Cowden Cowboy

Fife Football Association AGM Welcomes New Members The AGM of the Fife Football Association was held last night at New Central Park, Kelty. Office Bearers for season 2019/20 were confirmed as David Allan (Chairman), Stephen Mill (Vice-chairman) and Bob Mullen (Secretary/Treasurer). The 2018/19 Fife Cup final between Dunfermline Athletic and East Fife is now expected to be played at East End Park early next season. Kelty Hearts last year of course were the first new club to join the Fife Football Association in over 80 years. At last night’s meeting though the membership increased from six to eight clubs with the admission of both Hill of Beath Hawthorn and Dundonald Bluebell to the Fife FA. They have initially been awarded provisional membership pending formal confirmation that they have become SFA members – which is a prerequisite for admission to the Fife FA. Thus Hill of Beath Hawthorn become the second club from the village to have been a member of the Fife Football Association following in the footsteps of Hearts of Beath who last participated in 1912/13 and indeed won the Fife Cup in both 1901 and 1903. Dundonald Bluebell though are the very first club from the Bowhill area ever to have been members of the Fife Football Association. Both new members were unanimously elected by the existing member clubs and we warmly welcome them to the Fife Football Association. The draw for the 2019/20 Fife Cup competition was also made last night and it produced the following ties. Cowdenbeath v Kelty Hearts Burntisland Shipyard v Raith Rovers Dunfermline Athletic v Hill of Beath Hawthorn Dundonald Bluebell v East Fife

Could be a problem with SpFL rules re play off if ICT came in

Most Tier 5 clubs enter Scottish Cup later than the L2 clubs?? Why would SPFL teams welcome losing national league status - surely that isn't desirable thus a wholly justified 'fear'

The Highland League would then lose its play off place if ICT colts joined - unless SPFL agreed to change their rules

And again dead in the water for now

SPFL 3 doesn't have any meaningful support or momentum

There is no answer because I know I am wasting my time debating with you 'he who knows the shining path'. It's like debating with a Brexiteer. So politely I wont jump to your tune in fruitless debate

Aye aye

That's really your view pretty much as a zealot. On the SFA voting rights - that would seem a sensible enough change by the members of any organisation in respect of maintaining stability. You are suggesting that potentially say a newly set up Tier 8 club who get SFA membership/licence should have the same voting power as Celtic? Given in the SPFL there is weighted voting for a number of issues such that L1/L2 clubs can't outvote the Premier clubs on key issues (eg changing share of TV monies) - it is hardly the sort of scandalous matter you suggest. But again I cant see much point in arguing with you as your mind is completely closed unless your model is the 'one'.

Yes all right we know that's your hobby horse. Meantime back in the real world sensible changes are worked through over time. On the SFA front - few organisations would admit a huge number of new members who could take over control from the existing membership which had built it up over many, many years.

A few random thoughts. The clubs in the SPFL long ago made the commitment to play in a National League and few would be interested in regionalisation - very non-league/junior world thinking. Talking about what should happen at various tiers is artificial - for example the SPFL in theory could move its 42 clubs into a 2 league system. Thus most clubs go up two tiers but makes no material difference to most. An SPFL 3 would work OK if it had prize monies allocated The SPFL clubs including my own agreed to the Pyramid and the play off so made a major concession The dead wood and unambitious jibes thrown at many L1/2 clubs are nonsense (Shire is really the only example). My own club played in Tier 2 for 4 seasons not long ago, Albion Rovers were doing OK in L1, look at Montrose. Somebody has to be bottom that doesn't make them imbeciles, parasites, dead wood or any other variant nor is every new aspirant a breath of fresh air, a community club, all done through its own efforts on a shoestring, a fairy tale. Most are well funded and have some advantage in that area. Most clubs rely on income from many and varied sources to buy success or maintain their position - Cowdenbeath for a long time had stock car income - many have benefactors - directors, owners, investors who are bankrolling things. That's only usually a problem when there is a web of debt behind that such as at Gretna and Dunfermline. Don't see that problem at Kelty for example. The pyramid was launched by SFA in a rush and it could have been done better - however it might never have gotten off the ground if all the fine details were to be ironed out. For example, the HL/LL could have been made associate SPFL Leagues (no SPFL voting power and run their own affairs) but have been given a small share of the SPFL prize monies, Scottish Cup participation should have been withdrawn from the Regional Junior Champions unless they became part of the Pyramid, until the LL has all the best teams in its catchment area in it it is unlikely SPFL clubs will move to Club 42 auto-relegation

Well since Greg Stewart isn't a wide player that isn't very relevant

There is no big Scottish for these clubs and all the other seniors just the Scottish

I tend to think of them as pop up teams

They would have to convince 50% of the clubs who voted against in February to change their minds

That wouldn’t get the vote through - if I recall correctly you also need 75% of the 42 clubs = 32

23 May

Every SPFL club will be meeting that as a minimum now I would anticipate. Ways round it - play amateurs.

Does a 40 week only contract allow for players to have enough paid holiday leave? Minimum wage rates are lower for under 25 players so the mix of your squad has an impact as well as does the time spent travelling on a team bus on long journeys which can be much greater in a national league than some regional leagues.

It was a daft gimmicky idea before and still is to me

They won’t have a 44 game season - easy to have a split just like the Premier to give you 38. If they go to 12 we will need 2 new clubs - thus options are colts orHL/LL. The L1/L2 clubs already confirmed that they did not support having colts clubs in the SPFL and can’t see that changing so one last go at flying a kite - that won’t be agreed so HL/LL option most likely. The championship clubs are already trying to redistribute the prize money in their League so that champs who benefit from promotion get less and thus the others get more. 2 more teams in Championship also gives then a relegation cushion. However voting rights, board representation, money distribution, etc are all complex areas if there is any change and difficult to get agreement. Clubs in favour tend to want to spend extra tv/sponsor cash on funding payments to new clubs rather than them cutting their share thus the clubs not in favour also have to pay

They can’t pass it through - the 42 clubs would have to vote it through by the various majorities required - and can’t see why clubs in L1L2 would support 2 clubs/sides coming in at levels above them

I would surmise that full time sides in the championship would like to add two teams to reduce the risk of relegation.

The article isn't that badly worded - but people are reading things into it that maybe aren't actually proposed - it doesn't say 2 colt teams would go into the Championship. It also lists options thus some of these are alternatives so presumably 2 colt teams or one each from HL/LL would take you to 44

Wouldn't they just do a split as in Premiership and play 38 games rather than 44?