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The Last Expansion...


FairWeatherFan

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Huge can-of-worms.

Is this clause from LL rules not replicated in HL equivalent?
 

B2 No club can have more than one team playing in the League or any other League which comes under the jurisdiction of the Scottish FA Professional Game Board.

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26 minutes ago, HibeeJibee said:

Huge can-of-worms.

Is this clause from LL rules not replicated in HL equivalent?
 

B2 No club can have more than one team playing in the League or any other League which comes under the jurisdiction of the Scottish FA Professional Game Board.

Under the membership section of the league constitution there is nothing like that. 

 

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4 hours ago, Highland Capital said:

There's been talk of this off and on for years.  The league have always opposed it and rightly so.  In fact, to be honest I'm surprised the club are even thinking about given we barely have two pennies to rub together.  On top of that, we chose to leave the Reserve League when we were relegated, so it hardly seems fair for us to waltz into the Highland League now.

Wouldn't mind that to be honest, a couple more home and away games in Inverness. Where would the Caley Colts play if the big team were playing at home? 

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6 hours ago, GNU_Linux said:

Rumour of ICT floating the idea of adding a colt team to the HL if Cove go up.

 

 

2 great suggestions in the previous comments... then this! Very forward thinking. I’m not shooting the messenger  btw, you’re just relying information but I hope you don’t agree with this!

Inverness have ONE good football team, that still splits the place in 2.

ONE other decent football team and NO Juniors or decent amateur setup (although the amateur league was going in the right direction) 

ONE decent rugby team, with a 2nd team who can never raise 15 players 

TWO pish cricket(!) teams

A VERY pish shinty team (bottom of Teir 3 and relegated to the lowest league possible!)

An American football and ice hockey teams with no-one else to play....

 

It was a dream come true when I got work and moved to Inverness, but for a ‘city’ for its size, it’s desperately poor at getting behind projects that will give the younger generation something to play for and get excited about. All geared up for whoever can line the pockets of their local coucillor

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10 hours ago, Spyro said:

2 great suggestions in the previous comments... then this! Very forward thinking. I’m not shooting the messenger  btw, you’re just relying information but I hope you don’t agree with this!

Inverness have ONE good football team, that still splits the place in 2.

ONE other decent football team and NO Juniors or decent amateur setup (although the amateur league was going in the right direction) 

ONE decent rugby team, with a 2nd team who can never raise 15 players 

TWO pish cricket(!) teams

A VERY pish shinty team (bottom of Teir 3 and relegated to the lowest league possible!)

An American football and ice hockey teams with no-one else to play....

 

It was a dream come true when I got work and moved to Inverness, but for a ‘city’ for its size, it’s desperately poor at getting behind projects that will give the younger generation something to play for and get excited about. All geared up for whoever can line the pockets of their local coucillor

Mate, you already admitted you've not lived in Inverness for years. Your ignorance regarding sport here is outstanding. I don't recognise this pessimistic and outdated rant.

There's SPFL, HL and NCL teams. The local amateur leagues are popular, even if the standard isn't great - head down to the Bught of a Saturday and see how many games are in action.

The rugby club is flying high, with excellent new facilities. The cricket clubs are popular and provide multiple teams.

The shinty club isn't great, but let's people play the game. There's several more competitive teams a couple of miles away anyway.

As for the other sports: gridiron, hockey, athletics, etc, etc, they're all letting people play.

What exactly is it you want? Inverness has excellent facilities for a town of its size, varied and popular sports clubs.

As for ICT colts in the HL, no chance. Stick them in the North of Scotland League of they want to give them more games.

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5 hours ago, Cyclizine said:

Mate, you already admitted you've not lived in Inverness for years. Your ignorance regarding sport here is outstanding. I don't recognise this pessimistic and outdated rant.

There's SPFL, HL and NCL teams. The local amateur leagues are popular, even if the standard isn't great - head down to the Bught of a Saturday and see how many games are in action.

The rugby club is flying high, with excellent new facilities. The cricket clubs are popular and provide multiple teams.

The shinty club isn't great, but let's people play the game. There's several more competitive teams a couple of miles away anyway.

As for the other sports: gridiron, hockey, athletics, etc, etc, they're all letting people play.

What exactly is it you want? Inverness has excellent facilities for a town of its size, varied and popular sports clubs.

As for ICT colts in the HL, no chance. Stick them in the North of Scotland League of they want to give them more games.

Agree with most of this but Highland Council have been very unhelpful to Junior Football compared to the support Rugby and Cricket get, for example. Here's the last post from the late and lamented Inverness City.

Quote

It comes with great sadness that we are writing this post! Unfortunately after 13 years the club is having to fold! Throughout the years we have had great success on the park first off in the North Caley league and subsequently in the North Region Junior FA. 

During this time however we have not had our problems to seek with having a constant issue of trying to find a home ground. We had thought our problems were solved when we were granted a 5 year lease at the bught park in Inverness, and had hoped this short lease would be extended beyond this. Unfortunately this was not to be last year and we took the decision to take a year out of the juniors to try and find a more permanent home. We have tried every avenue possible, but unfortunately to no avail! 

At this time we would like to thank every player, fan, official and committee member who has helped and supported the club along the way! Along with every opposing club who we have had some great battles against over the years! There’s a number of people who deserve big mentions, however I think 3 people in particular deserve a special mention: Stevie Graham, Alastair Wardhaugh and the late Ian Lister. All of whom the club could not have survived as long as it did without them!

Finally a special mention is also reserved for the highland council....for whom we can thank for the death of the football club! Throughout the 13 years of our existence they have been of almost zero assistance, putting barriers up in our way at every single turn! How on earth a city the size of Inverness can’t support a junior football club is staggering, especially when you see the assistance given to many other sports clubs and facilities throughout the city! Not that these other clubs are not worthy but why them and not us - sometimes your face needs to fit! 

Inverness has 2 cricket clubs, who often struggle to fulfil fixtures due to number of players, playing out of 2 of the best facilities in Inverness at the meeting park and Fraser park yet we couldn’t get a pitch! We finally got a pitch at the bught, spending £80k doing it up, contributing over £6k a year to the already stretched council coffers and have now been thrown out for what....the pitch is now lying dormant, no longer used! Finally I’ve learnt today that the dalneigh pitches, a venue we were told was not available due to it being used for housing, has recently been given a lease to another football club for 25 years for the huge sum of £1 per annum - nothing fishy going on there I suppose! 

The rant could go on, I think everyone ever associated with the club knows all of the issues we have faced!

Sad end to what was a great story! Great friends and great memories made! Hopefully other clubs don’t have as many issues as we do in the future however if they have to deal with that council I’d wish them all the best of luck!

 

 

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8 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

Agree with most of this but Highland Council have been very unhelpful to Junior Football compared to the support Rugby and Cricket get, for example. Here's the last post from the late and lamented Inverness City.

Why should they have got priority over a long-established cricket club like Northern Counties? There seems to be a sense from some that City were owed a ground by the council. They got a lease from with a clearly stated end date, which was extended. The comment about Dalneigh pitches is is having a dig at Clach: a club who've used those pitches for years, well before the formation of City, for their youth and juniors. It's sad to see any club fold but there is more to the whole saga than is being let on here as well.

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56 minutes ago, Cyclizine said:

Why should they have got priority over a long-established cricket club like Northern Counties? There seems to be a sense from some that City were owed a ground by the council. They got a lease from with a clearly stated end date, which was extended. The comment about Dalneigh pitches is is having a dig at Clach: a club who've used those pitches for years, well before the formation of City, for their youth and juniors. It's sad to see any club fold but there is more to the whole saga than is being let on here as well.

We'll have to agree to disagree on that, I think they were treated appallingly, especially at a time when they found £3.5 million to spend on the Rugby club facilities.

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I only moved away last year but yes I’m a bit behind because I totally lost interest. For someone in their early 20’s, there’s NOTHING proper to get involved with, not like other places of the same size. Leagues are disjointed, clubs come and go, and no one is bothered anymore because they know that if they become at all popular and fancy a go at expansion, they’ve got no hope (unless they have contacts) as the backwards council will do f**k all unless it benefits them

Edited by Spyro
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5 minutes ago, Spyro said:

I only moved away last year but yes I’m a bit behind because I totally lost interest. For someone in their early 20’s, there’s NOTHING proper to get involved with, not like other places of the same size. Leagues are disjointed, clubs come and go, and no one is bothered anymore because they know that if they become at all popular and fancy a go at expansion, they’ve got no hope (unless they have contacts) as the backwards council will do f**k all unless it benefits them

I remember the Welfare League closing down because they hadn't paid their dues, not sure if they're back up and running again.

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2 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

I remember the Welfare League closing down because they hadn't paid their dues, not sure if they're back up and running again.

I tried to get involved years ago, total shamble and no one seemed to care. Plenty of lads willing to play but the investment/interest from the people who could actually make the difference was none existent, then the willing lads disappear and leave a horrible hole in society...

I could go into more detail but it still hurts, spent my entire 20’s looking for something to do but failed miserably against such a dismissive mentality

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Okay then, this isn't my experience at all. There was and is loads to get involved with, if you can be bothered.

The welfare league never shut down, they moved amateur (really another example of the pointless divisions in Scottish football...)

For years, pretty much since the late 1990s, Highland Rugby Club were looking at upgrading Canal Park. They had plans, were applying for funding and when the new road plans surfaces, they jumped on the opportunity. As the only rugby club, with multiple teams at multiple age groups, they had more access to grants and had more sympathy from the council and locals than another football club.

Let's be honest, Inverness at that point had two senior teams and a thriving amateur league. Why would the council plough money into a new football ground for a new club when two already existed (remember the district council had put significant money towards the Caledonian Stadium, back in the day).

I agree it's really disappointing that City folded, but we still have three clubs representing the city at various levels. Ideally, if the astro at Grant Street had gone down, then we'd've had a solution. But money is tight and hard decisions have to be made.

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What will happen to numbers in the Highland league with Cove set to gain promotion barring an almighty second leg failure at Berwick.

I know with teams north of the Tay they go into the Highland league so not an issue if facing HL opposition,  however for Berwick it would be presumably the LL or maybe some northern England non league division, which would leave the HL a member down. 

Do the league leave it a team down or allow applications from eligible teams for league membership?

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20 minutes ago, CaspianChris said:

 

Do the league leave it a team down or allow applications from eligible teams for league membership?

Both, depending if they get any applications.

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36 minutes ago, CaspianChris said:

What will happen to numbers in the Highland league with Cove set to gain promotion barring an almighty second leg failure at Berwick.

I know with teams north of the Tay they go into the Highland league so not an issue if facing HL opposition,  however for Berwick it would be presumably the LL or maybe some northern England non league division, which would leave the HL a member down. 

Do the league leave it a team down or allow applications from eligible teams for league membership?

The Highland League has no set number of teams, so in that sense there is no "vacancy". The league is open to applications regardless of how many teams are in there (if they get over 20 they'll split in 2 divisions), so clubs that want to make the step up, can apply to do so.

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43 minutes ago, CaspianChris said:

What will happen to numbers in the Highland league with Cove set to gain promotion barring an almighty second leg failure at Berwick.

I know with teams north of the Tay they go into the Highland league so not an issue if facing HL opposition,  however for Berwick it would be presumably the LL or maybe some northern England non league division, which would leave the HL a member down. 

Do the league leave it a team down or allow applications from eligible teams for league membership?

Right now there's only real one club that can apply for the Highland League this close season: Banks O'Dee. The problem with that is they've said they're not applying. Within the rest of the Juniors and NCL you've only got Golspie Sutherland who are licensed but don't have floodlights. So worryingly, you might see ICT reserves try and get in.

Hopefully with a year for clubs and the league to consider the situation we might see some changes in the North.

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On 06/03/2019 at 11:07, Cyclizine said:

I think there needs to be a system where clubs can rise and fall across the whole country, without being segregated into separate grades. It needs to be a one that takes into account geography, population and numbers of clubs. Club density North v South is completely different. We don't really have a nice even way to divide up the country into nice even regions. Even North/West/East as the junior regions go isn't equitable really. I've said before I think you need a system that allows for a deeper pyramid in the Lowland area and a shallower one in the Highlands - but doesn't make it 'harder' for a Lowland club to gain promotion. Pragmatically, this means different numbers of promotion slots depending on a club's location.

North /West/ East is fairly equitable - 68/66/85 clubs  

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15 hours ago, FairWeatherFan said:

Right now there's only real one club that can apply for the Highland League this close season: Banks O'Dee. The problem with that is they've said they're not applying. Within the rest of the Juniors and NCL you've only got Golspie Sutherland who are licensed but don't have floodlights. So worryingly, you might see ICT reserves try and get in.

Hopefully with a year for clubs and the league to consider the situation we might see some changes in the North.

This highlighted bit is my next issue I have thoughts on.  I would like to think that any bid to shoehorn any ICT reserve team into the league is rejected and any appeal as well.

I have been opposed to the idea of colt teams OF or otherwise being introduced to League 2 and I will take a similar stance here.

I hope any issue can be resolved to a reasonable degree of satisfaction for all concerned, I doubt everyone will be 100% satisfied with any outcome depending on their view or agenda.

Edited by CaspianChris
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