Junior football, what is the future?

[drs]

7 minutes ago, gogsy said:

Off topic but Elgin are playing Kelty at Aberfeldy, whats the park like?

The Breadalbane park?

Used to be like a bowling green.

[drs]

That was in the 70s mind! Ipswich played there when they were on a tour of Scotland, my Dad still has the photo on his wall of him and Bill McGarry and the team.

Edited May 27, 2018 by drs

[welshbairn]

Just now, drs said:

That was in the 70s mind!

Were you groundsman?

[drs]

1 minute ago, welshbairn said:

Were you groundsman?

Aye and this was my roller!

(one for the locals there!)

[FairWeatherFan]

42 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

In the future I could see the Aberdeenshire clubs agreeing a merger with the Tayside clubs and the NCL merging with the the clubs in the North West region, say as far East as New Elgin. The Shire clubs  in the Superleague moaned like f**k about having to travel to Inverness City and effectively blocked them 2 or three times from promotion re ground issues. Hopefully the HL would be left intact aside from yearly demotions and promotions.

Can't see that happening at all. A merger between a bunch of taysiders and aberdeenshire, chance to be promoted into the Highland League. Madness!

I've been reliably informed all parties would kick it in to touch, toot sweet!

[cmontheloknow]

12 minutes ago, FairWeatherFan said:

Can't see that happening at all. A merger between a bunch of taysiders and aberdeenshire, chance to be promoted into the Highland League. Madness!

I've been reliably informed all parties would kick it in to touch, toot sweet!

If you took the top 8 from the East Region above the line and the top 8 from the North Region (as it stands), you'd get a 16 team league of:

Banks o' Dee
Broughty Athletic
Carnoustie Panmure
Culter
Downfield
Dundee North End
Dyce
Ellon Utd
Forfar West End
Kirriemuir Thistle
Hermes
Lochee United
Luncarty
Maud
Montrose Roselea
Stonehaven

Maximum journey time for that would be Maud doing 2.5 hrs to Luncarty. Most 'inter-regional' trips though would be within the 1h20m from Dundee to Aberdeen.
 

Edited May 27, 2018 by cmontheloknow

[Enigma]

Can't see that happening at all. A merger between a bunch of taysiders and aberdeenshire, chance to be promoted into the Highland League. Madness!
I've been reliably informed all parties would kick it in to touch, toot sweet!

It does seem a bit mad now but what’s the alternative?

The idea or merging North Juniors located in Moray and Highland council areas with the NCL and The Aberdeenshire and Tayside teams into two Highland feeders seems neat and tidy to me but I can see why in practice it won’t be an easy solution at all.

As an aside I’d have the HL/LL border at the River Earn then into the Tay.

[Guest]

From reading the last few pages, there still appears to be some confusion as to why clubs are leaving the lower reaches of the sjfa structure to join the pyramid at tier 6. Now I do believe kefc has previously pitched in with this info, granted though this was around 250 pages ago, however here is my take.... 

The sjfa currently offer 4 match balls, limited fixture lists, limited aid, limited guidance and very little in the way of proactive and collaborative decision making.

As a point of reference the eosfl offer match balls, training balls, aid to clubs in getting their licence (payments towards coaching badges etc), guidance and support for clubs making ground improvements and working towards their licence, a process of collaborative and inclusive decision making, a full seasons fixture list/dates, a professional and organised approach where they appear to have the interests of all their members at heart, a development league (same set up as the senior sides), access to promotion and full Scottish Cup entry through league finish or Cup win (juniors have this too tbf). 

As for 'smaller clubs' moving..... Why wouldn't they wish to be part of this set up. Are they to wait their turn for the top sjfa brass to tell them they can now try and progress their club? These clubs aren't moving for money, they are moving for the chance to progress their clubs, something they couldn't have done playing in the bottom leagues of the sjfa.

There is a either a snobbery to this argument (how dare they move without our say so) or a complete misunderstanding of why these clubs have moved. I believe this is a chosen misunderstanding that fits the narrative of those who attempt to use a simplistic argument of 'there is no pot of gold' or 'they haven't earned the right' or 'they have no fan base' 

Now someone mentioned Dunipace earlier.... A club in existence since 1888, how anyone can suggest that a club who has given its all to the sjfa west region, and is probably fortunate to have survived until now, is not entitled to decide what is best for itself or that they have not earned the right to move associations is proposterous. And this is what the moves are by the by, a simple move from the sjfa to the eosfl, nothing more. There has been no crime committed, and those who took the first step to what they believe will ensure the survival of their club, in the long term, deserve credit, not ill informed opinion and conjecture thrown their way. 

Anyone who wishes to remain junior also deserves credit for choosing what they believe is best for their club, they are not dinosaurs nor do they deserve some of the other drivel thrown their way. I do believe that the pyramid is the future for all of Scottish football but ultimately it is down to each individual club to choose if and when they will join....

Edited May 27, 2018 by Guest

[FairWeatherFan]

6 minutes ago, cmontheloknow said:

If you took the top 8 from the East Region above the line and the top 8 from the North Region (as it stands), you'd get a 16 team league of:

Banks o' Dee
Broughty Athletic
Carnoustie Panmure
Culter
Downfield
Dundee North End
Dyce
Ellon Utd
Forfar West End
Kirriemuir Thistle
Hermes
Lochee United
Luncarty
Maud
Montrose Roselea
Stonehaven

Maximum journey time for that would be Maud doing 2.5 hrs to Luncarty. Most 'inter-regional' trips though would be within the 1h20m from Dundee to Aberdeen.
 

I'm quite happy with that you could call it the NoSFL and put it at tier 6 with the licenced champions getting promoted to the Highland League.

[welshbairn]

1 minute ago, FairWeatherFan said:

I'm quite happy with that you could call it the NoSFL and put it at tier 6 with the licenced champions getting promoted to the Highland League.

Where would you put the Western section?

[GordonS]

2 hours ago, lithgierose said:

Difference for us imo.is play against the likes of harthill,bathgate,whitburn etc to no crowds to talk about.or play against boness,bonnyrigg etc.who actually bring support with the.not saying all super league teams are that greatly supported.when we played jeanfield at linlithgow,they brought about 7 fans.

FWIW, that's one more than Albion Rovers took to Stranraer earlier this year, and  couple fewer than Dumbarton took to Peterhead in the Scottish Cup.

53 minutes ago, Darvel legend said:

Don’t talk pish none of them will

make the spfl 

Is that a haiku?

[FairWeatherFan]

Just now, welshbairn said:

Where would you put the Western section?

The west? Is this a trick question.

Or is this another kind of trick question, in that the North Region voted to go to 3 region wide leagues again. So there is no Western section?

But essentially it'd be:

Tier 5 HL

Tier 6 NoSFL

Tier 7 NoSFL West and NoSFL East

[cmontheloknow]

1 minute ago, FairWeatherFan said:

I'm quite happy with that you could call it the NoSFL and put it at tier 6 with the licenced champions getting promoted to the Highland League.

The way things are going, the Dundee / Perth / Angus area sides might see it as more attractive than what may be on the menu next season while for me it definitely improves the standard of league that the North sides currently play in. Journey times are not prohibitive because of the concentration of Aberdeen and Dundee area teams in both set-ups (and point inbetween). Some clubs at the extreme edges might suffer but that's always the way. In terms of promotion up, it's a big step but that would be a pathway towards it. No club coming into the league I posted from below would find it overly difficult compared to current travelling - Dufftown for example have regular trips towards Aberdeen and both Dundee / Perth would be an hour on top of that, but there are shorter journeys than that too e.g. to Forfar, Montrose etc...

[GordonS]

5 minutes ago, Enigma said:

As an aside I’d have the HL/LL border at the River Earn then into the Tay.

 

To move Perth from South to North? 

[cmontheloknow]

6 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

Where would you put the Western section?

There could be three regional feeders beneath (West / East and South) with promotion upwards - I'd say not compulsory though because of travel.

Nairn St Ninian would be potentially the big losers travel-wise but they're going to have reglar 2hr+ trips to Aberdeen next season. The A9 takes them down to Perth in similar time with Dundee pushing it on towards the 3hr mark.

Edited May 27, 2018 by cmontheloknow

[FairWeatherFan]

Just now, cmontheloknow said:

The way things are going, the Dundee / Perth / Angus area sides might see it as more attractive than what may be on the menu next season while for me it definitely improves the standard of league that the North sides currently play in. Journey times are not prohibitive because of the concentration of Aberdeen and Dundee area teams in both set-ups (and point inbetween). Some clubs at the extreme edges might suffer but that's always the way. In terms of promotion up, it's a big step but that would be a pathway towards it. No club coming into the league I posted from below would find it overly difficult compared to current travelling - Dufftown for example have regular trips towards Aberdeen and both Dundee / Perth would be an hour on top of that, but there are shorter journeys than that too e.g. to Forfar, Montrose etc...

Go back a few pages to this morning you'll see i'm quite happy for the Tayside clubs to be integrated in the North of the Tay area. Personally prefer it to happen as it strengthens the region overall. And balances things if the long term plan is for a 3 region set up in the non-league.

[welshbairn]

1 minute ago, FairWeatherFan said:

The west? Is this a trick question.

Or is this another kind of trick question, in that the North Region voted to go to 3 region wide leagues again. So there is no Western section?

But essentially it'd be:

Tier 5 HL

Tier 6 NoSFL

Tier 7 NoSFL West and NoSFL East

Eh? So the Shire and Tayside teams go in at tier 6 and the rest of Highland teams at 7? What qualifies Tayside teams to enter at a higher level than Western and North Highland teams?

[FairWeatherFan]

4 minutes ago, GordonS said:

To move Perth from South to North? 

In the EoS forum it's been raised as a concern that they might move the line South to take in the more traditional Tayside clubs from that area. Think it was a Jeanfield fan that brought up as it obviously affects them greatly in what they do. Not sure how much truth there is in it.

[cmontheloknow]

2 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

Eh? So the Shire and Tayside teams go in at tier 6 and the rest of Highland teams at 7? What qualifies Tayside teams to enter at a higher level than Western and North Highland teams?

Are you referring to the North Caley? All HFL teams would be in the HFL!

[welshbairn]

7 minutes ago, cmontheloknow said:

There could be three regional feeders beneath (West / East and South) with promotion upwards - I'd say not compulsory though because of travel.

Nairn St Ninian would be potentially the big losers travel-wise but they're going to have reglar 2hr+ trips to Aberdeen next season. The A9 takes them down to Perth in similar time with Dundee pushing it on towards the 3hr mark.

I'd still say let the Tayside teams join a new league at tier 7 and sort it all out through promotion and demotion over the years, Seems the Tayside juniors want instant preferential status though over the teuchters.