HibeeJibee Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 2 minutes ago, Spyro said: Didn’t realise the work that had been going on at Melrose though Fitba on the hallowed turf! It’s no even real grass anymore! That must be up there with the Irish football team playing on Croke Park for the rugby playing locals There was a fair deal of unhappiness among fans, ex-players, local journalists etc. about them replacing grass with plastic. More than I can recall at any football clubs in Scotland recently. Outrage-wise, overtaken by rebranding as "Southern Knights" for 'Super 6' purposes... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spyro Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 (edited) 7 minutes ago, HibeeJibee said: There was a fair deal of unhappiness among fans, ex-players, local journalists etc. about them replacing grass with plastic. More than I can recall at any football clubs in Scotland recently. Outrage-wise, overtaken by rebranding as "Southern Knights" for 'Super 6' purposes... Sacrilege! Melrose RFC was/is more than a rugby team, it was EVERYTHING the town stood for! It’s been a while since I was down there and this has all completely passed me by! I must swat up but I fear it’ll just make me angry... The thought of Melrose even having a football team at all doesn’t sit right with me tbh, you have to have lived around there to understand! Edited May 24, 2021 by Spyro 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parsforlife Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 4 hours ago, Burnieman said: The problem you have with having an arrangement with amateur leagues is that no member club would want to be relegated from senior football to amateur football. Until the grade distinction is removed (like England in 1974), then I don't think you're going to see any formal link-up. The senior leagues will always be open to applications from amatuer clubs, so is there any need for a formal link? A formal link makes perfect sense to allow for a natural flow in and out of amateur football, for example when an Eyemouth scenario happens. But as you say we have a ridiculous system that needs scrapped first, a football club is a football club and a football player is a football player, not needing to figure out if they are a amateur, a professional or a professional thats not professional. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le Tout P'ti FC Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 Sacrilege! Melrose RFC was/is more than a rugby team, it was EVERYTHING the town stood for! It’s been a while since I was down there and this has all completely passed me by! I must swat up but I fear it’ll just make me angry... The thought of Melrose even having a football team at all doesn’t sit right with me tbh, you have to have lived around there to understand!Wait until you find out there's a Coop supermarket across the road now. I nearly crashed my car trying to take in all the changes in such a short space of time. Melrose doesn't do change. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergeant Wilson Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 9 minutes ago, Spyro said: Sacrilege! Melrose RFC was/is more than a rugby team, it was EVERYTHING the town stood for! It’s been a while since I was down there and this has all completely passed me by! I must swat up but I fear it’ll just make me angry... The thought of Melrose even having a football team at all doesn’t sit right with me tbh, you have to have lived around there to understand! You have, so we don't need to! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spyro Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 (edited) 5 minutes ago, Le Tout P'ti FC said: Wait until you find out there's a Coop supermarket across the road now. I nearly crashed my car trying to take in all the changes in such a short space of time. Melrose doesn't do change. Where do you warm up for the 7’s?! Anyway, day ruined now... Back on topic, I very much doubt we will see any new teams from the borders anytime soon, not even a Selkirk revival unfortunately Edited May 24, 2021 by Spyro 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 (edited) 14 minutes ago, Spyro said: Sacrilege! Melrose RFC was/is more than a rugby team, it was EVERYTHING the town stood for! It’s been a while since I was down there and this has all completely passed me by! I must swat up but I fear it’ll just make me angry... The thought of Melrose even having a football team at all doesn’t sit right with me tbh, you have to have lived around there to understand! I'm unsure anyone plays adult football on Greenyards routinely... think Melrose AFC may play at Tweedbank athletic ground, Netherdale backpitches, or even public park in Galashiels? All bit of a blur. Certainly have been Border Amateur games played on the Greenyards during bad weather in 2019-20. It's rather like Volunteer Park in Hawick (Hawick Linden RFC: pic below) - grandstand, floodlights, white rugby lines/yellow football lines. Edited May 24, 2021 by HibeeJibee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spyro Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 (edited) 3 minutes ago, HibeeJibee said: think Melrose AFC may play at Tweedbank athletic ground, Netherdale backpitches, or even public park in Galashiels? That’s what I thought when I saw their name in the Borders Amateur league... or there was talk about a sports facility near the hospital many moons ago. I never in a million years thought the locals would allow football to be played in their town. Edited May 24, 2021 by Spyro 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairWeatherFan Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 2 minutes ago, parsforlife said: A formal link makes perfect sense to allow for a natural flow in and out of amateur football, for example when an Eyemouth scenario happens. But as you say we have a ridiculous system that needs scrapped first, a football club is a football club and a football player is a football player, not needing to figure out if they are a amateur, a professional or a professional thats not professional. Part of my thinking is that what's in place can have a knock-on negative effect on the amateur game in the country. I know Drumchapel United kept their amateur team in the top tier of their league, while making the WoSFL their 1st team. I imagine that will be the case of some of these new WoSFL sides. Little different than the OF Colts getting to get a place in a league they don't deserve. Keep expanding the pyramid leagues i'd guess it also takes referees out of the amateur game. Then from a pyramid league point of view perpetual growth leads to extra admin. When do people start suggesting an increase in financial remuneration for those fulfilling those roles. A formal link doesn't mean relegating 'senior' clubs into 'amatuer' or no longer accepting applicants. It does mean creating a working relationship between the leagues to limit any detrimental side effects of what's currently in place. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Che Dail Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 13 minutes ago, Spyro said: That’s what I thought when I saw their name in the Borders Amateur league... or there was talk about a sports facility near the hospital many moons ago. I never in a million years thought the locals would allow football to be played in their town. Like any big change / culture shift there was scepticism and resistance, but I'm fairly sure most locals have been won over by it now. Apparently the pitch is superb and well looked after . The football club has a growing kids section and many of them also play rugby. The facility is operated by LIVE Borders and not the RFC - is (surely) only a matter of time before the opportunity to create an adult team in their pathway is realized. Melrose is a fairly wealthy town with good transport links into Edinburgh - get a few business folk behind it who knows how far they could go - A good old-fashioned rivalry with Gala to follow? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spyro Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 Fair point... But the ONLY rivalry in Gala is/was Fairydean vs Rovers every summer! Another sad day when I heard they both had merged... I’m usually all for change and evolution but some things from your teenage years are sacred The more I hear, the more it seems possible though. The surrounding towns are all growing and there’s a decent sized catchment (Lauder to Jedburgh) with Kelso not being involved anymore. It’s not like Fairydean ever look to local players, Coldstream tend to look towards Kelso/Berwickshire/East Lothian, Tweedmouth go Berwick or Northumberland and Hawick don’t really do local either but not as bad as Gala. So there’s definitely a chance to create a bit of identity for a club right in the middle of it all. They might not be as high as Fairydean but they’ll have the potential to compete with Coldstream and Hawick and drum up more interest... unless someone wants to throw LOADS of money at it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Che Dail Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 18 minutes ago, Spyro said: Fair point... But the ONLY rivalry in Gala is/was Fairydean vs Rovers every summer! Another sad day when I heard they both had merged... I’m usually all for change and evolution but some things from your teenage years are sacred The more I hear, the more it seems possible though. The surrounding towns are all growing and there’s a decent sized catchment (Lauder to Jedburgh) with Kelso not being involved anymore. It’s not like Fairydean ever look to local players, Coldstream tend to look towards Kelso/Berwickshire/East Lothian, Tweedmouth go Berwick or Northumberland and Hawick don’t really do local either but not as bad as Gala. So there’s definitely a chance to create a bit of identity for a club right in the middle of it all. They might not be as high as Fairydean but they’ll have the potential to compete with Coldstream and Hawick and drum up more interest... unless someone wants to throw LOADS of money at it. I know... imagine Melrose 7s... but for fitba'! The Gala merger resulted in a very 'local' team as the core (all?) of it was brought by the ams manager at the time - and he did fairly well... maybe that's a similar path for a local ams team to follow, for Melrose. But yes if they're to compete longer term it would require some dosh to keep the best players at their local clubs, and to attract the better toonie players to the Borders! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Che Dail Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 2 hours ago, Le Tout P'ti FC said: Wait until you find out there's a Coop supermarket across the road now. I nearly crashed my car trying to take in all the changes in such a short space of time. Melrose doesn't do change. Yes, a good few 'aye been' locals didn't want the Borders Railway and before that the new Caravan Park was a heated debate... both have shown to be good for tourism and the town generally. ...And this bold move by the rugby club which seems to have worked exceptionally well... What else to open those traditionally conservative hearts and minds... 'Yes' vote in a Referendum? That idea might no catch on in those parts (yet), a change too far! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spyro Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 (edited) In the 3 games I witnessed, Rovers (full of local players) absolutely smashed Fairydean (full of toonies) in every one... says everything really! Only problem was trying to get the local boys to walk away from the Border Ammys, it means more to many of them than the EoS. Playing for your own town and loads of history/rivalry that isn’t there when you step “up”. From what I remember, Selkirk’s purple patch around 2004 onwards for a few seasons (ok, hanging onto an EoS premier league place rather than wallowing in division 1) was based on a lot of local players, including a big chunk of Earlston’s amateur league winning team following their manager. So it IS possible and there IS the talent down there to compete without blowing the budget. Edited May 24, 2021 by Spyro 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Che Dail Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 4 minutes ago, Spyro said: In the 3 games I witnessed, Rovers (full of local players) absolutely smashed Fairydean (full of toonies) in every one... says everything really! Only problem was trying to get the local boys to walk away from the Border Ammys, it means more to many of them than the EoS. Playing for your own town and loads of history/rivalry that isn’t there when you step “up”. From what I remember, Selkirk’s purple patch around 2004 onwards for a few seasons (ok, hanging onto an EoS premier league place rather than wallowing in division 1) was based on a lot of local players, including a big chunk of Earlston’s amateur league winning team following their manager. So it IS possible and there IS the talent down there to compete without blowing the budget. All interesting points - helps makes the case for regionalizing the lowest tier...? I'd have thought it would be a more attractive prospect for Duns / Kelso / Selkirk / Eyemouth to return to a more local EoS league. Plus if there was scope to include top ams teams even if they don't fully meet current ground criteria (on the basis that they can't be promoted until they do) then it could be to everyone's advantage, without killing off the ams league itself. Selkirk made a right midden of it in the end with their crazy budget - If they'd stuck to what works with local lads there would still be a club. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spyro Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 (edited) 11 minutes ago, Che Dail said: All interesting points - helps makes the case for regionalizing the lowest tier...? At tier 8/9, yes definitely. Probably at tier 9 in the East and 10 in the West once things settle down. Then you could basically “bolt on” the amateur league in the East. Borders, LEAFA, Kingdom, the Central gets a bit messy though... but it’s not as simple as it seems. A lot of clubs who could potentially be “promoted” have no intention, or the resources to go into as bigger region, but I suppose that’s where a stepped ground/club criteria comes into play. The west would be a much tougher nut to crack. Edited May 24, 2021 by Spyro 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 There is at least the consolation that amateur football out East is fairly easy to understand. Wish to check who are top dogs in the Borders - you look up the Border Amateur League table. Ditto in the Lothians - LEAFA; in Fife - Kingdom; in Perthshire. Head out West then (beyond Ayrshire) you almost require a correspondence course... Caledonian... Central Scottish... Scottish AFL... Greater Glasgow Premier... plus some bleed into Stirlingshire area too, alongside Stirling & District. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spyro Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 6 minutes ago, HibeeJibee said: There is at least the consolation that amateur football out East is fairly easy to understand. Wish to check who are top dogs in the Borders - you look up the Border Amateur League table. Ditto in the Lothians - LEAFA; in Fife - Kingdom; in Perthshire. Head out West then (beyond Ayrshire) you almost require a correspondence course... Caledonian... Central Scottish... Scottish AFL... Greater Glasgow Premier... plus some bleed into Stirlingshire area too, alongside Stirling & District. Someone has had a bash but it was just in its infancy before Covid hit and still needs more data and tweaking to get perfect... but it’s a good effort. Hopefully it’ll be manicured over the next wee while with plenty of results to add to the database http://scotscores.theroonba.com/clubrank/clubrankam.html 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Positive, sometimes. Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 (edited) On 04/05/2021 at 16:46, Pyramidic said: No proper answers to this one on Forum. Perhaps an opportunity for some investigative journalism! Not sure if someone has since came along and shed more light on this since I posted asking more about it a while back. I know you you were not being serious re the investigative journalism but I'm interested in knowing so I've been asking around... I've been back playing football this week and the subject came up and one reason I was given is the dressing rooms are not attached to the pitch area. That was apparently an issue... Another game later in the week so may hear more as that game has a few people involved that may know more about it. I'm a nosey b*****d it seems... Edited May 25, 2021 by Mr Positive, sometimes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyramidic Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 7 hours ago, Mr Positive, sometimes. said: Not sure if someone has since came along and shed more light on this since I posted asking more about it a while back. I know you you were not being serious re the investigative journalism but I'm interested in knowing so I've been asking around... I've been back playing football this week and the subject came up and one reason I was given is the dressing rooms are not attached to the pitch area. That was apparently an issue... Another game later in the week so may hear more as that game has a few people involved that may know more about it. I'm a nosey b*****d it seems... There must be a few existing clubs in the EOSFL that do not have adjacent changing rooms - Peebles and Inverkeithing certainly come to mind. There are likely to have been other issues that also played a significant part in Letham not meeting league entry criteria. I hope Letham can address the issues and reapply to the EOSFL for the 2022/23 season rather than try to join the emerging Midland League. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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