Robert James Posted February 20, 2020 Author Share Posted February 20, 2020 On 12/02/2020 at 07:43, Cyclizine said: Loch Ness currently one of the many clubs to play on the Bught. Not sure where they'd play in the NCL. On 12/02/2020 at 07:43, Cyclizine said: Loch Ness currently one of the many clubs to play on the Bught. Not sure where they'd play in the NCL. If Loch Ness join the NCL, the club may/may not be able to use the Bught during the winter season ? If not, what about the ground at Farr ? I never understood why Inverness Athletic moved to an alternative venue, part way through their first season. Other possibilities include the Northern Meeting Park or North Kessock, both of which have been used for NCL football in the past. And there is also Kirkhill, but is this venue suitable for NCL football ? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highland Capital Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 Whatever happened to Boleskine's old shinty ground? It'd be great if Loch Ness played by Loch Ness! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert James Posted February 22, 2020 Author Share Posted February 22, 2020 (edited) On 04/02/2020 at 12:18, Robert James said: I hope that your post about Alness United returning to the North Caley next season, comes true. They have been missed. Also, their Under 17 team is taking the Highland youth league (north) by storm this season. I am told that Alness wants to return, but the loss of their ground at Dalmore Park, has been the problem. Nothing confirmed as yet, apparently. The club has retained its NCL Membership, and their Under 17 team has been excellent in the HFL youth league, this season. Also, it will also be interesting to see if Shetland FC enters one (or more ?) of the NCL cup competitions next season, after a 2 year absence. Like fellow NCL member club, Lewis & Harris FC, they cannot participate in the League itself. Unless of course there is a very rich benefactor waiting to fly in ! (If you haven't been to the Shetland Isles, it is well worth a visit). Edited February 22, 2020 by Robert James additional question added 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairWeatherFan Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 Checking FN looks like Orkney have organised two games on the same day to deal with their fixture congestion. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert James Posted February 26, 2020 Author Share Posted February 26, 2020 7 hours ago, FairWeatherFan said: Checking FN looks like Orkney have organised two games on the same day to deal with their fixture congestion. The rough weather has meant that ferries have been cancelled in recent weeks, and the NCL's official (revised) fixture list does show Orkney playing 2 matches on Sat 14th March : Bunillidh Thistle (away) & Bonar Bridge (home). Very unusual, although Orkney does have sufficient playing resources to play 2 separate fixtures on the same day. However if the bad weather continues, one or other (or both) of the games could be postponed . On 12/02/2020 at 07:43, Cyclizine said: Loch Ness currently one of the many clubs to play on the Bught. Not sure where they'd play in the NCL. Canal Street (in Inverness) has been suggested as a possible home ground for Loch Ness, if they join the NCL next season. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclizine Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, Robert James said: Canal Street (in Inverness) has been suggested as a possible home ground for Loch Ness, if they join the NCL next season. I don't think there is a Canal Street in Inverness, Robert. Do you mean Canal Park? That's unlikely to happen, given the number of teams Highland RFC have using it. Are you "suggesting" this yourself, again? On 20/02/2020 at 20:34, Robert James said: If Loch Ness join the NCL, the club may/may not be able to use the Bught during the winter season ? If not, what about the ground at Farr ? I never understood why Inverness Athletic moved to an alternative venue, part way through their first season. Other possibilities include the Northern Meeting Park or North Kessock, both of which have been used for NCL football in the past. And there is also Kirkhill, but is this venue suitable for NCL football ? Did you just copy my previous post, there? Farr isn't a particularly handy ground for an Inverness-based club and the facilities at the IRA are much better. Same as Kirkhill, really. Edited February 26, 2020 by Cyclizine 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert James Posted February 26, 2020 Author Share Posted February 26, 2020 3 hours ago, Cyclizine said: I don't think there is a Canal Street in Inverness, Robert. Do you mean Canal Park? That's unlikely to happen, given the number of teams Highland RFC have using it. Are you "suggesting" this yourself, again? Did you just copy my previous post, there? Farr isn't a particularly handy ground for an Inverness-based club and the facilities at the IRA are much better. Same as Kirkhill, really. Noted. From my days as a lad, I supported the Jags at Kingsmills, but I don't live in Inverness now. FYI Canal Park apparently isn't used to capacity. Football has been played there. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert James Posted February 26, 2020 Author Share Posted February 26, 2020 There is an excellent article and link (today), on the Future of the Juniors forum. Balanced, in depth, and well researched, in my opinion. In addition to debating the pyramid 'conundrum' in the West and the East Regions, it also covers the current situation in the North Caledonian League & in the North Juniors. The link is : https://purefitbaw.com/2020/02/26/the-pyramid-conundrum/ 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclizine Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 5 hours ago, Robert James said: Noted. From my days as a lad, I supported the Jags at Kingsmills, but I don't live in Inverness now. FYI Canal Park apparently isn't used to capacity. Football has been played there. Are you suggesting permanent Friday night games? Or Sunday afternoons? Canal Park is used extensively by the rugby club for matches and training for all ages. It has been used by Clach a couple of times due to their fire. As has been pointed out, there are multiple other options available. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert James Posted February 26, 2020 Author Share Posted February 26, 2020 31 minutes ago, Cyclizine said: Are you suggesting permanent Friday night games? Or Sunday afternoons? Canal Park is used extensively by the rugby club for matches and training for all ages. It has been used by Clach a couple of times due to their fire. As has been pointed out, there are multiple other options available. Options yes. But Loch Ness have not yet confirmed where they will play NCL matches, if they join (as rumoured on this forum), as the " 2nd applicant, believed to be from Inverness". Unless of course, you have further information. If so, please share it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 On 20/02/2020 at 20:34, Robert James said: If Loch Ness join the NCL, the club may/may not be able to use the Bught during the winter season ? If not, what about the ground at Farr ? I never understood why Inverness Athletic moved to an alternative venue, part way through their first season. Other possibilities include the Northern Meeting Park or North Kessock, both of which have been used for NCL football in the past. And there is also Kirkhill, but is this venue suitable for NCL football ? 1 hour ago, Cyclizine said: As has been pointed out, there are multiple other options available. Sadly Inverness City didn't find it so easy. Inverness Athletic had to play in Muir of Ord till they found a friendly school in Inverness to let them borrow their pitch. I assume NCL rules are similar to the Superleague, and the cost of of getting Kirkhill up to scratch, including the drainage, would have been far more than City could afford after blowing any kind of budget they had from donations and loans on developing and then tearing apart Lister Park, thanks to the cricket rugby and golf mad Highland Council. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert James Posted February 26, 2020 Author Share Posted February 26, 2020 3 hours ago, welshbairn said: Sadly Inverness City didn't find it so easy. Inverness Athletic had to play in Muir of Ord till they found a friendly school in Inverness to let them borrow their pitch. I assume NCL rules are similar to the Superleague, and the cost of of getting Kirkhill up to scratch, including the drainage, would have been far more than City could afford after blowing any kind of budget they had from donations and loans on developing and then tearing apart Lister Park, thanks to the cricket rugby and golf mad Highland Council. Yes, I followed the ground problems that Inverness City experienced, and realised that it was an uphill battle with the Authorities. Once Clachnacuddin also said "no" their demise was probably inevitable. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclizine Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 There were other behind the scenes issues with Inverness City, notwithstanding the ground. It was not incumbent on the council to provide them with a ready made facility. There were and are issues regarding a legal covenant on the Bught with issues over access rights. Cityhad five years to sort an alternative ground, the Bught was always a temporary arrangement. City chose to develop Lister Park knowing this. It pains me to say, but I don't see why the council should have prioritised what was a new club over long established clubs in alternative sports, namely cricket and rugby; especially when there are two senior clubs in ICT and Clach, plus a very active amateur league. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert James Posted February 27, 2020 Author Share Posted February 27, 2020 22 hours ago, Cyclizine said: There were other behind the scenes issues with Inverness City, notwithstanding the ground. It was not incumbent on the council to provide them with a ready made facility. There were and are issues regarding a legal covenant on the Bught with issues over access rights. Cityhad five years to sort an alternative ground, the Bught was always a temporary arrangement. City chose to develop Lister Park knowing this. It pains me to say, but I don't see why the council should have prioritised what was a new club over long established clubs in alternative sports, namely cricket and rugby; especially when there are two senior clubs in ICT and Clach, plus a very active amateur league. I agree entirely. City were over ambitious. My interest now however, is where will Loch Ness or A N Other Inverness club, play their home games, if they are elected as Members of the North Caley for 2020/21 ?. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highland Capital Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 I kind of mentioned this in passing but would the shinty ground in Drum be a possible home for Loch Ness? You’d imagine it’d be up to the regulations. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert James Posted February 28, 2020 Author Share Posted February 28, 2020 1 hour ago, Highland Capital said: I kind of mentioned this in passing but would the shinty ground in Drum be a possible home for Loch Ness? You’d imagine it’d be up to the regulations. Not been there for years, so my question is whether or not shinty is still being played at this venue ? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert James Posted February 28, 2020 Author Share Posted February 28, 2020 3 minutes ago, Snafu said: Not sure what's wrong with wanting to play at the highest level in the North Juniors is being regarded as over ambitious? People fail to believe that there are very few suitable places where football above amateur league can be played within Inverness and that there is a lot of competition to get priority on these pitches. Absolutely nothing wrong with club's being ambitious. However Cyclizine above has explained that City (sadly) ignored warnings from the Authorities, that the lease on the Bught would not be extended (although there was a brief extension as the club were holding talks with Clach, which later failed to materialise). Also, Kirkhill became a non-starter. Perhaps "over ambitious"was a bit unfair on my part, but the reality is that the club closed down . No suitable alternative venue in Inverness, was found. This is the reason why the rumour that Loch Ness AFC is ;looking to join the NCL, throws up the question, where will their ground be ? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 24 minutes ago, Robert James said: However Cyclizine above has explained that City (sadly) ignored warnings from the Authorities, that the lease on the Bught would not be extended They didn't ignore the warnings, they looked absolutely everywhere for an alternative and the cost of sorting out the drainage especially at Kirkhill proved unsurmountable. The council was stubborn to the point of pettiness, having previously forced them out of the barely used Northern Meeting Ground but for the odd pipers get together and a handful of cricket games in the summer. The £3.5 million spent on new rugby facilities connected to the bypass could have easily had facilities for junior level football attached. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclizine Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 28 minutes ago, welshbairn said: They didn't ignore the warnings, they looked absolutely everywhere for an alternative and the cost of sorting out the drainage especially at Kirkhill proved unsurmountable. The council was stubborn to the point of pettiness, having previously forced them out of the barely used Northern Meeting Ground but for the odd pipers get together and a handful of cricket games in the summer. The £3.5 million spent on new rugby facilities connected to the bypass could have easily had facilities for junior level football attached. What do you have against other sports? It's not just about football. Canal Park didn't just get funding from the council: There was significant input from the SRU and Sport Scotland too. Highland RFC run multiple adult teams and loads of age group teams with hundreds of kids playing. There are and were extensive amateur football facilities in Inverness plus two senior grounds. Inverness City came in as a new club, it was only the requirements of the Superleague that meant they had to improve the facilities. They could've come up with a sustainable plan staying in the NCL or even First Division of the NRJFA, but they chased promotion without a plan for where they'd play. They knew from the start the Bught was temporary. I know it sounds harsh, but the council didn't owe them a ground, any more than they owe Fort William or Thurso new pitches. The chairman then had the gall to accuse them of favouritism over the Dalneigh pitches, where Clach have trained and run kids football for years. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclizine Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 1 hour ago, Snafu said: People fail to believe that there are very few suitable places where football above amateur league can be played within Inverness and that there is a lot of competition to get priority on these pitches. 1 hour ago, Snafu said: There was no other option at the time Lister Park was constructed and wasn't until the possibility opened to ground share with Clach As a club you have to be sustainable! City knew the requirements for the Superleague before they applied, if they didn't they did poor due diligence. They chose to put money into Lister Park knowing that it was only ever temporary. They had other options, they could've stayed in the NCL, like Athletic, or even in the lower junior tiers until they had a workable plan. I know this seems harsh, but this is looking at the big picture. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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