Junior football season may still go ahead

Shetland under-15s (back row from left): Ben Lawson, Jordan Leask, Sam Hatrick, Nicky Lazarev, Luke Anderson, Bruce Johnson, Jow Williamson, Zak Carroll. Front: Marcus Goodhand, Jordan Mcknight, Calvin Fullerton, Ryan Gerrard, John Holt, Matthew Spence, Aaron Ramsay, Jamie Petrie. Photo: Gordon Siegel

Shetland’s young footballers may still have the opportunity to don their boots this year, depending on when restrictions are lifted.

A report in today’s edition of The Shetland Times detailed how the Scottish Youth Football Association (SYFA) had emailed its members to tell them that the junior football season would be cancelled.

In an email that was then passed onto all junior coaches in Shetland, the SYFA said that there was “no feasible way” of completing the season if football was to resume again at the beginning of June.

But the Shetland Junior Football Association (SJFA) committee has said they have not cancelled this year’s season just yet.

They have said that the national association were referring to seasons that are already well underway, and to leagues that take place in the winter.

“As our season is played through the summer, we are at this stage, not ruling out playing outdoor football this year,” the committee said.

The junior season is still dependent on the lifting of lockdown restrictions, the committee added.

“None of us can predict when that might occur. All we can do is continue to hope for the best and be ready to play should restrictions be lifted over the summer.”