Junior football, what is the future?

[Burnie_man]

2 minutes ago, Ian38018 said:

So, for the benefit of those of us with arithmetic problems, how many former East Region (i.e not Fife/Tayside) clubs are still, at present, junior clubs? 

14? but possibly as low as 12.

Linlithgow (having meeting to decide), Bo'ness, Broxburn, Sauchie, Newtongrange (having meeting to decide), Fauldhouse, Whitburn, Bathgate, Pumpherston, Armadale, West Calder, Harthill, Livingston, Stoneyburn

[Ian38018]

1 minute ago, Burnie_man said:

14? but possibly as low as 12.

Linlithgow (having meeting to decide), Bo'ness, Broxburn, Sauchie, Newtongrange (having meeting to decide), Fauldhouse, Whitburn, Bathgate, Pumpherston, Armadale, West Calder, Harthill, Livingston, Stoneyburn

Thanks - we could be in WWII Lanark & Lothians League numbers soon !

[FairWeatherFan]

Question at this point is what happens if the EoS passes 36 clubs. If I was them I wouldn't be turning anyone down, so it all comes down to what format they can come up with.

[drs]

1 minute ago, Ian38018 said:

Thanks - we could be in WWII Lanark & Lothians League numbers soon !

 

[Burnie_man]

2 minutes ago, FairWeatherFan said:

Question at this point is what happens if the EoS passes 36 clubs. If I was them I wouldn't be turning anyone down, so it all comes down to what format they can come up with.

It might get upto 36 although probably unlikely.  I think they could run with 2 x 18 but the League Cup groups would have to be binned I'd think.

[Ian38018]

I have taken my eye off the ball here, so the extent of these defections has surprised me.  What are the attractions?  I cannot imagine it is solely the remote possibility of duelling with the likes of Peterhead and Cowdenbeath in League Two is the driving force.  Nor the even remoter possibility of drawing a Big Lad in the early rounds of the Scottish Cup.

Are these clubs running towards something, or is it more a case of running from something?

 

[Che Dail]

7 minutes ago, Burnie_man said:

14? but possibly as low as 12.

Linlithgow (having meeting to decide), Bo'ness, Broxburn, Sauchie, Newtongrange (having meeting to decide), Fauldhouse, Whitburn, Bathgate, Pumpherston, Armadale, West Calder, Harthill, Livingston, Stoneyburn

If Nitten and Lithgae quit in time they'd be as well leaving the remaining 12 in a West Lothian league and split off from the Tayside, Perth and Fife Juniors. 

[FairWeatherFan]

1 minute ago, Burnie_man said:

It might get upto 36 although probably unlikely.  I think they could run with 2 x 18 but the League Cup groups would have to be binned I'd think.

Before the avalanche of applications the gossip was they'd run with 18 in a single division before splitting divisions. So it can certainly be done. Think if they get an odd number maybe ask Stirling Uni reserves to skip the season but i don't know if they'd be that accomodating.

[cmontheloknow]

6 minutes ago, Ian38018 said:

I have taken my eye off the ball here, so the extent of these defections has surprised me.  What are the attractions?  I cannot imagine it is solely the remote possibility of duelling with the likes of Peterhead and Cowdenbeath in League Two is the driving force.  Nor the even remoter possibility of drawing a Big Lad in the early rounds of the Scottish Cup.

Are these clubs running towards something, or is it more a case of running from something?

 

By joining the EoS you can work towards an SFA license, an impossibility in the SJFA. This would provide automatic Scottish Cup entry. You've been to every ground in the country - some very basic ones have achieved this standard so it's not beyond the junior departees.

Clubs that have an interest in being part of the community can enter the U20 league.

Funding opportunities available to EoS clubs not available in Juniors.

 

Edited May 24, 2018 by cmontheloknow

[Ian38018]

6 minutes ago, drs said:

 

I thought I'd got away with it 

[Ian38018]

1 minute ago, cmontheloknow said:

By joining the EoS you can work towards an SFA license, an impossibility in the SJFA. This would provide automatic Scottish Cup entry.

Clubs that have an interest in being part of the community an enter the U20 league.

Funding opportunities available to EoS clubs not available in Juniors.

 

Thanks for that.  Presumably the same financial opportunities are available to junior clubs in Ayshire, say, should they choose to join the SoS League?

[Tutankhamen]

23 hours ago, Ian38018 said:

I have taken my eye off the ball here, so the extent of these defections has surprised me.  What are the attractions?  I cannot imagine it is solely the remote possibility of duelling with the likes of Peterhead and Cowdenbeath in League Two is the driving force.  Nor the even remoter possibility of drawing a Big Lad in the early rounds of the Scottish Cup.

Are these clubs running towards something, or is it more a case of running from something?

 

It's money or the possibility of it. Claims of 10K in the Scottish Cup if you can last three rounds and possible grants for the ground.

[Tutankhamen]

23 hours ago, Ian38018 said:

Thanks for that.  Presumably the same financial opportunities are available to junior clubs in Ayshire, say, should they choose to join the SoS League?

More chance the West will hold off to see if a WofS league comes about.

[Ian38018]

2 minutes ago, Tutankhamen said:

It's money or the possibility of it. Claims of 10K in the Scottish Cup if you can last three rounds and possible grants for the ground.

Thanks.  The term Fool's Gold springs to mind.

 

1 minute ago, Tutankhamen said:

More chance the West will hold off to see if a WofS league comes about.

 

[FairWeatherFan]

Just now, Tutankhamen said:

It's money or the possibility of it. Claims of 10K in the Scottish Cup if you can last three rounds and possible grants for the ground.

Random East Premier

- Stay Junior and look here's promotion/relegation/championships, cups and games of football

or

- Go Senior and here's x,y,z financially on offer. Plus here's a more set infrastructure for fixtures and youth teams and oh, look promotion/relegation/championships, cups and games of football

[drs]

2 minutes ago, Ian38018 said:

Thanks.  The term Fool's Gold springs to mind.

its really really not. isa is a bit biased against.

[Tutankhamen]

23 hours ago, FairWeatherFan said:

Random East Premier

- Stay Junior and look here's promotion/relegation/championships, cups and games of football

or

- Go Senior and here's x,y,z financially on offer. Plus here's a more set infrastructure for fixtures and youth teams and oh, look promotion/relegation/championships, cups and games of football

Not much of a counter to stay Junior.

[Ian38018]

1 minute ago, FairWeatherFan said:

Random East Premier

- Stay Junior and look here's promotion/relegation/championships, cups and games of football

or

- Go Senior and here's x,y,z financially on offer. Plus here's a more set infrastructure for fixtures and youth teams and oh, look promotion/relegation/championships, cups and games of football

I am not advocating either stance.   Just a latecomer attempting to catch up.   Surely for each new club joining the seniors the pot of lucre will be more thinly spread.   Each addition reduces the attraction.   And the more distant those lucrative later rounds of the Scottish Cup prizes will be. 

[Tutankhamen]

23 hours ago, Ian38018 said:

Thanks.  The term Fool's Gold springs to mind.

 

 

Doubt anybody would stop a club going back to the Juniors if it doesn't work out.

If there's any Juniors to go back to.

[cmontheloknow]

6 minutes ago, Ian38018 said:

Thanks.  The term Fool's Gold springs to mind.

 

 

Ok, playing one round in the Scottish preliminaries brings in more than any Junior Cup entrant gets unless they get to the semis. The only fools are those BUSINESSES who turn down guaranteed revenue. Junior football has failed commercially and has failed in its own mission statement of developing and promoting the Junior game. The pyramid has happened and the SJFA sat, watched, smirked and was sidelined. More fool them.