Inverness football club Clachnacuddin FC is on the ball for coronavirus track and trace
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One of Scotland’s oldest senior football clubs has turned to the very latest modern technology to stay one step ahead in the fight against Covid-19.
Clachnacuddin officials believe they are the first club in the north of Scotland to enlist a contact tracing app to help protect players, officials, staff and supporters.
The track and trace technology offered by the company Safe2Go is similar to that used in many bars and restaurants.
Everyone visiting Clach’s Grant Street Park will be able to log into the system using their mobile phone and record their basic personal details.
All players, management and officials will use it with immediate effect, but Lilywhites fans and visiting spectators will also be able to voluntarily record their presence once they are allowed back into games.
The Highland League is set to kick off again in mid October.
“To the best of our knowledge, we’re the first club in the north to go for something like this,” club director and secretary Scott Dowling said.
“It is above and beyond the regulations as advised to us by the Scottish Government and SFA, but it was something, as a board, we agreed we wanted to invest in.
“It is basically a track and trace system. We want to make supporters feel as safe as they can whenever they can return to Grant Street.
“With the app, the person’s data is securely saved to the cloud and would only be used if anything was to happen. It takes literally a minute to scan in by phone, type in contact details and hit send.”
The club has followed all guidance from the authorities, including installing a one-way system in the ground, sanitizing stations and other social-distancing measures.
Mr Dowling added: “We pay a monthly fee to the company, who have been fantastic with us. When the time comes, hopefully not too far down the line, when it is safe to cancel the subscription, we can do so without unnecessary cost to the club.”
Fellow director and Clach Covid-19 officer Chris Forbes was thrilled to be leading the way in the Highland League.
“It will be in place for when our players return to training this week,” he said.
“That means they will scan in and there will be a complete and accurate log of their presence. It means if we do, God forbid, have an outbreak, we have it covered and everything is in place to deal with it as quickly and efficiently as possible.
“It will include our first team, under-20s, our coaches and management. When crowds return, they will have the option of using it for their own peace of mind.”
