Lossiemouth United chairman Alex Lauriston recruits Highland League football legend Fraser Kellas to support club's return to North Region Junior Football Association after six-year absence
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There's a buzz about Lossiemouth following the success of the town's junior football club in being accepted back into the North Region Junior FA.
Lossiemouth United's application to return to the league after a six-year absence has been accepted by their fellow North Region clubs.
United have appointed local businessman Alex Lauriston as their chairman, leading an executive committee which also includes Lossiemouth footballing legend Fraser Kellas.
The club's return to the junior league should be rubber-stamped by the Scottish Junior Football Association at their next meeting, paving the way for their involvement in the 2022-23 season.
Lauriston and the United board will soon unveil a new manager, having considered applications over the past few weeks in anticipation of their return to the competitive pitch.
The club will forge close links with Highland League neighbours Lossiemouth by playing some of the senior side's youth development kids in the junior set-up.
Lossie United dropped out of the north set-up in December 2015, citing a lack of numbers behind the scenes as a reason why they could not continue.
They also had seasons in abeyance in 2000-01 and 2013-14, and Lauriston says there is a determination to ensure that the club is sustainable for the long-term future.
"There is certainly a buzz about the area with this happening and a lot of people are coming up to us saying they are so glad to see the club coming back in," he said.
"The town is quite excited about it by the sound of things.
"We’ve got a committee on board that’s very driven towards making sure that we make it as professional as possible and that we are not just there to make up the numbers.
"Everyone involved knows how a business is run and how to sustain things.
"The big thing was about developing young players and getting junior football back in the town but sustainability is massive. We are not here just to put a team together for a couple of years and ending up falling by the wayside again.
"We want to compete at the highest level that we can. That is going to take time but in the meantime we want to make sure that the club is sustainable."
Lauriston says the club will feed into the football knowledge of Kellas, who enjoyed a long and successful Highland League career as a player and manager.
Kellas became an Elgin City fans' favourite as a skilful winger with the Borough Briggs club for many years.
He managed a number of Highland League clubs including his home town Lossie, who he bossed to silverware success during their most successful era in the 1990s.
"Frazie works offshore but when he’s available he is a great guy to have involved," Lauriston said.
"He’s Lossie football through-and-through and he’s a clever man who knows his stuff about the game. He’s an absolute legend in the town."
John Todd, who served United for many years before their break from junior football, has returned to the committee to offer his own experience.
"The first season is going to be extremely difficult as it is with any football club starting out again, but we are lucky that we’ve got a bit of history and a bit of background behind us," Lauriston said.
"There seems to be a drive and an enthusiasm and a hunger for it in the town so it is looking good - but the hard work begins now.
"We have an executive committee on board and we are also building a matchday committee. The good thing is having Lossiemouth FC on our doorstep and the Lossie youth development that we are working closely in conjunction with.
"I had been coaching at Lossie youth and when I found out that the under-20s were not going to exist this season due to the fact that there was a lack of numbers and a lack of teams involved.
"So we started asking where the pathway into the Highland League for these young players was. There seems to be a big gaping hole in the middle that couldn’t be filled.
"The options were to either take a welfare team or start Lossie United again and we decided that junior football was better for developing players.
"We will try to develop the guys who might otherwise drop out of football for the next couple of years or have to wait for the break into the first team, or having to go to junior clubs out with the town.
"If we can keep them in the town and create a bit of a buzz about the place then it can help us to develop good footballers to play at a higher level one day.
Lauriston has experience with junior clubs in the central belt and identified the hunger for Lossie United to return to the scene.
"The support from local businesses and sponsorship has been phenomenal," he said.
"We started off the plan sitting down saying there was an amount of money we needed to run the club and it gave us a wee bit of a shock.
"But the people of Lossie have been second to none. Anybody you ask is willing to get involved.
"So there is a serious amount of people who have a desire for this club. Many of them have played for the club or have relatives who have played for Lossie United and it is very much a community club."
"I’d like to thank the North Region member clubs and the committee for accepting us"
An inspection of their pitch and facilities at 'The Cage' on Lossiemouth Playing Fields was held earlier this month.
And following a league meeting last weekend, Lossie announced that their bid had been successful.
The coast outfit will join fellow Moray clubs Burghead Thistle, Dufftown, Forres Thistle, Islavale and New Elgin in a new two-division north junior structure next season, part of the Scottish Football Pyramid.
