Jump to content

Gary Hamilton

Gold Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    192

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by Gary Hamilton

    Amateur football is dying

    in Amateur Football

    Posted

    Whilst I agree that there’s issues regarding numbers of players coming through from youth football. football is about commitment and I think it’s easy to just point finger at players. So many clubs these days can’t field a team and then the next week they’ve folded. I personally feel to many guys running teams throw the towel in when times get tough. I think if you work hard and don’t burn bridges you should always be able to get a team together. Also think over 35s has had a bearing on amateurs as experienced players who teams could count on as squad players are now thinking f**k that I’ll go and play 90 mins on a Friday night.
     

    Great point Chris, I feel the over 35’s offers the guys more competitive football because they see the amateur gaming fading away
    0

    Amateur football is dying

    in Amateur Football

    Posted

    The enthusiam for the game is just not there at the moment!! 
    Call it the playstation era , work committments , social changes or any other number of things mentioned.
    How do we get it back into the game at all levels, thats the question?
    Scottish cup wkd this Sat and I remember the buzz leading up to these games. How many lads get that buzz nowadays? How many will miss these games cause they have something else on this wkd? How many will go out the night and get pished maybe not even make the game coz ah its only amateur fitbaw!!
    These attitudes have to change. So you didnt make it as a 16-18 year and now u have to go out in the real world and work, that doesnt mean u still cant go out and play the best game in world!! 
    Want to go out and get smashed at the wkd , u can do that after u have played and hopefully won which makes it even better.
    Most of the reasons lads dont play anymore are just excuses , theyve lost there enthusiam for the game and cant be bothered with it now, the same reason our national team is becoming a joke and they cant fill the stadium for a home game. 
    We are a glass is half empty culture who would rather moan about reasons why we cant do something rather than looking for ways we can do it. 
    Attitudes towards football have to change. Its great for fitness, its gives u the opportunity to meet new people, it a great way to relieve stress, it builds friendships and most of all its fun. Theres just some reasons.
    For those not lucky enough to make it football then becomes a hobby which the last time i looked a hobby was something u did in ur spare time for enjoyment. Lads need to remember that cause one day they wont be able to play anymore and they will have missed out.

    Scottish Cup weekend still still gets the old butterflies going even though I’m managing now
    2

    Amateur football is dying

    in Amateur Football

    Posted



    Totally agree with this. We had EKYC in our area who had teams up to 19s them nothing. We had started a football academy for 4 year olds with the hope of getting players coming through in 15 years time. However, both Clubs got together and still kept their own identity but formed a Community Club with players from 4 now right through to 80 at walking football. Our Caley team is about 50% players from EKYC so it's worked well and kept a larger % of players in the game at amateur level after youth level who would ordinarily have chucked it. I know not everyone can do this but it has worked well for us.

    A great example of how thing work Graeme
    1

    Amateur football is dying

    in Amateur Football

    Posted

    Gary Hamilton - as I was the Match Secretary of The SAFL during your playing days when we had 8 divisions and 4 reserve Divisions  [ my Saturday night entertainment was making up the fixtures lol ] I have saw massive decline of The Amateur game within The SAFA.
    The numerous reasons have all been mentioned in the above posts.
    Personally I do not think that they is any one solution to solve it, however we could give some ideas a try even  GAVT67 [ see above post ] point something I never ever considered.
    I have this season after a 4 year absence went back on The SAFA Council as a SAFL delegate and not one thing has changed since my first meeting back in the 80's  on the procedure at council meetings, so in my view that's where we start.
    Do not get me wrong The SAFA have made massive strides especially with the Scottish Cup / Districts Cups organisation, but I reckon the below changes a worth considering. 
    1.Let the SFA run the amateur game with regionalised Leagues this will upset a few but travelling is a big issue within the current League set up's 
    2. Let players play when they want i.e. sat morning or sat afternoon.
    3. limit the amount of players you can register
    4. Do away with the clubs compulsory  insurance policy's [ if a club wants it let them buy it ] 
    5. limit the amount of committees council delegates can sit on to one only [ this would allow different ideas to come forward at the moment its the same guys on them.]
    6. Have Scottish Cup games one off 
    7. Limit the region Leagues to 12 teams in each division [ cuts out midweek football ]
    8. Any monies made above a certain working limit are paid back to the clubs at the end of each season.
    9. A flat fixed membership fee for all teams within the Region Leagues. [ none of the extras like speakers nights ]
     These ideas above may not be the answer but surely some are worth considering
     

    Fantastic points and one that you make very clearly there hasn’t been much change. Too many teams think moving to supposedly better leagues fold very quickly and that may be down to travel.
    I seemed to have started something here and we shouldn’t let it go.

    I’m sure you enjoyed scheduling 12 leagues of fixtures back in the day.

    SFA running the amateur game, I’m sure other associations in other countries do this so why not ours.
    1

    Amateur football is dying

    in Amateur Football

    Posted

    It seems that every one has some good ideas and suggestions, but who do we put them forward too?
    How do we get all the leagues to see sense and drop their own agendas? Think every on has to realise that this problem is bigger than any of the individual league set ups.
    You look at that Uefa report that was announced during the week about what amateur football gives back in terms of savings for the NHS and jobs and general well being of people.
    Could a representative from each league set up in each area, raise issue with local MSP/MP and get them involved. With the massive drop in numbers over the years, this maybe something that us average players/clubs could be entitled to some help/support from local government or councils etc?
    More questions than answers i am afraid. [emoji20]

    Great points here and after Paul McNeils video a couple of weeks ago people need to realise that playing sport helps with some of the problems that they have.
    0

    Amateur football is dying

    in Amateur Football

    Posted

    What about splitting it into north, south, east, west, tayside & Perth and central and having a set up something like the old junior set up. 

    I believe this to be the best option it will be one committee for each region. It may mean the west of Scotland going back to 6 or 7 divisions, however it will have the better teams playing against each other after two or three years
    0

    Amateur football is dying

    in Amateur Football

    Posted

    It seems that every one has some good ideas and suggestions, but who do we put them forward too?
    How do we get all the leagues to see sense and drop their own agendas? Think every on has to realise that this problem is bigger than any of the individual league set ups.
    You look at that Uefa report that was announced during the week about what amateur football gives back in terms of savings for the NHS and jobs and general well being of people.
    Could a representative from each league set up in each area, raise issue with local MSP/MP and get them involved. With the massive drop in numbers over the years, this maybe something that us average players/clubs could be entitled to some help/support from local government or councils etc?
    More questions than answers i am afraid. [emoji20]

    There’s far too many egos in each association, the best person in my opinion to do this would be Thomas McKeown. A working group of people needs to come together and put the proposal together, people also need to remember that you need to take part to have a voice.
    0

    Amateur football is dying

    in Amateur Football

    Posted

    15 year ago it was a 5er now its 5-10 to play for most ammie players so dont see that as a major issue. 
    Clubs are struggling with the excessive cost of pitch hires etc over the winter especially, something that local councils should look at to help the game.
    The Eosfl has definetely affected both the amateur and junior game with many being drawn to this (for me) loose tag of senior football.
    I personally feel the Safa has to look at restructuring the amateur game and looking at changing the league associations.  It may be time to bring in district leagues where teams would only be able to compete within a restricted radius.  
    Ur allways gonna have stronger and weaker teams but it would bring local interest. 
    Something needs to be done and quick or in ten years time ammie game will be finished.

    What a great reply, this would do away a lot of leagues and make other leagues stronge, it would also stop the egos of the different leagues fighting with each other
    2

    Amateur football is dying

    in Amateur Football

    Posted

    I’ll say it as it is, seen as my name suits!

    Unfortunately, times have changed when we were playing back in the day. This problem goes well past being just a footballing issue and footballers not wanting to play. This is more of an economy issue and personal finance issue. Players nowadays, or should I say families nowadays, cannot afford for the man of the house to go spend their Saturdays playing football. Their Mrs May work weekends and children need watched or the guy may need to work weekends/overtime/shift work. Unfortunately, at amateur level, football doesn’t pay the bills. The cost of living has by far increased and one basic wage no longer covers this cost. Also football is another cost on its own and is also getting dearer to play and for equipment to play.

    The world of work is taking over with businesses making staff work 5 over 7, hence why clubs have bigger pools of players to accommodate.
    1

    Amateur football is dying

    in Amateur Football

    Posted

    Always going to happen unfortunately, my generation and perhaps guys a decade younger than me didnt have online crap, smartphone nonsense etc, you finished school and if the weather permitted you went anywhere and kicked a ball, you wanted to play both sat and sunday, school teams, training 3 or 4 nights a week etc 
    Have a look at streets, local pitches etc, they lie empty of kids growing up kicking a ball, i play twice a week at toryglen for a game of 7's, before we play there is the odd coaching session going on and maybe 3 or 4 boys kicking a ball having a laugh, thats it, 20 years ago you'd see 15 a side on pitches like toryglen 
    Money and stuff plays a part in amateur footie dying, but the lack of upcoming bodies does it as well

    The PlayStation era is definitely kicking in, however we all paid for playing football and that can’t be an excuse. It was a fiver a week when i started playing in 1990.
    1

    Amateur football is dying

    in Amateur Football

    Posted

    I agree with most things your saying, there needs to be a restructure, there is no need for all the associations that there are. Especially in the Glasgow area.

    I really think the "pro youth" status is what is killing the under 21 and amateur game. The amount of kids that are lost to football once there pro youth dream is over is unbelievable. Then there are the ones that stay involved and eventually do move to the amateur game, the vast majority feel they're owed something. The right to play for example, the amount of players iv heard say,

    I can't get a game here but I was pro youth 3 years ago.

    Or there team suffer a bad defeat so they move on cause they are too good for that. There is obv other obvious issues like work and family life but I feel the main issue is the lack of teenagers or early 20s in the game.

    Thanks for the response, I’m going to respond to everyone that posts with my comments.
    I agree with your pro youth comments and it needs to change 100-200 kids in at senior clubs is the issue.
    1

    Amateur football is dying

    in Amateur Football

    Posted

    Unfortunately from other threads it looks like the amateur football that we all love is slowly but surely dying, other threads on the forum indicate teams are are struggling teams folding in Ayrshire with over 50 years of history, the csafl attract teams every year and they fold and the caley leagues are definitely not as strong as they used to be.

    When I started playing in the amateur game I had the pleasure of playing in the old safl first division with Dynamo EK, 9 divisions and two or three reserve leagues, and then there was the Caledonian league, this was meant to be the cream of the crop with the best facilities, then there was the csafl and the Ggpl. There’s no west of Scotland league or paisley and district leagues anymore, the safl is constantly changing its structure and by the looks of things Ayrshire may be down to three leagues next year. Will the caley revert back to two divisions and will the csafl have to give up running three.

    Does the safl need to step in and restructure amateur football, I believe the sfa have a lot to do with this also, the academies are not working and kids are not turning to amateur football once the are let go by the bigger clubs.

    I’m sure this will be met with a lot of negativity, for those who know me will know I’m quite outspoken but it needs to be said, the leagues need to come together to save our game or else it’ll die in front of us.

    There are good people within the Safa that will want to do what’s best for all of amateur football, unfortunately there are some that are only interested in their own own stature in the game, we need to all pull together and lobby for a restructure of the whole of Scottish football, which may include amateur football progressing into the juniors etc etc.

    The proofs in the stats the Scottish has lost two rounds this season.

    I look forward to the comments positive and negative.

     

    3

    Ayrshire Prem / 1st div winners and relegations

    in Amateur Football

    Posted

    Yeah not seen dailly yet but will hopefully get along to see them the next time they play local. Could be there season after challenging for promotion last 3 season. I fear for tarbolton,hopefully they can ride the storm and regroup but what I hear they may struggle to make Christmas, i really hope I'm wrong.

    Players are too fickle now a days. Aye general commitment is an issue but bigger than that too many players take a hiding on a Saturday and somewhere between leaving the pitch and the changing room decide that it's the club, management, committee and other every other players fault they just conceded 8/9/10 goals and not theirs, so leave teams high and dry. FRUSTRATING AS f**k !!!!

    Tarbolton had 15 or 16 yesterday and were in the game for the first 30 minutes against us, I’m sure they’ll turn it around.
    2
×
×
  • Create New...