A word from the Owner

The trophy, 132 years old, a magnificent specimen, encapsulates the romance of Scottish football and the fact that Caledonian Braves, established only in 2019, can compete and win such an old trophy is very satisfying.

It was also particularly pleasing to see Braves fans make the long journey south to support the team. ‘Braves on Tour’ was the shout as the band of merry men took advantage of the Glasgow - Annan ScotRail service. To see them on the park at full time with the trophy in hand, with the team, is a photo that I will cherish.

Despite the end of season high, the overall feeling for the season is one of frustration. Having made progress both on and off the park, I still feel that there is so much more to be done and we are only scratching the surface. The frustration was to be further compounded as we were to lose seven of our players, and our assistant manager to other teams in the close season.

We pride ourselves in being able to bring in young talented players, often when no one else is interested in them, offering them an environment to find their love for the game again and improve though in doing so we often become victims of our own success in as much as their performances attracts attention from other clubs.

As a relatively new club, the reality is that we are not in a position to compete with some of the money being thrown around in the lower leagues at the moment. Although ambitious, I believe it is important to be intelligent with our ambition and ensure that the club remains financially sustainable first and foremost.

I believe that what we are witnessing across the lower leagues of Scotland, although exciting to fans, is largely unsustainable. The implementation of the pyramid and in particular the integration of the junior clubs in the pyramid and the success of clubs like Kelty and Bonnyrigg in recent years has tempted many clubs to spend big in an attempt to win promotion to the SPFL. This leads to an inflated market and the reality is that only one team will have the opportunity of a pyramid playoff come next May.

It is with this in mind, that we will remain focused and pragmatic and continue to work within budget as we look to strengthen all areas of the club. To help achieve this and create a community around the club, we will soon be offering the opportunity for fans to invest in the club, meaning that you too can own a part of the Braves FC. I believe this to be an exciting and positive move that will guide the club to where we would like to be in the coming years.

In the meantime we would like to thank David Winters and Ross Halliburton as well as departing players Chris Henry, Grant Thackray, Lee Dempsey, Lewis McLear, Marc Kelly, Jamie Walker, Scott Forrester, Luke Main, Ross Lindsay, Jack Duncan and Zac Butterworth for their service to the club and everyone at Braves wishes them well for the future.