would like to take the opportunity to add to the many positive comments on Finlay, following his announcement to concentrate on being Secretary of our great FootballClub.
Firstly, a big thank you to Finlay for giving me the opportunity to join the Board in May 2022, and then trusting me to be Vice Chairman a year past April. I’ve seen at first hand Finlay’s incredible dedication to our Club, the passion he has in maintaining the values set by his predecessors and I look forward to us continuing to work together over theseasonstocome.
I have stated many times through thesecommercialupdatesthatwe need to run our Football Club as a business, and we are focussed on having a solid financial framework in place to make sure, like any successful business, we manage our costs tightly and continually strive to generate new income streams, whilst retaining existingincomesources,to:
1. Ensure the long-term financial stabilityofourClub;
2. Ensure we continue to invest in our Youth set up, which is the foundationofourClub;
3. Ensure we provide our management team with the resources to ATTRACT new players, MAXIMISE our players
potential through coaching and support and RETENTION of our playing squad at the end, and renewaloftheircontracts.
4. Ensure Bellslea Park is maintained and continually upgraded to ensure the safety and comfort of our fans, whist ensuring our playing surface remains one of the best in the HighlandLeague.
5. Ensure we continue to adhere toSFAguidelines.
As I’ve stated, generating new income streams and retaining existing income sources is a key priorityforourClub.
Here’s a summary of our key incomesources:
� Season Ticket Holders and Payas-you-go fans: Our fans are the lifeblood of our Club, and we are delighted to be able to again hold prices at the same level for the upcoming season for our loyal fans. (Promotional Flyer withinthisBulletin).
This source of income is becoming increasingly important for our Club – we would be very grateful if our fans and local/ regional businesses can support usbyjoiningusattheseevents.
� Annual Golf Day: Friday 30th August – Fraserburgh Golf Club. (Promotional Flyer within this Bulletin).
� Annual Business Lunch: Friday 1st November – Marcliffe Hotel, Aberdeen. (Promotional Flyer withinthisBulletin).
� Annual Hall of Fame and End of Season Awards Dinner: Friday 25th April 2025 – Fraserburgh Leisure Centre. On the back of the success of our 1st Dinner last May, we plan to make this an annual event. We are grateful to our guests who took time to give us feedback and we plan a bigger and better event next Apil, so, for the moment, please “save thedate”.
This is an important income source for our Club, as well as generating a unique atmosphere attheGround.
� We have increased the number of Season Tickets to 100, to accommodate fans on our waiting list, and also to have additional guaranteed income over the season. We now have 30 Match Day Hospitality tickets availablepermatch.
� We have listened to feedback and reduced the match day price to £65, including vat, and maintained the Season Ticket price at £780, including vat, which we consider is particularly good value for money, and valid foreveryLeagueandCupgame.
� We are also extremely appreciative of our Season Ticket Holders and Match Day guests who purchase raffles – again an important source of income for us.
This is a major income source to our Club and crucial to our ongoing operations. (Current list of Sponsors highlighted within thisBulletin)
� We have 13 Sponsors who provide an annual payment to ourClubforaspecificpurposeor to support our ongoing operationalcosts.
� We currently have sponsorship opportunities in the following areas: Annual Golf Day; Annual Business Lunch; Hall of Fame and End of Season Awards Dinner;
Boardroom at Bellslea Park; Youth development; 1st Team Squad – Attraction, development and retention; Bellslea Park ongoing maintenance, Bellslea Bulletin.
� We also have aspirations to develop Bellslea Park with a new West enclosure (beside dug-outs) and we would be keen to engage any individuals or businesses who have an appetite to support uswiththisventure.
(Current list of Official Partners highlightedwithinthisBulletin)
� We are very grateful to our 16 “Official Partners” who provide a business service to our Club–eithercomplimentaryorat a discount. This extends to businesses who pay an annual fee to sell their own products inside Bellslea Park, or FFC brandedproductselsewhere.
� We would be delighted to hear from any business that would like to become an Official Partner to complement our existing Partners and add value toourClubandsupporters.
This has been a consistent and growing source of income to our Club over the years and we are extremely grateful to the many businesses that have supported us, year on year, with financial support in this way. (Promotional FlyerwithinthisBulletin).
� We have close on 200 Advertisement Boards at Bellslea Park and we currently have 40 new and existing opportunities at theground.
� We would be delighted to hear from any business that would like to support us whilst promoting their business at BellsleaPark.
On 15thJuly we hosted a "Season Preview" in our HospitalityLounge.
Our Club 1910 members were joined by our FFC Supporters Club members, Season Ticket holders and many of our loyal fans.
Mark Cowie shared his hopes and aspirations for the season ahead and provided an update to our fans of the current playing squad.
Therewasalsoanopportunityfor our fans to hear from Michael Murray our new Chairman, whilst I gave an overview of what's happening "behind the scenes" from a business viewpoint. We finished off the session with an open Q&A with Mark, Michael, myself and our Past Chairman and Secretary, FinlayNoble.
In next month’s Bulletin, we will provide a further update on the non-playing side of our Club - if any of our Bulletin readers would like something specific covered in the Commercial update, please do get in touch on george. thom@fraserburghfc.co.uk.
Until our next Bellslea Bulletin, all thebest,George
The management team deep in discussion during the early pre-season encounter against Peterhead
Barry Walker
BUCKIE
As we enter the new season, we would like to thank our current Official Partners for your continued support, and to our new Official Partners, thank you, we are delighted to have your support for the season ahead.
Prior to our recent friendly with Ellon United, we were pleased to welcome Ross Strachan of energyX to Bellslea Park. Ross is founder and managing director of energyX, Engineering and Gas Turbine support specialists, and recently approached us to offer sponsorship of our First Team shorts. We are thankful and delighted to have their support for the season ahead!
Prices frozen from 2023/24
Adult £140
Concessions (U16 & 65+) £70
Cash, card and cheque payments all accepted.
May be ordered online, and collected Bellslea on Match-days, by contacting:
tickets@fraserburghfc.co.uk
head of youth
As we look forward to the new campaign with preparation well underway,IthinkitisimportantI put on record my thanks to all involved in what was a very positive season for the Developmentsquadduring23/24.
The number of postponed games during the season resulted in a huge backlog and a gruelling end to the season. Players had three games a week with us, as well as their Boys Club commitments. All with the significant pressures of school exams. We are hugely proud of how the group handled this period and thank all the parents and families for the support.
During our Annual Awards and the inaugural Hall of Fame dinner we watched Flynn McKay pick up Young Player of the Year for ‘23/24 - well deserved recognition for a talented player who shows great enthusiasm.
Ethan Sutherland has been a great character during his time with the club and we all wish him well as he travels to the USA to begin a scholarship.
We will see an exciting and challenging time for our senior Youth players as they head out on loan, seeking valuable experience and game-time within the Junior ranks. We are indebted to the strong relationships we have with our Junior neighbours across our area and look forward to seeing how our guys progress in the coming year.
It has also been great to see a number of our Youths feature across the First Team’s pre-season.
Collectively we recognise many areas that we need to improve on over the course of the new season and have been working hard preparing for the new campaign.
We are delighted to have promoted a number of players from the
Foundation Phase into our Development under-18s squad with Alex Gibb and Remi Pietrzak coming in through this pathway. We also welcome Matthew Mahoney and Owen Cole to the 18s, both having been alongside Angus Robbie as part of the very talented Westdyke ‘09s outfit. Last but not least, we are delighted to have Harvey Mackie on board, son of former Broch player Scott Mackie.
We hope the new additions can add energy to the group and help drive each other on in the new season.
It’s also great to have former Broch player Ian Wheeler join the Youth coaching staff. A great voice, and a coach who has a wealth of experience to bring to the programme.
With two pre-season matches remaining, the U18s are preparing to commence their league. This will feature11teamsafterHermesdropping out and with the addition of Westdyke and Buchanhaven Hearts. We open on Monday 12th August with the visit of Dyce to Bellslea - it promises to be a tough game against a very competent outfit.
The U21 Aberdeenshire League campaign will start on Monday August 5thwiththechallengeofInverurieLocos away.
As always, your support is really appreciated and i hope you guys can come along to our games and hopefully be entertained.
Take Care, Matthew
Date Opponent H/A Competition
Mon 5
We are delighted that local fisherman Johnny Stewart of the Three Sisters LH584 recently donated pre-match warm-up shirts for the U18s and their forthcoming season. These look great and are much appreciated.
Pictured above are Will Sim and Max Wiseman with our new shirts.
We recently had a visit from J-Lo’s nursery. Boys and girls were enthusiastic about signing for the Broch in the future and playing at Bellslea Park.
We are looking for An enthusiastic Community Coach for the upcoming season. Aged over 18 with previous coaching experience preferred. Please contact Graeme via the FFC in the Community Facebook page for further details.
Click or Double Tap for FFC in the Community Facebook page
A crucial part in the development of any young player is making the transition from age-group football. We are fortunate to enjoy excellent long term relationships with a number of Junior and Amateur clubs in our region, and
We have our young goalkeeper, off the back of a great season with the 18s last year, head out to join up with recently returning gaffer Iain Davidson at Stoneywood Parkvale.
A good club who will provide Daniel experience as they push for an instant return to the Super League.
Young Goalkeeper Liam Gordon will make the step up from juvenile to adult football with a loan spell at local Amateur club Tarves.
Off the back of a hugely successful run over the last few seasons at PBC07 we hope Liam can take confidence and enjoy the challenge.
Dyl’s done well with the first team in pre-season showing good progress in strength and fitness.
He’s a calm defender with good composure and use of the ball. He will head back to get further game time and develop with our former captain Ryan Christie at Maud Juniors.
these relationships continue to help our Youth players take their first steps into Senior football.
Matthew West, Head of Youth, gives the rundown on the FFC youngsters starting the season out on loan.
Having enjoyed an opportunity with the first team last season and a terrific run of form in the U18s Scottish Cup. It was a bad end to the season having endured a nasty injury. With this now behind him, Cammy will join cousin Dylan at Maud aiming to progress his own game and help Maud as they prepare for another season in the Super League.
Johnny was a contender for young POTY last season with terrific progress across all aspects of his game.
A frustrating set back with hamstring injury cut his season short but we hope with our support he can get the back of this, then continue on an upward trajectory with guidance from Nicol Davidson and the team at Longside Juniors.
An exciting and entertaining forward Stuart possesses terrific ability on the ball and has been an ever present in the 18s and 21s in recent seasons. We are excited to see him progress as he gets the opportunity to transition into the adult game with ex-skipper Russell McBride as Broch United look to build on a positive season last year at College Park.
Broch
Once again, it’s hard to believe we are about to start a new season with Wick Academy away on the 27th July for our opening game, this is the 30th anniversary since Wick entered the Highland league back in 1994.
The supporters club held our AGM in the Elizabethan Bar on Saturday 8th June, Alan Henderson has been added to the committee members, some bus prices were rounded up or down to aid money collection and membership fees were kept the same as last year.
Bus prices are subject to change as fuel prices may increase during the season.
The pre-season started on the 6th July with a game against Peterhead for Ryan Strachan’s testimonial game, we were away to Balmoor Stadium to play Peterhead, in a tight match the home team won the game by 2 goals to nil.
The next game against Maud at Pleasure Park on the Wednesday was postponed due to the heavy rain, “summer fitba, ye canna beat it”, the game was then played in Peterhead on the Thursday night, the Broch ran out winners on a difficult surface with the wind howling, Sean Butcher opened the scoring before Maud grabbed a couple of goals to go 2 – 1 up, Josh Bolton scored to make the score level at halftime, he scored again before Kieran Simpson converted a penalty to give the Broch a 2 goal lead, Maud scored later for the game to finish in a 4 -3 victory to the Broch.
Our first home game was against Junior side Hermes, the pitch looked great with new groundsman Norman Pirie working his magic, Jamie Beagrie opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a right foot shot from 25 yards out which Devon Hudson failed to keep out, Liam Strachan smashed a shot off the left-hand post, the Broch were 1 nil up at halftime, Connor Wood smacked in a second goal in the 46th minute, he cut inside from the right wing and curled in a powerful left footed shot into the left corner of the net, Scott Barbour scored in the 53rd minute, Sean Butcher played the ball back from the edge of the 6 yard box and Scott smashed it home, Scott grabbed his second of the game 3 minutes later with a clever over head left footer which went into the right corner of the net, Sean Butcher wrapped up the scoring in the 69th minute with a cool right footed curler.
On the following Wednesday we played Fraserburgh United at College Park, the Broch took the lead in the 4th minute, Liam Strachan was fouled by Neil Hay in the box, Liam took the penalty but Blaire Tait made a fingertip save onto his right-hand post, the ball ran along the line and hit the left-hand post, Connor Wood reacted fastest and smacked the ball into the empty net, the Broch went 2 up in the 33rd minute, Liam Strachan sent a slide rule pass through the United defence, Logan Watt ran through and slotted the ball into the net, at half-time the Broch had a 2nil lead, the Broch made 7 changes at half-time, new signing Andy Reid went in between the sticks for the second-half, the Broch went further ahead in the 58th minute, Scott Barbour scored with a glancing header from a Greg Buchan freekick, Kieran Simpson increased our lead in the 63rd minute from the penalty spot, Aidan Sopel scored the goal of the game in the
71st minute, Greg Buchan passed the ball to Aiden who smashed a right footed shot which was still rising as it went into the top right hand corner of the net, Adam Ritchie scored a consolation goal for United in the 81st minute, his shot was deflected into the net by Adan Henderson, Kieran Simpson completed the scoring from the penalty spot in the 86th minute, the Broch ran out worthy winners.
Our next friendly involved our yearly pilgrimage to play Broughty Athletic, unfortunately due to Covid we have not completed this fixture for a few years, Broughty play in the East Region Midlands League, they play at Whitton Park on the Quest Arena, this is a new all-weather pitch, the Broch took the lead in the 2nd minute when Sean Butcher slotted the ball past the keeper, Broughty were back level after 4 minutes, Connor Wood blasted the ball into the net in the 8th minute to restore the Broch lead, the Broch scored a 3rd goal in the 22nd minute, Sean Butcher squared the ball into the box for Scott Barbour to tap home from 1 yard out, Broughty were awarded a penalty in the 48th minute which was fired high into the net, the Broch restored their 2 goal lead in the 73rd minute when Zane Laird tapped home, the game had a lengthy stoppage when new signing Andy Reid was hurt when blocking a run inside the box, after treatment on the field, Andy was taken off to hospital and the game was finished early, we all hope that Andy makes a speedy recovery from his injuries and he is back between the posts very soon.
Last game in our pre-season matches was against Junior side Ellon United, Callum Kelly slotted home the opener in the 10th minute, Ellon equalised in the 15th minute from the penalty spot, the game was all square at the end of the first half, the Broch made 9 changes at halftime, the Broch went ahead in the 56th minute, Liam Strachan did well on the right, he crossed deep into the box and Aidan Sopel headed past the Ellon keeper, Scott Barbour increased our lead in the 69th minute, Liam Strachan had a shot which the keeper could only deflect to Scott, he volleyed the ball into the empty net, Liam Strachan made it 4 – 1 in the 71st minute, Sean Butcher split the defence with a clever pass for Liam to run onto the ball and slot it home, Scott Barbour completed the scoring in the 82nd minute when he turned quickly in the box and slotted the ball into the net.
As the new season is about to start, I thought it was a good time to show the Broch all time appearances and goals records.
Fraserburgh F.C. all-time appearances and top goal scorers.
Fraserburgh F.C. present team appearances and goals scored.
(The number to the left of each name gives their position in the all-time Broch records).
We will not be running a bus to the Wick game on Saturday 27th July, unfortunately we did not have enough numbers wanting to go to the game.
There will be a bus to the Buckie Thistle game on Wednesday 7th August which will leave the Elizabethan at 6:15pm, the cost of travel is £10 for adults and £5 for others.
We also hope to be running a bus to the Inverness Clach game on Saturday 17th August which will leave the Elizabethan at 11:00am, the cost of travel is £25 for adults and £15 for others.
Please note that all seats on all buses must be booked by contacting Barry Walker at the supporter’s club.
We hope to attract new members to the supporter’s club as we have kept our membership and most bus prices at the same cost as last year.
Non-members are also very welcome to travel to games but they will have to pay an extra £2.
Our bus info page will tell you the cost and times of bus travel, we leave for home right after the final whistle.
Click or Double Tap for Brechin City Squad List
As we enter the new season, we would like to thank our current Sponsors for your continued support, and to our new Sponsors, thank you, we are delighted to have your support for the season ahead.
I came to the UK (Nottingham) as part of the Erasmus exchange programme for uni students. I had such a great time that at the end of it I was not ready to leave. So I studied for a masters in Glasgow, and at the end of the course I did jobs interviews in various countries (England, Scotland, Italy and Netherlands) to figure out which place I liked most.
My choice went for Aberdeen because I liked it for its people, the relatively small size of the city and the fact that countryside was only a 10 minutes journey away.
On the first point, my then girlfriend was Aberdonian and that played a big part in the decision. Today we are happily married with two kids together so with hindsight choosing Aberdeen proved to be the right decision.
What is your job outside of football?
Pipeline operations engineer for a North Sea platform
How long have you been refereeing for?
Since 2006. I started refereeing in Italy.
First match you can remember refereeing?
In my first match in Scotland, I turned up to the ground but no one else did! The match had been called off and nobody had notified me.
Why did you start refereeing?
Like most referees, I loved the game but I was not very good at playing it.
Favourite ground to officiate at?
I like historic football grounds with an atmosphere, so Bellslea Park is up there among the best. Last year, I also had a once in a lifetime opportunity to officiate a game at Stamford Bridge as part of a work event.
Best refereeing moment?
2023 was my most memorable year because I was appointed as fourth official for all 3 major cup finals in the North-East: Highland League cup, Aberdeenshire cup, Aberdeenshire Shield. What a clean sweep of medals that was!
VAR – a simple yes or no?
Yes
If you were given the chance to create or amend a rule, what would choose?
Not quite a rule change but I wish it was possible for fans, players and managers to be a referee for a day and soak in the experience. I am sure people would suddenly understand why being a ref is so difficult, and this would make our life much easier.
Is there anything at all you think we as clubs could change to encourage more people to become referees? Initiatives such as this interview promote visibility of the role so they all help with recruitment. Keep them going.
Any pre match rituals or superstitions?
Honestly none, but one thing that I hate is arriving to the ground too early and having to kill time before kick-off. I try to avoid it.
One piece of advice to a new referee?
When taking decisions, always use common sense, the so called “Law 18”.
Best pieces of advice you were given?
Once I was talking with my mentor about the challenges of booking a player when they pretended not to pay attention and either roll their socks up or run away as far as possible. He replied: “just say to come forward or the card will change colour”. I still use this trick to date and it never fails to work …
Well where do I start? At the beginning, I dare say. We were having an Extraordinary AGM of FFCSC in the Crown Bar in July 1994 and Sandy Tasker said, “You do realise we are speaking about the Supporters Club folding?”. Then David Henderson and myself simultaneously said, “Well that isn’t happening” and the rest as they say is history!
I started as Bus Convener and we quite often didn’t even get enough supporters to justify a bus so we simply cancelled the bus and took one of our cars! We took my car to Wick when they first entered the Highland League in 1984 and, as we had time to kill, we took a photo at John o’ Groats with the FFCSC bus sign which I had placed in the back of my car.
We had some great away days though especially in the Scottish Cup. I recall a former boss at work picking up a “fax” from a Hotel we were planning to go to addressed to FFCSC and saying this must be yours Kenny! We have definitely had some very memorable away days, good and bad, but there is no better feeling than going down south proud to be a supporter of your local team. Back in the day we used to stay on after games for refreshments but once I realised I was becoming more of a bouncer than a bus
convener we changed the policy to come straight home after games.
Three years later I reached the dizzy heights of Secretary / Treasurer, the position I still currently hold and it keeps me busy. Mike McLean came on board as the Bus Convener and Isobel, my wife, says I talk to him more than I do her!
Bus bookings are far more slick now as we have a WhatsApp group specially for booking seats, and it works very well. Gone are the days where we had absolutely no idea how many would turn up. Luckily for me, Barry Walker recently took over this role and it can be quite challenging - especially when the bus is full and there are loads of last minute dot com changes etc.
It’s great to finally see more kids coming on our buses which we have always tried to encourage. Hopefully FFCSC, with over 200 members, can go from strength to strength and run as many buses as we can to Broch away games.
We are lucky to have a great Committee with Brian Topping (Chairman), Mike McLean (Bus Convener), Martin Moir (Website Editor), Barry Walker (Bus Coordinator), and with Craig Reekie,
Derek Ritchie, and Alan Henderson as Committee Members as well.
To paraphrase Finlay, we are all merely custodians of FFCSC which was first formed in 1948 and hopefully we will continue to run as many buses as we can for many seasons to come. Away the Burry!
Telephone 01346
Address
Highland League 1932/33, 1937/38, 2001/02, 2021/22
Highland League Cup 1958/59, 2005/06
Qualifying Cup 1957/58, 1995/96, 2006/07
Aberdeenshire Cup 1910/11, 1937/38, 1955/56, 1963/64, 1972/73, 1975/76, 1996/97, 2012/13, 2014/15, 2015/16, 2019/20, 2020/21, 2022/23
Aberdeen Charity Cup 1911/12, 1913/14, 1921/22, 1926/27
Aberdeenshire Shield 1991/92, 1993/94, 1995/96, 1996/97, 1999/2000, 2011/12, 2015/16, 2019/20, 2022/23
Fleming Shield 1919/20
Bells League Cup 1972/73, 1973/74, 1975/76, 1976/77, 1978/79
Aberdeenshire League 1994/95, 1995/96, 1997/98, 2022/23
Highland Youth League 1992/93, 1993/94, 2001/02, 2003/04
The July Lottery was drawn by match referee, Filippo Mazzoni before the pre-season friendly with Hermes.
1st Prize £300: Ian Summers
2nd Prize £100: Steve Gracie
Congratulations to our winners and many thanks for your continued support.
NOTE - We will no longer be sending out emails to everyone advising of the draw results, but will continue to update the web page and our Social Media Pages.
Congratulations to all our winners and many thanks for you continued support.
If you would like to take part please request a form by emailing stephen.sim@fraserburghfc.co.uk and we will send you a mandate for you to return completed to the club either by post or in person.
Payment methods;
• Standing Order of 12 months at £5
• Standing Order of 4 Quarterly payments of £15
• Standing Order of 2 Half Yearly payments of £30
• Standing Order of 1 Annual Payment of £60
• Cash or cheque payment payable to Fraserburgh FC Development Fund.
Winning numbers will also be posted on Twitter and Facebook.
The allocated number will be yours for the duration of your subscription.
