We feature today the Magners Celtic League team Glasgow Warriors supporters site: glasgowwarriors.com
In 2002 Gordon who created the site said he was bored one night so decided to mess about with a website. He thought there was a bit of a gap when it came to independent websites about rugby in Scotland and using his experience as a supporter of Greenock Morton Football Club whose supporters were pioneers in football fans having a web presence, he launched his site for the Glasgow rugby pro team, Glasgow Warriors.
Glasgow Rugby Fan’s Website
From these beginnings the site has now grown thanks to his team of 3 who work on the site. Gordon’s girlfriend’s brother is a bit of a techie so he does a lot of work behind the scenes. Another friend works with Gordon to keep the site updated and they also have occassional contributions from a couple of other people.
The site is really busy, with visitors from all over the world, the forum keeps people entertained and can boast 1300 registered users. They also have sponsors who are very generous in their support, and their supporters club publish their documents on the site. In the past the site has sponsored players and they regularly help publicise club schemes.
The site has gained great popularity with players and staff at Warriors and in general, the reaction is very positive, with the number of registered users confirming that supporters like the website. The site has also gained international recognition. With so many players from all over the world plying their trade in the UK, they get lots of interest from the families of overseas players. Scottish rugby doesn’t get a huge amount of coverage in Scotland, never mind overseas, so the site is pretty helpful to friends and families. They spend a lot of time keeping relatives up to date and sending photos and cuttings to Australia and New Zealand. Gordon told us that it is good to meet up when relatives come over to visit. A couple of years ago the parents of one overseas player visited and wanted to meet up with him. On the website forum his avatar is a photo of Father Dougal from the Father Ted CH4 comedy series, so the parents, who obviously hadn’t seen the programme, were wandering around the clubhouse looking for the priest who ran the website.
We then asked for the sites top Glasgow Warriors team and that created further debate so here is Gordon’s response:
Glasgow Warriors Best XV
We regularly have debates on our best XV. To be honest, it’s very difficult to do. There are quite a few players who stand out in the memory – they may not be the best players in their position, but they
all made a big impact in Glasgow rugby. I’m just a young thing but greats from the past obviously include Sandy Carmichael, Mighty Mouse (Ian McLauchlan for those who don’t know) and Broon frae Troon (Gordon Brown), while guys like Matt Duncan, Shade Munro, Derek Stark and Ian Jardine made their mark.
Glenn Metcalfe and Tommy Hayes would always make my best XV. Jason White would be in there too. Back row man Gordon Simpson is my favourite Glasgow player of all-time – he was abrasive, streetwise and a real handful and is still among Glasgow’s top scorers. The Lamont brothers always excited the crowds – I wish we’d seen more of them playing together for Glasgow. If Euan Murray can stay healthy, he could be Scotland’s tighthead for the next 5 years. John Barclay and Johnnie Beattie have so much promise, it’s frightening, while Andy Henderson is Mr Dependable.
We also had players like James Craig who could have been a huge star, but ended up as a bit of a wasted talent – he could have made it if he’d been handled with a bit more care. Other players like Jon Petrie and Graeme Beveridge might not make the best-ever XV but both had a great relationship with the Glasgow supporters and won respect with their 100% commitment.
Visit the site at: www.glasgowwarriors.com