Team 16?

[lionel hutz]

Talk about it being a "grim" list, because these are the only teams who want to play in the fifth tier. Most of the teams LTL mentions could easily obtain a license but refuse to do so. It's their own fault, nobody else's.

[LongTimeLurker]

That last bit has nothing to do with why people would see the list that is involved with the vacancy as being grim compared to what it might be if circumstances were different.

[calmac25]

A lot of it being the SFA's money rather than their own through grants that were only available to existing full members. Let's get real on this if sporting merit were factored and licensing were de-emphasized the list ideally would be something along the lines of:

Auchinleck Talbot

Pollok

Irvine Meadow

Petershill

Clydebank

Linlithgow Rose

Bo'ness United

Bonnyrigg Rose

Lothian Thistle

Kelty

but won't be for reasons there is no need to argue over again.

Auchinleck have received a fair amount from the football partnership. If I remember right it was around half the cost of the enclosure and have also had funding for new toilets. The money is there for clubs who are progressive though existing members were able to claim a slightly higher percentage

[marksadams11]

The Strollers are an excellent club with good people at the helm who obtained their licence by accessing various funding pots and showing real initiative.

[Burnie_man]

Just to qualify, grim as in support base for the 5th tier of Scottish football, grim as in playing standards although I accept Strollers may be the best out of the bunch.

Do Strollers have new dressing rooms inside the boundaries of the ground yet?

[fowler23]

Just to qualify, grim as in support base for the 5th tier of Scottish football, grim as in playing standards although I accept Strollers may be the best out of the bunch.

Do Strollers have new dressing rooms inside the boundaries of the ground yet?

You would expect the playing standards of those teams to improve if they were to get into the lowland league. They should be able to attract better players, if they are in a better league and access to more money.

Teams have got to start somewhere, they are entitled to try to improve as a club. If it works out for them great! If not they will,in time get to a level where they belong.

[Burnie_man]

Not arguing with any of that at all. I have a sneaky feeling it could be Strollers who hardly have a support base to speak of, or Glasgow Uni playing in front of nobody at Airdrie.

[Queenserse]

It's looking like the only teams who will be able to raise the money to pay the referees will be government or alternatively funded. It's becoming a desperate search to find anyone willing to join the SLFL. The Juniors would be mad to throw their hats into this ring. We need a rethnk.

[newcastle broon]

Not arguing with any of that at all. I have a sneaky feeling it could be Strollers who hardly have a support base to speak of, or Glasgow Uni playing in front of nobody at Airdrie.

Isa I take doff my cap off to you

[newcastle broon]

Just to qualify, grim as in support base for the 5th tier of Scottish football, grim as in playing standards although I accept Strollers may be the best out of the bunch.

Do Strollers have new dressing rooms inside the boundaries of the ground yet?

Howay Burnie_man is all this because you really want yer team in the LL and yer getting outvoted by some committee ?

Some of yer posts seem very anti LL

[fowler23]

It's looking like the only teams who will be able to raise the money to pay the referees will be government or alternatively funded. It's becoming a desperate search to find anyone willing to join the SLFL. The Juniors would be mad to throw their hats into this ring. We need a rethnk.

Don't get why the juniors would be mad to join?? If they did, then there would be no desperate search to find any teams willing to join!! The potential is there for the set up to work and be of a good standard. In fact,if edin city go up, then it is proof that it does work. If top juniors were to join it would only make the standard better!

[newcastle broon]

Don't get why the juniors would be mad to join?? If they did, then there would be no desperate search to find any teams willing to join!! The potential is there for the set up to work and be of a good standard. In fact,if edin city go up, then it is proof that it does work. If top juniors were to join it would only make the standard better!

Yes but how many chances do they want ?

It's all aboot stubbornness and tradition now surely ?

[Burnie_man]

Howay Burnie_man is all this because you really want yer team in the LL and yer getting outvoted by some committee ? Some of yer posts seem very anti LL

Just calling it how I see it, I'd need first to be on a committee to be outvoted, and I don't want to see my club in the LL, we are not anywhere near a tier 5 club, or near a licence for that matter!

We've quickly reached the point where the LL is scraping around for teams to fill the gaps.

Just reading some LL attendance figures for this season, I'll use that word grim again for a lot of games. Figures of 45, 50, 60, 75. Will any prospective new teams improve that?

As I said, just commenting on he situation, let's see who becomes club 16.

[newcastle broon]

Just calling it how I see it, I'd need first to be on a committee to be outvoted, and I don't want to see my club in the LL, we are not anywhere near a tier 5 club, or near a licence for that matter!

We've quickly reached the point where the LL is scraping around for teams to fill the gaps.

Just reading some LL attendance figures for this season, I'll use that word grim again for a lot of games. Figures of 45, 50, 60, 75. Will any prospective new teams improve that?

As I said, just commenting on he situation, let's see who becomes club 16.

I'm sure I read on another forum somewhere that these may well have been figures Annan Athletic used to have and that was a wee while before the LL ?

They've kept them figures yes/no ?

For someone not wanting yer team in the LL you seem sure certain have plenty opinions on it ?

The LL may have its anomalies (remember it's only 3 years in) but maybes you and others better get used to it because imo it's here to stay and will only get stronger

[edinabear]

The LL will only get stronger in my opinion. Automatic promotion/regulation is just around the corner so could see quite a few league 2 sides down there. That said, it would be great if junior sides made the switch

[newcastle broon]

The LL will only get stronger in my opinion. Automatic promotion/regulation is just around the corner so could see quite a few league 2 sides down there. That said, it would be great if junior sides made the switch

Yes it most definitely would be edina but there's been countless threads now on the matter and as I've said above it seems stubbornness and tradition that's possibly holding these clubs back ?

[Burnie_man]

No those figures are printed in this seasons programmes from some LL clubs. 

 

It may come as a shock, but I’m a football fan both of a league club and a non-league club, plus a supporter of a strong, inclusive pyramid hence my interest in the LL (although I didn’t really need to explain that, as nobody needs a reason to be interested).

 

I cannot see the LL/Pyramid becoming stronger in its current guise, the crowds just aren’t turning up, out with a handful of clubs, nobody gets three figure crowds on a regular basis. East Kilbride are probably the sole success story in that regard.  I hope Edinburgh City beat East Stirling in the play-off, but what will they bring to the SPFL that East Stirling don’t?

 

My original point was what would anyone on my “grim†list bring to the table to help improve the LL? the answer is very little, and once the LL has it’s full compliment of 16 clubs then you’re looking at a situation that there may be little promotion/relegation at the bottom of the LL as there are few clubs in the SoS and EoS who are both licenced and compete for the title, and you won’t get Junior clubs joining these two leagues in order to move upto the LL.

 

Something needs to change, and the first step is for those in power to admit that it’s deeply flawed.

 

I'm sure I read on another forum somewhere that these may well have been figures Annan Athletic used to have and that was a wee while before the LL ?

They've kept them figures yes/no ?

For someone not wanting yer team in the LL you seem sure certain have plenty opinions on it ?

The LL may have its anomalies (remember it's only 3 years in) but maybes you and others better get used to it because imo it's here to stay and will only get stronger

[Burnie_man]

The LL will only get stronger in my opinion. Automatic promotion/regulation is just around the corner so could see quite a few league 2 sides down there. That said, it would be great if junior sides made the switch

 

I very much doubt the SPFL clubs will agree to automatic promotion/relegation anytime soon.

[Burnie_man]

Anyway, my money is on Strollers being Team 16, with Glasgow University an outside bet.

[fowler23]

Yes but how many chances do they want ?

It's all aboot stubbornness and tradition now surely ?

Totally agree with you mate.

To me, I think the lowland league isn't just about promotion to the third division. (Although that is the the end goal for most teams)

It's about creating another competitive league for all the better, forward thinking non league teams. Doesn't matter if your from eos,sos or junior. Get all they teams playing against each other week in week out. Regardless if there's promotion or not, and forget about the crowds for a minute, why would the top teams from juniors and top teams from eos and sos not just fancy all getting in a league and all fight it out to see who is the best of the best??? What's not appealing about that??