[Junior football, what is the future?]

There are a number of clubs that voted "yes" for the pyramid in the SJFA survey and have yet to show their card (or organise a meeting):

• Armadale Thistle
• Bathgate Thistle
• Fauldhouse United
• Hartill Royal
• Kennoway Star Hearts
• Livingston United
• Rosyth
• Sauchie Juniors
• Tayport

Any news on these clubs to date via Twitter etc?

Then there are the clubs north of the Tay such as:

• Blairgowrie Juniors
• Brechin Victoria
• Forfar West End
• Kerriemuir Thistle

who supported the pyramid in the SJFA survey.

[Junior football, what is the future?]

The pace of change at the moment is breathtaking.

It is interesting to speculate where we will be in a couple of seasons time.  Perhaps we will have a Promotion Play-off system to the Lowland League:

EoSL winner v WoSL runner up

WoSL winner v EoSL runner up

Respective winners are promoted (for 2 places in LL)

Losers play-off

Lowland League 14th* placed club v SoSL winner

Winner plays off against winner of Losers play-off above

Winner is promoted / retains place in LL (for 1 place in LL)

Just think of the attendances and interest that this form of play-off system might generate

[* 13th placed LL club if team is relegated to LL from the SPFL2 Play-offs]

So where would we be with this scenario at the end of the 2017/18 season?

Kelty Hearts v Beith Juniors

Auchinleck Talbot v Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale

Winners promoted from 2 leg playoff

Losers play-off

Dalbeattie Star v Threave Rovers

Winners play-off against winners of Losers Final

Winner is promoted / retains place in LL

 

NB: Lots of assumptions in the above scenario in particular whether WRJFA Superleague clubs would come on board and have the courage to face EoSL champions and runners-up.

[Junior football, what is the future?]

Sat, 16 Jun 18
SJFA AGM

Tue, 12 Jun 18
SJFA West Region : Management Meeting

Wednesday, 27 June 2018
SJFA West Region : Annual General Meeting
 

[Junior football, what is the future?]

3 hours ago, FairWeatherFan said:

Calendar of set meetings I could find. Be interesting to see what news comes from Broxburn since they voted against the current pyramid and are up first from the Superleague clubs making a decision.

Broxburn Athletic - 28th May https://twitter.com/BroxburnAth/status/1000428049106636800

Thornton Hibs - 28th May https://twitter.com/ThorntonHibsJFC/status/1000509791884673024

Bo'ness United- 29th May http://www.bonessunitedfc.co.uk/item.php?pg=news&pd=1009&it=237

St. Andrews United - 30th May https://twitter.com/standrewsutdfc/status/1001039852899590145

Dundonald Bluebell - Sometime this week https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-courier-advertiser-fife-edition/20180526/282673277992700

Jeanfield Swifts - Sometime this week https://twitter.com/JeanfieldSJFC/status/1000716901750886401

Linlithgow Rose - 4th June http://www.linlithgowrose.co.uk/

Will Bo'ness United be able to reach a decision tomorrow or is it safe to assume they will need a further meeting after 4th June when they should know the outcome of the Linlithgow Rose meeting?

I suppose the other question is why Linlithgow have arranged their meeting on 4th June - well after the 31st May deadline?  Is it because of:

• Need to collect more information?
• Current indecision in making a commitment?
• Holidays?
• Tactics? Lobbying?
• Proper period of notice for members?
• Longer period of grace for TJ and the SJFA to come up with the goods? 
• Or are they just trying to get other clubs to make their own decision and not just follow Linlithgow's lead?

The last reason would indicate a very meritable approach in my opinion.

[Junior football, what is the future?]

Any info/updates from Sauchie Juniors? They appear to be the remaining club in the SJFA East Region Superleague yet to play their card (excluding clubs north of the Tay).

Will they be doing an Arniston Rangers and appear from nowhere as an EOS applicant?

 

NB: I still tend to think of Kennoway Star Hearts as a relegated club. Any news on them as well.

[Junior football, what is the future?]

Over the last couple of months I have become completely obsessed with this thread.  It is simply enthralling to watch a new phase of Scottish Non-League football history emerging (thread by thread on social media) as change slowly and sometimes painfully takes place. There are good arguments on both side of the divide which I do not wish to repeat. However in my view Junior Football is the one with the wonderful 130+ year history but the future lies firmly with the Pyramid.

EOSFA so far in my view has hardly made a wrong move while SJFAER appears to have so far been far too reactive rather than proactive.

I hope you do not mind me making a contribution to the debate but there really does appear to be a dire need for one of these two organisations to properly look after the interests of the Tayside clubs and to negotiate a proper pyramid link to the Highland League.

In my view the stage is now set for EOSFA to take this lead as the proactive force for change in Scottish Non-League football.  SJFAER or the SJFA appear to have no heart or desire to enter such negotiations.