Departing members

It seems that we have lost another senior member and the issue used to be - and still should be - about giving them immediate clearance or not to run for their new club. There are two lazy answers - the first is to say, if they don't want to run for us, we can't stop them So give them clearance and get on with it. The problem is that if they leave they can just wear the new vest and that is their right. We can't stop them. The second lazy answer is to say, they didn't do us any favours by leaving, why should we do them a favour by helping them run as a team member for their new club. But maybe we could look at the situation a bit more closely.
I don't want to comment on individuals but there are some who do a lot for the club but whose interests diverge or personal circumstances alter and we would wish such athletes the best of luck in their new club. We can wish them well as individuals but not agree to immediate clearance. The real issue for us is what is good for Clydesdale Harriers as a club?
Just as Dundee United would not sell their best player to Aberdeen or Motherwell, but would prefer to see him go to an English club or even Rangers or Celtic, so it is maybe not appropriate for us to help a former member compete against us for a near neighbour, be it Vicky Park, Maryhill or Garscube. It might be appropriate for us to give clearance to a runner leaving to join Inverness, Edinburgh or even Cambuslang than it would to give clearance to a runner who would join another Dunbartonshire club.
Why is that? Well, if we want to develop the club then a reasonable target is the County Relays. District and National Championships are not reasonable targets in the short term. If we build up a team to contest the championships and then lose out to a club using a runner whom we have given clearance to race against us, then we are not serving the runners involved or the club well. Second, if we tell the athletes that we are building a team, we have severaal good athletes so stick with it, and then follow up by letting our good athletes leave with our blessing, then we are inconsistent at best and letting the runners down at worst. When Grant Graham and Des Roache joined us from Vicky Park, we had to wait 14 months before they could compete in a team event. Vicky Park did not want to weaken themselves and help us.
IF WE WANT TO DEVELOP A TEAM, WHY HELP THE LOCAL OPPOSITION????
My opinion!