Scottish Cup For Juniors

[Guest Pompey]

I'd say again - why on earth would Junior teams possibly want to join the SFL???????????????????????????????

They would then have to pay for police and stewarding costs, redevolop stadia, and the bonus ball, can't drink in senior games!

[Loki]

It's a great idea but i cannot see the east of scotland or highland league teams being to happy about it as the juniors are stronger.

430532[/snapback]

I would seriously doubt that Junior teams would be any better than the top four or five clubs from the Highland League. Huntly beat Peterhead 3-1 in the Scottish Cup this season, and the odd junior game I have seen has been nowhere near the footballing standard of games I have seen in the Highland League.

What I would like to see is have 64 teams enter the Scottish Cup and have all in First Round and take it from there. These extra 22 clubs would come from the Highland league, East of Scotland LEague and South of Scotland Leagues. Then you could consider the Junior teams.

The most important thing is that they are many teams that are full members of the Scottish FA and they don't even get entry into the Scottish Cup. But as long as the Junior teams were willing to do what was required Id be quite supportive of seeing them in the Scottish leagues and the Scottish Cup, but definately not at the expense of other members.

[Guest]

I'm in favour of it

Carlos: the standard of Junior football in the north is nothing like the standard in the central belt. I remember my first junior game was a preseason friendly; Thornton Hibs vs East Fife, and the Hibees won 4-2 Admittedly, esat fife are a diddy team, but the likes of Hill o Beath, Linlithgow Rose, Pollok etc are comparable to the 2nd and 3rd divisions of the senior game

[OldWasp]

I quite often go to watch Junior games - and the standard (IMO) is slightly below division 2. There is a lot of jumping between junior and senior football. Our best signing this year (John Ovenstone) came from a junior club (Glentothes) having previously been at a senior club (east Fife). The local junior club (Sauchie Juniors) became Alloa in exile during the latter days of the Terry Christie regime as it was filled with players who had fallen out with Terry Christie. So individual players are comparable - maybethe training regime isnt as hard in some junior teams

I'd like to see junior clubs in the cup just to get some good derbies - Alloa v SAuchie for example - and the chance of Livingstone or Falkirk fgetting gubbed by Camelon is quite exciting - or Ayr v Irvine Meadow..

[Buttocks Brown]

Top junior grounds are great, the terracing at Pollok and Arthurlie in particular puts some SFL1 clus to shame!

431410[/snapback]

The terracing's shocking at most of the Junior grounds. See Dunterlie for an example. Western Park as well. A lot of the grounds have nothing like the terracing seen in senior grounds. Generally, you are standing on gravel or grass and there's a lot of wooden terracing. I'd imagine that 99% of junior clubs would have to upgrade to gain entry to the seniors. I think they're quite happy where they are to be honest.

[Tormod Macleod]

As far as I'm concerned all these teams need to be brought under the umbrella of the SFA or some other body. To have 2 associations in a country like Scotland is nonsense IMO.

Every Junior team should be eligible to enter the Scottish cup at some stage. You may have to introduce various qualification tournaments but it is after all, the Scottish cup. IMO it should be open to f'ckin sunday league teams as well. Obviously they'd have to go through 1 million hoops to get there but this tournament should be open to every team above youth level. Only then will it truelly be the Scottish cup.