Pyramidic

THE SCOTTISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION HANDBOOK 2018/2019 3.13 in respect of the Non-Professional Game: (i) to consider and develop activities to the mutual advancement and benefit of senior Leagues which are not the subject of Club Licensing and also the Affiliated National Associations; iv) to consider and issue recommendations to the Board (and other Standing Committees and Panels as appropriate) regarding matters in connection with senior Leagues which, as determined by the Board, are not the subject of Club Licensing and also the Affiliated National Associations Season: Means solely for the purposes of these rules and the Senior Online Registration system the playing season domestically in Scotland will be the period starting on 1st July and ending on 30th June the following year with the exception of the Scottish Junior FA Season which shall end on the third Saturday in June each year; Source: https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/media/3998/scottish-fa-handbook-18_19.pdf There will be many many references to "senior" over the years in SFA papers and documents. Please join us Kilbowie Benches in the new Senior Football Pyramid - forget this crap and let us all enjoy the game we love together.

I disagree. Andy McGregor's Almanac is my bible.

Other than loss of Junior heritage and strong link to past glories and dislike of enforced change - can somebody (especially Junior club officials) please explain what is the point of not going Senior when joining the SFA Pyramid and how can this be realistically achieved? Is it an age thing? How old are your club officials? The older we get the more we dislike change - this I can understand.

Surely many WRJFA clubs can see that personal interests of a key SJFA officer may be contradicting the interests of the Western clubs. If that is the case the WRJFA clubs will need to dictate the terms of their own future. It would be absolutely ludicrous if the "western pyramid" fails because of behind the scenes maneuvering of the SJFA re the ERJFA.

I suppose the SJFA can be morphed / re-constituted as an "Old Comrades-type organisation" open to legitimate clubs who have not diluted their "pedigree Junior DNA". The key officer perhaps can then take on the role of a highly paid "Union Rep" that oversees an "ethnically clean" Scottish Junior Cup. If such a move keeps the Juniors happy and helps integration I personally can see no objection. However what we cannot have is the old-school Junior ideologues re-interpreting how the Pyramid should be run and circumnavigated.

The Licensing process is not so straight forward as one would first expect More details at; https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/media/4676/scottish-fa-club-licensing-manual-2019.pdf https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/media/4735/club-licensing-current-update-january-2019.pdf

I recall now - Galaxy Sports Little Kerse, Grange Rd, Polmont : http://www.littlekerse.com/ What other creditable facilities are currently available for clubs who might be in a position to progress from Amateur to the EoSL? Grangemouth Stadium has been mentioned above by Burnie_man http://www.falkirkcommunitytrust.org/venues/grangemouth-stadium/default.aspx

The point is, there isn't a demand for it and any club wanting to join the EoS can do so if they have the facilities. I still feel that there might be some merit in creating "family League groupings" in which the EoSL would encourage the progession of leading Amateur clubs perhaps making use of suitable 3G pitches or available ground sharing opportunities. It is just my view.

I take your point. Perhaps there needs to be a very small beginning to "get the ball rolling" - with say the EoSL and Lothian & Edinburgh Amateur Football Association agreeing a formal link.

I think that there needs to be official feeder links sorted out pretty quickly given the changing dynamics of Scottish Non League Football: East of Scotland Football League Border Amateur Football League Kingdom of Fife Amateur Football Association ** Lothian & Edinburgh Amateur Football Association ** Stirling & District Amateur Football Association ** ERJFA / East / Tayside Dundee Saturday Morning Amateur Football League ** Kingdom of Fife Amateur Football Association ** Lothian & Edinburgh Amateur Football Association ** Midlands Amateur Football Association ** Stirling & District Amateur Football Association ** WRJFA / West Ayrshire Amateur Football Association Caledonian Amateur Football League Central Scottish Amateur Football League Glasgow Colleges Amateur Football Association Greater Glasgow Premier Amateur Football League Scottish Amateur Football League Strathclyde Evangelical Churches Football League Strathclyde Saturday Morning Amateur Football League NRJFA / North / Tayside Aberdeenshire Amateur Football Association Dundee Saturday Morning Amateur Football League ** Midlands Amateur Football Association ** Perthshire Amateur Football Association South of Scotland Football League None ** Overlaps need to be sorted out. Sunday Amateur Leagues and Summer Amateur Leagues not included.

The thought of bolting on Amateur Leagues at the bottom of the pyramid is a very interesting concept. If a club finishes in first place in their respective Amateur Leagues, pressures will undoubtedly arise for that club to move up the Pyramid that previously would not have existed. Do we know if any discussions have yet taken place to progress Amateur Feeder League links to the Junior / Senior Leagues? If the ERJFA are to remain as a meaningful entity in the East it would be interesting to speculate whether they or the EoSL are willing or have the capacity or desire to develop Feeder Links with the local Amateur Leagues?

Perhaps the position will change in a couple of years time when Ormiston, Hawick RA, Tweedmouth Rangers, Eyemouth Utd, Coldstream and Peebles Rovers may all be playing together in a regionalised Tier 8. A Selkirk based football club might find such a competition more attractive than the Border Amateur League. However once a club has disbanded or dropped out of senior football it appears far from easy to reform/reconstitute and move back to senior (or junior for that matter) football - the Duns and Kelso clubs provide good examples.

Very diasappointed to hear this. Thanks GNU_Linux.

I suppose there also the issue of whether Selkirk will be reformed for next season. Any news on that one? Both options look very good Burnie_man.

You are quite right Ginaro, Soccerway is an online football database that many punters use to access data for placing their bets. http://www.league321.com/soccerway-featured-article.html Here are some more examples: BeSoccer.com: https://www.besoccer.com/league_east_of_scotland/group1/round18 https://www.besoccer.com/league_east_of_scotland/group2/round18 https://www.besoccer.com/league_east_of_scotland/group3/round18 Scoresway.com: http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=competition&id=1489 http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=round&id=49441 http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=soccer&page=round&id=49443 Persian/Iranian site: http://stats.yariga.net/team-squad.php10525?sport=soccer&page=round&id=49443 http://stats.yariga.net/team-squad.php10525?sport=soccer&page=team&id=43907 French site: https://www.matchendirect.fr/classement-foot/ecosse/classement-south-of-scotland.html https://www.matchendirect.fr/equipe/blackburn-united-43907.html Turkish sites: https://www.mackolik.com/takim/musselburgh-athletic/maçlar/d24hr9kqayaawebewuhlt1une https://www.mackolik.com/takim/blackburn-united/puan-durumu/a9cp9k3qkjt7h39kt8kxn3td6 https://www.sahadan.com/takim/blackburn-united/maçlar/a9cp9k3qkjt7h39kt8kxn3td6 Lots of languages: https://www.goal.com/en-us/feeder-leagues/table/9edf0eouow31wxuyt4wzr4max https://www.goal.com/en-us/team/linlithgow-rose/5s9zt4pljuyx56dnc5o35yjuh https://www.goal.com/en-us/team/blackburn-united/a9cp9k3qkjt7h39kt8kxn3td6 Also info in Transfermarkt.com https://www.transfermarkt.com/newtongrange-star-fc/transfers/verein/21795/ https://www.transfermarkt.com/penicuik-athletic/transfers/verein/6324/saison_id/2018 https://www.transfermarkt.com/bonnyrigg-rose-athletic-fc/transfers/verein/20603/saison_id/2018

This just shows how much Junior football is lagging behind the EoSL at the moment: https://uk.soccerway.com/national/scotland/south-of-scotland/20182019/east-of-scotland/r49312/ https://uk.soccerway.com/national/scotland/south-of-scotland/20182019/east-of-scotland-c/r49441/ https://uk.soccerway.com/national/scotland/south-of-scotland/20182019/east-of-scotland-c/r49443/ There is even a page for the conference play-off finals: https://uk.soccerway.com/national/scotland/south-of-scotland/20182019/championship-round---east/r49444/ I wonder how much the EoSL is earning from their fixtures on a prestige betting website like Soccerway?

This just shows how much Junior football is lagging behind the EoSL at the moment: https://uk.soccerway.com/national/scotland/south-of-scotland/20182019/east-of-scotland/r49312/ https://uk.soccerway.com/national/scotland/south-of-scotland/20182019/east-of-scotland-c/r49441/ https://uk.soccerway.com/national/scotland/south-of-scotland/20182019/east-of-scotland-c/r49443/ There is even a page for the conference play-off finals: https://uk.soccerway.com/national/scotland/south-of-scotland/20182019/championship-round---east/r49444/ I wonder how much the EoSL is earning from their fixtures on a prestige betting website like Soccerway?

Even if the ERJFA gain access to the Pyramid there remain in my view many disbenefits for West Lothian and Fife clubs, including: - unbalanced nature of the Super League - geographical spread of clubs north of the Tay - cost of travel to Tayside - poor attendances - lack of local interest - low income generation - weak sponsorship opportunities - continued migration of players to EoSL - duplication of product - feeling of being left behind Many of these points are of course interrelated.

The chap from Kelty Hearts last year did a very useful appraisal of the advantages of leaving the ERJFA and joining the EoSL. Perhaps now would be a good time to outline the current benefits for West Lothian and Fife clubs (and a few from Angus maybe) leaving the ERJFA for the EoSL next season. At the same time I think it would be helpful if Kilbowie Benches outlines the disbenefits. This process might contribute in a small way to the difficult decision that some ERJFA clubs now face.

I suppose there is nothing to stop West Lothian and Fife Junior clubs submitting "holding applications" to the EoSL in the next couple of months and then decide April and May if they really wish to move for 2019/20 season or put there applications on hold for a year (in Clydebank fashion). Dundonald found the decision-making process quite difficult and it is understandable that West Lothian and Fife Junior clubs are going through similar soul searching given the lack of detail and clarity coming out from the SFA / SJFA / PWG. I would suggest that given the difficult circumstances that West Lothian and Fife Junior clubs face at the moment it is essential that they keep their options open and do not miss the EoSL deadline date of 31st March.

Are we again seeing political motives and misinformation playing out behind the scenes where "self-interest" of one or more Junior party is over-riding the general interests of Junior clubs as a whole in making a seamless move into the Senior Non League Pyramid? No guesses who is behind the current log-jam.

Did the SJFA "give"? I think not! They have been forced into a corner by the migration of ERJFA clubs to the EOSL at the end of last season and by the "Pyramid support" vote. And sadly they still appear to be wriggling rather than fully embracing change.

If we follow this scenario - a one division LL2 for 2019/20. How many clubs would the EOSL be expected to lose for 2019/20 and what would be the impact for their league structure? Would it be a "kick in the teeth" for a supportive league or would the clubs moving to LL2 simply be replaced by ERJFA clubs? How many clubs would move over to LL2 from the WRJFA and what would be the impact on their new pyramid? What would a LL2 look like for 2019/20 if it was quickly implemented? Generally I think that it is a geat concept but it will have "knock-on" implications down both sides of the pyramid - east and west (if it happens).

The EOSL are going to have a very successful Groundhop Weekend at the end of March: Friday 29th March Dunipace v Bonnyrigg (8pm) Saturday 30th March Camelon v Edinburgh Utd (11am) Inverkeithing v Heriot-Watt Uni (2:15pm) Blackburn v Preston (5:15pm) Linlithgow v Jeanfield (8pm) Sunday 31st March Peebles v Newtongrange (12:30pm) There could be up to a thousand spectators for the Linlithgow v Jeanfield game if both teams have a chance of winning the Conference C final Why on earth are the Juniors not supporting the Groundhoppers? For clubs it is not only a money making exercise but a great way to put our clubs on the football map. The Hoppers may be bringing up to three coaches from England for the six game weekend and then there those coming up by car. There will even be groundhoppers coming over from Germany I had a chat with a fellow groundhopper about this a while ago. Apparently the meeting with West Region JFA reps was going quite well but then this old guy put a stop to things. It does not take much to fathom out who the old guy must have been but why on earth would he put a stop to such an innovative change that involved permutation of fixtures over three days many months hence? The Groundhopper Rep could not understand what the problem was. However, if he had known who he was dealing with and the stubborn resistance to any change and the problems the WRJFA have had making advanced fixture permutations, the Rep would have known he was facing a battle that had no likelihood of a successful outcome. Kennie has certainly improved the fixture making this season. But I still feel that there is a firm resistance to any innovations of this nature in the West Region. Am I wrong? Does the West Region want their own Groundhop? Or are we still sticking our head in the sand.

This is great news and is just as I expected. Linlithgow Rose in particular is a great attraction to English groundhoppers but there will be visitors coming from as far away as Germany. I wonder who might have scuttled the chances of a West Region groundhop a few years ago? Does anyone have any ideas? SR? In contrast I think that HibeeJibee & Co have been absolutely brilliant promoting the EOSL - "a breath of fresh air". Can someone change the year to 2019 in the thread title please. It is very confusing and will mess up those that first locate the thread on Google.