Football fan from Brora keeps "VAR away" on season-long groundhop
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Brora based football fan Billy Clark has been no stranger to a debate with match officials as a former player, coach and supporter – but no referee has raised his ire quite like the virtually assisted referee (VAR).
VAR, which uses the Hawkeye Innovations System also seen in tennis, has been implemented in many football competitions across the world, including the English Premier League.
Opinion has been divided amongst supporters and professionals on its use – and Billy, who previously played for Civil Service Strollers and Bonar Bridge among other clubs, says he has no desire to see the technology introduced in Scotland.
His disapproval of the system and fears that it could soon be coming to Scotland have prompted him to get as "var" away from it as he can – by spending the 2021-22 campaign groundhopping between all 42 grounds in the Scottish Football League.
The former football coach has been documenting his experience in an online blog, aptly named "Var Far Away".
He said: "I have played, coached and managed all over Scotland and England at lower levels for over fifty years. In doing that, I knew as a boy, I was playing the same game that Pele was playing. Under the same rules as the professionals and internationals. VAR has now created two different games.
"I was brought up in Edinburgh, but it has been over 40 years since I lived there, and I consider myself a neutral. So, to stay away from VAR, I decided to spend the season watching a game at each of the 42 SPFL grounds. This is for no other reason than wanting to see the places where footballers and referees play live – before VAR takes away the game I know and love."
Billy's travels began with a trip to see Edinburgh City v Stenhousemuir on August 13. Since that time, he has ticked off 40 of the 42 grounds he intended to visit, with just Ibrox and Celtic Park left to go.
His journey has taken him up and down the leagues, and he insists that he has most enjoyed his trips to the grounds of lower league teams.
He recalls his most recent trip to Stair Park in Stranraer, where an early arrival and a chance meeting with John, the kit man for Kelty Hearts, left him with a memory he'll never forget.
He said: "I’m aware some people think I’ve had an unusual life, and this was just another day, but John let me watch the Hampden semi-final match between Hibs and Hearts on the telly in the Kelty Hearts dressing room!
"He let me stay and watch until the Kelty bus arrived, so I saw all the goals. Life doesn’t get any better in my mind, and I’m immensely grateful to him."
With Billy coming to the end of his travels, it is apropos that the SPFL confirmed on April 19 that VAR will be coming to Scotland after clubs voted almost unanimously to implement the technology in the Scottish Premiership.
The new technology will be introduced in December following the conclusion of the World Cup in Qatar.
Billy added: "I've had a great year. This weekend I'm off to Kilmarnock on Friday, then Montrose on Saturday. Then it will be Airdrie at home before I finish with Celtic and Rangers in May."
"I wanted to see football played throughout Scotland the way I remembered it as a boy, playing the game of football the same way as my heroes. As we know now, that is about to disappear forever."
Billy's blog can be accessed by visiting varfaraway.com.
