Queen’s Park break 150 years of amateur tradition and now face HMRC crackdown

[ian1964 10,458]

The Spiders now have players on contracts and break minimum wage regulations – with Dundee and Stirling Albion are also in the dock.

 

The grand amateurs of Scottish football could face an HMRC crackdown after handing out £1-a-week professional deals to players.

 

Record Sport have seen contracts that show Queen’s Park have ended almost 150 years of tradition and are in blatant breach of national minimum wage regulations.

 

We have been investigating the failure of the SPFL and its clubs to tackle low pay legislation and can reveal the Spiders are riding roughshod over their own heritage by offering the illegal, peppercorn salaries.

 

Dundee and Stirling Albion are also in the dock while concern has also been raised at unpaid hours worked by young professionals at two other non-Premiership clubs.

 

Queen’s Park, motto ‘to play for the sake of playing’, were formed in 1867, the oldest club in Scottish football, and there is dismay at their decision to break with their amateur traditions.

 

However their failure to pay the going rate, currently £7.20 an hour for players aged over 25, could potentially cost them tens of thousands in back pay to players this season alone.

 

SNP MSP James Dornan, whose Cathcart constituency covers Hampden, expressed his concern as Holyrood prepares to debate the issue of good governance across the national game next week.

 

He said: “I’m more disappointed than anything else. Queen’s Park have prided themselves for more than a century on being the standard bearers and have stood for everything that is good about the game. Something has clearly gone wrong with the ethos of that club.

 

“Not only have they abandoned their laudable principles but they have only added to the controversy by offering contracts in such a miserly and illegal fashion.

 

“The SPFL and SFA should ensure these contracts are completed legally and appropriately and if not they should be handed back to be amended in line with the law.

 

“HMRC are taking the issue of football very seriously and the under payment of players is on their agenda. Clubs should be aware.”

 

Queen’s Park have defended their position and say they have signed players on professional deals for many years to ease their move to the amateur club from other senior Scottish outfits.

 

General manager Christine Wright said: “Many of our players come to us from professional clubs so we put them on professional contracts of £1-a-week, in lieu of expenses. HMRC have looked into this and are comfortable with what we’re doing.”

 

However, she admitted there has been no dialogue with HMRC on the issue for at least the eight years she has been with the club. Asked if the contracts would stand legal scrutiny, she added: “I can’t answer that. I’m not a lawyer.”

 

Queen’s Park players sign standard SPFL contracts, which make no reference to their weekly wage being paid “in lieu of expenses”.

 

Fraser Wishart, chief executive of PFA Scotland, reckons the Queen’s Park argument cuts little ice legally.

 

He said: “When a player signs a professional deal it’s on a standard, SPFL contract. Any renumeration listed within brings it under the jurisdiction of minimum wage legislation.”

 

Queen’s Park players, who are all part-time, train twice a week and work, on average, nine hours when matches are played at home. On the road, especially to more far flung destinations such as Peterhead, their working week can rise up to 17 hours.

 

Under national minimum wage legislation, a player aged 25 or over would be entitled to between £65 and £140-a-week and back pay would soon mount up if a disgruntled employee was successful in arguing his case with HMRC.

 

Queen’s Park have become a fertile breeding ground for young talent again in recent seasons and have developed players such as Scotland star Andy Robertson, Dundee United midfielder Blair Spittal and Aberdeen frontman Lawrence Shankland.

 

Dundee United took Robertson as an amateur from Hampden, but generously gifted Queen’s Park a 10 per cent sell-on clause which netted the League One clubs £280,000 when he moved to Hull City.

 

Queen’s Park retain the right to compensation and transfer fees when players are signed on professional contracts and can also dictate when they move from the club. As amateurs, players needed only give 28 days’ notice.

 

Campaigner Willie Smith launched the petition aimed at overhauling many of Scottish football’s structures in 2010 and it is already the longest running in the history of the parliament.

 

He said: “Such is the degree of mismanagement and exploitation the petition is far from finished. Football clubs and their member authorities in Scotland are out of control. If clubs can’t afford to pay minimum wage they should lose their professional status and become wholly amateur.”

 

The SPFL have defended their governance of national minimum wage legislation, which Scottish clubs must respect by law and which is also enshrined in an autonomous agreement between the SFA, through UEFA, and world players’ union Fifpro.

 

A spokesman for the SPFL said: “There are significant financial pressures on many clubs, especially those in the lower divisions who are currently part-time. Whilst increases in the national minimum wage have undoubtedly been challenging for a number of our smaller clubs, it is a legal requirement that all clubs fully comply with national minimum wage regulations.

 

“All of our clubs have been reminded of their obligations under the legislation and are aware of these requirements.

 

“The SPFL offers a free service to any professional player who considers that they have not been paid the minimum wage by their club.”

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/queens-park-break-150-years-9465208

[Norris Cole 0]

I don't really understand that. What is the difference between Queen's Park and any other amateur club? The players all have employment elsewhere -they're playing football for enjoyment.

[MacK1950 2,251]

Queens Park have always maintained that the y are truly amateur and only pay expenses this new revelation knocks that on the head.

[der Berliner 3,292]

Apart from the IMHO hollow "amateur" debate, these players earn their money elsewhere, so what they do at Queen's Park is a second "job" which they essentially take up voluntarily, so the "underpayment" stuff goes right out of the window. It looks like practically paying no money to them keeps the amateur argument up for Queen's Park, the rest is nitpicking for a story's sake.

Edited December 19, 2016 by der Berliner

[calscot 0]

The problem is that you have to pay absolutely nothing as volunteers, or minimum of minimum wage if they are on a professional contract - it's to protect employees. Queens Park have really messed this up. There is obviously a mechanism paying expenses but would assume this would have to be audited with receipts etc.

 

The tax man is pretty stringent these days and affects my work where we do things like getting students or staff to volunteer several hours for dev-testing our software - we used to be able to give some kind of gift, like a small value M&S voucher, or some other token gesture, but due to the tax man we can now only offer our sincerest thanks.