Latest news with #TheChampionship
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Bryson DeChambeau tells all about powerful note USA Ryder Cup captain put in his locker at The Open
DeChambeau was superb over the final three days as he banished the misery of an opening 78 Bullish Bryson DeChambeau fired a blistering Ryder Cup warning as he revealed personal notes of inspiration left by skipper Keegan Bradley inside lockers at The Open. The American ace finally cracked some of The Championship code with a superb closing 64 to race into a Top 10 finish. DeChambeau was superb over the final three days as he banished the misery of an opening 78 to charge through the pack and prove he can do on the links. The LIV star has not been able to add to his two majors this year, but the Bethpage battle against Europe offers the chance of a magical ending. DeChambeau's Portrush performance has fully punched his ticket into the home side for New York and he has warned Luke Donald's team to fear the worst. Captain Bradley has been pumping up his troops and was at it again in Northern Ireland as he team star revealed: 'I talked with him briefly and then he put something in our lockers that was pretty inspirational. 'It's a personal message. In essence, yes. For sure. It meant a lot. This year's no joke. We're tired of it. We're tired of losing. 'I hope I can bring a lot of energy and a tsunami of a crowd that's going to be rooting for Team USA.' DeChambeau was asked about the rumour President Donald Trump, a mate of his, would be at Bethpage to cheer him along, but he smiled: 'I don't know. I think he's got bigger problems on his hands right now!' DeChambeau's LIV experiences will aid as he continued: 'We have the most wins on tour right now as the Crushers. The way I've personally led my team is I've let them be their individual self, their best individual self to add to the team. That's it. Don't try to put someone in a bubble and say you need to do this, you need to do that. 'What I learned best from my college coach, Josh Gregory, was just that, let me be me, which was amazing. I've let them be them. That's the way I'll move forward in team competition.' DeChambeau's final 54 holes at Portrush were sensational, which brought a few fan jibes about a LIV event. His punch of the air as he completed the last three days in 16-under par said much about conquering the Open challenge. DeChambeau turned his week around superbly after a harrowing day one and said: 'Normally I'd be super pissed and frustrated, which I was rightfully so, because I thought I played pretty well and shot seven-over. I said to myself: I'm going to do something different this time. 'I've been working on myself and how I am and how I act and whatnot. I'm going to transition my brain to say: I'm going to give it everything I have no matter what happens. I'm going to go full force, attack . 'That's what I did for the past three days, I said, every time is go time, like you've got to come back from five, six back. That's the mentality I had. 'I said I'm going to give myself a chance. I'm not going to pout. I'm going to be free. I always told you guys I like it when it's fair conditions. I can play well. I still have to crack the code when it's raining and windy. But I feel like we're getting close to some opportunities and solutions for that. 'I was really proud of the way I turned it around and gave myself actually some hope on the third round.' DeChambeau received a rapturous reception down the 72nd hole and he beamed: 'I think I look at the game a little bit different than others. I want to win. I think we all know that. But there's more than winning. 'There's how you influence a younger population, how you showcase yourself and what you do for others, what value do you give them. The only reason we're getting paid the numbers we're getting paid is because of those individuals out there in the stands. 'Once I started realising that, I started changing my mindset so they see me more in the light that I'm trying to showcase this great game. 'I hope that I can add to the game of golf from outside. YouTube, content, entertainment. It's going to be a cool give-back sort of thing. 'That's the stuff that excites me now. Not more than tournament golf, but almost as much. I think having another identity with that saying: Hey, look, I'm not just a professional, but I'm an entertainer as well has shown people the true side of myself. 'It's a great Open venue. I think it was a solid setup. It would be a lot of fun to come back. It's a great town.' DeChambeau's persona is very different to Scheffler and he said: 'Scottie's in a league of his own right now. I played with him a lot in college and he was not that good, so he's figured out a lot of stuff since then. It's really impressive to see and something we can all learn from for sure. 'I think he's a family man. He really respects his family and he wants that to be the most important thing for him. I have full respect for that. At some point I will have a family. 'For him, I think it's more important to take care of his family, which he's done a great job and tremendous job of balancing the two, being the best golfer in the world and being a family man.'
Daily Record
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Ex convict Ryan Peake in Open dreamland as former bike gang member gets hero Phil Mickelson's autograph
The Australian spent five years behind bars but is playing at Royal Portrush Ryan Peake transformed from convicted jailbird to innocent child-like autograph hunter as he starred alongside Phil Mickelson at The Open. The Australian completed a five-year sentence for serious assault at Hakea Prison in 2019 when Royal Portrush last staged The Championship. Peake was in an outlawed motorcycle gang having fallen out of love with golf and ended up doing time. However, having won the New Zealand Open to make it to Northern Ireland, he was just like the kids at the course as he grabbed gifts from Lefty. Peake said: 'It was pretty good. I just asked for his golf ball and got him to sign a golf glove for me after. He just introduced himself, which I don't think he needs to introduce himself. I was well aware of who he was. But obviously I was nervous. ' I wouldn't say nervous because I was playing next to Phil. It's just, I guess, your first major and things like that. But I've just got to get better at that, and I've got to be better at that. No, he wasn't offering me help. I would have known I was in a bad place if he'd come over and started offering me help. 'But we chatted. He's very friendly. We just had a lot of normal chitchat, talked about family. We talked about different things. Nothing in particular. 'I grabbed his putter off him a few times and had a little feel of it. That's the OG. That's the one from the Masters. There was a couple cool things. "Like I said, his caddie gave away golf balls as we were walking off the tee and I yelled out: What about me? 'He had a laugh, thought I was being sarcastic, and he said: Are you serious? And I said: I'm deadly serious. I said: Can you sign a glove as well? He's your hero growing up. My own boy is out here this week and he loves him as well. I'm not going to ask him on the first tee, but I'll ask him after the round.'
Daily Record
7 days ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Will The Open be held in Scotland again? Talks held with Donald Trump's son to end 12 year exile
The Scottish venues have not been used for the showpiece event in a dozen years but talks have been held to possibly end that exile Open chief Mark Darbon has spoken with Donald Trump 's son over a future for the competition at Turnberry. But the R&A boss has outlined the key issues currently preventing the Ayrshire track and Muirfield from hosting The Championship. The Scottish venues have not been used for the showpiece event in a dozen years. Muirfield last staged in 2013, while Turnberry has not had an Open since 2009. Speaking on the eve of Royal Portrush staging for the second time in six years, R&A chief executive Darbon says there has been dialogue with both venues, but lay-out concerns remain. He said: 'I think we've been extremely clear on our position in respect of Turnberry. We love the golf course but we've got some big logistical challenges there. We've got some work to do on the road, rail and accommodation infrastructure around Turnberry. 'We'd need to address those logistical challenges should we return. We'll continue to assess the feasibility and work collaboratively not just with the venue but with local and national government to understand what may be possible and that process at Turnberry is no different to any of our other locations.' Trump is heading to Scotland soon and, when asked if the fact he was owner was having an impact on the decisions, he replied: 'It's a somewhat hypothetical question in that unless we address the logistical challenges, it's difficult for us to go back. 'I met a couple of months ago with Eric Trump and some of the leadership from the Trump golf organisation and from Turnberry. We had a really good discussion. 'I think they understand clearly where we're coming from. We talked through some of the challenges that we have so we've got a good dialogue with them.' Darbon added: 'We have an ongoing dialogue with the UK government given that we're a major event that creates significant value into the UK economy. We've spoken to them specifically about Turnberry and I think they've made it clear that the decision around where we take our championship rests with us. 'I would find it difficult to predict whether there will be any discussion on The Open if the President is making a visit here.' As regards Muirfield, Darbon said: 'We love the course. We're in a discussion with the venue right now. 'There's some things that we need to evolve at Muirfield, the practice ground in particular is a challenge for us with a modern Open and there's some work we need to do with the venue to facilitate some of the infrastructure that we require, some cabling to enable the scale of the production that we have these days. 'We'd love to be back there in the future. We're open minded to solutions and we'd love to be back there in the future.' Meanwhile, Darbon confirmed Saturday tee-times have been tweaked due to Saturday's band parade in Portrush. He said: 'I think we recognise that when we bring The Open Championship to town we are a guest in the community in which we operate. So recognising the events that are taking place on Saturday we've worked really collaboratively with the organisers and across multiple agency groups to ensure primarily that both events can run as seamlessly as possible. 'We're making a slight tweak to tee times. It's not dramatic. It'll be 15 minutes or so earlier. At the same time, this is an outdoor sport. The weather can play a big role. It's very difficult to be precise on finishing times. But we're looking at some marginal adjustments.'
The National
21-06-2025
- Sport
- The National
Ayr United chairman on Scott Brown, new pitch, and legacy
Not that the Honest Men aren't doing well enough. They finished last season in third place in The Championship, with the only real disappointment being a late dip in form that eventually saw them crash out of the Premiership play-offs to the aforementioned Maryhill Magyars. You could be forgiven for thinking though that the Somerset Park side have been rechristened 'Former Celtic captain Scott Brown's Ayr United', a phrase which, thanks to the modern-day need to kowtow to our search engine masters, has featured in just about every headline about the club over the past year and a half. Still, for chairman David Smith, it's a small price to pay simply to have Brown in the dugout. 'We will never beat that in the press, it's always going to be there,' Smith said. 'It's clickbait, isn't it? We were fully aware of that, and we were fully aware that he was a bit box office and so was [assistant manager] Steven Whittaker when he came in. 'We can deal with that.' Another thing both Smith and Ayr have had to deal with this summer has been their management team being linked with just about every vacancy in Scotland, bar the one at Ibrox, of course. What added fuel to that fire was an emotional post-match interview after the defeat to Thistle at Somerset, where a clearly seething Brown blasted that he didn't recognise his team, accused his players of not even trying to win the game, and said he would have to think about his future. That may have set alarm bells ringing among the support, but Smith was confident that a bit of distance would result in some perspective being applied, and Brown returning laser-focused on bettering their efforts next season. 'I think Scott's interview was taking a bit out of context if I'm honest with you,' he said. 'Things have calmed down and we've reflected on what I look at as a really successful season for a variety of reasons. (Image: SNS Group) 'Off the park, we had the new stand opening, and it did exactly what we designed it to do. We smashed the hospitality last year with record numbers. So, that was good, and there are lots of other off the park infrastructure projects we're working on too. 'The academy stuff that we're doing in the community was really good, and then you come to the team. 'When we do our board meetings, we break the season down into quarters and Scott gets the stats, and the first three quarters were amazing. The last quarter, we kind of fell off a cliff a wee bit, and we all recognised that. Read more: 'So, whilst that was disappointing, it was still our highest points tally in The Championship, so that's a real great stat in itself. 'I think there was a lot of good to come out of last season. The fan numbers were up, we played some really good football, and I think everybody recognises that the last quarter wasn't brilliant. 'It's been a tough couple of months, but still it was a really successful season, and I think the relationship I've got with Scott is stronger than ever. 'If I'm honest, I don't feel any pressure about Scott and Steven potentially leaving. They get linked with every job really, but every conversation I've had with them, there's no short-term approach to it. It's all long-term. 'I think what we've given them and what they've given us really complements each other as a club and as people, and I'm not sure you would get that everywhere. "We've not quite thrown them the keys and said get on with running the football club, but what we have done is said look, you know we'll obviously do checks and balances and all that kind of stuff, but the style of play, recruitment, training days, all that kind of stuff, how we're going to run the catering and all that, it's your call. 'We'll check and balance it and discuss it and we'll see what we can and can't afford and have open conversations about that stuff, and I'm not sure you get that anywhere else. They're fully aware of that. 'We try to promote Ayr United as a family club and a community club, because that's what we are, and Scott and Steven's wives and kids are at every game, their mums and dads come to the games and we know them all, and we've socialised with them all. 'So, I don't see it as a short-term appointment, and I genuinely don't think they do either. 'Don't get me wrong, if the right opportunity came along and it was a big draw we'd have a conversation, shake hands, say all the very best and give us some loans if you end up at a really good club! 'We're fully aware that that's the deal with Ayr United. Come along, make us as successful as you can, and if we happen to be a stepping stone for you to go on to bigger and better things, that's fine.' Moving the club on to bigger and better things, both on and off the park, has been Smith's mission statement since he took the helm four and a half years ago now. And looking to the setbacks of the recent past, particularly the poor form he references in the final quarter of the season, has helped both him and Brown to understand how they can avoid similar pitfalls next term. Recruitment has been going at a steady clip, with experience at the level being one of the main qualities that Ayr have been looking to bring into the club. While the likes of Mikey Devlin have left, seasoned campaigners like David Mitchell, Shaun Want, Liam Dick and Stuart Bannigan have been brought in, and Smith believes their Championship know-how could be key. 'I think resilience in the squad in The Championship is really important,' he said. 'We lost that in the last quarter, and actually all the defensive frailties coincided with when Mikey Devlin got injured and stopped playing for the season. (Image: Ross MacDonald - SNS Group) 'Having his leadership was vital. We had a young squad on the pitch and there was probably a little bit of a lack of leadership, particularly in the back five, so that is predominantly the reason that we fell away in the last quarter. 'I think Scott has probably learnt a few lessons over the last year in terms of recruitment. Who we recruited in goals, for instance. We've got somebody in [in Mitchell] that we wanted, somebody experienced, who is vocal, that's good with their feet, so that's what we were looking for and I think that's a real step forward. 'In terms of the rest of the recruitment, everybody's shopping in the same marketplace, so we've tried to break that in the past by bringing people up from England and we've had varying degrees of success. 'This season, we're very much focused on Scottish Championship experience, Premiership experience, that's kind of where we are. 'But the squad's coming together well. I think potentially we've got a stronger squad this year than we did last year.' Off the field (well, the Somerset Park one anyway), Smith is hoping the community ties the club have been working to strengthen will be fortified further when the training pitch they are well on the way to delivering near the stadium opens its gates, as he looks to bring the women's team and youth teams closer to their spiritual home. 'In terms of a status update on that, we're just waiting for planning to come through and we've got we need to do some ecology stuff for that, so we're working on that just now and we're waiting,' he said. 'We've had some good vibes from the 'Pitching In' fund and we're waiting for a letter to come through. If that comes in, then we're kind of good to go, and we're expecting some support externally for that too. 'So, the update is that I would like us to be on site for possibly September. That would be really good and would be pretty quick. 'I think it's important that the women and girls find a home, because at the moment they play in East Ayrshire. No disrespect to East Ayrshire, but that's not where Ayr United are from, so if we can get the home games in next to the stadium that'd be great. And the academy having a base for their games there as well would be really important too. 'We've got lots of other things going on too. There's lots of tie-in with South Ayrshire Council that we can do on the park as well, so actually the first team training there is probably a tiny percentage of what it's going to actually deliver when we get around to getting it built.' Such projects are, Smith believes, a key factor in fostering trust between the fanbase and the board, showing evidence that they are constantly looking to take the club forward. 'For some reason there's a lot of tyre kickers in football, and I've never really understood why,' he said. 'People come into clubs and say they're going to do x, y and z and don't deliver anything, and they haven't got the money to deliver what they say. 'I've never really understood why that is, but it happens a lot, so I think people seeing progress year on year in terms of infrastructure and progression up the league and stuff like that is really important, and it maintains the buzz, it maintains the numbers coming into the stadium. 'If I'm honest, I do think we're probably one of the best run football clubs in Scotland, and we run it like a business. We know when to invest and when not invest. 'I think the fans appreciate progress, but they also appreciate the way I'm trying to do it. People keep saying to me, if you build it, they will come, and I suppose that there's a little bit of that in there. 'When I took over four and a half years ago, there wasn't a huge amount of expectation around Ayr United other than staying in The Championship. Fast forward four years, we've got The Hub, we've got a big shiny new car park, we've got a new stand, we've bought the land behind the ground, and it comes with expectation. 'The expectation is that we'll be in the playoffs every year and vying up the top end of the league, but I like that challenge, it's good. 'Community buy-in has been brilliant. The stuff that the academy do is utterly fantastic and we complement that as a football club with as much as we can do as well. 'I do feel we're in a really privileged position as owners and directors and people who run a football club, and I don't think I really understood until I got heavily involved about how much of a focal point it is in the community. 'It means the world to an awful lot of people this football club, and it's not just what's on the park.' Smith knows personally, in fact, the power that Ayr United have to impact the lives of their supporters. 'My dad unfortunately has got Lewy body dementia,' he said. 'He's in a nursing home now, but before that, I was taking him to our Ayr United Memories events that our academy run, and they're fantastic. 'You get 80, 90 people there at some of them, and it is people who just want to relive parts of their youth and chat about games and chat about history. But for us and others, from a family point of view, you kind of get your dad back or your mum back for a little bit during those conversations. 'I've seen it first-hand how important the community stuff is, so we do embrace it, and we do try and do as much as we possibly can.' The focus then is on creating more of those memories for the current and future generations of Ayr United supporters, with Smith hoping this can be the season where his beloved team finally break back into the topflight for the first time since 1978. And not only that, make a real go of it once they get there. 'Infrastructure wise, there's absolutely no reason why we wouldn't be able to cope with the step up,' he said. (Image: Ross MacDonald - SNS Group) 'I genuinely think a lot of the Premiership teams would really enjoy their day down at the seaside. We market ourselves as Scotland's best away day, coming down to Somerset and standing behind the goals, and when it's packed it's an old-fashioned atmosphere and it's fantastic. It doesn't take 30,000 people for it to feel busy and intense, it takes maybe 8,000 people to feel that. 'And I think we could make a fist of it. Budgets would change and stuff like that, but we have got some really good quality football players under contract already and I have to say, most of them have bought into what we're trying to do. So, I think we would make a fist of it, I really do. 'I hope my legacy at the football club will be Ayr United in the Premiership, and lots of infrastructure improvements.' Over to you, Broony.
The Herald Scotland
21-06-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Ayr United chairman on Scott Brown, new pitch, and legacy
You could be forgiven for thinking though that the Somerset Park side have been rechristened 'Former Celtic captain Scott Brown's Ayr United', a phrase which, thanks to the modern-day need to kowtow to our search engine masters, has featured in just about every headline about the club over the past year and a half. Still, for chairman David Smith, it's a small price to pay simply to have Brown in the dugout. 'We will never beat that in the press, it's always going to be there,' Smith said. 'It's clickbait, isn't it? We were fully aware of that, and we were fully aware that he was a bit box office and so was [assistant manager] Steven Whittaker when he came in. 'We can deal with that.' Another thing both Smith and Ayr have had to deal with this summer has been their management team being linked with just about every vacancy in Scotland, bar the one at Ibrox, of course. What added fuel to that fire was an emotional post-match interview after the defeat to Thistle at Somerset, where a clearly seething Brown blasted that he didn't recognise his team, accused his players of not even trying to win the game, and said he would have to think about his future. That may have set alarm bells ringing among the support, but Smith was confident that a bit of distance would result in some perspective being applied, and Brown returning laser-focused on bettering their efforts next season. 'I think Scott's interview was taking a bit out of context if I'm honest with you,' he said. 'Things have calmed down and we've reflected on what I look at as a really successful season for a variety of reasons. (Image: SNS Group) 'Off the park, we had the new stand opening, and it did exactly what we designed it to do. We smashed the hospitality last year with record numbers. So, that was good, and there are lots of other off the park infrastructure projects we're working on too. 'The academy stuff that we're doing in the community was really good, and then you come to the team. 'When we do our board meetings, we break the season down into quarters and Scott gets the stats, and the first three quarters were amazing. The last quarter, we kind of fell off a cliff a wee bit, and we all recognised that. Read more: 'So, whilst that was disappointing, it was still our highest points tally in The Championship, so that's a real great stat in itself. 'I think there was a lot of good to come out of last season. The fan numbers were up, we played some really good football, and I think everybody recognises that the last quarter wasn't brilliant. 'It's been a tough couple of months, but still it was a really successful season, and I think the relationship I've got with Scott is stronger than ever. 'If I'm honest, I don't feel any pressure about Scott and Steven potentially leaving. They get linked with every job really, but every conversation I've had with them, there's no short-term approach to it. It's all long-term. 'I think what we've given them and what they've given us really complements each other as a club and as people, and I'm not sure you would get that everywhere. "We've not quite thrown them the keys and said get on with running the football club, but what we have done is said look, you know we'll obviously do checks and balances and all that kind of stuff, but the style of play, recruitment, training days, all that kind of stuff, how we're going to run the catering and all that, it's your call. 'We'll check and balance it and discuss it and we'll see what we can and can't afford and have open conversations about that stuff, and I'm not sure you get that anywhere else. They're fully aware of that. 'We try to promote Ayr United as a family club and a community club, because that's what we are, and Scott and Steven's wives and kids are at every game, their mums and dads come to the games and we know them all, and we've socialised with them all. 'So, I don't see it as a short-term appointment, and I genuinely don't think they do either. 'Don't get me wrong, if the right opportunity came along and it was a big draw we'd have a conversation, shake hands, say all the very best and give us some loans if you end up at a really good club! 'We're fully aware that that's the deal with Ayr United. Come along, make us as successful as you can, and if we happen to be a stepping stone for you to go on to bigger and better things, that's fine.' Moving the club on to bigger and better things, both on and off the park, has been Smith's mission statement since he took the helm four and a half years ago now. And looking to the setbacks of the recent past, particularly the poor form he references in the final quarter of the season, has helped both him and Brown to understand how they can avoid similar pitfalls next term. Recruitment has been going at a steady clip, with experience at the level being one of the main qualities that Ayr have been looking to bring into the club. While the likes of Mikey Devlin have left, seasoned campaigners like David Mitchell, Shaun Want, Liam Dick and Stuart Bannigan have been brought in, and Smith believes their Championship know-how could be key. 'I think resilience in the squad in The Championship is really important,' he said. 'We lost that in the last quarter, and actually all the defensive frailties coincided with when Mikey Devlin got injured and stopped playing for the season. (Image: Ross MacDonald - SNS Group) 'Having his leadership was vital. We had a young squad on the pitch and there was probably a little bit of a lack of leadership, particularly in the back five, so that is predominantly the reason that we fell away in the last quarter. 'I think Scott has probably learnt a few lessons over the last year in terms of recruitment. Who we recruited in goals, for instance. We've got somebody in [in Mitchell] that we wanted, somebody experienced, who is vocal, that's good with their feet, so that's what we were looking for and I think that's a real step forward. 'In terms of the rest of the recruitment, everybody's shopping in the same marketplace, so we've tried to break that in the past by bringing people up from England and we've had varying degrees of success. 'This season, we're very much focused on Scottish Championship experience, Premiership experience, that's kind of where we are. 'But the squad's coming together well. I think potentially we've got a stronger squad this year than we did last year.' Off the field (well, the Somerset Park one anyway), Smith is hoping the community ties the club have been working to strengthen will be fortified further when the training pitch they are well on the way to delivering near the stadium opens its gates, as he looks to bring the women's team and youth teams closer to their spiritual home. 'In terms of a status update on that, we're just waiting for planning to come through and we've got we need to do some ecology stuff for that, so we're working on that just now and we're waiting,' he said. 'We've had some good vibes from the 'Pitching In' fund and we're waiting for a letter to come through. If that comes in, then we're kind of good to go, and we're expecting some support externally for that too. 'So, the update is that I would like us to be on site for possibly September. That would be really good and would be pretty quick. 'I think it's important that the women and girls find a home, because at the moment they play in East Ayrshire. No disrespect to East Ayrshire, but that's not where Ayr United are from, so if we can get the home games in next to the stadium that'd be great. And the academy having a base for their games there as well would be really important too. 'We've got lots of other things going on too. There's lots of tie-in with South Ayrshire Council that we can do on the park as well, so actually the first team training there is probably a tiny percentage of what it's going to actually deliver when we get around to getting it built.' Such projects are, Smith believes, a key factor in fostering trust between the fanbase and the board, showing evidence that they are constantly looking to take the club forward. 'For some reason there's a lot of tyre kickers in football, and I've never really understood why,' he said. 'People come into clubs and say they're going to do x, y and z and don't deliver anything, and they haven't got the money to deliver what they say. 'I've never really understood why that is, but it happens a lot, so I think people seeing progress year on year in terms of infrastructure and progression up the league and stuff like that is really important, and it maintains the buzz, it maintains the numbers coming into the stadium. 'If I'm honest, I do think we're probably one of the best run football clubs in Scotland, and we run it like a business. We know when to invest and when not invest. 'I think the fans appreciate progress, but they also appreciate the way I'm trying to do it. People keep saying to me, if you build it, they will come, and I suppose that there's a little bit of that in there. 'When I took over four and a half years ago, there wasn't a huge amount of expectation around Ayr United other than staying in The Championship. Fast forward four years, we've got The Hub, we've got a big shiny new car park, we've got a new stand, we've bought the land behind the ground, and it comes with expectation. 'The expectation is that we'll be in the playoffs every year and vying up the top end of the league, but I like that challenge, it's good. 'Community buy-in has been brilliant. The stuff that the academy do is utterly fantastic and we complement that as a football club with as much as we can do as well. 'I do feel we're in a really privileged position as owners and directors and people who run a football club, and I don't think I really understood until I got heavily involved about how much of a focal point it is in the community. 'It means the world to an awful lot of people this football club, and it's not just what's on the park.' Smith knows personally, in fact, the power that Ayr United have to impact the lives of their supporters. 'My dad unfortunately has got Lewy body dementia,' he said. 'He's in a nursing home now, but before that, I was taking him to our Ayr United Memories events that our academy run, and they're fantastic. 'You get 80, 90 people there at some of them, and it is people who just want to relive parts of their youth and chat about games and chat about history. But for us and others, from a family point of view, you kind of get your dad back or your mum back for a little bit during those conversations. 'I've seen it first-hand how important the community stuff is, so we do embrace it, and we do try and do as much as we possibly can.' The focus then is on creating more of those memories for the current and future generations of Ayr United supporters, with Smith hoping this can be the season where his beloved team finally break back into the topflight for the first time since 1978. And not only that, make a real go of it once they get there. 'Infrastructure wise, there's absolutely no reason why we wouldn't be able to cope with the step up,' he said. (Image: Ross MacDonald - SNS Group) 'I genuinely think a lot of the Premiership teams would really enjoy their day down at the seaside. We market ourselves as Scotland's best away day, coming down to Somerset and standing behind the goals, and when it's packed it's an old-fashioned atmosphere and it's fantastic. It doesn't take 30,000 people for it to feel busy and intense, it takes maybe 8,000 people to feel that. 'And I think we could make a fist of it. Budgets would change and stuff like that, but we have got some really good quality football players under contract already and I have to say, most of them have bought into what we're trying to do. So, I think we would make a fist of it, I really do. 'I hope my legacy at the football club will be Ayr United in the Premiership, and lots of infrastructure improvements.' Over to you, Broony.
