GNU_Linux Posted January 26, 2023 Share Posted January 26, 2023 (edited) 5 hours ago, LoveFitbaw said: Forth & Endrick is a summer league. A lot of players play for Stirling teams already or even some junior teams. Vast majority play the summer then get released for their other teams season starting even if the summer league isn’t finished. Can’t see those teams being an option. Similar to the summer amateur/welfare leagues up north who share a player pool with the North Caley hence the North Caley starting later than other leagues within the pyramid. Edited January 26, 2023 by GNU_Linux 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Feet Posted January 30, 2023 Author Share Posted January 30, 2023 A little birdy tells me some of the Central big guns are not happy at the changes. Interesting few weeks/months ahead. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spyro Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 On 30/01/2023 at 13:04, Crazy Feet said: A little birdy tells me some of the Central big guns are not happy at the changes. Interesting few weeks/months ahead. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beetlejucie Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 On 30/01/2023 at 13:04, Crazy Feet said: A little birdy tells me some of the Central big guns are not happy at the changes. Interesting few weeks/months ahead. What are they unhappy about? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Feet Posted February 1, 2023 Author Share Posted February 1, 2023 I'm assuming the merger with SAFL clubs but that is just speculation. One of the big central clubs has already applied for another league with potentially more to follow if rumours are to be believed. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 (edited) I've totalled up all the Saturday afternoon amateur clubs per season* back 10 years to 2013, then used each league's average annual net loss^ to make a forecast forward 5 years to 2028. *note this is the number of clubs starting each season - where a club folds during the season it's still in the total for that season e.g. 2022-23 figure of 372 will be lower now. ^these may be somewhat over optimistic as the current leagues have been losing 1/3 less than the grade overall likely due to survivors from folding leagues moving to them. Broad prediction: - the Stirlingshire league will have folded. (They've reached the size where Lanarkshire and Paisley finished - another couple of seasons to hit Dumfries or WOS). - there will eventually be about 4 divisions worth of clubs left in Aberdeenshire; 3 in Lothians; 2 or 3 in Fife; 2 in Ayrshire; 2 in Borders; plus 1 in Midlands and 1 in Perthshire. (Effectively each will contract by 1 division within a few years). - there will be about 6 divisions worth of clubs in Glasgow. That is probably somewhat over optimistic because some of the survivors of the surrounding leagues which have folded over the last decade have joined, but after Stirlingshire goes there's nobody else left. There are currently 4 different leagues operating 9 divisions and the Scottish would be ontrack to fold anyway. Basically if you go back a decade there were 4 leagues in Glasgow, running 14 divisions to cater for 160 clubs. There are still 4 leagues, running 9 divisions to cater for 105 clubs. If the trend continues in half a decade they will need ~6 divisions to cater for ~75 clubs... but how many leagues...? Edited February 2, 2023 by HibeeJibee 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GNU_Linux Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 On 01/02/2023 at 10:29, Crazy Feet said: One of the big central clubs has already applied for another league with potentially more to follow if rumours are to be believed. Guess the Caledonian would be the destination for any clubs looking at leaving? Assuming here none of the clubs in question are looking at the WOSL. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanley Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 (edited) Interesting post, HJ. I'd be amazed if the Stirling & District League is still around in five years time. In fact, I think it will be struggling to survive even one or two more years. 10 clubs remaining and two of them have already applied for the Caledonian League. Even running next year will be a challenge. Is it not the case with the Midlands League that, beyond the top division, it's just reserves? Aren't there are only 12 clubs left? I think the Midlands could easily disappear as well. Edit: Yes, it's one division of 12 first teams and then another division of reserves. The overall total in the league doesn't give an accurate picture as you effectively lose two teams every time one folds (the first team and the reserve team). I also think the Scottish AFL would have folded in the next five years as well had it not gone ahead with the merger. Edited February 2, 2023 by stanley 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleslie99 Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 On 30/01/2023 at 13:04, Crazy Feet said: A little birdy tells me some of the Central big guns are not happy at the changes. Interesting few weeks/months ahead. I have also heard this. I have heard of 4 clubs that are unlikely to be part of the set up next season, all 4 would be central Prem teams as of next season so it's not exactly the 'minnows' at the bottom of the tree. I'm sure they won't be the only ones just the ones I heard of. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dev Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 The Central is the stongest amateur league and will be a little stronger with the Amateur league clubs coming in next season. What is making top division clubs leave? It cannot be for a better standard of football - so what is it? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amateur Fan Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 (edited) On 03/02/2023 at 17:55, Dev said: The Central is the stongest amateur league and will be a little stronger with the Amateur league clubs coming in next season. What is making top division clubs leave? It cannot be for a better standard of football - so what is it? Selfishness in my view like the club leaving who came to the Central after taken the huff with the Cally executive a few years ago and other dinosaurs clubs in the Caledonian League not wanting to change and try to save the Saturday afternoon football in other words looking after themselves which is Scottish football in a nutshell Edited February 4, 2023 by Amateur Fan error 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggyness Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 1 hour ago, Amateur Fan said: Selfishness in my view like the club leaving who came to the Central after taken the huff with the Cally executive a few years ago and other dinosaurs clubs in the Caledonian League not wanting to change and try to save the Saturday afternoon football in other words looking after themselves which is Scottish football in a nutshell That'll be Gartcosh you're speaking about then? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Feet Posted February 5, 2023 Author Share Posted February 5, 2023 Drumchapel Ams confirmed as joining the Caley League for next season. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanley Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 Fourth new club confirmed for Caley next year after Alva, Riverside and Stenhouse Community (Alva and Riverside leaving means Stirling League losing two of their remaining ten teams). 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Feet Posted February 6, 2023 Author Share Posted February 6, 2023 More to follow from The Central? This merger looking like a horrendous move by the Central League. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amateur Fan Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 1 hour ago, Crazy Feet said: More to follow from The Central? This merger looking like a horrendous move by the Central League. Why is it ? at the meeting the clubs voted on it and even the club leaving were in attendance, the move was sold on the basis to combat the threat coming from The west of scotland League,and to stop the demise of long established league like the stirling but now it looks the threat is more from existing league who are just promoting amateur football within there own bubble 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Feet Posted February 6, 2023 Author Share Posted February 6, 2023 1 hour ago, Amateur Fan said: Why is it ? at the meeting the clubs voted on it and even the club leaving were in attendance, the move was sold on the basis to combat the threat coming from The west of scotland League,and to stop the demise of long established league like the stirling but now it looks the threat is more from existing league who are just promoting amateur football within there own bubble I think it looks like The Central are just bringing teams in for money / to get the numbers up rather than looking to improve the quality of the league. How many of the teams joining from the SAFL are established clubs with top facilities etc? How many of them will come over and compete in the Premier League? If the rumours are true around other central clubs then it looks like a bad move. But I guess the Central's loss will be The Caley's gain. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 Let me get this right... Central, Caledonian and Greater Glasgow discussed a merger. Latter dropped out, then Caley too. Then the Central and Scottish merged. Then some clubs left Central for Caley. Then some clubs joined Caley, sinking Stirling? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dev Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 4 hours ago, HibeeJibee said: Let me get this right... Central, Caledonian and Greater Glasgow discussed a merger. Latter dropped out, then Caley too. Then the Central and Scottish merged. Then some clubs left Central for Caley. Then some clubs joined Caley, sinking Stirling? The SPFL won't have automatic promotion/relegation with the HFL & LL. The LL won't have adequate automatic relegation/promotion with the Tier 6 leagues. The Juniors wouldn't be positive about the Pyramid and allegedly said that any Junior clubs which left to join the LL would have to be placed in the Juniors lowest division if subsequently relegated from the LL. The amateurs in the west won't voluntarily rationalise and, even when two league agree to merge, some clubs jump ship. Meanwhile the numbers of amateur players and clubs crashes. The SFA has presided over all of this for many years and done nothing except sit on its' hands, more or less claiming that they're powerless to do anything meaningful. What purpose does the SFA serve if it fails to deal with these issues i.e. takes control and sorts them out? There's more to football than the top division and the national teams - isn't there? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basile Boli Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 5 hours ago, Crazy Feet said: I think it looks like The Central are just bringing teams in for money / to get the numbers up rather than looking to improve the quality of the league. How many of the teams joining from the SAFL are established clubs with top facilities etc? How many of them will come over and compete in the Premier League? If the rumours are true around other central clubs then it looks like a bad move. But I guess the Central's loss will be The Caley's gain. Well on the other hand you could say that it gives the teams in a league clearly on its last legs a decent standard of league to play in. I don’t think the standard of the Central 2nd tier will be much different than whats left in the SAFL. You could also say why are the Caley league being stubborn and rejecting a merger? Speaking around I think the main opinion of guys involved in the game is a merger between all Central-area leagues would be the way forward. As always it comes down to too many individuals with vested interests not wanting to give up any control. If teams like Drum Ams came out and stated why they’ve chosen to move leagues, or the Caley laid down their decision making process and be transperent then it would be a good starting point for all parties to move forward. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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