POETS PREPARE TO FACE PENALTIES

Poets from across Scotland will gather in the Borders this weekend to perform their prose amid the drama of a penalty shoot-out.

The bards will perform at the ‘Poets and Penalties’ competition being held in Stow and sponsored by Nil by Mouth as part of our campaign to highlight the positives of Scottish football.

The event will see competitors recite lines from their poems in the seconds leading up to taking three spot kicks before moving on to a sudden death shoot out to decide the winner. It is the second time the event has been held with current holder Stephen Watt returning to defend his title along with Scotland’s first footballing Poet in Residence Thomas Clark amongst those taking part. Dumbarton, Clydebank, Hamilton Accies and Gala Fairydean Rovers are amongst the clubs being represented.

The competition is part of Nil by Mouth’s Kiss Bigotry Goodbye Campaign which focuses on the joy of football.

Recent years have seen a rise in the popularity of football poetry with several clubs engaging a poet in residence and the Scottish Football Magazine Nutmeg publishing an anthology of poems as well as having a dedicated poetry section in each edition. After the event the poets will perform a selection of their work in a local restaurant in the village to let people come along and enjoy the occasion. Poets include Stephen, Thomas, Hamish MacDonald, Craig Aitchison, Peter Russell, Stuart Kenny and Andy Jackson.

2017 winner Stephen Watt is aiming to defend his crown.

Nil by Mouth Director Dave Scott said:

‘Much of our work involves dealing with the more poisonous side of football so this is a welcome chance to highlight the passion and poetry of the beautiful game. Football is something that brings real beauty, colour and exhilaration to people’s lives and its important we never lose sight of this.

The first event in 2017 sparked considerable interest and it’s been brilliant to see the subsequent growth of football poetry both in print and being performed at a host of venues across the country.  Each poet has 15 seconds prior to taking their kick to recite something suitable about the game or the feelings of fans and a few have promised to ad-lib some new stuff. 

To the best of our knowledge this is the only competition of its type in the world and we are delighted that so many poets are volunteering to take part. We are grateful to Stow AFC for offering use of their pitch and making us so welcome once again, The Borders has a long and rich literary tradition and we hope to add a few new pages to that history this weekend.’

Stephen Watt said:

‘Over the past decade, while our southern neighbours favoured big business, attracting Hollywood stars to buy clubs and Saudi oil to finance squads, something old-fashioned and romantic was set alight in northern bellies. Football poetry. From the announcement of the first ever Scottish Poet-in-Residence appointed in 2015 at Selkirk FC, further appointments of club bards were made respectively at St Johnstone, Dumbarton, St Mirren Charitable Trust, and Clydebank.

The BBC locked on to poetry’s increasing popularity in the football sphere. The annual pre-Scottish Cup final poem was televised on the big screens at Hampden Park in 2017. Poets were filmed across the country prior to the new season starting; and match programmes filled with words describing the microclimate uniqueness of the matchday experience.  

But how do fourteen-line sonnets translate into twelve-yard penalty kicks?  We will find out on the day. I’m coming to defend my title and ensure that, after a difficult few years, Dumbarton FC will have to clear more space in the trophy cabinet and the open top bus can make its way down Dumbarton High Street.’