Elgin’s New Club was founded in 1886 and saved from closure by one vote before community effort created state-or-the art cue sports facility with live-streamed competitions and busy atmosphere
It could have been the end of 140 years of history, but one vote changed all that.
Elgin’s New Club, formed in 1886, came within a whisker of closing its doors for the very last time - now it has been reinvigorated and is thriving.
One of the town’s institutions, it has been reborn as a state-of-the-art cue sports hub, with live-streaming pool competitions, its own YouTube channel and an increasing membership using their snooker and pool facilities.
That all comes down to community spirit, with the famous club above Yeadons bookshop recruiting sponsorship and numerous donations to modernise its approach and carve out a far brighter future.
The New Club’s current committee has big plans, and wants to expand the facility into a top-level cue sports venue hosting major competitions, attracting the best players from across the north and beyond.
It has also created jobs, with new bar manager Laura O’Sullivan among many who was made redundant by the recent closure of the St Giles shopping centre, but now given a lifeline by the revamp of the business.
The New Club isn’t just about hosting cue sports, for many decades it has provided a social hub for Elgin’s business community, and a place for people to enjoy a chat, relieving any stress or anxiety from a busy or difficult time at work or home.
That social interaction led to a partnership with the Mikeysline mental health charity, with the club setting up a series of fund-raising events to support the cause.
“It's quite a big thing in the pool community, because I've lost a few young guys in the area,” said New Club committee member Richard MacKenzie, who has run the local pool league for the past decade.
“There was one guy we lost called Adam Higgins who we played against him up in the Highland Tours and things. Another one who plays (Bobby) has a lot to do with Mikeysline, and we were asked to do things for the charity which we were happy to do.”
Last weekend, the New Club held a Royal Rumble competition, with players paying for the privilege of choosing their own walk-on music and all proceeds going to charity.
Next month, the club hosts a 24-hour pool-a-thon over July 4 and 5, with members playing games for an hour each for the full day, again to make some cash for Mikeysline.
All this wouldn’t have been possible if the club had folded in 2024, and Richard explained how close that was to happening.
“To be honest it was kind of seen as an old man's club,” he said. “It was, you know, the snooker isn't as popular as it was, prices going up. So last year, I actually had an EGM and they were to close the place.”
He said 21 members turned up for the meeting, and rather than pull the plug they decided more members were needed to make such a crucial call which could bring the curtain down on a much-loved institution.
“They had a vote and there were about 35 members who turned up. It was saved by one vote.
“We ran the place last year with no staff. It was a volunteer sort of thing, just to try and get it back.”
Former president Graham Scales was then approached to form a committee, with six members coming together to shape the club’s future.
It was soon realised that there was an appetite for the sport of pool in the area in particular, and that became the focus for attracting more people.
Graham’s brother Russell also got involved and he explained how the community got behind their project and helped take matters to the next level.
“It's been unbelievable,” he said. “It's quite a nice little committee with three electricians, an IT expert, a social media expert.
“Together we put everything in, rewiring all the lights, putting in new equipment like computers and cameras, and a lot of it's been sponsor-led. We’ve had things like 55-inch TVs donated.
“We tried to make it like a sports venue as well. We have the football on, we make up the flyers for the pool competitions and it’s really taken off.”
Richard added: “One of the things that we're doing differently is that we're live-streaming the pool with commentary recorded.
“I only came out with a conversation with Graham and he said ‘what would you need to do it?’ and I told him I would need six cables from here down to here.
“The next day he texted me and said ‘that’s done’.”
Fellow committee member Regan Campbell, who mans the console ‘hub’ within the club to film pool matches, explained how it all began.
“We started off with streaming on our phones onto Facebook, and folk were commenting, asking if we could get commentary as well. That's where we got microphones and that.
“The first few times we've done it, it's got bigger and bigger, folk are asking to get a shot of the commentary, or asking to come play at the club in the venue.”
Russell explained how the idea came up to get some sponsors for their project.
“There’s a guy Ross at DNR Respray who came on board, then Greg at GD Flooring whose son used to play football with Graham came on board.
“Graham’s daughter worked at the kebab shop across the road, and they’ve been putting food up for the competitions.
“Basically the local community has said ‘this is great now, we want to be part of it’. It’s been amazing.
“With the pool itself, we have two different flyers, a Wednesday one which is grassroots for developing players and a Sunday one which is open to all, but tends to be from the top five teams in the league.
“We’ve got women coming along and playing. Guys are coming down and their wives or girlfriends come along and get involved.
Perhaps the club’s longest serving member is 73-year-old retired bus driver Dennis Matthew, who first joined the New Club in 1985.
“I knew a lot of the boys who were members, and it was busy in those days but it tapered off over the years,” he said.
“I was part of a five o’clock club here with half a dozen business guys in Elgin - sadly they are all gone now and I’m the only one left.
“It’s like a second home to me, my wife always says that. So I don’t know what i would have done if it closed, but thankfully they’ve turned it around and we’re seeing a lot more folk in now, which is great.”
The New Club charges just £60 a year for members with reduced rates for anyone with a military background. They plan to reduce membership rates if they can attract greater numbers, and welcome anyone interested to come down and have a look around.
