PFA Scotland chief Fraser Wishart wants the First Minister and football chiefs to get lower league players back on the pitch.
A union survey revealed 89 per cent of them want to get back to work in League One and Two now.
Incredibly, 70 per cent are willing to return to the game without Covid testing. Clubs below the Championship are suspended from playing until at least March 1 when the SFA, SPFL and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will consider a restart.
Clubs are now exploring the possibility of a campaign reduced even further to just 18 games and Wishart is open to that if it gets PFA Scotland members playing.
He said: “A survey of lower league players shows that 89 per cent of them want to return to playing.
“There’s a real desire to return. 70 per cent of players have even said they’d be willing to get back without testing.
“Some of it is down to mental health issues involved in not playing but ultimately, they just want to get back to work.
“If it means going to an 18-game season, that might be the only way to get the campaign finished. We know it’s difficult, because they’re part-time players and we’re in a pandemic but there’s a balance to be struck.
“If lower league players want to return – and they can test – I don’t see why it should be a problem.
“This is information we’ll feed into the Scottish Government and Joint Response Group in the next few days.
“Often, the authorities and governing bodies forget players are employees like everyone else. For some of them the game is a huge chunk of their income.”
Wishart has leapt to the defence of players in Scotland, despite some isolate. Speaking to announce a partnership between PFA Scotland and FirstPoint USA, said: “The word privileged has been used many times.
“But unlike other industries, football actually pays for that privilege by testing.
“No-one else is going to their work and going through as rigorous a process as footballers.
In general, the compliance from them to keep the game going has been admirable.”
Wishart says many young players in Scotland face uncertain futures in the aftermath of Covid and it’s vital that the union is there to support them, especially if it affects their mental health.
He said: “We’re all pretty certain that budgets will be cut.
“As a union, we must have support mechanisms for these younger guys. In terms of mental health, players can call or text and get a response within 24 hours.
“Sometimes, cases are severe and it’s a clinical psychologist on the line but sometimes they just need someone to speak to and that’s done through Breathing Space, one of our partners.”
•Released Scottish players can learn more about US scholarship opportunities and sign up for a virtual trial at firstpointusa.com
