LongTimeLurker

People do seem to forget that there was a directive from the SFA board for the PWG to facilitate SJFA entry. The way around this is that an existing league could add extra tiers. I think Burnie_man's info was that the LL would offer to set up a west league. If it's a new tier to an existing league there is no need for the SFA to sanction its formation.

...or the ERSJFA will have to be persuaded to merge into the EoS, the EoS will have to be persuaded to agree to a second east feeder, the West region will have to be persuaded to break away from the SJFA and enter unilaterally, or the SFA will need to find a way to split the LL to make Option Z work. Don't hold your breathe on anything by next season basically. I'll throw a new one into the mix that will never happen because too many power hungry old men would lose their blazers as a result. Instead of a bonfire of the Quangos, how about a bonfire of the associations? The EoSFA, SoSFA, NoSFA and SJFA could be persuaded to merge to form a single association for semi-pro level community board football that would let the SFA board decide the league structure on a rational basis in much the same way the FA does in England for the top few regionalised tiers of the pyramid.

It happened at the exact same time that Kelty went for it.

More accurately as the rules are currently applied. Option Z will almost certainly be stillborn if the LL doesn't split, but under those circumstances the progression clause would almost certainly be applied differently from how it is now.

^^^have already had to point out to this guy that he struggles with English language comprehension. If the WRSJFA blazers were in turn misled, who could it possibly have been by? Who would have been the point of contact between the junior national association and the senior grade where these negotiations are concerned? Answers on a postcard to Tom J....

^^^completely whooshed by most of what is being posted but thinks he has his finger on the pulse. More to be pitied than scorned.

If that turns out to be true then Robert and others should only state that the WRSJFA blazers gave their membership information that led them into backing an option that tied their fortunes to the East in a manner that was inevitably going to further delay their own entry. The interesting question at that point would be whether they did that on their own initiative or were themselves misled. Given Clydebank feature prominently in blazer terms and are pro-pyramid I would lean towards believing the latter at this point. The minutes of the next PWG meeting should make for interesting reading if they get leaked.

Time for Blantyre Vics to be Blantir Vics then.

The WRSJFA clubs were told that the SPFL and LL support Option Z, so that's not accurate.

An extra zero added as a typo to Clach vs Fort William?

Still organising the junior cup for the three regions and a possible discipline role in the lower tiers that wouldn't be covered by the SFA's JAP (?) process that would only extend to tier 6. Same as now not very much. Most of the work on organising leagues and fixture lists etc is done by three regions.

It's still a breakaway from the existing west region and would result in having two parallel leagues in the west rather than the common sense solution of getting the existing one in intact toute de suite. It all revolves around which set of blazers gets to exert power rather than how do we complete the pyramid, unfortunately.

A breakaway made sense when the SJFA were opposed to entry. It's more difficult to justify now that all three regions have agreed to an SFA plan on how to enter. Unfortunately the blazer politics are more important to the people involved with the negotiations than making the compromises needed to get an integrated pyramid up and running ASAP. It's too bad the constitution of the SFA doesn't provide the powers needed for the SFA board to dictate a solution if an impasse is reached.

That could work, but my understanding is that the SoS may not be on the same page as the EoS (and if Burnie_man's info is accurate the LL) on these issues and are probably happy keeping a D&G focus. They haven't objected to WRSJFA entry in the way that the EoS have to ERSJFA entry.

The one issue that could block it depending on how it is configured is that the SFA would have to sanction any new standalone league and have to sign off on changes to the LL playoff format. If it's created as part of an LL2 with the EoS premier as an east division alongside the "WoSFL" as the west division that shouldn't be a problem though.

If your info is accurate that will make for an interesting meeting at the end of the month, because Option Z is only likely to be viable if the LL splits or is split. Hopefully we'll get to see the minutes again.

The SFA provided it as an option so are known to see it as a feasible way ahead under certain circumstances. Think it was the SPFL that was being claimed as backing it along with the LL. This is how I responded to Burnie_man on this topic yesterday:

Under Option Z they are in the LL West catchment, while Lochee United are in the LL East catchment.

...and this is probably how the merger with or Borg style assimilation by the EoS would happen if Option Z was implemented.

The experience in the east suggests it's not mission impossible. Check out how quickly floodlights sprung up in Bonnyrigg and Cardenden earlier this year.

...except in reality all three regions of the SJFA have now backed the "Petrie brain fart".

It remains to be seen whether they even get a vote. It may be a matter for the SPFL board like the colts team in the Challenge Cup was, which went down about as well as a school of piranhas in a jacuzzi with the fans of the smaller clubs. Something worth trawling through the SPFL constitution to investigate.

Have explained why I think a lot of LL clubs might turn out to be be OK with a split. Fear of future relegation and loss of status long term. Easier to be 1 of 32 than 1 of 16. Think the clubs based in the west would also very much welcome games against Talbot and Pollok rather than Vale of Leithen and Gala. Where the SPFL is concerned what the LL East and LL West would do is get the best fifteen or so junior and recent ex-junior EoS clubs into tier 5 straight away rather than one at a time over the next fifteen years creating stronger leagues to be relegated into and hence a softer crash landing.

Agree that's what the EoS will no doubt go far, but if everybody else including the north and east regions are OK with Option Z there is probably no need for a complete consensus for it to happen. If there are fully separate LL East and LL West leagues launching the playoff rules for the LL are no longer applicable because the LL doesn't exist any more at that point. The EoS and ERSJFA can then be offered the chance to decide whether they want to be feeders to the new LL East. Option Z is a way to hit the reset button and start again in other words. What the west only option really needed to be strongly in the running for next year was for the north and east regions to say "Get this pyramid thing tae ****". It was looking like that might happen at one point.

As far as I am aware Option Z has the ERSJFA in at tier 6. It's one of the other three options involving a single LL that has them in at tier 7. Beyond that what you are leaving out is that I expressed the opinion that I thought the EoS would quickly obliterate the ERSJFA in the east if there were two feeders initially and that the SJFA would soon become as relevant as the Forfarshire FA once a fully integrated pyramid is up and running.