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stanley

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Everything posted by stanley

  1. There's a couple of good threads in the amateur football section on here about it. Numbers or teams have gone from 800+ ten years ago to 400+ now. I'm not really best placed to comment on the reasons. Certainly fewer people playing in general but various other factors.
  2. Things are, at least, pretty straightforward in the east. Plenty of spaces in the league if any club wants to join (unlike the closed shop in the west). A regionalised set of amateur leagues below for clubs to apply from (LEAFA, Kingdom of Fife, Borders, Stirlingshire) unlike the west (three Saturday afternoon leagues, Ayrshire league, Saturday morning leagues etc). The only complicated aspect is the Stirlingshire clubs being in various leagues. I would imagine that, over time, the amateur leagues will continue to shrink. Eventually, perhaps the remaining clubs will join up with the seniors. The LEAFA, in particular, has declined massively in numbers in recent years. The Stirlingshire league is clinging on and unlikely to still be around in a few years as it has lost most of its clubs to the west leagues.
  3. Hard to see the S&D still existing in a few years based on current numbers. They even have a Fife club in the league now. So many clubs based in their area now play in the Caley. Merger with the SP seems a bit strange but I guess both leagues are desperate for new clubs.
  4. You'd think they might know the name of the league they are joining.
  5. 19 teams left in the league. 5 in the Premier (Castlemilk, Oban Saints, Arthurlie, Harestanes and Neilston). Just seven clubs left in the league from the old Central Scottish. What was a merger with the Scottish AFL is basically turning into a merger with the Caley...
  6. Yes. Also important that they are both guaranteed to finish in the bottom two (as between 0 and 2 will get relegated).
  7. It'll just be the way the tables on the website are set up.
  8. I always prefer more promotions over fewer relegations but I think they'll definitely go for the one less relegation spot option. Otherwise, you'd be looking at 4 or 5 promotion spots from a potentially 10-team league. I think what you've said about the Third Division potentially being nine clubs next season is also likely a factor in their decision. Although it's definitely a slightly unexpected outcome, I think it's a decent idea.
  9. How will they deal with relegation/promotion between the 2nd and 3rd divisions next season? One less relegation spot next year to bring it back to 16 teams for 2025/26?
  10. I hope there will soon be a proposal to automatically relegate the bottom team. That has to be one of the priorities. The bottom placed team could feasibly end up on <10 points and stay in the league. I find it hard to understand why anyone would agree with this.
  11. Sad to hear. Hopefully they are able to sort something out and return to the EoS in the future. Does this mean only two teams will be automatically relegated from the first and second division now (depending on Lowland League promotion/relegation)?
  12. Definitely possible especially at a ground some have never been to before. Edit: admittedly, kick off time is awful and will put some people off but we will certainly take a good number.
  13. GGPL is down to 30 clubs now (two clubs in the table have folded and have 0 games listed as being played). It looks like there quite a few reserve teams in the GGPL too (mainly linked to clubs in the Caley) but certainly far stronger in terms of numbers.
  14. Fixtures are here: https://www.scottishamateurfa.co.uk/fixture/cup_id/4
  15. The risk involved in joining the Lowland League in its first season varied massively depending on which league the club was playing in at the time. There was very little risk involved in 9 EoS clubs joining the league and continuing to play mostly the same teams as before and remaining in the senior set up with a chance of possible promotion in the future to the SPFL. There was more risk for Threave and Dalbeattie who had already tried out the EoS and gone back to the SoS but they still had the option to go back to the SoS if it didn't work out (as Threave did when they resigned from the Lowland League). I can't see any risk at all for East Kilbride who took advantage of the opportunity. There was huge risk involved for any of the big West/East junior clubs in giving up their position in the juniors and moving to the Lowland League just like Kelty took a big risk in moving to the EoS. "Leap of faith" seems like a strong term for what the original 12 clubs did in joining the league. Again, credit to the clubs who started in the Lowland League in the first season and helped set up the pyramid for the future. They had to work on their grounds, get licensed etc. Regardless, that's really a separate discussion to clubs voting against increased relegation and voting in favour of B teams. It doesn't really matter what happened in 2013 when we're talking about the future of the league.
  16. I don't think it was much of a leap of faith. The first season was essentially a glorified EoS Premier plus East Kilbride (EK clearly had nothing to lose by joining). Credit to the clubs involved in forming the league but I'm struggling to see the leap of faith involved. People complaining about potentially 0 relegation slots in the Lowland League or others being positive about the pyramid isn't going to change things. That comes down to the clubs themselves being willing to vote for increased relegation, vote against B teams etc. So far, clearly, the majority are unwilling to do so.
  17. Stirling & District down to 10 (Braehead gone). Ayrshire Premier down to 10 (KFA gone) Greenock gone from Saturday Morning (many teams have folded from the league this season but it still has a huge number of clubs across many divisions)
  18. The Scottish Premier AFL is really struggling. The Central Scottish finished last year with 19 clubs. When St. Pats and Campsie Minerva leave, there will be just 9 of those clubs left in the Scottish Premier AFL. Caley - St. Pats, Campsie Minerva, Dunipace, Drumchapel Greater Glasgow - Garrowhill Thistle Saturday Morning - Third Lanark Folded - Lesmahagow, Castlemilk Dynamo, Wishaw HSFPs, Holytown Colts It's starting to look like the Central Scottish has given up its position as possibly the strongest league with the merger and now be clearly behind the Caley. I suppose whatever is left of the league in a few years time might eventually merge with the Caley anyway...
  19. Sure, and that's a ridiculous suggestion. EoS clearly still ahead for now with WoS still to catch up when more clubs get licensed (when the SFA finally open it up again...). The EoS have certainly been a good example for the pyramid so far whereas the Lowland League have been the opposite so far in terms of self-preservation and the B teams "one season only" saga.
  20. Has there not only been one playoff so far? That's not exactly a big statement yet.
  21. Give it a few more years and that will happen eventually. What with the 0 guaranteed relegation places, however, it won't happen very quickly.
  22. Could well be Caley Braves that voted no as they had fans vote on it and they voted no last year after consulting fans. A bit shocked if Cowdenbeath voted yes considering all the other ex-SPFL and ex-juniors have come out against it.
  23. They were never going to vote no anyway. Cowdenbeath, Civil Service and Caley Braves have all voted no in the past (and rumoured that Edinburgh Uni did last time).
  24. No shock based on how things have gone so far. Same old clubs continuing to vote yes for the (limited) money it brings in. Give it another year or so and the vote would almost certainly be no hence they've gone for a two year proposal this time.
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