The World Cup might make it feel like football never really stopped.
We hope all Bairns who made it to the States had a great time, despite some on-field disappointment.
But thank the stars, league action is back.
Close season is the busiest period of the year for the club, and this year was no different. We would like to record our appreciation to our staff and volunteers for the shifts they have put in to make sure the club was match-fit for the new season.
The next phase
This summer has seen a larger-than-usual turnover in playing staff. We have seen it described as a “transition” season, alongside the usual superstitious talk about “second season syndrome”.
The truth is that change in football is constant. John has spoken about his recruitment: bringing in more permanent players, blending Premiership experience with younger players who have strong pedigrees and high ceilings.
It is an exciting time: the next phase in our club’s development. Falkirk fans trust John, Paul, Stephen and the recruitment team’s judgement, and their ability to get the best out of our players.
They have earned that trust. That is why, as Jamie recently mentioned on Falkirk Daft, the board has again increased the playing budget. We’d prefer to increase it more, but the well-documented need to find an unprecedented sum to replace our pitch and develop training facilities means we have to look everywhere for funding.
It was a close season in which we saw Invincibles Calvin Miller, Dylan Tait, Gary Oliver, and Sean Mackie leave the club, as well as the transfer of Barney Stewart and departure of Brian Graham. All leave an indelible mark on Falkirk FC and will be remembered fondly.
Similarly, the loan players who returned to their parent clubs down south played an outsized part in our incredible first season back in the Premiership.
We are also proud to have welcomed Falkirk Women back into the club following their transfer from the Foundation, consistent with our objective to do so by our 150th year. Season tickets have launched, competitive matches began this week, and the SWPL2 season starts in mid-August.
And our Academy’s development took a step forward with the partnership agreement which saw three of our most promising youngsters move to East Stirlingshire on loan for the season.
Please follow the new Falkirk Women and Falkirk Academy digital channels for fixture and squad information.
Difficult choices
We have heard supporters tell us that we are asking a lot from them, which everyone at the club is acutely aware of.
Season ticket prices remain among the most affordable in the division and we retained the U12s go free offer, but prices have still increased. We have also had to increase hospitality prices, simply to stand still, due to rising costs and the challenges of moving away from the Council’s previous provision.
Everyone at the club understands and respects deeply the commitment Falkirk fans make: buying season tickets, with nearly 5,400 sold so far; joining FSS, which is approaching 1,500 members; contributing to the Pitch Fund, which has raised £50,000 so far; taking hospitality; using the Fanzone and Brockville Bar; buying strips and merchandise; supporting Bairns Lotto; and backing the club in countless other ways.
Every penny earned is appreciated. Every penny spent is scrutinised.
Our overarching ambition this season is to deliver a top-quality pitch and training ground while maintaining a strong, competitive squad to play on them.
We are united as a club in striving for that.
We believe that ambition is what Falkirk fans want and deserve. Bairns have fought too hard to rescue their club for us to be unambitious now.
That does, however, create pressure. We do not have the same ability as some competitors to run large losses. While transfer fees have helped, as Jamie explained, these are paid in instalments. That gives us additional confidence in cashflow, but it does not remove the need to push initiatives like the Pitch Fund and make the most of every asset available to us.
We know we do not always get everything right. When we fall short, we will do our best to fix it, learn from it, and change course where needed. We appreciate supporters’ understanding, advice and feedback. If you want to raise anything with the club – a complaint, suggestion or any feedback – email addresses for our various departments can be found here.
But if we can consolidate further as a top-flight club without taking dangerous financial risks, and without relying on a single benefactor to underwrite losses and call the shots, that would be a remarkable achievement.
If this time next year we can be talking about another thrilling season, bigger clubs looking at our players, our Academy continuing to thrive, and new facilities taking shape, we will have come through the biggest curve-ball thrown at Falkirk FC since the move from Brockville at the start of the century, with the impact permeating across nearly every decision at the club.
150 and counting
This season is more special than most, as our club enters its 150th year.
It is difficult to contemplate that span of time. Queen Victoria was on the throne, the telephone was in its infancy, and the world was changing at extraordinary speed.
Our club has survived two world wars, losing players in each, and has been part of our town and our families’ fabric for generations.
Our historians have done excellent work to uncover the origins of football in Falkirk, with evidence suggesting 1877 may be the more accurate starting point. But 1876 has long been part of the club’s identity, on strips of yesteryear, in club records, and inked on many a Bairn’s lower leg. So that is when our 150th celebrations begin.
The first of this season’s strips have launched and sales have been excellent so far. Look out for more nods to the past and the future in further versions, which we hope will create new favourites.
More 150th anniversary merchandise and events will follow, including a newly designed tartan, a special whisky bottling, a bespoke 150th anniversary kit, and a Hall of Fame dinner.
We want every Bairn to feel part of this anniversary: at matches, through events, through memories, and by helping tell the story of Falkirk FC across generations.
Off the field
After a competitive tender process, OBI Sports have been selected as our pitch consultants. They will lead the design, procurement, development and supervision of the installation of a high-quality hybrid pitch. We anticipate to be tendering the construction of the pitch and appointing a contractor later this year, or early next year.
OBI Sports’ agronomists bring more than three decades of experience consulting for some of world sport’s most renowned facilities, taking projects from inception through design, construction, grow-in, maintenance and testing.
The club is also working through the necessary legal preparations for our new training ground. We will update supporters once this is ready. Phase 1 will include essential pitch works, including renovations, drainage, irrigation and fencing, but this will be a multi-year project as we continue to improve the club’s infrastructure.
Investment will also go into the Fanzone to improve the atmosphere, comfort and offer. The World Cup events were packed and created fantastic occasions for everyone who attended. We want the Fanzone to become a key offer for our fans, not only on matchdays but also as a venue for other football and non-football events.
We have also changed our traffic management provider for the club car park. As development outside the stadium footprint continues to create uncertainty, we will do our best to manage the areas under the club’s control. We recognise we fell short on occasion last season, so please keep the feedback coming.
And we continue to speak to potential investors. To be clear, the aim remains to bring in a minority investor who can provide immediate capital and a longer-term commitment to the club, whether through football expertise, property development experience, or other relevant added value. We are seeing some interest in this, and will report to shareholders as soon as we have something concrete.
Our people
Everyone at Falkirk FC would like to reiterate our heartfelt sympathy to the friends and family of Bairn and Tartan Army foot-soldier Donny Strathie, who passed away following his beloved Scotland. His loss is felt not just by his family, but by everyone who stood alongside him following the national team.
We also remember Steven Dougall, whose family have a long-standing and valued connection with the club. Our thoughts remain with them, and with everyone who knew and loved Steven.
This week also brought a final farewell to Brian Guthrie, known to many, many Bairns, whose commitment to the club was immense. Brian’s presence around Falkirk FC over the years leaves a gap that won’t easily be filled.
And, as we do every pre-season, we paused to remember Craig Gowans, who will always be remembered at Falkirk FC. His memory continues to be woven into how we begin each new season. Craig’s number 37 squad number remains retired as a mark of that respect.
Other Bairns have left us too, and they are held in our thoughts as we go into this new campaign.
These moments remind us that, through all the mayhem – the highs and lows of World Cups and Scottish Cups; the talk of transfers, budgets and pitches – our club is fundamentally about our people.
As it has been for our first 150 years, and will be for the next.
Happy New Season Bairns, we go again
