Pyramidic

More about Kilbride Thistle: https://www.ardrossanherald.com/sport/19099859.sean-kennedy-new-team-set-join-west-scotland-league/?fbclid=IwAR03Xe6NoJ9YqQPoQ5gP_h4dxVbwiYRqra1wfgMKavddDGRz0w3LUFIudWo

It would be interesting if Newton Stewart from the SOSFL apply to join the WOSFL. This would take the boundary definition discussions to another level. Another possibility is for Scoutable United to have a second stab at the WOSFL following their setback in April last year. They have had plenty of time to prepare afresh.

Speculation adds a degree of spice to the debate. I will put forward Strathclyde University.

It would be one hell of a league! The one concern that I have is that you would be creating a 5 division "tower" which maximises the amount of travelling for lower tier clubs. If you split the bottom tier at League 3 into two regionalised divisions it would be a more attractive proposition for outliers such as Oban Saints, Dunoon and Helensburgh to apply. Perhaps wishful thinking on my part!

Very interesting. I suppose that scenario would enable West Lothian clubs to stay together as a group in the lowest WOSFL division until they eventually get promoted to League 3. It would also suggest that you would need to have a minimum of 8 new clubs to construct a viable division. Easily achievable?

Agreed. It is common sense that those West Lothian clubs inclined towards the WOSFL should also put in an application to the EOSFL to guarantee a league for next season rather than risk dropping into the abyss of Amateur football or worse still facing trips to Brechin Victoria.

Surely the SFA should be leading on boundary definitions rather than remaining impotent / silent on such a key matter. Proper leadership is also needed to sort out the Tayside issue which in my view is a far more difficult matter to reach a sensible and workable solution which keeps the affected clubs relatively happy. I suppose the middle ground for the West Lothian issue would be to define a “partition zone” where clubs may apply to WOSFL or EOSFL. The same could arise for Tayside where the Dundee clubs might form a similar grey zone and have a choice of moving to EOSFL or North. However, that issue I know is a far more emotive matter.

An important meeting on 1st March: February 15, 2021 Special General Meeting West of Scotland Football League hereafter referred to as WoSFL. Scottish Lowland Football League hereafter referred to as SLFL. Special General Meeting hereafter referred to as SGM. Interim Management Group hereafter referred to as IMG. I have received an application signed by 10 clubs requesting a SGMin accordance with the current Constitution and Rules. 6.6 Special General Meetings 6.6.1 Member Clubs shall have power to call a Special General Meeting. A Special General Meeting will be called on receipt of a requisition signed by ten Full Member Clubs within fourteen days after such requisition has been received. The requisition must state the business for which the meeting is called and this is the only business that can be concluded at the Special General Meeting concerned. Each Full Member Club whose subscription for the current season has been paid shall be entitled to send two representatives to all Special General Meetings. That SGM will take place on Monday 1st March 2021 at 7PM and will be by Zoom due to the Covid restrictions. Business of the meeting. 1) Proposals to alter the Constitution and Rules of the WoSFL. 2) Election of Management Board to facilitate handover from SLFL. 3) Election of representatives to the Scottish FA Non Professional Game Board and the Scottish FA Congress. History and purpose behind the 3 items on the agenda. The WoSFL was set up by the SLFL in 2020 and the Constitution and Rules was set up to allow administration of the League. People from within the membership were co-opted onto a sub-committee of the SLFL to look after that administration. In line with the constitution, I was also co-opted as a neutral to take up the position of Secretary. Dave McKenna was appointed as Chair and Andrew Waddell was appointed as Treasurer. That sub-committee took up the name of Interim Management Group of the WoSFL. 4 Governance 4.1 The governance and business of the League will rest with the Board of the Scottish Lowland Football League until such time as the Board and Office Bearers are elected, no later than March 2021. In accordance with the above Rule the SLFL are handing over Governance to the WoSFL membership and the SGM has been called to facilitate the handover. During their time of administration of the WoSFL the IMG have identified that certain rules within the Constitution and Rules would not suit the needs of the WoSFL and would hamper the progress of the League. We have 67 clubs in membership and that looks likely to increase. We believe that the WoSFL would be better served by 3 secretaries rather than just 1 and therefore propose that we should have a General Secretary, a Discipline Secretary and a Fixture Secretary. We also appreciate that finding the right people to fulfil the Office Bearer roles of the 3 Secretaries and a Treasurer that are not already connected to a member club and are unwilling to give up their role with their club would be nigh on impossible, so we are also proposing that these roles are open to anyone as long as they are proposed and seconded by member clubs. In all likelihood the people with the knowledge and experience required will be with a club so we need the Constitution and Rules altered to allow us to elect the right people for the roles. The proposed changes have been attached to the message sent to the Club Secretaries and can also be found on the Club Admin Site. The second item on the agenda will be to form the Management Board of the WoSFL. Anyone interested in any of the positions on the Board (Chair, Vice-Chair, General Secretary, Discipline Secretary, Fixture Secretary, Treasurer or Club Representative) should fill in the form to be found on the website. It can be found here – West of Scotland Football League (wosfl.co.uk) under Join the WOSFL. Apply for the WOSFL Board (google.com) The closing date and time for applications is Monday 22nd February 2021 at 8PM. The applications will then be processed and put forward for the SGM. A full agenda with the proposals, candidates and procedure will be sent out with the invite to the meeting to all club secretaries prior to the meeting. The third item will be to elect representatives from the new Board to the Scottish FA Non Professional Game Board and the Scottish FA Congress. The SGM will be closed following the election of the Board and a General Meeting will then take place to allow discussion on a few topics that need addressed. Kennie Young Secretary IMG of PDM Buildbase WoSFL

Kilbride Announce New-Team Expansion Plan 12 FEB 2021SCOTTISH AMATEUR FOOTBALL NEWS Kilbride Thistle AFC will have a new team in their structure next season – with the current Saturday afternoon set to apply for membership of the West of Scotland Conference League set-up, writes Tom Scott. Confirming details of both in an exclusive for Scottish Amateur Football News, Manager Sean Kenney told me: “As you know we have been speaking with Officials from another Ayrshire AFL club, and they have agreed to come in and will play under the name of Kilbride Thistle.” “It is also common knowledge that we will be applying to join the West of Scotland League and take the squad we currently have through with us. There is no point in telling lies and saying it is just a rumour, but I want to stress bringing another team on board under the banner of Kilbride Thistle AFC means it is an expansion of our set-up.” “In addition to the Saturday teams, we will also run an Under-20 squad plus the Sunday teams – giving us four in total.” “That is another reason why we are pushing for our own home ground next to St Matthews Secondary, Saltcoats, which you also exclusively reported on last month.” “The area photographed used to be called Jacks Park until the new School was built, but many refer to it as St Matthews. We still go with the name Jacks Park.” Many thanks to Kilbride Thistle AFC Manager Mr Sean Kenney for the overhead photographic view of the ground. https://scottishamateurfootballnews.com/2021/02/12/kilbride-announce-new-team-expansion-plan/

Kilbride Thistle AFC on Facebook: The club are delighted to announce via Scottish Amateur Football News that we will be applying to join the West of Scotland Football League this summer. There has been a lot of work been going on at the club behind the scenes for a long time now to have the club up to the standards expected by the association both on and off the park. We are not taking anything for granted and there is still a lot of work to be done before we’re good to go. We are also delighted to announce that this doesn’t mean the end to Kilbride Thistle in amateur football. We have loved being a part of The Ayrshire Amateur Football Association and will still have a team playing in the leagues next season. Lastly but by no means least we’re very happy to announce that we will have an Under 20s team in our ranks this season who will be applying to join the Lowland Under 20’s Development League. It’s been our clubs ambition for a long time to bring youth teams through and this is our first step in building a successful youth system at Kilbride Thistle with the plans to build on this every year. Obviously with all the work going on and with the new teams under our banner it’s massively important we have a proper place to call home for all teams in our club we are working with KA Leisure to do that at St Matthews Academy.

It is the time of year when we can only speculate. But there must be a reasonable chance that Syngenta Juveniles FC will be looking west rather than east after having their hopes dashed by the EOSFL a couple of years ago. https://syngentafc.com/club/

In the near future it is probable that those West Lothian clubs applying to the WOSFL will be subject to a “zoom interview”. I provide below some likely questions and some possible “model answers”. Q1. Why do you want to join the WOSFL rather than the EOSFL? Answer - We have no desire to play with scumbags and traitors and the WOSFL offers the only alternative that is now available to us. Q2. Why do you want to join a Senior League rather than remain Junior in the ERJFA? Answer - We do not wish to join a Senior League and if possible would like to remain loyal to our Junior roots. Sadly we are being forced to apply to you as some more scumbags appear to be leaving for the EOSFL and our current league will no longer be viable. Q3. But could you not remain Junior with the Tayside clubs? Surely that remains an option? Answer - No - that is simply not possible. We never did like playing the Tayside clubs anyway - crossing the Tay always meant so much unnecessary additional travelling and expense. We much prefer to play local clubs you see. Q4. In that context surely your historic roots and heritage are set firmly in the East rather than the West? Why make such a drastic change? Answer - Sadly trust has been irretrievably broken and we have no wish to play those scumbags and traitors (but perhaps will make the occasional exception if we get a lucrative cup tie draw). Q5. Do you wish to remain affiliated to the SJFA and compete in the Junior Cup? Answer - Now you are talking! We yearn for past Junior Cup glories. We like the WOSFL so much because it may be possible to retain our SJFA membership. Q6. Are you not concerned about the additional travel and congestion that you will face if you participate in a west-based league. Answer - No we are not at all worried about the additional travelling involved in playing in the WOSFL. It would not involve a crippling trip to Eyemouth or Tweedmouth that we would face in the EOSFL. Q7. Is your club financially viable, has the requisite facilities and will be a credit to our league? Answer - Yes. Hopefully TJ will provide us with a good reference. Q8. Do you intend to stay with us long term? Answer - Yes. But we might change our minds if the travelling and expense becomes a little too much or we find ourselves playing against more scumbags and traitors. Q9. Do you have a hidden agenda? Answer - Not really. But there may be some other clubs already with you that also wish to turn the clock back. Perhaps we can all get together to affiliate the whole league back with the SJFA. Would that not be great? We are so looking forward to joining ........ Health warning. I have obviously written my model answers in jest but beneath them there are some real underlying concerns that need to be hammered out.

There cannot be a better time for the Dundee clubs (perhaps as a group with a key representative acting on their behalf liaising with the LL, EOSFL and SFA) to make a case for their inclusion within the Senior Pyramid. If unsuccessful then they need to quickly hammer out an arrangement with the HL and NRJFA. League boundaries are not fixed in England and fluctuate quite a bit from season to season. In a proper pyramid (rather than the linear towers that are we are creating) there should be no problem in Harthill and Fauldhouse being in a Tier 8 division with say Shotts Bon Accord and Forth Wanderers one season and then say moved across to be with Dunipace and Rosyth the next. A proper pyramid should see fluid movement of clubs in each tier that allows natural groupings and minimises travel for the majority. Groupings will vary according to the constituent clubs in each tier in a particular season. This is a sensible and constructive way forward but would need the SFA to oversee the process. Therein lies the problem in my opinion.

Let’s hope for an application or two!

I do not disagree with you Arhurlie1981 and the others. Just wondering if we would reverse our case if a club like Newton Stewart wished to move from the SOSFL to join the WOSFL next season? There is a case in my view to allow some flexibility and fluidity in drawing up boundaries. However, this should not be used to help accommodate grievances and bigotry as in the case of the small cabal of WL clubs.

Thanks for the update - much appreciated. Any news on the three “tribute acts” and Syngenta? Hopefully the three tribute acts can “tweak” their club names to ensure entry into the EOSFL.

There is a great article in the Scottish Amateur Football News: Kilbride Set Out Vision For A Home Of Their Own 25 Jan 2021 Scottish Amateur Football News Kilbride Thistle AFC are determined the on-going pandemic won’t derail ambitious plans to have a home of their own where current and future generations of footballing talent can be properly coached and developed, writes Tom Scott. Land at St Matthews Playing Fields, Saltcoats – adjacent to the local Secondary School – has been identified as the perfect location for a Club who are now 10 years old in Amateur Football, but actually date back to Under-6 level using the name of Kilbride Boys. Revealing the plans exclusively to Scottish Amateur Football News Manager Sean Kenney said: “I have enclosed an overhead picture of the pitch we are applying for. You can just see some of the others (pitches) around the edges.” “Unfortunately, I don’t have any photographs of all the pitches.” With no training and games allowed at the moment, Sean has been in discussions with the local Council. He said “We spoke with K.A. Leisure at the start of December. Many Council employees are currently in furlough due to Covid-19, and decision-making matters are clearly not possible.” “It’s a good facility. The park is inside a Cage – surrounded by other pitches – and has a large running track, which is used by North Ayrshire Athletics Club.” “Our first thought was what can we do to improve the facility? We would look to go in and put the park to good use.” “The Council are operating with a skeleton staff, so it’s hard to get an answer.” “We used to play at the venue coming through the Ayrshire divisions. The Secondary School is roughly 100 yards away from the pitches and initially could be used as dressing rooms. As part of our plans, we would build a structure inside the Cage to house ourselves and visiting clubs, dug-outs, and space for potential youth teams under our banner.” “It would be a great Hub for us.” “I grew up watching Clark Drive AFC (sadly no longer with us) and always wanted to play for them because of their facilities and park. I never did get the opportunity.” “However, I want that type of set-up for Kilbride Thistle AFC. Everyone is willing to put the work in at St Matthews Playing Fields.” Thanks again to Mr Sean Kenney for kindly providing the photograph. Source: https://scottishamateurfootballnews.com/2021/01/25/kilbride-set-out-vision-for-a-home-of-their-own/ NB: Do have a look at the article and the superb aerial photo of the ground.

Those that are familiar with the https://www.pieandbovril.com/forum/index.php?/topic/266794-new-clubs-in-the-west-of-scotland/ thread will have learnt about the possibility of Kilbride Thistle joining the WOSFL next season (hopefully the 2021/22 season!). This in my view would be a great move and I certainly wish the club all the best on a very positive and progressive venture for the future which also includes joining the Lowland U20 Development League. St Mathews Academy - Saltcoats I understand that there are another 5 applicants hoping to join the WOSFL in addition to KTFC. Any news on these clubs? Also any news about other clubs that may be thinking of moving to the Senior ranks in the near future. This of course does not mean leaving the Amateur ranks altogether as clubs can still enter Amateur sides as appropriate. Looking forward to football getting back to normal across the spectrum at all levels.

Any news on Linlithgow Rose Community Juniors FC that went into abeyance for the 2020/21 season? Will they return to the Amateurs for 2021/22 if Covid subsides? Or is an application to the EOSFL imminent? Questions remain: 1. Could the Xcite Linlithgow Leisure Centre be upgraded for Senior football? 2. Would the club have to change their name? Anybody residing in or around Linlithgow know the latest position?

Plenty of spare time for club officials to now sort out their applications to join the EOSFL next season then. No excuse for another “Livingston United” slip-up with a delayed application. Really looking forward to Covid free season in 2021/22 with a raft of new teams joining the EOSFL. We all have a rosy future to look forward to.

Any murmurs Marten about the direction that the Dundee clubs may be heading in particular Lochee United? South? North? Or are heads sadly still stuck in the sand?

In response I suppose I could have added that the EOSFL clubs could always vote to turn the boat around to pick up the Tayside survivors but such a scenario has become increasingly unlikely.

As always BM has his finger on the pulse and most importantly has informed connections. East Region Junior clubs via the ERJFA had a wonderful opportunity en masse to work with the EOSFL on re-structuring. That opportunity was unfortunately spurned. The boat has sailed and I can now see it is most unlikely that the boat will turn around. A life buoy ring may be on offer to Tayport and Scone Thistle but no more. The Tayside clubs must now swim in another direction towards the North Region clubs and together construct a strong life raft/boat in HL seas. If they do not they will continue to flounder outside the pyramid. Hope I have read the situation correctly.

Agreed. Regionalisation would be essential at Tier 9 if all the East Juniors move across. Would 3 smaller conferences work at that level?

It all depends who is willing to compromise and identify a sensible way forward - HL, LL, EOSFL and Tayside clubs themselves. Sadly real leadership is lacking from the SFA to help resolve the issue.