Junior football, what is the future?

[AlanCamelonfan]

18 minutes ago, parkcircus said:

Ours are coming from an English club, we looked at used lamp posts but could only find 12m

I think we are helped that the sides of our park are raised aswell

[FairWeatherFan]

13 minutes ago, theesel1994 said:

It was someone at the meeting that brought up the £90K cost. Gordon Ronney said it will cost clubs a minimum of £150K to get grounds to SFA Licence standard.

How can anyone put a number to that as everyone is different?

[Marshmallo]

Maryhill, for example, have already had a licensed club use their stadium. What's the £150k getting spent on there?

Clydebank/Yoker are going to be really disappointed that Holm Park is still at least £150k away given all the work they've just done. The positive for them is it's only £75k each.

[GordonS]

8 hours ago, Killiepiyo said:

So say I really dislike a club, could I put them in the bottom conference?

I hope you understand this better than your question suggests?

All the conferences are equal. In the East they took the previous season's league tables and zipped the two together, so the conferences were reasonably balanced and certainly fair. Some clubs were "put" at the bottom, to an extent - for instance, Inverkeithing went to the bottom of the seeding because they were a brand new club. 

8 hours ago, Burnie_man said:

8 hours ago, Shannon said:

Would need to be suitably seeded as if you need to finish top 6 or top 8 etc to be in tier 6 in 2021/2022 it would be unfair if you have a much stronger conference than other leagues. If conferences then teams may have to adjust wage bills etc as games v un heard of amateurs won't pull in same crowd as Buffs / Talbot / Pollok etc.
 
 
 

Last season, Bonnyrigg, Linlithgow and Bo'ness shared Conferences with Burntisland, Tweedmouth and Stirling Uni Reserves. No issues.

More than no issues, it's important for folk in the West to know that it was good fun and everyone enjoyed it. You wouldn't want to do it for more than a season but it meant visiting places you wouldn't get to go other than on the luck of a cup draw, and for fans of smaller clubs it meant a few big games home and away. The hidings were inevitable but it all added to a tense title race - you knew you couldn't afford to slip up as your rivals probably wouldn't. In the end it was a 3-3 draw at home to Ormiston that did for Linlithgow. For the clubs lower down a point picked up against the bigger clubs could be the difference between qualifying for the Premier League or not.

And the end of season play-off was great.

8 hours ago, Killiepiyo said:

Novelties wear off and that was the orginal concern i beileve alongside travel that turned sides off joining up in the first place? Hard when your amateur to get players showing up to get ran over every week 

The novelty won't wear off inside a single season. There will be hidings but nobody will get them "every week". And there will be upsets too.

8 hours ago, theesel1994 said:

All 16 clubs are not going to apply. This West Region model WILL split the clubs. Most of the audience at the Largs meeting fell for their charm as Largs don't have £90K to spend just on floodlights.

Wonder how Easthouses, Dundonald and Dunipace can afford lights but Largs couldn't.

Those that can find a way will do it. Those that can't, that's fine, Tier 6 in the West will still be a great competition.

[gaz5]

Anyone on here who is connected with a West Region club who would like a run-through of our experience in the licence process/move to the seniors, given we're a former West Region club who have taken that opportunity, feel free to message me.

I ran the licence process for us, in terms of figuring out the requirements and working with the committee to get the boxes ticked and get us through audit, so I know the process/requirements inside out.

When we left the juniors we were third bottom of the lowest Tier, essentially Tier 9 and plenty of people questioned the logic, not knowing our plans behind the scenes.

Next season we'll play in the Scottish Cup and this season we're competing at the top of Tier 7 (2 levels above where we were in the WRSJFA) and play the South Cup Quarter Final on Saturday, our first such tie in over a decade, having beaten Bonnyrigg in the last round.

Anyone from any of the Top West clubs close to drinking the Kool-aid on why progress can't be made need only look at the size of club we are and what we've managed in less than 2 years.

[AlanCamelonfan]

19 minutes ago, Marshmallo said:

Maryhill, for example, have already had a licensed club use their stadium. What's the £150k getting spent on there?

Clydebank/Yoker are going to be really disappointed that Holm Park is still at least £150k away given all the work they've just done. The positive for them is it's only £75k each.

Does maryhill have lights?

[Marshmallo]

1 minute ago, AlanCamelonfan said:

Does maryhill have lights?

Yes

[AlanCamelonfan]

13 minutes ago, gaz5 said:

Anyone on here who is connected with a West Region club who would like a run-through of our experience in the licence process/move to the seniors, given we're a former West Region club who have taken that opportunity, feel free to message me.

I ran the licence process for us, in terms of figuring out the requirements and working with the committee to get the boxes ticked and get us through audit, so I know the process/requirements inside out.

When we left the juniors we were third bottom of the lowest Tier, essentially Tier 9 and plenty of people questioned the logic, not knowing our plans behind the scenes.

Next season we'll play in the Scottish Cup and this season we're competing at the top of Tier 7 (2 levels above where we were in the WRSJFA) and play the South Cup Quarter Final on Saturday, our first such tie in over a decade, having beaten Bonnyrigg in the last round.

Anyone from any of the Top West clubs close to drinking the Kool-aid on why progress can't be made need only look at the size of club we are and what we've managed in less than 2 years.

And you are still in the race for tier 6

[AlanCamelonfan]

Just now, Marshmallo said:

Yes

I wasnt surr because you didnt need lights then

[GordonS]

I don't know why there's an assumption that the actual number of applicants will be lower than the number who've expressed an interest. I think when the committee guys at the clubs who haven't expressed an interest see the number 48, many are going to get the squeaky bum. And when they find out that most of their neighbours have expressed an interest they'll be scared of being left behind. 

In the East a trickle turned into a stampede because clubs saw their traditional rivals going and knew they had to go too, whether they were convinced about the seniors or not. I think that's going to happen in the West. I think there's going to be more than 48 members of the WoSFL and if it creeps up much higher, every WRSJFA club will go because the alternative will be a 13 team backwater of clubs with no earthly place in the same division.

I think it's over.

[San Starko Rover]

Anyone on here who is connected with a West Region club who would like a run-through of our experience in the licence process/move to the seniors, given we're a former West Region club who have taken that opportunity, feel free to message me.

 

I ran the licence process for us, in terms of figuring out the requirements and working with the committee to get the boxes ticked and get us through audit, so I know the process/requirements inside out.

 

When we left the juniors we were third bottom of the lowest Tier, essentially Tier 9 and plenty of people questioned the logic, not knowing our plans behind the scenes.

 

Next season we'll play in the Scottish Cup and this season we're competing at the top of Tier 7 (2 levels above where we were in the WRSJFA) and play the South Cup Quarter Final on Saturday, our first such tie in over a decade, having beaten Bonnyrigg in the last round.

 

Anyone from any of the Top West clubs close to drinking the Kool-aid on why progress can't be made need only look at the size of club we are and what we've managed in less than 2 years.

 

 

Fantastic, both Dunipace and Inverkeithing seemed to have people asking questions about their reasons for joining and both have done fantastic these last two years potential playoff too.

 

Out of interest can you reveal a rough estimate of how much the club spent to gain it’s licence? I appreciate this may be something the club can’t reveal on a public forum. Have you found any negatives to your move? I know a few teams were unhappy about cup gates not being split in the EOS.

[BC63]

No need to. Nothing has happened yet. All just notes of interest. I'm sure a statement will be released when they have something official to announce.

Still not seen anything official from Auchinleck

[theesel1994]

35 minutes ago, gaz5 said:

Anyone on here who is connected with a West Region club who would like a run-through of our experience in the licence process/move to the seniors, given we're a former West Region club who have taken that opportunity, feel free to message me.

I ran the licence process for us, in terms of figuring out the requirements and working with the committee to get the boxes ticked and get us through audit, so I know the process/requirements inside out.

When we left the juniors we were third bottom of the lowest Tier, essentially Tier 9 and plenty of people questioned the logic, not knowing our plans behind the scenes.

Next season we'll play in the Scottish Cup and this season we're competing at the top of Tier 7 (2 levels above where we were in the WRSJFA) and play the South Cup Quarter Final on Saturday, our first such tie in over a decade, having beaten Bonnyrigg in the last round.

Anyone from any of the Top West clubs close to drinking the Kool-aid on why progress can't be made need only look at the size of club we are and what we've managed in less than 2 years.

I had brought up your club in a discussion and said if Dunipace can do it so could Largs as their ground wasn't exactly spectacular. I was meaning we should visit a ground that is like ours (an old established ground) and not a new facility (like say Blackburn). I was then reminded it was about 28 years ago I was at Dunipace.

[theesel1994]

4 minutes ago, BC63 said:

No need to. Nothing has happened yet. All just notes of interest. I'm sure a statement will be released when they have something official to announce.

Your club's name is being used as one of those that are sticking by the Juniors 100%. Which I find hard to believe as there has been no info came out from the WoSL for you to decide one way or the other.

[Burnie_man]

The EoS last season went with seeded Conferences for all, current members and newbies.

Each Conference had an even balance of good teams, middle of the road, and weaker teams. The winners played-off for the title and LL promotion, the next 4 or 5 in each Conference went to this seasons Premier. It was tense all the way through, we scraped a Premier place on the last day on goal difference.

Sure there were some humpings, but at the end of the day everyone knew it was for one season, and just got on with it and as has been said, you visited grounds you would never normally visit out with cup games. We also hosted (and visited) the likes of Linlithgow in a league game for the first time in over 30 years, we went to Ormiston for the first time in a very long time.   It was enjoyable.

On the flip side. maybe the smaller west teams who fancy moving will welcome a season hosting a few of the big fishes.

As for floodlights, I've seen figures quoted from anywhere between £40k to £80k, it really does depend on individual clubs circumstances.  Haddington have just switched on their lights, and they are a smaller club in the scheme of things. A combination of grants (Council and SFP), sponsors and fundraising usually sees clubs push it over the line.  Not easy, but it is achievable and you don't need to do it immediately (or at all!).

Dunipace are a great club for west clubs to talk to and find out their experiences. they've came from the bottom of the pile in the west and achieved a hell of a lot in a short space of time.

The bottom line is, the WoSFL is a brand new league and it will take time to settle, there will be bumps along the way and no doubt mumps and moans, but clubs should be looking at where they want to be in 10 years time, not next year. None of the east clubs who left the Juniors regret it, it has been refreshing and a lot more professional, and the Scottish Cup for those who are licenced is great to look forward to and take part in.

In 5 years time I guarantee you'll look back and wonder what all the fuss was about.

Edited March 3, 2020 by Burnie_man

[glensmad]

49 minutes ago, gaz5 said:

Anyone on here who is connected with a West Region club who would like a run-through of our experience in the licence process/move to the seniors, given we're a former West Region club who have taken that opportunity, feel free to message me.

I ran the licence process for us, in terms of figuring out the requirements and working with the committee to get the boxes ticked and get us through audit, so I know the process/requirements inside out.

When we left the juniors we were third bottom of the lowest Tier, essentially Tier 9 and plenty of people questioned the logic, not knowing our plans behind the scenes.

Next season we'll play in the Scottish Cup and this season we're competing at the top of Tier 7 (2 levels above where we were in the WRSJFA) and play the South Cup Quarter Final on Saturday, our first such tie in over a decade, having beaten Bonnyrigg in the last round.

Anyone from any of the Top West clubs close to drinking the Kool-aid on why progress can't be made need only look at the size of club we are and what we've managed in less than 2 years.

^^^^^This a millions times over. 

My team played Dunipace in a friendly at Westfield Park a few weeks ago, and it was the first time I had been up there in a few years. I knew there had been developments, but I was blown away by the improvements and it was a real eye-opener as to what can be achieved in a short timescale if your club really commits to it. I just wish there had been more than two of our committee guys there that night to see it for themselves and talk to the Dunipace people, none of whom had any regrets whatsoever about having made the move.

[Dev]

7 hours ago, theesel1994 said:

Funnily enough, it was the second West Region rep there that said his club were quoted £55K. I'd say from Largs point of view they are more interested in the SFA Licence and entry into the Scottish Senor Cup than climbing up the Pyramid.

It would be interesting to know which people were there representing the Juniors? Can you assist?

[glensmad]

Out of interest, did Largs Thistle also invite the LL reps to their meeting last night in the interests of balanced information ?

[theesel1994]

4 minutes ago, Dev said:

It would be interesting to know which people were there representing the Juniors? Can you assist?

Gordon Ronney and Bobby MacNamara.

[theesel1994]

1 minute ago, glensmad said:

Out of interest, did Largs Thistle also invite the LL reps to their meeting last night in the interests of balanced information ?

It was the other way about - they asked to come to the Largs meeting from what I am led to believe. Someone from Largs will no doubt be going to the LL meeting.