Delight in Stoneyburn as Qatar World Cup benefits local East of Scotland League club

When FIFA awarded the 2022 World Cup to Qatar back in December 2010, one of the last clubs you would associate with benefitting from the decision was Stoneyburn. The East of Scotland League side, though, are relishing the first winter edition of football’s greatest tournament.

The reason is that they will gain unprecedented media exposure because of the cinch Premiership’s five-week break. Livingston FC, West Lothian’s top-flight club, are sending their media team to Beechwood Park next Saturday, November 26, to promote Stoneyburn’s EoS Third Division match against Fauldhouse United. Pre-match interviews, post-match analysis and footage of the day will form part of the coverage.

The agreement allows Livingston season-ticket holders into the match for half price – £3 instead of £6. Under-16s get free entry. And all because FIFA took the World Cup to the Arabian Peninsula. “You would never think that,” said Steven Sharp, the Stoneyburn manager. “We've been sitting cursing the World Cup being in the winter, you don’t get the same feel for it. Then we got the phonecall from Livingston and you go: ‘Thank God the World Cup is in the winter.’ We can get a bit of exposure from the Qatar World Cup resulting in Livingston’s media team coming to Stoneyburn. I don’t know how that hasn’t made more headlines than Qatar.”

The last comment was made with tongue in cheek but The Fulshie are deadly serious about their club’s progress. “It’s nice to see people noticing the hard work behind the scenes here,” continued Sharp. “When a Premiership club come and offer you support on the media side, it’s like: ‘Wow.’ Somebody at Livingston has picked up on our progress, decided they’ve got spare time because of the World Cup, they want to get out into the community and they want to do it with us. It’s quite humbling. You think: ‘We must be doing something right.’

If a few dozen extra people shuffle through the Beechwood gate next weekend, the experiment will be worth it. Especially if a few drift back from time to time. “I just want people to come along and see our club for themselves,” said Sharp. “A few years back, Stoneyburn had the stigma of being the team down the bottom of the league rarely getting results. The previous manager, Allan Fleming, helped the club come on and I’ve added it since I took over. The committee and volunteers have helped make the ground look better. Our players give absolutely everything every Saturday – win, lose or draw. I want people to see that. I think when they do, they will get a wee bit between their teeth. Maybe they will come back more often.”

Stoneyburn’s players are part-time lads who play in the ninth tier of the Scottish football pyramid. Media interviews will largely be a new experience. “It’s a different challenge. We went into Livingston’s ground on Sunday to do some promotional stuff and the lads shocked me how well they spoke,” said Sharp. “Normally I’ll speak to players in my office and ask how they are doing. It was nice to stand back and watch someone else ask their thoughts on Stoneyburn, what football means to them, their team-mates, etc. There will be the added pressure of being interviewed after games.”