Unfortunately following their failure to gain promotion last season it seems that several of their team has disappeared and their committee has been left with no alternative but to take a year out.

http://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/Article.aspx/738145

And I thought the SPL was bad for daft rules!

Bella is a jinx.

Disappointing news for them but they're only victims of the North Region SJFA's bid to drive up overall standards which long-term is no bad thing.

I was up there in late June and here's a pic to show just how far the changing rooms are from the ground itself (the fenced off pitch on the horizon).

Disappointing news for them but they're only victims of the North Region SJFA's bid to drive up overall standards which long-term is no bad thing.

I was up there in late June and here's a pic to show just how far the changing rooms are from the ground itself (the fenced off pitch on the horizon).

I know papers can spin things, but reading that article makes it look like they just took the huff.

Only 7 players at the start of pre-season? some would be thankful for that!

It's a bit odd that when they were forced to enclose Jamieson Park a few years ago why they didn't try to relocate within the Woodside field to a spot a bit nearer the changing rooms. It's a huge area. It must be about 200 yards to the edge of the enclosed space.

Alternatively, could they not share with Glentanar? Lewis United have been promoted and they'll be at East End.

It's a shame that a long standing club like Lads Club has had to go in to abeyance and I hope they get themselves sorted out and come back in next season. (there ground does need a fair bit of work as it is a long way from changing rooms to the pitch).

I have heard that Lewis want to give up groundrights and play each team in the League twice at there ground. IE twice at Culter twice at Banks etc etc.

I'm not going to go on about the Lewis situation I wish them well and have nothing against them but they should not have been allowed promotion to the Superleague without a ground.

It's Dissappointing that we lose a team in the region as it needs as many teams as possible, I hope they come back into the League next year. Will that mean they have to go into the 2nd division and work there way back up?

Good question - I'd have thought the middle division seeing as North East clubs can't be relegated into Division 2.

Since when??

Since the leagues started... unless I'm missing something. Cruden Bay have been bottom twice and haven't gone down. Is it just coincidence there has only been relegation and promotion when it has been a side from the Scotscoup League that has been bottom, someone has come up?

If it's a league where the majority of sides don't want up because of travel costs, would they want a team from Aberdeen in? The costs would be huge for whoever it was coming down as just now so many clubs play games in Aberdeen.

That smells a bit like hypocrisy there from whoever made that rule! Why would teams only get relegated if it was a team from Moray that finished bottom in the 1st Division? There is a few teams in Division 1 from the Moray area and they have been involved in the Super league at times also, So it seems wrong that it is only Moray-shire teams has to travel to accomodate the east coast surely?

I think it must be.

It'll be interesting to see what happens next year. I understood that North East sides couldn't go down to the bottom division, but I may have picked that up in error. When the North Region reorganised itself in 2001, initially the lower divisions were on the same level, but there was too much of a gulf between the Scotscoup division and the Premier so it ended up feeding the North East division. I understood that was done to allow ambitious Elgin & Moray sides to come up. For the first season, it was teams placed 4, 5, 8 and 10 who wanted to be involved.

This is just a question but if there is a division of clubs who may not want to be promoted because of travel issues (though in some cases it's because of ground standards), would they want North East sides in anyway?

I just feel if teams from Moray have to travel East then it should be reciprocal no matter what, If teams enter the junior league then everyone should be treated the same and not made to feel second rate, On talking to members of Forres Thistle the feedback was the gulf between the leagues are not that huge

As far as I am aware North East teams can be relegated from Div 1 to Div 2, it all depends on the team that comes up if there ground is up to scratch and there have been occasions that the team that wins the 2nd didn't want to be promoted because of the cost for travelling amongst other things and I think that is why Cruden Bay were never relegated to the 2nd Div. Over the last few seasons there have been promotions and relegations from 1st and 2nd. The teams that have went down from the 1st have been North teams.

We all know that the finances for travelling to games is massive and most of the smaller clubs up North and Indeed some of the teams in the 1st Div would not be able to afford to travel that distances every 2nd Saturday.

Most of the teams up North did not want to be involved with the North East Juniors but the decision to have all Junior teams in the North together was taken.

Aberdeen Lads Club could have real financial problems next season with at least 10 trips to the West of Banff, as it will no doubt be an 11 team league with teams playing each other twice.

On a similar theme, are the Division Two sides playing 18 or 27 league games this season?

If they come back in to the League next season and have to start in Div 2 which I presume they would have to (that's what Buckie Rovers had to do a few seasons ago but then they were happy to do that) then that would be a massive cost burden, they will need to be really strong financially. Also a big problem will be getting players that are good enough and willing to do a lot of travelling for a game of football on a Saturday.

I think they play each other twice in the League and they play another Cup competition which only involves the Div 2 teams. I think they introduced this cup a couple of seasons ago as there season would have been really short without it, North teams never usually get a decent run in any of the other Cup competitions as they are normally knocked out early doors.

There was still a 21 game league programme last season, with the Elginshire Cup added too. To lose 3 league games will still mean a short season.

Fochabers and Deveronside have also both dropped out and come into the bottom division again.

If North East sides have to start in Division 2, I'd have thought it would be a massive disincentive to any new entrant, say Echt Ams who seemed successful last season.

I forgot about Fochabers and Deveronside both of these teams would have been happy to come back in to Div 2 as well.

I think that the League structure should have been left the way it was with the 2 divisions for North East and 1 for the North (if that required expanding with new entrants then that would have been easily arranged), as you say it gives no incentive for an amatuer team to take the step up to Junior level if they have to start in Div 2 unless of coarse they are from up North like Inverness City.

You are absolutely right there isn't a great incentive for new clubs to join, The cost of travelling large distances is ok on the odd occasion but clubs are going to struggle in the current climate to finance the travelling costs all the time, If Inverness ever got promoted they would struggle financially given that they are the team furthest North West. I am not sure if thats the way the S.J.F.A have to go back to by reorganizing the structure again?