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Junior football, what is the future?


Burnie_man

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Just throwing this out there for discussion.

As expected we've seen Kelty jump ship, maybe one or two will follow in the next couple of seasons but I can’t see a trickle becoming a flood for various reasons, particularly in the West.

However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a significant percentage of clubs out there who would like to see a proper pyramid structure in place which wholly involves Junior clubs, and for these clubs to work towards gaining an SFA Licence and work their way up that structure, participating in the Scottish Cup.

Currently, the SJFA don’t appear willing to engage in serious discussions with the SFA, or even open a debate internally with members on this issue.

So what do Junior clubs do next? what is the long-term future of Junior football?  Do nothing and hope that we only lose a handful of clubs and carry on unchanged, or begin an honest and open discussion between member clubs about how to integrate with the pyramid.

These are serious questions that now need asked but I doubt we’ll hear much about it at the upcoming AGM, it’ll be more head in the sand stuff and no leadership.

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If the SJFA don't get their finger out and sort issues such as fixture allocation then they will be continually looked on as a laughing stock. The Junior game is suffering from a credibility issue at the moment, and if it's not sorted more clubs will follow Kelty's path.

Edited by Baxter's Nutmeg
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without wishing to look like a knee jerker or greeting faced c**t, it's hard to see where it can go from it's current state other than further into obsolescence and irrelevance.

The Kelty move won't be the last and the best of the East region are sure to follow.

The West will have to overcome their reservations about travel or lobby hard for a restructuring that suits them.

The time to modernize and rejuvenate the Junior game itself has probably passed and the best that can be achieved now will be a slowing loss of the best sides, but not a prevention.

there will be a lot of bitterness towards the sides leaving initially but it smacks of a small time loser attitude to criticize for showing ambition.

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Kelty moving is not quite like Bo'ness or Linlithgow. They are a good club, but not really a big one. Hopefully it doesn't lead to a trickle of defectors, but is seen as significant enough to prompt real discussion about progress. I  also see the SPFL is consulting clubs about reserve teams in the pyramid. I wonder if by offering to accommodate this, a 3 region pyramid could be negotiated. Not ideal, but it is a compromise.

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I'm more worried about clubs being able to survive at all at the moment , dunno bout the east region burnie man but alot of clubs in the west have the worry of ageing comittee men and lack of new young blood coming on board an lack of sponsorship and trying too raise funds as things get tighter in general , Johnstone Burgh being the latest club to fall on hard times , and i can only see it going downhill am sorry too say for a lot of clubs , a don't have an answer to be honest , although i'm not a big fan of synthetic pitches maybe the community hub type places is the way to go to get local families an kids integrated into there local junior side ?

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pyramid is not the answer , the answer is staring us right in the face is to get away from 2pm kick offs which  strangle our level of football at west region level , as  that man united are playing  for example Chelsea 12-30 kick off  which finishes at roughly 2-20  how many people are going to leave the comfort of their armchair or mates in a pub to attend a junior match , the answer is very few . I tried a couple of years ago to propose that the west region go to a 3pm kick off to address this issue and was seconded by the delegate from our friends from Arthurlie  . we had a delegate who stood up to oppose our proposal as this would mean that it would impinge on his ability to go out with his wife on a Saturday Night ,  quite frankly  I'm not in junior football to placate this guys wife, I'm in junior football to try and better the product we are trying to sell to the public

Edited by ricky burgh
spelling mistake
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37 minutes ago, ricky burgh said:

pyramid is not the answer , the answer is staring us right in the face is to get away from 2pm kick offs which  strangle our level of football at west region level , as  that man united are playing  for example Chelsea 12-30 kick off  which finishes at roughly 2-20  how many people are going to leave the comfort of their armchair or mates in a pub to attend a junior match , the answer is very few . I tried a couple of years ago to propose that the west region go to a 3pm kick off to address this issue and was seconded by the delegate from our friends from Arthurlie  . we had a delegate who stood up to oppose our proposal as this would mean that it would impinge on his ability to go out with his wife on a Saturday Night ,  quite frankly  I'm not in junior football to placate this guys wife, I'm in junior football to try and better the product me are trying to sell to the public

So change the kick-off times and that will save the future of Junior fitba?

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So change the kick-off times and that will save the future of Junior fitba?

Not the be all & end all but the amount of folk that come down after the lunchtime ko is substancial especially if either half of the ugly sisters are playing . Like it or like it not the vast majority of clubs have fans who follow either Celtic or Rangers & they are gonna watch them if they are in the tv before their local junior side . A lot will head down after the game is finished but by the time they get down it's nearly half time & they get in for hee haw. You don't have that issue as much in the east due to the 2.30 ko . We do in the West
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38 minutes ago, ricky burgh said:

pyramid is not the answer , the answer is staring us right in the face is to get away from 2pm kick offs which  strangle our level of football at west region level , as  that man united are playing  for example Chelsea 12-30 kick off  which finishes at roughly 2-20  how many people are going to leave the comfort of their armchair or mates in a pub to attend a junior match , the answer is very few . I tried a couple of years ago to propose that the west region go to a 3pm kick off to address this issue and was seconded by the delegate from our friends from Arthurlie  . we had a delegate who stood up to oppose our proposal as this would mean that it would impinge on his ability to go out with his wife on a Saturday Night ,  quite frankly  I'm not in junior football to placate this guys wife, I'm in junior football to try and better the product we are trying to sell to the public

Time for 2 more pints then Jeff Stelling and their coupons will be the issue.

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10 minutes ago, fan of the juniors said:


Not the be all & end all but the amount of folk that come down after the lunchtime ko is substancial especially if either half of the ugly sisters are playing . Like it or like it not the vast majority of clubs have fans who follow either Celtic or Rangers & they are gonna watch them if they are in the tv before their local junior side . A lot will head down after the game is finished but by the time they get down it's nearly half time & they get in for hee haw. You don't have that issue as much in the east due to the 2.30 ko . We do in the West

That's great, so change it. You can do that this month if you want at the AGM.

This discussion is more about the long term future of the Junior game, and the reality that is the pyramid.

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6 hours ago, Baxter's Nutmeg said:

If the SJFA don't tget their finger out and sort issues such as fixture allocation then they will be continually looked on as a laughing stock. The Junior game is suffering from a credibility issue at the moment, and if it's not sorted more clubs will follow Kelly's path.

But will it ever have credibility ploughing on as a separate Association outside the pyramid?

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7 minutes ago, Burnie_man said:

But will it ever have credibility ploughing on as a separate Association outside the pyramid?

Can't see it, as I said earlier their credibility is on the slippery slope. In fact I heard Tom Johnston is giving Theresa May a call for some advice on it.

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