9 hours ago
21
The chairman has a professional interest in pension pots but is busy with the pans in the kitchen.
The manager is steeped in the tradition of Scottish football but speaks of revolution.
There is also chat about a former player who played at the World Cup and another who prospered under the bright lights of Dubai.
It is also a match where a one-time Junior club takes on the representatives of a franchise that has won the European Cup. It is just another intriguing day in the Lowland League West.
It is about to become even more interesting at Buffs Park. The Yanks are coming to Rangers, this time the Ayrshire variety.
Will Freeman of Tampa and Luca Farina of Maryland have taken a minority stake in a club that has set its sights on the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL). The febrile speculation about big signings and massive wages is well off the mark. The budget for Chris Strain, the manager of the Buffs, was set before the Americans came on board and will not be changed.
Kilwinning Rangers midfielder Paul Frize rifles home the opening goal against Celtic B
Indeed, the investment will help with infrastructure and the move to achieve the Scottish Football Association bronze licence that is necessary for an ascension into the SPFL. The Buffs are ambitious but far from reckless.
The mood is growth, sustainability. If this sounds dull, consider that the excitement of having new cash has been a fool’s gold for many Junior clubs. The buzz can be short-lived but the consequences of a temporary sugar daddy can be disastrous when he leaves with heavy heart and lighter pockets.
‘We spoke a similar language,’ says chairman Jack Schofield. He is referring to the discussions with the US investors. Schofield, a financial adviser on pensions and mortgages amongst other matters, had put up a post on LinkedIn that suggested Kilwinning Rangers, formed in 1899, has a story to tell.
The Americans bit. They wanted to be part of the next chapter. ‘The talks have been interesting and the process immaculate,’ says Schofield. Kilwinning could provide facts and figures. The Americans provide an impetus.
It seems a match made, if not in heaven, then in what constitutes paradise in Ayrshire. Schofield’s words come after he is released from duties in the kitchen to watch an impressive Buffs swat aside an ineffectual Celtic B.
‘The cook called off and we had 51 in hospitality,’ he says. There are about 700 in the ground and Schofield is eager to demonstrate that the club is both a community and communal venture.
Kilwinning's Buffs Park sits alongside the town's sports club, which draws active locals
‘This is not about what I am doing here. It is about what we are all doing here,’ he says.
Standing at his side is Alan McAlpine, vice chairman, who shares the Buffs vision. A new board came in during March and McAlpine was the only one who stayed on from the previous incumbents.
‘Things have to change,’ he says. ‘We need fresh eyes, fresh impetus and direction.’
He points out: ‘Kilwinning has a bigger population than Arbroath, Dumbarton and Stranraer. They all play in the SPFL.’
A retired police officer, McAlpine now works for a council as an investigator and is a match delegate for the SPFL. This experience underlies his approach to the club and, indeed, to the investment.
‘There is money we can use to make ourselves sustainable. It can be a matter of spending now to save later in terms of improvements and infrastructure.’
He is also impressed by the recruits. ‘These guys are millionaires, very successful businessmen with very good ideas,’ he says. ‘It is hard work here, but very rewarding. We are on the path to gaining bronze licence.’
Kilwinning vice chairman Alan McAlpine believes the club CAN reach the senior divisions
The club is also on the road to laying a pathway for young players.
There is, famously, the American dream. Chris Strain, battered and buffeted by the winds of fortune in Scottish football, is a character who deals with reality first before confronting anything else.
Released by Kilmarnock as a youngster, he went to Queen of the South as a player before forging his reputation as a player and manager in the Junior ranks. This is his second spell at Kilwinning. He was at Beith when they won the Premier Division title.
He came back to the Buffs in March with a defined target – promotion to the Lowland League West.
‘The reality is that we scraped though,’ he says two hours before kick-off. At 5pm, Kilwinning are a point behind the leaders in the Lowland League West, just one rung below the SPFL.
He does not shy away from the implications of his side’s outstanding form. ‘The ambition is to take the club into the SPFL.’
He points out that the infrastructure at Buffs Park, adjacent to Kilwinning Sports Club, is a significant boon. ‘Our major asset is the community itself,’ he says. ‘We have 600 kids coming to the sports club every week. We are never going to be able to pay the wages of other clubs but we have other assets.’
These include those already at the helm of the club and the US investors. ‘I met Will with members of the board during the week. He is a keen lover of sport and is more a philanthropist than someone who is demanding a return on his investment. We are ready to roll as a football club. Things are looking good off the pitch and we now need the results on it.’
Manager Chris Strain enjoyed huge success with Beith and has lofty ambitions at Kilwinning
Strain has a successful history of developing young players. He brought Ross Stewart from Ardeer to Kilwinning. The striker’s pathway included a walk-on part for Scotland at the World Cup. Strain also had Josh Fowler at Beith. This striker is now at St Johnstone after a spell in Dubai.
Strain says: ‘Some of the staff and players were here with Ross. We were laughing in joy as he came on against Morocco. Someone mentioned that they remembered him playing against Irvine Vics. We were all so delighted for him. We gave him 50 quid a week here, I think.’
Swansea City may be paying their striker a tad more.
‘There are some fine young players at this level,’ continues Strain. He believes there is a bottleneck in the pyramid that can cause stagnation to striving clubs and up-and-coming players.’
His ambition is to create a pathway at the club for players released from senior clubs at a young age.
‘This plan would have a full-time aspect to it,’ says Strain. ‘We would be looking at kids with potential. It would be a hybrid system with some part-time players but with boys that would be full-time in that we would help put them through college or university.
‘I was released from Kilmarnock and I went and worked in a bank as I had left school with qualifications. But you talk to young players released from professional teams nowadays and they have unrealistic expectations. They say they are going to do a bit of coaching and pick up a wage as a part-timer at a club. But how viable is that and for how long? What are they going to do with their lives?’
He adds: ‘This is wake-up time for them. But it is also a wake-up time for Scottish football.’
Strain is part of what may be the American revolution. Its motto may be that a man can have a dream but it is always better when accompanied by a plan.
