Iain Williamson believes Scotland should follow Iceland’s example and play football in the summer insisting that even Barcelona would struggle on our winter surfaces.
The former Dunfermline and Raith Rovers midfielder moved to the “land of fire and ice” last year to play for Grindavik following his release by then Stark’s Park boss John McGlynn.
Williamson enjoyed his first season abroad and has now been snapped up by Valur.
The player admits he has become immersed in the whole Icelandic culture which places a lot of emphasis on healthy living and he is also now a firm advocate of playing in the summer.
The 25-year-old said: “I am now playing for Valur, who can count ex-Dundee boss Barry Smith as one of their former players, and we are doing quite well at the moment sitting third in the league.
“Before the outdoor season starts at the beginning of May, we have games indoors and we also managed to get through to a cup final.
“We play now until the end of September so the season is quite short but we pack a lot of games into it, often playing twice a week.
“You simply could not play football outdoors in Iceland in the winter but the pitches in summer are superb and the style is totally different to Scotland, with the ball being passed around a lot.
“To be honest, it is almost impossible to play on some of the pitches back home in winter, certainly in the First Division. In fact, even Barcelona would struggle on our surfaces.
“Summer football is something that Scotland should seriously consider as, like in Iceland, it would only improve the quality of football.
“For a really small country of just over 300,000 people, they produce a lot of top players. Having great facilities also helps.
“Every town has up to 10 full-size indoor pitches and football teams are very much part of a sporting community in the winter, basketball and handball are the main sports.”
Williamson may be loving life in Iceland but he admits the language leaves him tongue tied.
He said: “I have learned a little bit of Icelandic and can understand a conversation but the language is really difficult to learn.
“I have a five-week course to do so hopefully I will pick up some more, however everybody here speaks good English which makes it harder as you are not forced to learn the language.”
Williamson will return to Scotland for a rare break this weekend and as well as spending time with his family, he hopes to meet up with some of his former Stark’s Park team-mates.
And he revealed that it was his difficulty trying to secure another club at a decent wage after being let go by Raith which convinced him he had to move abroad.
He said: “I am back home this weekend as there is an international break in Iceland and it will be good to catch up with my family and friends as well as some of my former Raith team-mates such as Laurie Ellis and Bert (Grant Murray).
“When I was released by Raith, I found it really hard to get another club in Scotland, particularly a full-time one. Even if I had, the money some clubs were paying hardly made it financially worthwhile to stay full-time.
“Even three years ago, players in the First Division were on pretty good money but that has all changed, so it is good to be full-time over here.
“We do have some lads in the team who have other jobs but they still train every day along with the rest of us. I am really enjoying my time here.”