3 days ago
Hamilton Accies supporters' chief voices new Broadwood concerns in 'critical' time
Accies Supporters' Association chairman David Equi says the club have 12 days to prove they have a ground for next season
Accies Supporters' Association chairman David Equi says the next 12 days are 'critical' to the future of Hamilton Accies, and voiced new fears over the proposed move to Broadwood.
Mr Equi says he has heard North Lanarkshire Council are only prepared to offer a three-month rolling lease for the use of the Cumbernauld stadium, which may force the club to look elsewhere.
But Hamilton Accies only have until June 20 to prove there is a lease for next season.
And he says any talk of a new stadium being built at Hamilton Palace Sports Grounds is a non-starter.
Mr Equi told Lanarkshire Live Sport: 'This is an unbelievably critical time for the Accies.
'I got told they were only offered a three-month rolling lease by North Lanarkshire Council, and that isn't necessarily enough for the SPFL, who will want a full year, unless things have changed.
'It's super-critical. If that's not approved, then I know they need to tell the SPFL very quickly that they're not playing there and show them a proper lease before the fixtures come out.
'If they don't get to Broadwood they need to go somewhere else, but they need to do it very quickly, or it goes to the members' vote, who could vote them out of the league.
'We went to the SPFL as a committee, and they don't really meet fans.
'We were on the sixth floor of Hampden, going through it all, and they basically said even if they come back with a signed lease, if the supporters come to us and say they don't want to go to Broadwood, they would have to strongly take that into account, before approving the move.
'If they miss the deadline for the lease, I don't think the other clubs want to boot them out, so they could go and ask somebody else. I think that's as likely as anything else, that somebody else will let them play somewhere.
'I know they're going to East Kilbride for the Premier Sports Cup, but if the other clubs say it's too late, then [they could boot them out].
'That puts the fans into an absolutely impossible position. If we vote to say 'no' to Broadwood then is that effectively us putting the club down – nobody wants that.
'My initial thoughts were I'm never going to Broadwood, but it's like a gun to the head and we as an organisation would not want to be seen as the ones that put the company down.'
Mr Equi says lack of transparency is a problem, and isn't sure what to believe, but says there is no way that South Lanarkshire Council would fund a new stadium in the town.
He said: 'We've had two sit-downs with the board, as a committee, before we were elected, but they can't answer questions.
'They wouldn't give a reason why they got the 15-point deduction and they hide behind legals, which I can understand.
'But there's no information, we have to take their word for it.
'They were quite clear that they were going to Broadwood, that was their choice, but 99.9 per cent of Accies fans don't want to go there, and might have to do it as a necessary evil.
'Generally, there is a lack of openness. You hear a lot of things, and we would like to trust 100 per cent the things that they're telling us, but I honestly can't say that.'
On a new stadium, Mr Equi said: 'As far as I'm aware, that's absolutely pie in the sky, from the discussions I've had with the council, councillors, and having spoken to council officials.
'I don't think there's a suitable site in Hamilton and, financially, how can they afford it.
'If they're sitting there with four or five County Court judgements at the moment, how can they even afford to think about that.
'And what would be more ridiculous in a town the size of Hamilton having two football stadium – it doesn't make any sense.
'We know the idea of the Palace Grounds is a total non-starter, apparently, for all sorts of reasons.
'There's no way the council will be putting money in either, to help build us. There is no way the council would build us a stadium, that's just not going to happen – Accies would have to come up with the money.
'There's supposed to be this mystery American investor, but is he going to stump up the money for that kind of thing?
'[Chairman] Jock Brown couldn't give us any kind of timescale at all, if we're going to Broadwood, with a gun to the head, you need to give us some kind of timescale.'
