Falkirk chief fears clubs ‘couldn’t afford’ promotion without support for teams with plastic pitches

Clubs could face a choice between passing on promotion or being plunged into financial problems – unless a support package is put in place to dump artificial pitches. That is the stark warning of Falkirk chief exec Jamie Swinney as he claims the powers that be need to now focus on the bill rather than ballots.

A two-year spell for clubs with an artificial pitch to plan for their phasing out in the top tier is under way after Premiership clubs voted in May to get rid. The Bairns are preparing for life back in the Championship, with Swinney setting out their aim to be in the top flight come their 150th anniversary in 2026.

Falkirk were one of six SPFL clubs to do a paper setting out an alternative but their surfaces will need switched ASAP if they go up beyond this coming season. Swinney said: “You’d have to pay that £1.2million up front so who’s got that money?

“We certainly don’t and I don’t imagine some of the other clubs. But the second thing you have to do is completely change your business model. You no longer train on the pitch, no longer have your academy train on the pitch, no longer have your women’s team train on the pitch.

“Not only have you a major decision to make with regards to how you finance £1.2m, you’ve this change in business model. Now a board’s ultimate role is to safeguard the club, to be the custodians so the club is here in 10, 20, 50 years’ time.

“As a board, if you’re faced with a situation that says the only way to achieve promotion to the Premiership is to go into a serious amount of debt, to change your whole business model, to potentially get relegated within a season, would every board member say it’s definitely worth going to the Premiership and taking on that?

Potentially putting the