Pyramid 2019/2020

[Cyclizine]

43 minutes ago, cookieboy said:

I agree 100% the SFA say they want a pyramid system but the lower ranked clubs don’t as they see their handouts disappearing

The club licence guarantees automatic entry to the Scottish Cup and allows potential promotion to the Highland or Lowland Leagues. It makes sense that the tier below the national league has minimum standards. It's nothing to do with handouts. How much cash do you reckon it is anyway?

Quote

As usual Scottish football being held back by the self interest of clubs who bring absolutely nothing to Scottish football

Open goal here for anyone...

[cookieboy]

1 hour ago, Cyclizine said:

The club licence guarantees automatic entry to the Scottish Cup and allows potential promotion to the Highland or Lowland Leagues. It makes sense that the tier below the national league has minimum standards. It's nothing to do with handouts. How much cash do you reckon it is anyway?

Open goal here for anyone...

Totally agree there should be standards but these standards should be the same for everyone 

As of now a few licensed teams already in Lowland don’t have floodlights but to achieve that now you need them farcical 

[Burnie_man]

Totally agree there should be standards but these standards should be the same for everyone 
As of now a few licensed teams already in Lowland don’t have floodlights but to achieve that now you need them farcical 

Those clubs in the Lowland will need to install them or lose their licence.

[LongTimeLurker]

...and I think were supposed to have them in place in a Lowland League context as far back as 2015? The work around on that has been that these clubs have had to provide a guaranteed midweek floodlight venue or venues in addition to their home ground. Now there is significant interest in licensing some of the smaller traditional full members are probably going to get flushed back around the u-bend as the standards were deliberately set very low to let the likes of Golspie Sutherland in. Suspect covered seating will be the next one to be added after floodlights.

[Burnie_man]

...and I think were supposed to have them in place in a Lowland League context as far back as 2015? The work around on that has been that these clubs have had to provide a guaranteed midweek floodlight venue or venues in addition to their home ground. Now there is significant interest in licensing some of the smaller traditional full members are probably going to get flushed back around the u-bend as the standards were deliberately set very low to let the likes of Golspie Sutherland in. Suspect covered seating will be the next one to be added after floodlights.

I don't think gradual improvement in facilities is a bad thing, it should be encouraged and it is, via Licence requirements. I think the problem here is the moving of the goalposts for clubs already going through the process.

There also has to be an understanding of timescales required to source funds to do it, and gain the relevant permissions which dont happen overnight.

It opens the SFA up to accusations of protectionism.

[cookieboy]

3 hours ago, Burnie_man said:

I don't think gradual improvement in facilities is a bad thing, it should be encouraged and it is, via Licence requirements. I think the problem here is the moving of the goalposts for clubs already going through the process.

There also has to be an understanding of timescales required to source funds to do it, and gain the relevant permissions which dont happen overnight.

It opens the SFA up to accusations of protectionism.

Could not agree more especially with the last sentence 

[FairWeatherFan]

5 minutes ago, cookieboy said:

Could not agree more especially with the last sentence 

Certainly does. They've shafted a lot of clubs with the moratorium in the first place. Now they've thrown this spanner in the works just as a number were getting their audits.

While most of the potential EoS Conference winners this year have lights, there are some don't currently and anything can happen in a playoff. It increases the small possibility that there will be no promoted club from Tier 6 due to unlicenced EoS and SoS Champions.

[GordonS]

So we're going to see well-established non-league clubs who helped set up the LL booted out of it because the SFA, who have done precisely nothing to assist in the development of the pyramid, insist on floodlights at clubs who draw crowds numbering in dozens?

Would we rather see Whitehill Welfare playing at their fantastic wee home, in their own community, or renting a 3G pitch miles away at somewhere like Peffermill or Ainslie Park?

They've been down this road in England and nobody is happy about it.

A sensitive approach would be to get a pyramid established under the LL with 2 up, 2 down, give it 2-3 years to see what clubs have come into and dropped out of the league, and then consider including floodlights in licensing. The SFA seem determined to ruin the pyramid before it's really got going.

[Burnie_man]

So we're going to see well-established non-league clubs who helped set up the LL booted out of it because the SFA, who have done precisely nothing to assist in the development of the pyramid, insist on floodlights at clubs who draw crowds numbering in dozens?

Would we rather see Whitehill Welfare playing at their fantastic wee home, in their own community, or renting a 3G pitch miles away at somewhere like Peffermill or Ainslie Park?

They've been down this road in England and nobody is happy about it.

A sensitive approach would be to get a pyramid established under the LL with 2 up, 2 down, give it 2-3 years to see what clubs have come into and dropped out of the league, and then consider including floodlights in licensing. The SFA seem determined to ruin the pyramid before it's really got going.

Floodlights are a basic footballing requirement and the smallest of clubs in England at the lowest of levels have them. It's absolutely right that this now becomes a Licencing requirement.

 

What is unacceptable is to bring in this requirement with, seemingly, little consideration as to the circumstances of these clubs. At the very least, there should have been a provision that clubs would be given 3 years to meet the new requirement from say, 1st July 2019, along with an offer of an SFA grant or other financial assistance, even if it was repayable on relaxed terms.

 

[cookieboy]

It seems to me and many others that the SFA make wrong decisions almost every time one is needed 

Thought Maxwell would have been different unfortunately doesn’t look like he will be

[GNU_Linux]

Its stating the obvious but the PWG really needs headed up by someone with a deep knowlege & understanding of non-league. Who that person would be I have no clue.

[GordonS]

1 minute ago, GNU_Linux said:

Its stating the obvious but the PWG really needs headed up by someone with a deep knowlege & understanding of non-league. Who that person would be I have no clue.

'SFA Announces Tom Johnston to Head PWG'

[drs]

1 hour ago, GNU_Linux said:

Its stating the obvious but the PWG really needs headed up by someone with a deep knowlege & understanding of non-league. Who that person would be I have no clue.

 

[FairWeatherFan]

1 hour ago, GNU_Linux said:

Its stating the obvious but the PWG really needs headed up by someone with a deep knowlege & understanding of non-league. Who that person would be I have no clue.

Henry McLeish

[PatP]

9 hours ago, Burnie_man said:

I don't think gradual improvement in facilities is a bad thing, it should be encouraged and it is, via Licence requirements. I think the problem here is the moving of the goalposts for clubs already going through the process.

There also has to be an understanding of timescales required to source funds to do it, and gain the relevant permissions which dont happen overnight.

It opens the SFA up to accusations of protectionism.

Th whole Scottish football set up is open to the accusation of protectionism. Would turkeys vote for Christmas?

The SFA are a hapless bunch that barely manage to keep thins running. 

For clubs that are already licenced that have no lights then hell mend them - they will have had a lot of SFA money and invested it elsewhere. 

For those entering the process then surely there should be some give and take. 

[Burnie_man]

1 hour ago, gogsy said:

Teams like Whitehill Welfare you mean? Try telling them that , they can maybe explain to you  how much effort they've spent trying  to get floodlights over the years. They can then maybe tell you to **** off and crawl back under the stone you've come out of.

A tad harsh gogsy for what is a fair enough point to make.

[LongTimeLurker]

Where did the money from the Celtic game at Easter Road go? The point made about a lot of money being spent elsewhere over the years so they could be a big fish in a very small pond is probably a valid one.

[cowdenbeath]

6 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said:

Where did the money from the Celtic game at Easter Road go? The point made about a lot of money being spent elsewhere over the years so they could be a big fish in a very small pond is probably a valid one.

Could be wrong but didn't they use the money to build the then new pavilion?

[RobM]

That'll be the only money they've earned in 22 years?

[LongTimeLurker]

Not on floodlights in both cases and maybe they are regretting the emphasis they placed on signing on fees and win bonuses over facilities right now in much the same way as Whitehill Welfare probably are?