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Junior football, what is the future?


Burnie_man

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32 minutes ago, Isabel Goudie said:

I suppose it depends on how many and who jump, sure the standard could rise, but you would still have some very weak sides and dare I say it, mediocre Juniors;) Despite all the criticism of the Juniors, some of it merited, staying in a league that will certainly be no worse and still throw up massive Scottish ties with big West clubs. I am suggesting that what some are dreaming of might well never happen. Perhaps clubs should look very closely at this.

You're still looking at this through the prism of a club unaffected by change. Clubs don't budget on occasional ties in the junior cup. If we had, we'd be on our arse as a result of what the competition cost us this season. 

You can call them mediocre but by next season we will have lost the best team in the East last season and potentially the best team in the East this season - certainly top 2. 

Take Talbot and Glenafton out of your league with the prospect of some of the mediocre clubs in the top flight following them. Then ask yourself whether being a junior team, denied a club licence and hanging on for as long as the balance is in your favour would be the easy call you have just now. 

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8 minutes ago, gogsy said:

Probably try to keep even leagues so  14/12/12/12. They could go Super league then North/Central/South again.;)

Kind of makes a bit of a mockery of this season and teams now maybe don't know what they are playing for.  I feel the SJFA should've looked at the Kelty situation and been far more prepared but heads buried in sand as usual.

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2 hours ago, Born To Run said:

I'm reliably informed that we're now into double figures on the number of Juniors with applications in for the EoS next season, which means many of them will be 'stuck' in the league for at least a few years. I guess it all comes down to the standard of the applicants, as after 2018/19 there will most likely be a return to the EoS Premier and E0S 1st Division. This will limit the number of heavy beatings dished out, and the Premier sides will set the standard against each other. It might well be a better standard than the weakened East Super League left behind, with the additional bonus of greater financial support and Scottish Cup entry once licensing is confirmed.

Have any clubs confirmed they will definitely stay in the Junior grade next season?

Between Midlothian and East Lothian I believe only Penicuik are determined to stay.  

From what I am led to believe, all the others in the two regions are giving the EoS move serious consideration.

Edited by Che Dail
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1 hour ago, Ross. said:

By the same token, if Kelty had remained junior what was there to gain? They may still be stuck in the same league for years...

There was an SFA Licence and Scottish Cup Entry to gain. If we remain in the EOS or LL for the next 10 years say then we are more than ok with that looking at the teams that will be competing in it. Remaining Junior wasn’t an option when we done our research.

2 promotion places I’d think minimum will be available for next season and automatic relegation will happen in SPFL, that will make the LL and EOS very competitive as clubs find their level from next season onwards.

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29 minutes ago, kefc said:

There was an SFA Licence and Scottish Cup Entry to gain. If we remain in the EOS or LL for the next 10 years say then we are more than ok with that looking at the teams that will be competing in it. Remaining Junior wasn’t an option when we done our research.

2 promotion places I’d think minimum will be available for next season and automatic relegation will happen in SPFL, that will make the LL and EOS very competitive as clubs find their level from next season onwards.

Is it definite that the number of promotion places will increase for EoS?   What will they do about the SoS and the lack of licensed clubs/apparent lack of clubs wanting promotion?

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10 minutes ago, Che Dail said:

74 junior clubs think they should slot in at the same level as LL / HL? 

More the influx of the SJFA member clubs in general. If the SFA wanted it to happen, they could simply have told the three regions to affiliate directly at the very outset of the process, but chose not to. All the SJFA does is run the junior cup and a semi-pro level national team given the SFA already do things like player registration and match official appointments for junior clubs, so the whole idea of separate grades is an anachronism.  The problem with a mass influx of junior clubs into the senior grade pyramid from the SFA's standpoint is that subsidy money will get split many more ways if most junior clubs achieve licensing. The bar on entry level was set very low to make it possible for the likes of Golspie Sutherland to achieve it, so that could conceivably happen.

Edited by LongTimeLurker
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16 minutes ago, Che Dail said:

74 junior clubs think they should slot in at the same level as LL / HL? 

Why not - we've been told for a long time that it's more a matter of club licensing than playing standards.

Granted some won't have the grounds or the off-field infrastructure to make that happen - maybe ever - but the bar's low enough that a surprising amount of teams will breeze through it.

Maybe not slotting in at the same level initially and perhaps less so with the HL, but it's looking like it'll only be a matter of time before the LL will have a very different look to it than it does currently.

Edited by Hillonearth
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44 minutes ago, stanley said:

Is it definite that the number of promotion places will increase for EoS?   What will they do about the SoS and the lack of licensed clubs/apparent lack of clubs wanting promotion?

I dont know 100% but the LL want it as strong as possible for the benefit of tier 5 and so that the pyramid flows and clubs find their level to avoid possible mis-matches, more promotion places more than likely will be approved.

Edited by kefc
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1 minute ago, LongTimeLurker said:

Joining at tier 6 and tier 5. The latter had more support obviously.

Only natural, though I couldn't see it happening.

The LL East/West thing has merit if only to address the realities of the country's demographics, and I could still see that happening down the line once things have settled down a bit, but doing it now would be inequitable to the East Region sides who already have a structure in place.

WOSL at Tier 6 was always going to be the likeliest option.

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Feel a bit sorry for the Tayside clubs as the HL seems to be a bit of a closed shop. Surely something has to give up there. More than one tier up there would seem to make sense.

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6 minutes ago, Enigma said:

Feel a bit sorry for the Tayside clubs as the HL seems to be a bit of a closed shop. Surely something has to give up there. More than one tier up there would seem to make sense.

I'm pretty sure the SJFA has already accepted in principle that the HL/LL boundary will be moved from the Tay to the Esk

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