Former Highland League club Fort William now ineligible for promotion back to division
A FORMER Highland League club is now ineligible to earn promotion back to the division after its application for an SFA club licence was rejected.
It has been confirmed Fort William’s application for an SFA entry level licence was turned down by the Scottish Football Association, although the club have appealed the decision.
Fort William were relegated from the Highland League and dropped into the North Caledonian League in 2022.
The club says its application was rejected as a result of its floodlights no long working at Claggan Park due to weather damage. They are looking to meet the cost of repairing them and hope to win their appeal which is due to be heard next month.
The Highland League have confirmed any team who wish to enter the division must hold an SFA entry level licence.
In 2022, the Highland League introduced a relegation/promotion play-off between the team that finished bottom of the Highland League and the winners of the North Caledonian League, North Region Premiership and Midlands League.
However, only teams that hold an entry level licence are eligible to take part in the play-offs. Regardless of if they win their league.
At present, only three teams below the Highland League meet the requirements. They include Golspie Sutherland in the North Caledonian League along with Lochee United and Tayport in the Midlands League.
No play-off match has ever taken place, with no winners of the three divisions eligible for promotion to the Highland League in the past two seasons.
Fort William secretary Robert Coull confirmed they have appealed the decision and are hopeful they can get their entry level licence back.
Speaking about their application being rejected, he said: “With the storms and the winds we had in early January, it made the floodlights at Claggan Park unsafe.
“They were hanging down and became a public hazard. So the Council said they had to come down. You need floodlights at the ground for an entry level licence.
“We have appealed the decision and have asked for leniency as we are working with Highland Council and SportScotland on an application for funding to get the floodlights replaced.
“It went to a pre-appeal looked over by three sheriffs who say we have grounds for a full appeal hearing at some point in December.
“We are also working with Highland Council on the lease of terms for Claggan Park.”
A spokesman for the SFA confirmed Fort William’s application for an entry level licence was rejected earlier this month.
They said: “Fort William’s licence application for this year has been refused by the Licensing Committee as they failed to meet all the criteria required in their application.
“As there is currently an appeal process ongoing, I cannot provide any more information at this time.”
Highland League secretary John Campbell confirmed that an entry level licence is required by all its current 18 clubs.
He said any club outside the Highland League that does not have an SFA entry level licence will not be considered for promotion. Regardless if they win the division they are in.
He said: “Any team looking to get access to the Highland League must have an entry level licence.
“We have not been formally informed about the situation at Fort William. But we are aware they are not on the list of clubs who have an entry level licence.
“Any club who holds an entry level licence have to win their respective league and they would go into a play-off against a team that finishes bottom of the Highland League.”
Fort William are out of title contention in the North Caledonian League this season as they find themselves in eighth place in the 12-team division.
They are 18 points off league leaders Halkirk United at the halfway point of the campaign.
Coull says Fort William are trying to build a local identity with the town again. They hope they will be in a position to be in contention for promotion back to the Highland League in the future.
He said: “We are very much a team that is rebuilding. We have now got 90 per cent local boys and a young squad promoted from the reserve system and the under-18’s.
“We have four players from the Grantown and Aviemore areas, but we are a team that is looking to get back into the community.
“We want to have that local identity again and we feel the right thing is to get the club back to its roots. There is a chain of fresh talent coming through every year.
”We hope to get back to the Highland League. I don’t know how long that will take or if we will achieve it. But certainly under my stewardship, I want that to be our ultimate goal.”
Read: How many teams in the Highland League are eligible for promotion?
