THERE was a victory for football fan power on Clydeside last night, when Greenock Morton FC withdrew its new strip from sale after supporter protests, writes Martin Hannan.
Fans of Greenock Morton had queued up to sign an online petition against the club’s proposed new strip for the coming season because it did not have Morton’s famous blue and white hoops.
Supporters of the Championship side – one of the oldest professional clubs in Scotland that was founded in 1874 – also threatened a boycott of the strip.
But The National can report a change of heart by Morton’s board and the new ensemble appears not to be going ahead.
The club issued a statement last night saying: “The board of directors at Greenock Morton FC would like to emphasise the fact that we are listening to you, our supporters and understand your concerns.
“As a club we are keen to improve our engagement with fans and build on the excellent community initiatives in recent years.
“We recognise in relation to the kit that we need to take this to the next level and involve supporters in the design process.
“I can assure you that we have read through all of the correspondence received over the past 24 hours and are currently formulating a plan that we believe will be pleasing for everyone. We will do our best to inform you of this progress in the next few days.”
The new home kit contains a solid blue element front and back with white sleeves and sides, in total contrast to the blue and white hoops which Morton players have worn at home for decades.
Within hours of the strip’s official launch at the club’s home ground of Cappielow Park, supporter Robert McCahill had launched an online petition on change.org and by yesterday afternoon more than 530 supporters had signed it.
A letter was also sent to club chairman Douglas Rae which stated: “Bring back the hoops. This new strip breaks away from the traditions of our club, and that simply isn’t good enough. There is growing unrest among fans as we feel that we are not consulted on major issues.
“Fans are proposing to boycott this strip, which will be detrimental to club finances, but this is how strongly we feel on the issue.”
McCahill told The National: “It looks like a victory for the fans. Our traditional hooped strip is iconic and recognised the world over, and moving away from this is a backwards step by the board.”
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