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Pyramid Structure Below Highland League


honestman54

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On 06/11/2017 at 21:11, honestman54 said:

Hi, I was wondering if there is any though around the Highland league to developing a promotion/relegation structure below it.  I just wondered as if Cowdenbeath were to be relegated from League 2, they would almost certainly select to play in the Highland League.  If that happened, how would they cope?

Cowden would be relegated into the Lowland, under current SFA rules.

As for a north pyramid, does the HFL want one ? It is basically operating a closed shop to any aspiring clubs (already having 18 member clubs). Currently only two north region clubs,  ie Banks O'Dee (Juniors) and Golspie Sutherland (North Caledonian League) have an SFA licence, and the latter has no known HFL aspirations (nor floodlights).  

 

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3 hours ago, welshbairn said:

The Highland League couldn't function without floodlights, particularly in a bad winter.  So only Banks o'Dee would (so far as I know) would qualify anyway. The HL have been prepared to accept an additional member from SPFL 2 for the last few seasons, why not open a space for Banks o'Dee?  I'd like to see a pyramid below the HL but I don't see how it's practical. There is no way on Earth the likes of Inverness City could afford floodlights, they're barely hanging on to their space on Bught Park as it is, and are planning a move to Kiltarlity that will cost far more than a reasonable budget already.

I thought Inverness City had to quit Bught by 1st November 2017. What happened - did the council forget to enforce the notice ? ?

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4 minutes ago, Robert James said:

I thought Inverness City had to quit Bught by 1st November 2017. What happened - did the council forget to enforce the notice ? ?

An extension was agreed, they should have been given the Northern Meeting Ground imo. 

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On 07/11/2017 at 08:09, Highland Capital said:

There was talk of splitting the Highland League to go from 18 to two divisions of ten and including Banks O'Dee and one more new club but that was voted down.  The consensus seems to be that any type of extending the pyramid in the Highland region won't happen as the smaller clubs won't vote for relegation.

As mentioned, Cowdenbeath will go into the Lowland League if they are relegated.  I heard from quite a good source that had Montrose gone down against Brora Rangers a couple of years back that they had plans to apply for the juniors instead of going into the Highland League.

Apparently Aberdeen University FC were considering an HFL application, had the league been split into 2 divisions as proposed (but rejected). They were members of the SFA during the 60's & 70's,, have a decent ground, and participate in the Aberdeenshire Competition with north east HFL clubs (and Banks). 

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Some cricketers use it occasionally in the summer, and there's the odd ceremonial thing with pipers. As far as Bught Park, they have to undo all the work they did re fencing and drainage, shower and changing rooms etc, and do it all again in Kiltarlity, which will be hugely expensive. They can stay on Bught Park till the end of the season. No use will be made of the Lister Park space on Bught Park when they leave. 

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12 hours ago, Robert James said:

Apparently Aberdeen University FC were considering an HFL application, had the league been split into 2 divisions as proposed (but rejected). They were members of the SFA during the 60's & 70's,, have a decent ground, and participate in the Aberdeenshire Competition with north east HFL clubs (and Banks). 

There's a couple of teams around who've talked about it.  Golspie Sutherland have often been touted but they don't have adequate floodlights apparently.  Halkirk United have expressed an interest in joining the league as well especially after they built a new ground but I haven't heard about that for a while.

It'd be nice to have another west Highland team IMO, but I don't think there's any real candidates.  Can't see a team from Skye entering the league to be honest and I assume the only other team in the west would be Oban Saints, but I assume they'd be in the Lowland League if they were ever interested in joining the senior game.

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2 hours ago, FairWeatherFan said:

If Junior teams in the Lowland League area are being forced to join either the SoS or EoS in order to get a licence, then someone should force the Highland League's hand and make it open up its membership. Otherwise scrap the pretence of a pyramid.

I thought it was the junior teams in the South that were preventing a pyramid in their bit.

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57 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

I thought it was the junior teams in the South that were preventing a pyramid in their bit.

The teams in the South do have a pyramid, they just aren't happy with it. Any club trying to get a new licence in the South are being told to join either the EoS/SoS so that they commit to the pyramid. Whichever club in the North gains a licence next, i doubt they'll be told to join the Highland League.

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Regarding names: it's called Highland as there were originally 2 leagues, Highland and Aberdeenshire, but over time former became preeminent and clubs slowly moved over...

At one time same looked like happening in south as Annan, Dalbeattie + Threave joined East of Scotland League.

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10 hours ago, HibeeJibee said:

Regarding names: it's called Highland as there were originally 2 leagues, Highland and Aberdeenshire, but over time former became preeminent and clubs slowly moved over...

At one time same looked like happening in south as Annan, Dalbeattie + Threave joined East of Scotland League.

Is it possible, that the highland league could split into two regional leagues (at the same level on pyramid) and incorporate the North Caledonian league, due to the possibility of teams "north of the Tay" being relegated from league 2? So essentially two conferences within a league. A team could play home and away within their regional conference playing for the conference title with say for example top 8 playing the other conference top 8 in whatever format for the Highland league title and for the chance for promotion to league 2. Would also keep a reasonable check on fixture congestion depending on number of teams and limit travel for the struggling clubs. 

 

 

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It would nice if there some sort of promotion/relegation to the North Caledonian League and then down to the northern junior leagues but if the HL don't want to embrace that, is there anything the SPFL can do to force them to do it?  I know they could ban HL sides from getting to promoted, but I doubt many HL clubs would be too bothered about that.

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25 minutes ago, Highland Capital said:

It would nice if there some sort of promotion/relegation to the North Caledonian League and then down to the northern junior leagues but if the HL don't want to embrace that, is there anything the SPFL can do to force them to do it?  I know they could ban HL sides from getting to promoted, but I doubt many HL clubs would be too bothered about that.

Only thing the SFA could do is take away Scottish Cup places - which I think they probably should do

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On 09/11/2017 at 23:52, welshbairn said:

Some cricketers use it occasionally in the summer, and there's the odd ceremonial thing with pipers. As far as Bught Park, they have to undo all the work they did re fencing and drainage, shower and changing rooms etc, and do it all again in Kiltarlity, which will be hugely expensive. They can stay on Bught Park till the end of the season. No use will be made of the Lister Park space on Bught Park when they leave. 

I'm not a cricket fan, but I think the cricketers have been based there for decades? As such, hardly fair to shunt them out to make way for Inverness City.  And the Bught was only ever a temporary solution until the club was able to organise a permanent home, something they still haven't done 5 years after the original agreement. I thought it was Kirkhill they were moving to rather than Kiltarlity?

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28 minutes ago, Waspie said:

I'm not a cricket fan, but I think the cricketers have been based there for decades? As such, hardly fair to shunt them out to make way for Inverness City.  And the Bught was only ever a temporary solution until the club was able to organise a permanent home, something they still haven't done 5 years after the original agreement. I thought it was Kirkhill they were moving to rather than Kiltarlity?

City played at the Northern Meeting Park not long before they spent £70,000 on getting Lister Park set up. In the meantime they were playing wherever would have them. Highland Council really seem to have a thing against Junior football. They've delayed phase 2 of the West Link for a year so golf players at Torvean wouldn't have a break between 18 hole rounds, and somehow the rugby team have found money for a brand new 4g pitch. And of course the cricketers get sole use of the Meeting Park, leaving it unused but for a few Saturdays in the summer. At the level below City, Inverness Athletic have been forced to move to Muir of Ord. And you're right about Kirkhill, I always mix them up.

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1 hour ago, welshbairn said:

City played at the Northern Meeting Park not long before they spent £70,000 on getting Lister Park set up. In the meantime they were playing wherever would have them. Highland Council really seem to have a thing against Junior football. They've delayed phase 2 of the West Link for a year so golf players at Torvean wouldn't have a break between 18 hole rounds, and somehow the rugby team have found money for a brand new 4g pitch. And of course the cricketers get sole use of the Meeting Park, leaving it unused but for a few Saturdays in the summer. At the level below City, Inverness Athletic have been forced to move to Muir of Ord. And you're right about Kirkhill, I always mix them up.

I don't really agree. City knew when they moved into the Northern Meeting Park in the first place that cricket would take priority from  March onwards. Come March they complained, but that was the deal from the outset. Since then the council accommodated them at the Bught to give them time to find a home - and tried to broker a deal whereby Grant Street could get a plastic pitch for Clach and City to use. That's a fair bit of support and in an era when the council has been making massive cuts every year. Hard to see how it equates to being against junior football. Blame maybe lies a bit closer to home, City have been at this for about a decade now and seem to expect the local authority to sort it for them. 

The rugby park is different, part of the new road development and land used by the rugby club was lost to that. 

 

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5 minutes ago, Waspie said:

I don't really agree. City knew when they moved into the Northern Meeting Park in the first place that cricket would take priority from  March onwards. Come March they complained, but that was the deal from the outset. Since then the council accommodated them at the Bught to give them time to find a home - and tried to broker a deal whereby Grant Street could get a plastic pitch for Clach and City to use. That's a fair bit of support and in an era when the council has been making massive cuts every year. Hard to see how it equates to being against junior football. Blame maybe lies a bit closer to home, City have been at this for about a decade now and seem to expect the local authority to sort it for them. 

The rugby park is different, part of the new road development and land used by the rugby club was lost to that. 

 

Don't see why City couldn't play on the Rugby pitch if the fixture lists could be sorted. Have to admit that living round the corner from Bught Park is a big part of why I'm well pissed off with the move to Kirkhill. The bit of Bught Park that Lister Park occupies will not make a significant difference to the park when City, an amateur Club in all but name, spend a fortune putting it back to how it was and developing the Kirkhill ground. The Northern Meeting Park is seriously underused for a magnificent venue. Too posh for football is my opinion of the reasoning by the Council.

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2 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

Don't see why City couldn't play on the Rugby pitch if the fixture lists could be sorted. Have to admit that living round the corner from Bught Park is a big part of why I'm well pissed off with the move to Kirkhill. The bit of Bught Park that Lister Park occupies will not make a significant difference to the park when City, an amateur Club in all but name, spend a fortune putting it back to how it was and developing the Kirkhill ground. The Northern Meeting Park is seriously underused for a magnificent venue. Too posh for football is my opinion of the reasoning by the Council.

Like I said, I think cricket is pish and I enjoyed watching Inverness City play at the Northern Meeting Park. But it wasn't their ground and the cricketers are long established there. Not a question of being too posh, the two sports simply aren't compatible for a groundshare there and the cricketers were there first (by a long way). Don't think City helped themselves by agreeing to the deal then kicking up a fuss when March came along. 

I actually asked someone from City a few years back about Queen's Park and they said something like they hadn't asked but they would never be allowed in there. I always thought it would be a good solution, pitch looks big enough and there is space beside the stand for portacabins. Maybe the athletics crowd would be wary after the experience of the cricketers. 

Really don't think it's the cooncil's fault though, surely they have done more to help than many other authorities would have done in the same situation. It's not their fault the club didn't find a permanent home in the 5 years given to them  (will be near enough 6 in the end).

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