Scottish League Two side Bonnyrigg Rose deducted six points due to slope on pitch

Scottish League Two side Bonnyrigg Rose FC have received a six point deduction following an SPFL Disciplinary Tribunal.

The governing body punished the Midlothian side for SPFL rule breaches, which were admitted by the club, due to a slope on their pitch at New Dundas Park.

In September, the SFA downgraded Bonnyrigg’s overall club licence award from bronze level to entry level, due to the gradient of the surface.

All clubs must have a bronze level SFA club licence and Bonnyrigg were charged with a breach of the governing body’s rules.

At a hearing on Tuesday, the club was deducted six points with immediate effect and warned as to their future conduct.

The League Two side must also provide details to the SPFL Board of the funding arrangements and programme of works to allow the club to undertake pitch levelling works in summer next year.

The club have launched a fundraiser hoping to raise £120,000 to level the surface.

A Bonnyrigg statement on the crowdfunder read: “Currently our pitch gradient does not meet the bronze level requirement for the SPFL.

“Following professional advice and in partnership with the Community Club, our ambition was to replace the grass surface at NDP with a synthetic surface.

“Changing the pitch surface became our focus, rather than levelling the pitch, as levelling was identified as being a wasted investment and unnecessary additional time and effort given the opportunity to obtain funding to change the surface as part of our club and community development ambitions.

“The rationale behind the change of surface was to enable and support local grass roots football, in partnership with The Bonnyrigg Rose Community Club, as well as delivering a positive impact to the local economy and wider community.

“As an example, and for clarity, the Bonnyrigg Rose Community Club has an extensive waiting list of children keen to play football but who are unable to do so due to lack of space and resources.

“An artificial surface at New Dundas Park would go some way to enable those children to play, provide a new pipeline of potential talent for the future as well as enabling the ground to become a seven day a week operational business, creating jobs within the local community and creating revenue for the club and local economy.

“Unfortunately, due to factors outside of our control both with central DCMS funding delays and following ground surveying works we have been unable to progress as we would have liked with the resurfacing works.

“As a result the licensing board have downgraded our licence from Bronze to Entry level.

“As such our focus has changed and we will now be working hard towards levelling the pitch in advance of the 2024/25 season.

“To achieve this, we need your help. We need to raise the funds to complete the levelling and drainage requirements.

“We are expecting a quote and plan of works from contractors imminently, however we expect the costs of this to be in excess of six figures.”