Iain McMenemy: Stenhousemuir are at the heart of our community in crisis

The Coronavirus pandemic continues to impact upon our lives with new issues appearing on a daily basis. However, whilst dealing with today’s problems, we should always keep an eye on future solutions. Scottish football is ideally placed to help in the wake of yesterday’s news about the imminent closure of schools. When the time is right, clubs can play a central role in getting the nation back on track by providing sports camps in place of school which will let parents continue to work, particularly those in key services.

Stenhousemuir chairman Iain McMenemy aims to make the club’s Ochilview ground a hub for community activity during the coronavirus crisis. Picture: Rob Casey/SNS

Football has a foot in almost every community right across the nation, right from the top to bottom, from east to west.

Quite quickly it would be possible to get football clubs self-mobilised to run camps. We have full-time coaches and dozens of part-time casual coaches. If coaches are off for a couple of weeks due to the virus, then they can be covered. Children themselves will be in and out as they pick up the virus and recover.

Meanwhile, parents can get back to work – particularly those who are working in the health service or police or who might be keeping the country going in other ways. It is a long period we now face. It could potentially be the end of summer before schools go back.

As an example, one of our Easter camps at Stenhousemuir FC is only around £50 for a week, less than cost of one day with other child care providers. It is a cheaper way to do it.

It is not about making a profit for football clubs, but it would help sustain them and pay wages at least, while also providing a service for parents at a cheaper rate than they would probably get anywhere else.

I have mentioned it to a couple of other clubs who are already involved in community programmes. They see the absolute benefit in doing it too. I aim to put something together and contact both the football authorities and the Government to ask if they will at least start looking to see if there is the science that would back this happening at the right time.

We are already involved in our own Community Help Initiative, which, as chairman, I am glad to note has received some UK-wide attention. It has gone incredibly well. It is a little bit of positivity among the dark times.

The helpline is a virtual number that goes to five different people, so there is always someone there to answer. I am one of the five numbers so I am effectively on call 24 hours. David Reid, the vice-chairman, has been spearheading the volunteer effort. There have been 8,000 leaflets delivered in 24 hours. The response has been outstanding.

Maidenhead United have been in touch – they heard about it and want to do something similar, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, too. It’s inspired a few clubs, which is great.

Primarily our volunteers have been undertaking tasks such as shopping for many vulnerable people who live locally. We have paired those who have indicated they want help with a volunteer – the same person each time so they can build a relationship.

We have over 50 volunteers out there under the umbrella of Stenhousemuir FC. Within that, around half are staff, Directors, and parents of kids in the community programme and who have an attachment to the club. The rest of the group have had no connection to club thus far but heard about it and phoned up wanting to help. It’s a real community effort. It’s not about football in anyway whatsoever. It’s about using our skills to plan and co-ordinate. It’s about helping anyone who needs it. It’s gone wider than the football club.

We haven’t got Gary Harkins walking anyone’s dog yet! But players may get involved, too. Because we are in this no man’s land in a football sense, we have advised the players to keep active and train on their own. If we get some certainty about what’s happening league-wise, we might say to them: can you come in and lend a hand?

We are meeting as a board tonight to discuss the impact on the club financially and what measures we need to take.

Our aim will be to leave players and staff unaffected. That has to be a priority but needs to sit alongside the long-term future of the club. Trying to make all that work is going to be the challenge.

PFA Scotland has said that players know the difficulties we all face. They won’t dig their heels in unnecessarily, and want to work with the clubs. There may be discussion that take place at some point. But everyone is already apprehensive in the current climate. We don’t want to make it worse.

l Stenhousemuir FC Community Help hotline is 01324 466563