Hogmanay isn’t about trophies or tables.

It’s about taking stock — what lasted, what mattered, and who kept going when the noise faded.

Burnhill FC and Chris Priestly are our next Hogmanay Heroes — not for where they finished, but for what they continued to deliver.

Burnhill reached the pinnacle of the GCFA Premiership.

They also felt the reality of relegation soon after.

The response mattered more than the drop.

There was no retreat.

No silence.

No disengagement.

Instead, Burnhill continued to run sessions, open doors, support players who couldn’t always pay, and be honest about the strain that comes with doing football properly. They were transparent about numbers, open about costs, and clear that inclusion wasn’t a slogan — it was a choice that carried pressure.

Across the season, Burnhill kept contributing:

to football on the pitch to access off it and to GCFA social media through consistent engagement

Relegation didn’t end the work.

If anything, it clarified what mattered.

Most clubs disappear quietly when the climb stops.

Burnhill didn’t.

This recognition isn’t about tactics or results on the board.

Chris Priestly’s impact shows up elsewhere:

in keeping the club functioning in crediting volunteers before himself in being open about the challenges, not hiding them in continuing to show up when prestige stopped being the incentive

He has led Burnhill through success and setback with the same approach — measured, people-first, and grounded in responsibility rather than reward.

When the captain suffered a long-term injury, leadership didn’t vanish.

When finances tightened, transparency didn’t disappear.

When results fluctuated, the work continued.

That’s custodianship — and exactly what Hogmanay Heroes exist to recognise.

Why this matters at Hogmanay

At the mid-season festive break, football pauses.

Tables stop moving.

Results lose their urgency.

What remains is behaviour.

Burnhill FC and Chris Priestly are being recognised not because everything went right — but because they stayed visible, honest, and committed when it would’ve been easier not to.

This isn’t a comeback story.

It’s a continuity one.

And at Hogmanay, those are the ones worth marking.