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BE PREPARED!

It's now week five of the season, and we know that World Bowl '97 will be in Barcelona. That can't change now, we're not going to be hosting it again. We can still make it there, though. The Claymores are 2-3 with 3 other teams, and only one game behind the second-placed team. Supposing the team's hitherto unimpressive form improves, that means we can (as Levi points out in his column) still get the second slot at the World Bowl.

There's a saying that goes "prepare for the worst, hope for the best." The problems of 1995 prepare us for the worst, the fact that we can still get there gives us hope for the best. What we also need to do, and this isn't mentioned in the old saying, is to prepare for the best as well. How?

Well, if the team does get to Barcelona, there will be a lot of Claymores fans in Scotland who can't get over for the game (me for one.) That's a lot of people who would want to see the team (hopefully) make a piece of history, but who wouldn't be able to. Certainly, that's what would happen if the Claymores don't prepare for the best.

This weekend, Glasgow Rangers beamed live pictures of their final league game with Hearts back from Tynecastle to Ibrox, because the currently reduced capacity at Tynecastle meant that there were a large number of Rangers fans who couldn't get in to see the game live. I propose that the Claymores do the same kind of thing if World Bowl qualificiation happens.

There will be sports stadia all over the country which aren't being used in late June, and I'm sure that some of them would be keen to host the event. It wouldn't expect it to be too big a technical problem, as it is there's already one video screen at Claymores home games anyway, and there's always big video screens at any kind of musical event these days. It would be possible if it was organised properly.

The Claymores could lay on all of the usual entertainment for the fans who turn up ... bands, stage acts, competitions, the lot ... really make a day of it. For the fans it would be like an extra home game at the end of the season. The atmosphere would be miles better than it would if fans were just stuck at home or in a pub watching the game. It could be a right old party, and if there's one thing Claymores fans like to do it's party!

Now, you may think that I'm getting a little ahead of myself, but now is exactly the time that people in charge should be thinking about ideas like this. I hope you agree with me, and if you do I would ask you to let the Claymores know, let them know that we should be prepared for the best. The opportunity is there to make something really good happen.

Alan Gibson

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