By Jamie Black

DUNDEE MOTHERS have threatened to withdraw their daughters from the Scottish and European Cheerleading Championships later this month after missing out on tickets to see them perform.

Some families are concerned that not enough tickets were made available for local support compared to larger groups from other parts of the country.

However, organisers of Scotcheer say the application system was open since the end of last year, with clear instructions to families to apply as early as possible.

Dundee Sharks head coach Michelle McDermott said a number of mothers had missed out.

“A lot of the mums have contacted me about not being able to get tickets to see their daughters in the competition,” she said. “There were forms up online and applications had to be in before February 28. But after everyone had put them in some were told they wouldn’t be able to get tickets.

“Some of the cheerleaders are six and seven-years-old and their mothers have threatened to pull them out of the competition if they can’t get tickets to see them. They don’t want to leave their children alone for a three-day competition.

“It is getting bigger and bigger. There are only about 30 mums needing tickets and some of the other teams need about 100, so I think there is some concern about why they can’t get this amount for us.”

The championships at the Caird Hall have been running in Dundee for eight years, bringing an estimated £1 million each year to the economy.

Michelle said she had no authority over how tickets were sold but said the support of local mums is a vital.

She added, “I have told the mums to get in touch with the organisers as there is really nothing I can do.

“It would be helpful to have some more mums present as we have about 58 cheerleaders competing and there is no way I can look after them all myself.”

Championship organiser Steve Walls said, “Tickets for this event have been on sale since early December and details of the procedure have been clear for some time.

“Those wishing to get tickets have had enough time to apply and it was made absolutely clear that families should apply early.

“There are only so many seats available in the Caird Hall. We cannot afford to open up any more because of our own child protection policies, which have been successful over the last two years.

“In any event like this tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis and mothers have been told to apply as early as possible.”

The competition is from March 31 to April 2.