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North Caledonian League Expansion


Robert James

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55 minutes ago, FairWeatherFan said:

They haven't. A lot of people in the WoSFL forum have though 🤣

With their connection to the Glasgow/Central area amateurs and Campbeltown Pupils in the WoSFL. It seems safe to say they'd end up there if they ever make the step up.

Hadn't realised Campbelltown were now in the pyramid.  There is/was a Ballachulish team at amateur level but they played in the West/Glasgow leagues.   It does seems kind of inevitable that Oban Saints will join the pyramid eventually.

The issue of a Skye team came up before but as I recall it's prospects are hampered by having a strong local welfare league.

Edited by Highland Capital
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2 minutes ago, Highland Capital said:

Hadn't realised Campbelltown were now in the pyramid.  Is there/was there not a Ballachulish team as well at amateur level?  But they played in the West/Glasgow leagues as I recall.   It does seems kind of inevitable to me that Oban Saints will join the pyramid eventually.

The issue of a Skye team came up before but as I recall it's prospects are hampered by having a strong local welfare league.

Campbeltown joined the WoSFL this close season. There was talk of doing a ground check on an applicant that needed a megabus trip to get to :) Speculation ran rife on who it could be with Campbeltown and Oban Saints being the favourites.

There's a few random geographic ones out there in the Glasgow/West ams. I don't know the teams or the leagues well enough. Especially now with how COVID has changed things up.

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11 minutes ago, FairWeatherFan said:

Campbeltown joined the WoSFL this close season. There was talk of doing a ground check on an applicant that needed a megabus trip to get to :) Speculation ran rife on who it could be with Campbeltown and Oban Saints being the favourites.

There's a few random geographic ones out there in the Glasgow/West ams. I don't know the teams or the leagues well enough. Especially now with how COVID has changed things up.

Can get a train to Oban!

 GIF by Identity

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53 minutes ago, FairWeatherFan said:

Campbeltown joined the WoSFL this close season. There was talk of doing a ground check on an applicant that needed a megabus trip to get to :) Speculation ran rife on who it could be with Campbeltown and Oban Saints being the favourites.

There's a few random geographic ones out there in the Glasgow/West ams. I don't know the teams or the leagues well enough. Especially now with how COVID has changed things up.

As well as Campbeltown there are seven other Argyll and Bute amateur teams that I’m aware of in Glasgow based leagues. 

Tarbert, Lochgilphead Red Star and Oban Saints are 3 with similar long distance trips. 

Rothesay Brandane and Dunoon closer to Glasgow but needing a ferry journey. 
 

Rhu and Cardross basically Greater Glasgow anyway. 
 

There is also Highland’s South Lochaber Thistle in Kinlochleven who play in the GGAPFL. Traditionally half of Kinlochleven was in Argyll prior to 1975 albeit the school pitch they play on is north of the river so was always in Inverness-shire. They’re well north of the Highland / Lowland line but I can see why for them a Glasgow based league is easier than NCL where the closest teams would be in Inverness.

Would be a tricky one if they ever applied for the Pyramid as WOSFL would suit them better but they don’t even come close to the line in the style of Tayport or Luncarty.

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2 hours ago, Highland Capital said:

Have Oban Saints ever joined in any discussions about joining a more 'mainstream' league?  They've been on the go for years and given theirs that unusual tournament in the town you'd imagine they would be able to sustain something.  Do they not have an old timey stand at their ground as well?  

Oban Saints already have a team Central Scottish AFL and a second team in the Greater Glasgow AFL. You've also got South Lochaber Thistle from Kinlochleven in the Greater Glasgow AFL though they are above the tier 5 dividing line.

What would be good is if the four amateur leagues covering west central Scotland merged into one league below the WOSFL so that the lower levels can be more regionalised.

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3 minutes ago, Marshmallo said:

 

Disappointing, but not surprising in the slightest. I imagine getting enough bodies for a home match would have been difficult enough for them, never mind every second week going on a stupidly long coach trip just to get scudded at some public park in the middle of winter.

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1 hour ago, Sherrif John Bunnell said:

Disappointing, but not surprising in the slightest. I imagine getting enough bodies for a home match would have been difficult enough for them, never mind every second week going on a stupidly long coach trip just to get scudded at some public park in the middle of winter.

It’s a sad end. Great place to watch football and very welcoming to me back in November last year when I turned up to watch what was my only live football game of 2020.

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Ah, disappointing. I was planning a trip to Scourie for the school holidays in September or October and had very nearly booked the self catering right beside the pitch.

Sorry for those who must have worked hard to get them this far. I hope they feel it was worth it anyway.

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I was planning a trip up there in October, shame. It's understandable though, they're just too remote to get together a representative team for this level.

Then I'll just have to go there for an amateur game next year...

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21 minutes ago, TheScarf said:

Not surprising really.  I presume they'll carry on and just drop back down to amateur level.

Kinlochbervie are the amateur side, they already play out of Scourie and the manager is the same person. I'm not sure why they created a new team for the NCL, other than Scourie being where they were based.

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12 minutes ago, Cyclizine said:

Kinlochbervie are the amateur side, they already play out of Scourie and the manager is the same person. I'm not sure why they created a new team for the NCL, other than Scourie being where they were based.

Thought they had a pitch in Kinlochbervie?

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I'm not vouching for this bit from Scourie's wiki page..

Quote

Although the initial plan was for the team to play out of Kinlochbervie, home of amateur football club Kinlochbervie A.F.C., it was eventually decided that they would play at Achlochan Park in Scourie. At this time, the club decided to take the name Scourie Football Club.

 

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Kinlochbervie have played out of Scourie for at least the last few years, if not longer, as far as I remember.

I'm not sure where this idea they alternated names every season came from either, they've always been KLB.

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13 hours ago, Ginaro said:

Oban Saints already have a team Central Scottish AFL and a second team in the Greater Glasgow AFL...

The problem with accomodating Argyll & Bute teams in a way that lasts is going to be that WoS plays a lot of midweek fixtures. A shorter season mainly just weekends North Caledonian League type setup for that specific area might be the more realistic way to set them on a path to licensing etc.

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52 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

I'm not vouching for this bit from Scourie's wiki page..

 

Yeah, that's just not true. KLB have played in Scourie for about 15 years now since the pitch there is right beside a loch and has been in a state of disrepair. They're actually in the process of fixing it just now so they might well play in KLB in the next year or 2. The plan was for Scourie to be the winter team name and Kinlochbervie to stay as the summer team name. I'd imagine the summer team will stay being called KLB. 

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9 hours ago, GordonS said:

Ah, disappointing. I was planning a trip to Scourie for the school holidays in September or October and had very nearly booked the self catering right beside the pitch.

Sorry for those who must have worked hard to get them this far. I hope they feel it was worth it anyway.

You might have made the same mistake as me, the house next to the pitch is private, the self catering is round the corner and hidden from view. Was hoping to watch the game out the window if it was pishing down. At the end of the lane first right below.

P.S. Think it was @MarkPockets who set me right on this too.. :1eye

image.thumb.png.30e2c7f84b385d569d91bd0cce0209c9.png

Edited by welshbairn
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