[CSAFL]

He may well have left the senior game, but he is 35 and reasonably fit , not carrying any excess weight, and I can confirm that in the 4 pre season games he has played , he has been superb in all of them, as you would expect a player of his calibre to be when he steps down into the amateur ranks. Also, I have been impressed with his attitude towards the amateur game , whereby he is very patient and encouraging to the players roundabout him, including opponents, and he pays his tenner like the rest of the squad !! 
It may not last, but while he is with our Club, we will embrace it and hopefully learn from him and vice versa.
On that point, we may well not be Bannockburn or Harestanes or any other of the top clubs, but we are striving to be better,and yes we have had some bad seasons, the same as even the top clubs, but we are a proper amateur club in the truest sense and as we move into our 60th year of existence, we will try and remove the perception that we are "shite"

Canny win on here! Was either gonna go one of two ways, ‘nae wonder he’s shite and done’ or ‘he was playing pro last year, they must be paying him’

Fair play to Stedfast, Craig’s been about, knows the game, played with some cracking players and under some cracking managers. He’d be welcomed with open arms to any amateur team and he obviously loves the game and wants to keep playing. Good on him as well.

Some terrible comments on here from folk who probably know nothing about Stedfast. All the best to Stedfast for the coming season.

[CSAFL]

Seen posts in some of the Scottish Cup threads about Eastfield being a bang average side - about time they were taken seriously IMO.
Wasn’t at the game last night but that’s them came out on top against 2 of the best sides in the country in cup finals over the past 8 months - Bannockburn and St Pats.

Very good young team. They play some good football and very energetic. I did think they were fortunate last night though. Saying that Eastfield did have some chances during the game as well. Watched them a couple of times last season and I think they have strengthened this season.

[CSAFL]

How did tonight's game finish? I had to leave at full time.

1-1 at full time mate and Eastfield won on penalties. Better team lost. St Pats made the better chances just couldn’t get a goal. Was a decent game for the neutral

[Amateur football is dying]

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

Also agree that you no longer see young yin’s out kicking a ball. Don’t even get a game of chap door run away and no doubt won’t even be out egging windows tonight for Halloween!

Are these kids allowed access to artificial pitches now? This may also be an issue, as during the summer the goal posts are taken down!

[Amateur football is dying]

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.