Rutherglen Glencairn secretary Peter Ferguson says Scottish FA membership is financially massive for the club, and is the culmination of three years’ hard work.
And Ferguson has urged people in the town to back the West of Scotland League First Division club as they bid to climb up the Scottish football pyramid.
Glencairn announced on Wednesday that they had been granted full admission to the Scottish FA, meaning they will compete in the Scottish Cup for the first time in their 126-year history.
Ferguson says this gives Glencairn a chance to compete with the likes of Auchinleck Talbot and Darvel, as they eventually bid to reach the Lowland League.
“Financially it’s huge for us,” said Ferguson.
“You get an annual payment from the SFA for just holding your licence and appearance money in the Scottish Cup goes up in quite a dramatic scale in every round you go through.
“Even if you lose in the first preliminary round, you still get a substantial payment for them.
“There’s also TV money if you’re selected; we’ve seen Clydebank, Auchinleck and Darvel all getting live television matches, and raking in the money from it.
“For a club the size the size of us, who don’t have a big support compared to these teams, and we don’t have a big committee, so it’s a huge achievement for us.
“It’s really important if you want to compete with them and potentially look at coming up through the divisions into the Lowland League and things like that.
“We need this sort of financial support, and the support of the people of Rutherglen. We need them to come and watch us.”
For Ferguson this has been a personal crusade, as he fought to persuade others at the club that applying for membership was a good idea.
“Just under three years ago I started on the process myself, in the background, because I could see what was coming,” he said.
“Juniors were moving towards the senior ranks, particularly from the East side of things, and I knew it was only a matter of time before it happened in the West.
“I started quietly talking to people at the club and it took a wee bit of persuasion over a bit of time to change some attitudes and mid-sets at the club.
“We were very much a traditional junior club, so officer-bearers at the time needed a bit of persuasion.
“It’s a speculate to accumulate situation, and we had to portray that to the powers that be and the members. You’ve got to pay out this money to get the rewards back.
“We got there in the end, and it has been a lot of hard work, but it has been very worthwhile.”
A bonus from that is inclusion in the senior Scottish Cup for the first time in the club’s history, and Ferguson admits he doesn’t care who they draw.
He laughed: “I’m really looking forward to it, even if we draw Pittenweem United – if that’s a team – away from home. It doesn’t really matter.
“The occasion will be special for us.
“It will certainly help us to attract players to the club, keep players at the club and help us to attract players to come back to the club.
“A lot of players will want to be a part of it, especially with us stepping down a league this season.”
Now, Glencairn will turn their attention to getting more people through the gate at the Hamish B. Allan Stadium.
Ferguson said: “Sometimes it feels like you’re banging your head against a wall.
“We appreciate that there are so many different attractions nowadays. The Glens used to get big crowds down at Southcroft, before my time certainly, but I’ve seen the pictures, back in the days before transport was so easy to get into Glasgow.
“We see supporters’ buses going past us to get to Ibrox and Parkhead, and so on, but come along, come and try us, and if you like it, come back again.
“It’s only £8 entry at the gate, £4 concessions and kids under-12 get in free.
“It’s a great level of football, it’s highly competitive, so come and try it, you’ll love it – I absolutely guarantee it.”
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