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Highland Pyramid


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17 hours ago, Robert James said:

The Press & Journal has published an article (25/7/21)   "Shooting for the HFL"  which identifies 4 NCL clubs as being interested in becoming licensed and reaching the Highland League.

They are St Duthus, Orkney, and Alness Utd

All those clubs would have pretty big obstacles to overcome. Tain play on essentially an open playing field; Orkney would need to do less to their facilities but would have the basic issue of funding far more travel (they say it would explode from £20k to £100k!) plus how to make midweek games; Alness plays from a secondary school and have no dressing rooms of their own.

It's interesting that several of them are saying 5 to 10 years. "Long grass" territory.

Halkirk and most obviously Inverness Athletic are more advanced facilities-wise. Thurso and Invergordon have some more basic elements. It looks to me as if North Caley may end-up to HL what South has to LL i.e. no more than a couple of clubs eligible and maybe struggle to win any playoff.

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26 minutes ago, HibeeJibee said:

All those clubs would have pretty big obstacles to overcome. Tain play on essentially an open playing field; Orkney would need to do less to their facilities but would have the basic issue of funding far more travel (they say it would explode from £20k to £100k!) plus how to make midweek games; Alness plays from a secondary school and have no dressing rooms of their own.

It's interesting that several of them are saying 5 to 10 years. "Long grass" territory.

Halkirk and most obviously Inverness Athletic are more advanced facilities-wise. Thurso and Invergordon have some more basic elements. It looks to me as if North Caley may end-up to HL what South has to LL i.e. no more than a couple of clubs eligible and maybe struggle to win any playoff.

Yeah the NCL is clearly the weakest of the 3 leagues in terms of facilities.  Having seen some games over the last few years, it's the weakest in terms of quality too.

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Bunillidh Thistle have an excellent social club and changing rooms, and a decent ground. Not sure if they'd be allowed to fence off the ground though with it being next to a war memorial and a monument to emigrants during the clearances. They're in abeyance for another year anyway.

Edited by welshbairn
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On 02/07/2021 at 14:36, HibeeJibee said:

All those clubs would have pretty big obstacles to overcome. Tain play on essentially an open playing field; Orkney would need to do less to their facilities but would have the basic issue of funding far more travel (they say it would explode from £20k to £100k!) plus how to make midweek games; Alness plays from a secondary school and have no dressing rooms of I agree wioth their own.

It's interesting that several of them are saying 5 to 10 years. "Long grass" territory.

Halkirk and most obviously Inverness Athletic are more advanced facilities-wise. Thurso and Invergordon have some more basic elements. It looks to me as if North Caley may end-up to HL what South has to LL i.e. no more than a couple of clubs eligible and maybe struggle to win any playoff.

 

 There certainly are big challenges for NCL clubs.  Geography/travel, climate, and summer football considerations, add to the 'normal'  problems faced by Scottish non league clubs.  Nevertheless, the clubs concerned are pleased that the pyramid has opened up for them.   I wish them well.

However after years of wrangling (on P&B), it is a major achievement that the Highland region now has a pyramid of three separate leagues, which sit alongside the Lowland's three feeder leagues.

It will be interesting to see how the future unfolds.    

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The SFA should be providing travel grants to all remote sub-SPFL teams/leagues (based on expenses proven; not sub money to sign some puffing, has-been centre forward instead). It's an absolute pittance of the money that they're coining in off the back of making up the numbers at an international tournament. 

Midweek games should be reduced with the aim of eradication by producing a more rational fixture list with 30/26 league games and a first week of July start - if not earlier - to create more slack in the calendar to catch up games at weekends later on. League/regional cups should be by voluntary participation so that teams who can't justify the potential midweek games can sit them out. 

There would be understandable pushback to at least some of those changes but that is how it would be rationally set up if we weren't dealing with historical baggage. If the system does not allow clubs to equally aspire to the SPFL because of geography then it is fit for the bin. 

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6 hours ago, virginton said:

The SFA should be providing travel grants to all remote sub-SPFL teams/leagues (based on expenses proven

This would be the ideal scenario. But smaller regions in the first place would have made things easier at the bottom. 

More teams participating, means more players playing, you'd think that would be the focus of the SFA, over the wants of larger clubs.

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Would prefer to see the three champions clubs have a straight knock out with the HL bottom 3, winner takes all. Old fashioned I know, just like to see champions get a deserved promotion. Too many clubs continually finish around the bottom with no real chance to improve, need to find a level. At least ambitious clubs are starting to see a pathway, albeit slowly.

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8 hours ago, virginton said:

The SFA should be providing travel grants to all remote sub-SPFL teams/leagues 

Not the same but a couple of seasons ago the HFL set aside a pot of money so that if clubs had set out to say, let's just pick a random club like ehhh Fort William and they were on the road and game was called off, they can they be reimbursed the costs of travel.

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SRU subsidises travel which has allowed clubs like Caithness, Orkney and Shetland to play in nationwide leagues.

Some years ago one of the smaller rugby clubs in Hawick was able to charter a plane for a cup-tie in Northern Isles.

Suspect any sort of subsidy would be anathema to SFA unfortunately.

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2 hours ago, HibeeJibee said:

SRU subsidises travel which has allowed clubs like Caithness, Orkney and Shetland to play in nationwide leagues.

Some years ago one of the smaller rugby clubs in Hawick was able to charter a plane for a cup-tie in Northern Isles.

Suspect any sort of subsidy would be anathema to SFA unfortunately.

Yeah, looked into it a few years ago, it goes right down to school level and doesn't massively impinge on their budget.

There's a mindset at the SFA that's still fixated on the days of Celtic and Rangers players all being bred in the mining villages around Glasgow that hasn't really left them.

Edited by welshbairn
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1 minute ago, RossBFaeDundee said:

Are there any updates whatsoever regarding the NRJFA's progress to becoming a feeder league? It's July and I feel like I've heard absolutely nothing, at least the Midlands League has released its fixtures.

The North has released their fixtures as well. 

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1 minute ago, FairWeatherFan said:

The North has released their fixtures as well. 

Fair enough, I just find their social media presence is slightly more lacking. Well aware that may just be a 'me' thing. Are they just continuing with their usual structure in the juniors?

Edited by RossBFaeDundee
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5 minutes ago, RossBFaeDundee said:

Fair enough, I just find their social media presence is slightly more lacking. Well aware that may just be a 'me' thing. Are they just continuing with their usual structure in the juniors?

14-8-9 due to Buckie Rovers and Spey Valley United in abeyance.

They've always been considered one of the weaker presences. Some of the individual teams do well social media wise.

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9 minutes ago, FairWeatherFan said:

14-8-9 due to Buckie Rovers and Spey Valley United in abeyance.

They've always been considered one of the weaker presences. Some of the individual teams do well social media wise.

Thanks, I know this has all been covered before but I've been more focused on the Midlands League. I think it's not very good if someone genuinely trying to search for stuff like fixtures can't find them. I'm sure I'll find them here, but just shows to me some improvements maybe need to be made in the social media department.

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1 hour ago, RossBFaeDundee said:

Thanks, I know this has all been covered before but I've been more focused on the Midlands League. I think it's not very good if someone genuinely trying to search for stuff like fixtures can't find them. I'm sure I'll find them here, but just shows to me some improvements maybe need to be made in the social media department.

There's more of a presence on FitbaNorth than here. Fixtures are here: http://www.fitbanorth.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=8774&start=20#p770017

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3 hours ago, RossBFaeDundee said:

Thanks, I know this has all been covered before but I've been more focused on the Midlands League. I think it's not very good if someone genuinely trying to search for stuff like fixtures can't find them. I'm sure I'll find them here, but just shows to me some improvements maybe need to be made in the social media department.

Most of these leagues have a volunteer retiree secretary working under the stairs at home in a make shift office, they don't have social media departments unless young Kevin next door is a bit handy and his Mum makes him help.

Edited by welshbairn
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1 hour ago, welshbairn said:

Most of these leagues have a volunteer retiree secretary working under the stairs at home in a make shift office, they don't have social media departments unless young Kevin next door is a bit handy and him Mum makes him help.

NCL (and St Duthus) is lucky to have @NiallFH who does an excellent job! Also special mention to @RH33 the unofficial HFL liaison to P&B...

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1 hour ago, welshbairn said:

Most of these leagues have a volunteer retiree secretary working under the stairs at home in a make shift office, they don't have social media departments unless young Kevin next door is a bit handy and his Mum makes him help.

HFL is much more professional than that, their secretary working on the upstairs landing with his able side kick Bronson.

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