Today, we're featuring Monymusk Amateurs, who are from the small village of Monymusk, west of Aberdeen, and who play in Division 2 North of the Aberdeenshire Amateur FA.  Here's the Monymusk TeamTalk...







GA: Tell me about you – what is your name and your role with the team?

GH: Gordon Hay, Chairman & Match Secretary.

GA: Tell me about your team history – when and how did the team get started?

GH: We were founded in 1990 by Neil Astbury, Gordon S Hay, Peter Rothnie & Ian Beaton. Monymusk had a successful amateur team back in the 50’s & 60’s as well.

GA: Tell me more about your team – what colours do you play in and why?  What does your club badge represent?  Do you have a team nickname and why?

GH: We currently play in Graphite, which is our shirt sponsor (Collie & Duthie) company colours.

GA: Tell me who is involved in your team – who are they and why do they do it you think?

GH: We have a small committee thst runs the team. Myself, Elaine Murray (Treasurer), Colin Beaton (Manager), Alison Beaton (Commercial Manager). All four of us have been involved with the football club in one way or another pretty much since it was founded. We al live in or around Monymusk and gladly give up our time to keep the club going.

GA: Tell me about your community – what kind of place does your team come from?

GH: Monymusk is a small farming village, 22 miles west of Aberdeen. The local laird, Sir Archibald Grant’s Great–Great Grandfather was credited with bringing new farming methods to the North-East of Scotland. The local church has the oldest Normandy Arch in Britain.

GA: Tell me who are your local supporters and sponsors – why are they behind you?

GH: The supporters are mainly made up of people from Monymusk & Kemnay. Our Sponsors are local companies in Aberdeenshire, Collie & Duthie and e-Blast. I think they support us because they see the hard work the Committee does and know how hard it is to keep an amateur club going.

GA: Tell me about your highs – what’s been the main highlights for your team?

GH: Reaching the Barclay Cook Trophy Final last season.

GA: Tell me about your lows – what’s been the lowest points for your team?

GH: Losing the Barclay Cook Trophy Final to Blackburn on penalties.

GA: Tell me about how you fund your team – what do you do to raise funds?

GH: We have various fundraisers through the year, race nights, Soccer AM Day. We have a sweeper that runs the whole season and we have a Sportsman’s Dinner every 2 years. We also have companies who sponsor our kit on a 3-yearly cycle, Collie + Duthie, e-blast and Granite City Tiling & Plastering to whom we are eternally grateful.

GA: Tell me about your local ground – what are the pitches and facilities like and who owns them?

GH: The local Laird owns the football pitch, but we carry out most of the maintenance on it. We recently erected a fence and we will be upgrading our changing facilities before 2010.

GA: Tell me your ‘team view’ – what would make amateur football better for your team?

GH: Better standard of referees. We lost our co-manager and one of our best players (broken leg) as a direct result of poor refereeing.

GA: Tell me something I’ve not asked – what other thing would you like to say?

GH: I’d like to see more players from the Aberdeenshire Amateur FA getting a crack with the Scottish Amateur Select and maybe have some games played out with the central belt.

GA: Tell me briefly, what words best summarise your team?

GH: They’re a very social bunch and on the whole pretty dedicated to the football club. We have a couple ex-junior and ex-highland league players on our books which shows that although a small club we are very ambitious and hoping to win some silverware in the coming seasons.


Thanks very much, Gordon.  It sounds like you've got a good community-based team there with some great plans for the future - all the best.