Gary Mackay: SFA and SPFL must have contingency plan in place for clubs shutting down

SFA and SPFL officials at Hampden Park must plan in case clubs shut down.

The prospect of going a full season without fans inside Scottish grounds is increasing and it is frightening to think what the consequences might be.

My worry isn’t so much for Hearts, it’s more how other clubs will get through to next summer without ticket income if it comes to that.

Our supporter base is what has kept us going, through Foundation of Hearts, James Anderson’s money and yearly season ticket sales.

The powers-that-be in Scottish football have made some crazy decisions, albeit during a very strange time, but what will happen if clubs can’t complete the season?

Hearts might pick up points against a team which further down the line can’t fulfil fixtures. What will be the outcome there?

These are the unanswered questions I hope the Scottish FA and the SPFL are asking when they speak to all the clubs in every division.

They need to have some kind of contingency plan in place because this could affect any of our leagues, including the Premiership. Some clubs in the top flight are already finding it difficult.

Everybody was taken by surprise at how severely coronavirus impacted us earlier this year. Now, there is no excuse for the football authorities not to have a Plan B in mind ready to execute.

That goes for the Premiership, Championship, League One and League Two. What that might entail, who knows? But they should be putting something together right now.

I totally understand Hearts fans won’t hold great empathy for most other clubs given what happened over the summer.

The overriding aspect for me is: What will this season look like for Hearts supporters and those of other clubs who do survive?

A message from the Editor: Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our advertisers – and consequently the revenue we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism. Subscribe to the Edinburgh Evening News online and enjoy unlimited access to trusted, fact-checked news and sport from Edinburgh and the Lothians. Visit https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.