Queen's Park to consider going professional

Queen's Park are to leave the national stadium and move to Lesser Hampden, next door. Picture: SNS

A knock-on effect of the Scottish FA buying the club’s Hampden ground for £5.1 million, in preference to renting Murrayfield, could be the introduction of professionalism to Queen’s Park.

The club will move to what is presently their training HQ in two years’ time and, with the lure of playing at the national stadium gone, there are concerns about their ability to attract players willing to play for free as opposed to being paid elsewhere.

With the pyramid system in place, Queen’s are aware that one poor season could see them drop out of senior football and will consider ditching the amateur policy that has been in place since they were formed in 1867. “Our amateur status is something that will have to be looked at in the coming years,” said a club member. “It is not something anyone really wants to happen, and it is not being looked at just now, but a review will take place before 2020.

“That review will include looking at whether Queen’s Park should have the option to have professional players.

“It will all be about timing. If the club sticks to its amateur status and finds itself at the bottom of League 2 halfway through a season then it could be too late to change things in terms of our senior status.

“It is also a question of whether that is a price worth paying for change.”