Junior football, what is the future?

[AlanCamelonfan]

2 minutes ago, Kilbowie Benches said:

Like Auchinleck?

DOnt know depends if they win their league or the Junior cup this year otherwise they might not be. Not sure if they qualify if they win the scottish senior cup

[PastyMan]

1 hour ago, jc1 said:

1 hour ago, 8MileBU said:

Just out of curiousity, what set-up do you WANT Fauldhouse to be playing in next season?

From my own personal point of view and only my opinion I would prefer EoS down to the fact there's bigger games to attract players to which I believe is a great set up of a club and lost out on a few players due to our league set up. But that's just me speaking for myself now I've done half the season in our current set up

Come on in, the water's lovely!
Mon the Hoose!

[Goalie Hamish]

On 20/01/2019 at 21:48, FairWeatherFan said:

Well then you might want to tell the SJFA to hurry things up. Because if a Tayside league was never mentioned, then the only thing stopping Ian Maxwell releasing his statement to the public is the SJFA getting their house in order for SFA regulations.

Tayside boys want there cake and scoff it. Dinnae want tae go north only want south but want mair local games, how does that work

[Guest brycey]

2 hours ago, 8MileBU said:

 

Just out of curiousity, what set-up do you WANT Fauldhouse to be playing in next season?

 

the hoose r playin in a Tayside league just now with 1 local derby - its such a shame but its no there fault - the eos in my opinion would have probably been better for them - as for nxt season well that's defo pie in the sky - time will tell

[Vollyman]

In fact I worked out our travel is 20 miles round trip per game in the league 10 miles each way

St Andrews, Perth, Prestonpans and Ormiston who are in your league are a wee bit further than 10 miles from Camelon

[FairWeatherFan]

7 minutes ago, Vollyman said:

St Andrews, Perth, Prestonpans and Ormiston who are in your league are a wee bit further than 10 miles from Camelon

Per game not every game. So an average is being used.

[AlanCamelonfan]

16 minutes ago, Vollyman said:

St Andrews, Perth, Prestonpans and Ormiston who are in your league are a wee bit further than 10 miles from Camelon

sorry i should have explained that better 10 miles less than it was when we were in the super league

[AlanCamelonfan]

7 minutes ago, FairWeatherFan said:

Per game not every game. So an average is being used.

I explained it wrong but cant remember what the actual average miles were

[Ginaro]

1 minute ago, jc1 said:

From a personal point of view I would like to know what set my club (Fauldhouse United) will be playing in sooner rather than later.

Too many scenarios to give a definite answer. We won't know how many teams the EOS or the East Region will have next season until they reveal the numbers in a few months, or whether the SJFA will gain access to the pyramid.

But I think the question you have to ask yourself is this: do you think it is feasible that non-league football in the east continues with two separate leagues?

I'd say the answer is no, and I think every senior or junior club in the east should be together in the same league system. I doubt there is going to be merger talks so clubs need to take the situation into their own hands and move themselves.

And looking back at your posts from the end of May, you said you wanted to play the big teams (Bonnyrigg, Linlithgow, Bo'ness). It's unlikely you're going to play them if you remain in the Juniors, even if the East Region joined the tier 6 play-off. If you joined the EOS you could be challenging to get up into the Premier Division, just like in the Juniors last season.

The EOSFL's entry criteria is on their website: https://www.eosfl.com/downloads/eosfl/EoSFL-Entry-Criteria-2018.docx, as is the application form...

[AlanCamelonfan]

7 minutes ago, Ginaro said:

Too many scenarios to give a definite answer. We won't know how many teams the EOS or the East Region will have next season until they reveal the numbers in a few months, or whether the SJFA will gain access to the pyramid.

But I think the question you have to ask yourself is this: do you think it is feasible that non-league football in the east continues with two separate leagues?

I'd say the answer is no, and I think every senior or junior club in the east should be together in the same league system. I doubt there is going to be merger talks so clubs need to take the situation into their own hands and move themselves.

And looking back at your posts from the end of May, you said you wanted to play the big teams (Bonnyrigg, Linlithgow, Bo'ness). It's unlikely you're going to play them if you remain in the Juniors, even if the East Region joined the tier 6 play-off. If you joined the EOS you could be challenging to get up into the Premier Division, just like in the Juniors last season.

The EOSFL's entry criteria is on their website: https://www.eosfl.com/downloads/eosfl/EoSFL-Entry-Criteria-2018.docx, as is the application form...

The Problem you have is if they want to go. I do think it would be like last year if you got 2 or 3 of the west lothian clubs to decide to go the others would too

[Ginaro]

46 minutes ago, AlanCamelonfan said:

The Problem you have is if they want to go. I do think it would be like last year if you got 2 or 3 of the west lothian clubs to decide to go the others would too

Indeed. If Fauldhouse move then Whitburn could well follow. Same with one of Thornton/Glenrothes/Kennoway.

Interesting one will be Pumpherston - they just need four wins so could have the South title won by March. If they don't like the idea of playing between 4 to 8 Tayside clubs in the Superleague, would they decline promotion again or move to the EOS?

Edited January 22, 2019 by Ginaro

[Robert James]

2 hours ago, Ginaro said:

Too many scenarios to give a definite answer. We won't know how many teams the EOS or the East Region will have next season until they reveal the numbers in a few months, or whether the SJFA will gain access to the pyramid.

But I think the question you have to ask yourself is this: do you think it is feasible that non-league football in the east continues with two separate leagues?

I'd say the answer is no, and I think every senior or junior club in the east should be together in the same league system. I doubt there is going to be merger talks so clubs need to take the situation into their own hands and move themselves.

And looking back at your posts from the end of May, you said you wanted to play the big teams (Bonnyrigg, Linlithgow, Bo'ness). It's unlikely you're going to play them if you remain in the Juniors, even if the East Region joined the tier 6 play-off. If you joined the EOS you could be challenging to get up into the Premier Division, just like in the Juniors last season.

The EOSFL's entry criteria is on their website: https://www.eosfl.com/downloads/eosfl/EoSFL-Entry-Criteria-2018.docx, as is the application form...

Ginaro has highlighted the correct question, and the answer is obvious : ONE INTEGRATED EAST LEAGUE ONLY. Two competing leagues will weaken the pyramid in the East, which won't help ANY of the East clubs.  About 600 posts ago on this forum, I said that  two feeder leagues in the same region, would not be accepted, and I stand by this opinion.

Also, dare I say that the English pyramid has been very successful, without clubs, leagues, or associations endlessly arguing about my gang being better than your gang.  Otherwise another year will go by, whilst the infighting goes on.  The EoSL Minutes posted above, highlight the way ahead for both the West and East.  If junior clubs really do want to be part of the pyramid, get over it and move on........please ! In the interests of Scottish football, at least.

 

[superbigal]

Ginaro has highlighted the correct question, and the answer is obvious : ONE INTEGRATED EAST LEAGUE ONLY. Two competing leagues will weaken the pyramid in the East, which won't help ANY of the East clubs.  About 600 posts ago on this forum, I said that  two feeder leagues in the same region, would not be accepted, and I stand by this opinion.
Also, dare I say that the English pyramid has been very successful, without clubs, leagues, or associations endlessly arguing about my gang being better than your gang.  Otherwise another year will go by, whilst the infighting goes on.  The EoSL Minutes posted above, highlight the way ahead for both the West and East.  If junior clubs really do want to be part of the pyramid, get over it and move on........please ! In the interests of Scottish football, at least.
 

So to make it a seamless transaction the eos should allow every ersjfa team in ?
This mirrors the alleged sfa plan but creates 1 league system.
Would the eos compromise on this if that is the physical direction Tayside wanted to go ?

Job done and thank you.

[Che Dail]

6 minutes ago, superbigal said:

So to make it a seamless transaction the eos should allow every ersjfa team in ?
This mirrors the alleged sfa plan but creates 1 league system.
Would the eos compromise on this if that is the physical direction Tayside wanted to go ?

Job done and thank you.

I think the previous poster was suggesting that the remaining Fife and West Lothian Junior clubs should join the EoS for next season.

There is no need for any change to the dividing line between Lowland and Highland leagues.

[Marten]

28 minutes ago, superbigal said:

So to make it a seamless transaction the eos should allow every ersjfa team in ?
This mirrors the alleged sfa plan but creates 1 league system.
Would the eos compromise on this if that is the physical direction Tayside wanted to go ?

Job done and thank you.

The EOS currently accepts every team they can accept. They simply can't accept teams north of the Tay. They are a feeder league into the LL and they can only accept teams that can go into the LL, which are all teams south from the line of latitude from the middle of the Tay road bridge. The Tay boundary can only be changed if the LL, HL and SPFL agree on that. The EOS is no party in those discussions so there is literally nothing they can do for the Tayside teams at the moment.

[12 Angry Men]

14 hours ago, jc1 said:

14 hours ago, 8MileBU said:

Just out of curiousity, what set-up do you WANT Fauldhouse to be playing in next season?

From my own personal point of view and only my opinion I would prefer EoS down to the fact there's bigger games to attract players to which I believe is a great set up of a club and lost out on a few players due to our league set up. But that's just me speaking for myself now I've done half the season in our current set up

There really is only the one move for all West Lothian clubs to make and that, surely, is to apply for membership of the EoSFL from next season onwards. Why?;

- Fauldhouse United and Whitburn are mired in a league full of Tayside clubs, clubs that sit in Highland League territory should they ever make the move to the Pyramid.

- I think I'm correct in saying that both Pumpherston and Bathgate Thistle turned down the opportunity to play in this very league due to excessive travel yet, were they to win promotion from the regional South Division that they instead chose to compete in, they would either ascend to this Tayside league and the excessive travel they wanted to avoid or would have to turn down that promotion.

On top of this, their best interests are simply not being represented by the SJFA who seem to be peddling a move to the Pyramid that they will not be able to deliver for the whole of the Junior game - only the west and north have a clear path to the Pyramid by sticking with the SJFA and, given that organisations apparent "all or nothing" approach to such a move, that's unlikely to happen anytime soon despite their bombast. The rules governing movement between leagues in the Pyramid, and the need for consensus to change these rules, will prevent the full transition of the Juniors into the Pyramid under the controlling auspices of the SJFA unless and until there is negotiation in the east to prevent the ludicrous scenario of two parallel leagues covering large swathes of the same geographical area.

So, all the remaining West Lothian Junior clubs, and particularly the ones mentioned above, have one clear route to the Pyramid should that be where they see their future - and for the many varied and compelling reasons outlined previously by a cross section of different posters it really should be - and it will take only one of them to repeat what Dalkeith Thistle and Blackburn United did last season and apply to the EoSFL to bring clarity to the remainder and set in motion another real sea change in the game. I hope one of them does so and does so soon and perhaps it might be your club JC? It just takes an influential and reasoned voice to convince those who perhaps aren't aware of the issues they may cause for themselves should they remain where they are - in thrall to an organisation that is very much making it's last, desperate throw of the dice.

Edited January 23, 2019 by 12 Angry Men

[Marten]

Regardless what the outcome is, clarity is needed sooner rather than later. Even if it's a "no deal" scenario, it will at least make it clear to clubs like Fauldhouse that there are only 2 options: move to the EOS or stay in ERJFA and remain in a Tayside dominated league outside the pyramid. Then it's up to them to make the right decision and I can only hope for @jc1 that it's the one that creates a more attractive league for them with more local teams.

[jc1]

Regardless what the outcome is, clarity is needed sooner rather than later. Even if it's a "no deal" scenario, it will at least make it clear to clubs like Fauldhouse that there are only 2 options: move to the EOS or stay in ERJFA and remain in a Tayside dominated league outside the pyramid. Then it's up to them to make the right decision and I can only hope for [mention=69946]jc1[/mention] that it's the one that creates a more attractive league for them with more local teams.

I can say it's something that myself and committee will now need to look at in depth as going forward current situation is more harming than good to us financially

[Jeek]

Not exactly sure what the question is, but any "solution" which keeps WL and Fife team seperated between two different league systems I would strongly disagree with.
As JC alludes to, we need some locality back into the leagues. I don't mind some trips to the outer reaches for league games, but I also like local matches and rivalries.  A mix of both - in the Pyramid - would be good, and is needed.

Leagues with that level of locality should and I imagine will feature lower down the pyramid in the future, with the Kingdom league (is that still a thing?) and the lothians' equivalent feeding into what is currently the bottom of the pyramid. I'd love to see that in Scotland.

There is a bit of a thrill when you first start playing down here that you can plot your route all the way to the EPL, as unlikely as it is to happen.

[Black & Red Socks]

11 minutes ago, Marten said:

Regardless what the outcome is, clarity is needed sooner rather than later. Even if it's a "no deal" scenario, it will at least make it clear to clubs like Fauldhouse that there are only 2 options: move to the EOS or stay in ERJFA and remain in a Tayside dominated league outside the pyramid. Then it's up to them to make the right decision and I can only hope for @jc1 that it's the one that creates a more attractive league for them with more local teams.

Agreed - although I think it should already be clear that for Fauldhouse United (and the rest of the West Lothian clubs) there are only the two options you mention, move to a professionally run EoSFL and guarantee being part of the Pyramid or stay in the ERSJFA and remain in a Tayside dominated league regardless of whether it is inside (unlikely) or outside (likely) the Pyramid. 

Edited January 23, 2019 by Black & Red Socks