We wanted to provide an initial update with regards to the Scottish Government’s new restrictions on football.

Testing & distancing

All first team players will now be subject to daily (7 days a week) Lateral Flow (LF) testing with the results recorded by the club.  Within the facility, we already have established red zones with home and away socially distanced changing facilities, and these will be maintained for the foreseeable future.  There is a very tight protocol in place for anyone who tests positive.   This protocol includes Scottish FA/Scottish Govt notification and contact tracing.  There is also a written protocol for the Return to Play for players coming back after recovering from COVID.  The welfare and wellbeing of players will continue to be a priority.

All club officials and staff will LF test before attending Ochilview for any purpose.  These requirements are designed to protect health and to do what we can to stay one step ahead of the virus.

Restriction of 500 fans

The Scottish Government has recently imposed a limit of 500 supporters in any football ground in Scotland for a period of three weeks starting on 26th December.  Our next home match is not until the 2nd January when we welcome Stirling Albion to Ochilview.  We are currently working on ensuring the facility is ready to welcome the maximum number of fans allowed.  We are awaiting clarification on some of the details, including group/family/bubble seating arrangements, but we can advise that season ticket holders will be given priority for reserving their ticket.  We have already started contacting season ticket holders and we would ask that due to the pressure on numbers, please only book your ticket if you are definitely attending.  Due to the restrictions and the requirement to have 1m distancing between seats, season ticket holders will not be able to use their normal seat and we will need to use both the main stand and the terracing.  This isn’t ideal, we fully appreciate that, but we have no other option but to comply with the restrictions that have been imposed.

Once season ticket holders have been accommodated, the remaining tickets will be sold online through our ticketing system FanBase.  This will be on a first come first served basis.  We will notify supporters through the website and our social media channels when the tickets are available to purchase.

Hospitality

Unfortunately, the restrictions will mean that the Bob Hill Wee Bar will be closed for the three week period.  Hospitality will be subject to new limits and restrictions and we are already in the process of contacting all those who have booked for games in the period of restriction.  There will be a 1m distance between hospitality tables, and a maximum of three households at any one table.  We intend to use all available rooms in Ochilview to accommodate pre-booked hospitality guests.  The new restrictions may mean splitting tables, which isn’t ideal, but this will be discussed with you in advance when the club contacts you.  Any guests that no longer feel comfortable attending will be offered the chance to book for a different game, or to have a full refund.

Warriors TV

All our home matches are streamed live and season ticket holders that cannot attend in person will be offered a free streaming pass so they can watch the game from home.  Cammy McIntyre will be providing his usual excellent live commentary.  Non-season ticket holders can still watch the live stream through Warriors TV Pay Per View.

Finally

Whilst the new restrictions come as a blow, the game goes on, and we are doing all we can to keep our environment and our people safe.  We will continue to update you as we have new information.  The club would like to thank everyone for their loyalty and support over the many challenges of the past twelve months.  We again hope for brighter times ahead in the new year.  In the meantime, we would like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and ask everyone to stay safe, adhere to the rules around hand washing and distancing, and to get your jags and boosters if you can.