The SPFL Premiership will be exempt from the suspension, provided it continues to adhere to the stringent testing protocols. The hope is that the new season will provide circumstances which allow a return to more normal activity. “None the less the continuation of football at all levels has weighed increasingly heavy on me as President, my colleagues on the board and the Joint Response Group as we have watched the new strain of the virus spread rapidly. All Rights Reserved. The Highland League will be suspended until February. “Much has been said of football’s relationship with the Scottish Government during the pandemic. Highland League secretary Rod Houston admits the decision to suspend fixtures came sooner than he expected. The start of the Highland League season has been delayed by at least six weeks amid a rise in Covid-19 cases. Secretary: Rod Houston . The Jags were due to face Inverness Caley Thistle in the Scottish Cup second round tonight, but Stewart believes the call made by the SFA and Scottish Government is the correct one. The Scottish FA board confirmed all divisions and competitions apart from the Premiership and Championship will be temporarily frozen. The Scottish Highland Football League can confirm the league will be suspended in line with the latest @ScottishFA announcement. Representatives from Highland League clubs have held a series of meetings to discuss what impact any further delay will have on the season. The suspension of the game below the SPFL Premiership and Championship will be for three weeks and and will be reviewed on a rolling basis by the Scottish FA Board in partnership with Scottish Government. On 13 March 2020, the league was … The Scottish Cup will also be suspended, with any matches scheduled to be played prior to February 1 to be rescheduled in due course. The Highland League remains suspended. The vast majority of teams in those divisions are full-time professional clubs and so the risk of transmission remains manageably low. The Highland League remains suspended, despite League One and League Two and Scottish Women Premier League One being allowed to restart next weekend. The boss of Prosafe is “extremely disappointed” by an appeal court decision to make the offshore accommodation provider pay Westcon Yards £337 million. The Scottish Highland Football League can confirm the league will be suspended in line with the latest @ScottishFA announcement. The league secretary will draw up a refreshed fixtures list with the hope that games will restart sometime in February. Please use the links above to see upcoming Highland League fixtures, Highland League results, the Highland League table, Youth Development, Highland League history, information about Highland League clubs and to view existing sponsors and new sponsorship opportunities. SUBSCRIBE NOW. Scottish FA president Rod Petrie, said: “The Scottish FA is well aware of the efforts all clubs take to comply with the exacting protocols that were conditional on elite football being given an exemption to continue amid the pandemic. Following a Highland League management committee meeting it has been agreed following a directive from the SFA that all Highland League activities and the Scottish Cup will be temporally suspended. Thank you for signing up to The Press and Journal newsletter. But with the Scottish Government lifting restrictions this week, as well as allowing limited number of fans into stadiums from September 14, the Highland League are ready to announce when they can start the season. Despite having only completed three fixtures, Brora Rangers were declared champions for the second successive season using a points per game formula. Turriff were meant to play Formartine last Saturday in the Scottish Cup but that game was also postponed, so it has to be played this Saturday so that the victors progress to the next round on Saturday 26 December. Published: 12:00, 11 January 2021 | Updated: 12:26, 11 January 2021. © 2021 - Highland News and Media Ltd. All rights reserved. It’s strongly suspected both the Highland League and Lowland League will be left with no viable option but to shut themselves down until the summer. The Scottish Highland Football League (commonly known as the Highland League) is a part-time, senior professional football league in the north of Scotland.The league, which is the fifth level within Scottish football, is a full member of the Scottish Football Association.It currently consists of 17 teams from the Scottish Highlands as well as the lowlands of Moray and Aberdeenshire. Namibian President Hage Geingob has acknowledged Reconnaissance Energy Africa’s find in the Kavango Basin. Highland League clubs say they cannot start the season unless fans are present. Scottish Highland Football League – Suspension of Football It means tomorrow's Scottish Cup match between Buckie Thistle and Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Wednesday's game between Nairn County and Montrose are off. For as little as £5.99 a month you can access all of our content, including Premium articles. “Whether three weeks is long enough is the next question, but we’ll wait and see how things play out. “While the national sport has been afforded the privilege of elite sporting exemption, the risk of mass transportation of untested, largely part-time players is something that cannot be sustained as the cases continue to rise and available hospital beds become increasingly scarce. The Scottish Football Association announced on Monday January 11 that the Highland League was to be suspended until January 31 when the position would be reviewed. “We’ve seen it in our team and I think every team in the Highland League has seen an increase. The Victoria Park boss said: “I think it is the right decision, we’ve seen an increase in infections or people having to isolate. — The Highland League (@ScottishHFL) January 11, 2021. In line with the rest of football in Scotland, the Highland League was suspended indefinitely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. All football below the Premiership and Championship has been suspended until the end of this month. That evening the Highland League management committee met and discussed the playing suspension. “We reiterate our commitment to playing our part in the collective effort to eradicate the virus.”. “Travelling was becoming a bit concerning as well. The 17 clubs in the Highland League have maintained that they will not kick off the campaign behind closed doors and Houston says he would be "amazed" if that position changes. 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Buckie is a unique club in that there is a lot of travelling because we have boys from Aberdeen, Inverness and the Buckie area, whereas other Highland League clubs everyone is maybe more local. Highland League faces ‘too many imponderables’ in bid to get season restarted. The Scottish FA board confirmed all divisions and competitions apart from the Premiership and Championship will be temporarily frozen. — The Highland League (@ScottishHFL) January 11, 2021 On 11 January 2021 the league was suspended by the Scottish Football Association due to the escalating pandemic situation. The Scottish Highland Football League can confirm the league will be suspended in line with the latest @ScottishFA announcement. Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter and get the latest news, sport and business from the Inverness region straight to your inbox every Friday. A look back at the Highland League campaign that involved just 16 fixtures played over seven weekends and ended with Brora Rangers being crowned champions Buckie Thistle manager Graeme Stewart believes the right decision has been taken to pause the Highland League season. DELAYED until November, suspended in January, finished by March - it's the story of the 2020-21 Highland League season. “Health is the most important thing and this might put some of the worries out of their minds for a few weeks.”. Highland League football has been suspended since January 11. The following decisions were made by the meeting: • That the 2019-20 season be deemed to have concluded on the date that football activity in Scotland was suspended – Friday 13th March 2020. Scottish lower league football suspended for rest of January, Highland League, Scottish Cup and SPFL League 1 and 2 games postponed for three weeks during Covid-19 lockdown. “It makes no sense to me to continue meeting up in groups of 50 and more to play games of football. The cost implications to lower-division clubs was one factor but so too the realisation that many – with some notable exceptions – consist of part-time players who are either prevented from working due to the virus or have to work. This takes immediate effect, starting with this weekend’s matches. It was announced today that League One, League Two and the Scottish Women’s Premier League would be allowed to return to action imminently, while the Scottish Cup can also return. Click on link below. “Players are coming and mixing with 20 or 30 others and then going back to parents or grandparents and it’s an unnecessary risk so I think it’s the right decision. The impacted leagues are: SPFL League One, SPFL League Two, Scottish Women's Football Premier Leagues 1 & 2, Highland League, Lowland League, East, West & … “In either case, the risk is currently too great amid the developing nationwide spread of the virus. Please note that, in accordance with this morning’s Scottish FA Directive, all football due to be played under the auspices of the Highland League is suspended until further notice. The list of leagues that have been suspended are SPFL League One, SPFL League Two, Scottish Women’s Football Premier Leagues 1 & 2, Highland League, Lowland League, East, West & South of Scotland Leagues, Scottish Junior FA Leagues and the North Caledonian League. All Scottish football fixtures below Premiership and Championship have been suspended for the rest of January. The Highland League League Management Committee has met and decided to call a halt to season 2020-2021, because it could not see a viable means to finish it in time to also allow preparations for season 2021-2022. Trafigura and Sonangol are going their separate ways and dividing up Puma Energy, the downstream fuel supplier. The Highland League is set to remain suspended despite some football competitions being allowed to return. Get the Inverness Courier sent to your inbox every week and swipe through an exact replica of the day's newspaper. Divisions from League One below in Scotland are suspended due to the impact of Covid-19 across the country. The 2019–20 Highland Football League was the 117th season of the Highland Football League, and the 6th season as the fifth tier of the Scottish football pyramid system. “We’ve got a few players who are concerned and they’re right to be concerned because the virus is out of control and I’m concerned as well. This site uses cookies. The clubs are concerned to provide all involved and interested in the Highland League with as much clarity as possible. The Highland League may not resume any time soon – even if lower league football is given the greenlight to restart. The SPFL Championship will also be able to continue provided it commences weekly PCR testing. This suspension applied to all leagues below the Championship and Premiership. “After discussions with the SPFL, the Premiership and Championship will continue on the proviso that both adhere to the existing testing regime. Scottish Highland Football League - Suspension of Football Please note that, in accordance with this morning's Scottish FA DIrective, all football due to be played under the auspices of the Highland League is suspended until further notice. By Craig Christie - craig.christie@hnmedia.co.uk. Sonatrach has pulled the plug on the Isarene permit, held by Petroceltic International. “I think we’ve probably got players who didn’t want to keep coming, although nobody had refused. The Breedon Highland League game scheduled for the 19 December 2020 v Turriff United at Turriff has been postponed. Sign up for our daily newsletter featuring the top stories from The Press and Journal. Elgin City's season has been put on hold along with … The shortened Highland League season only kicked off on November 28. It is not known what this would mean for the play-offs if the Highland League and Lowland League weren’t able to coincide with League Two restarting at the same time. RELATED: Watch: Boris Johnson and SNP's Pete Wishart in furious row over second referendum. “I agree with the decision, I’m not particularly happy about it, but it takes away the stress and concern.”. The Scottish Cup and Highland League have been suspended due to the national lockdown until at least January 31. The Highland League season could be suspended if that is the recommendation of the Scottish Football Association due to the coronavirus pandemic. He added: “Players have been concerned and asking me questions and the pause means we’re not putting people in a situation they don’t need to be in. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies -. Stewart says some of his players have expressed concerns recently about continuing to play. Clubs. Highland League Football Suspended Written on 12 January 2021. Clachnacuddin and Nairn County might have fixtures postponed due to coronavirus pandemic. The SHFL has been suspended since March following the implemented lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. — The Highland League (@ScottishHFL) January 11, 2021. The season began on 27 July 2019 and was scheduled to end on 18 April 2020. The decision was announced by the Highland League on 30 March 2021. Below is a map showing the locations of all Highland Football League Member Clubs. As President of the Scottish FA and Chair of the Joint Response Group, I am grateful for the clinical expertise provided by government specifically to football and for the timely award of £30m in grant and loan funding for the game. The Scottish Highland Football League can confirm the league will be suspended in line with the latest Scottish FA announcement. Cove Rangers were the reigning champions, but could not defend their title after being promoted to Scottish League Two. The Scottish Cup and Highland League have been suspended due to the national lockdown until at least January 31. Something went wrong - please try again later. © Aberdeen Journals Ltd 2021.