SWPL

[Mr.T]

After a few seasons of SWPL who still thinks it's a good league? Who would rather go back to the old days? Has footie in Cornwall and Devon stagnated.?

[best]

Premier good standard

West and East same standard as PD premier. Poor

[ravo]

dont agree with that best. Bottom of the premier would do ok in east or west. The top from east or west would do ok in the premier. the west is the strongest.Have you seen he p+d bud?

[Nemesis]

Isn't the SWPL Prem the same as the old SWL ? Teams from all over Devon & Cornwall, just as it was as far as I can see. Agree that until natural order is found with the top sides making their way up to the Prem, things will be a bit disjointed.

[ravo]

More teams are in the system but think if you could take the best of the three leagues then it would be a quality league.

[Can't keep up?!]

Think more teams need to be promoted / relegated. Godolphin worthy winners of league this year, Helston and Wadebridge would hold their own also. Say 2 up from SWPL West and 2 from SWPL East. To make those leagues more interesting the 2nd promotion place should be a playoff between places 2 - 5, gives teams a bit more to play for.

[best]

Helston. Goldophin, Exmouth, Stoke Gabriel should all be in the premier. That would make it a very strong league.

But saying that, East and West would be very poor.

[Boleyn57]

I think one of the big issues is the lack of stability and consistency at many clubs. A club can have a really good team one season, then a terrible one the next. You only have to take Liverton as an example. I appreciate it's an early shout but they could be next season's Penzance. All it takes is a change of manager or a reduction in the budget and most players will leave. With a little bit of loyalty it could be a brilliant league.

[Kettle]

This league has lots of average players who have an over inflated opinion of their own ability and expect ridiculous sums of money.

Clubs that allow these sums to be paid and don't invest in their facilities should be ashamed. There is also a major increase in people within technical areas who are very quick to verbally abuse anyone around them, with vicious, personal attacks, demonstrating no respect whatsoever for the game, their clubs or themselves.

These people know who they are, as do many of the league officers, having witnessed it first hand.

The referees are benefitting with promotions if they are decent, but until clubs can convince players to take up a whole day to take part in something they could do in half a day and receive the same or better money for it, promotion will remain an FA aspiration only.

There are some great people behind the scenes who give up so much time and effort for free, it's a shame that's not recognised more by those that get to play.

Football at this level gets taken too seriously by some that's for sure. Enjoy your hobby, it's not life or death!

[Willser !]

Premier good standard

West and East same standard as PD premier. Poor

Really? PD Premier is barely East Cornwall level!

[Ian Pethick]

Agree with Stuart Dudley .

Don't see how a return to the South Western League would improve standards in the West of Cornwall though . Would that have stopped Falmouth Town totally mortgaging their future by overspending on players that were brought in from higher leagues and far afield ?

Standard of football has been falling for years . This years Peninsula League is noticeably poorer than last season, Buckland were promoted ,Saltash have gone backwards and Falmouth are in crisis . Bodmin Town are probably not as strong as they have been in the past,but they haven't needed to be . Most of the regulars at Parkway are of the opinion that we have a far weaker squad than a couple of seasons ago .

There are a lot of bang average players around who are massively overrated ( and overpaid) They would probably be playing at P&D,East Cornwall or Combo level if they had been around 20-25 years ago .

No doubt they will all be climbing on the great summer transfer "merry go round " in a couple of months time.....

[DGGG]

Where is stated that playing Devon sides makes Cornish sides better.

Cornwall's cricketers didn't regularly play Devon sides and collectively they won the Minor Counties last season.

[Ian Pethick]

Premier good standard

West and East same standard as PD premier. Poor

Really? PD Premier is barely East Cornwall level!

Not a P&D watcher myself ,but one or two people I know reckon that there are some decent teams in that league . Former Pensinsula League players are opting to play at that level through being unable/unwilling to commit to the extra travelling .

As for the East Cornwall Premier , have seen a couple of matches this season . If I was being honest , I would say it was almost Sunday league stuff . Can see why Parkway Seconds have been so convincing in that league .

[Goldeneye]

Agree with Stuart Dudley .

Me too! Especially the fact that football at this level is a 'HOBBY'. A couple of seasons ago I had a good laugh when I overheard a local player, who was gettting about £30 per game, describe himself as a semi-professional footballer!

Also agree totally with Way of the Park.

[Dave Deacon]

Football at this level gets taken too seriously by some that's for sure. Enjoy your hobby, it's not life or death!

I think this sums it up really - doesn't seem to be half the fun out there on the pitch any more.

[hoppit]

Until clubs are either made to take promotion or are relegated if thy don't nothing will change. I have harped on about this for years and all i get in the main is ridicule and insults. It maybe a pain travelling for teams the first few years but as more Cornish/Devon teams get promoted the less the travelling will become. Saying you can't afford to go up is a cop out. If you can afford to stay at the top of the league you play in year in year out you can afford to go up within your budget. The worse that could happen then is that you get relegated and you are back where you started at no extra cost. There is no need to be bankrupt

[iamfootie]

I understand y teams like bodmin dont go up when they win every thing in this league. Think of all the prize money they are winning. They must be loving that every year.

[BIG AL]

This is very true. What inc incentive is there for any team to turn up and play Bodmin when they know there is no chance of winning ? I cannot understand what satisfaction Bodmin get knowing when they play they are always going to win. The swpl officials should insist that they take promotion.

[Nemesis]

So why bother having fancy facilities for Refs to have a pee in private, spend fortunes on getting ground gradings and installing or updating floodlights, if all you want is hobby football. Hobby football is catered for by pub teams on a Sunday morning or 'Junior' Leagues.

Once you start talking about Step 6 and FA Vase trips, this is far more than a hobby. Clubs have supporters, real supporters who follow sides wherever they play, regardless of who wears the shirt, it is more than a hobby to them, it is a major part of their week. Many of them will have put in hours of hard work to enable games to be played, are they not entitled to watch a higher standard than a few mates enjoying a hobby ?

If managers and players want hobby football, please do us all a favour during the summer, join a pub team, play on a Sunday morning with a pint and a fag at half time, leave the real football to those of us who care. Yes I'm against paying silly money, but it is a bit rich for some of the posters on here to knock it, when their clubs are as guilty as most others.

Simply put, if you play for your local club, then enjoy it for what it is, your club. If you travel to play, take 25p per mile max and if you can car share, then let the club know so the figure can be adjusted. Away travel should be covered by the club, be it on a minibus or to cover drivers fuel and other incidentals, inc a fair reflection of road tax & Insurance costs.

With no disrespect to those at the bottom end of the SWPL East & West, those clubs are a world away from the top sides in the Prem, including the old established clubs with floodlights, seated stands etc. Camelford are the best example of the SWPL raising standards, others are not too far behind, even the original 'pub team' Godolphin have joined the ranks with plans for floodlights and a seated stand. What the 'G' have achieved in a very short period of time is how it should be. If you want to be a pub team player, then drop down the leagues, let the likes of Godolphin, Helston and even Sticker raise the bar further.

At the top end, if The FA carried through with the promise of travel assistance to clubs looking to take promotion to Step 5, then we would see a rapid improvement in the quality of local football, the ambitious clubs would be tempted to make the big leap forward and eventually, the Western League Prem would extend all the way down the M5 and A30 / A38.

[Robbo5]

It's good a topic like this can be debated about. I give up a lot of time for Bovey Tracey now running the first team website, emailing Herald Express match reports, helping out in training, doing physio when the main girl is away, organising social events to bring money in and getting involved in warm ups pre-match. Hey I'm even signed on to play if ever I was needed for what, no money. I love football always have and always will. I do it to help the club not because I want money for it. If they offered money then they offer for good will rather than because I should be paid for it. I'm even doing our programme for next season as I want the club to win best programme therefore clubs who play at Mill Marsh Park I want supporters to dig in for just 50p to buy one.

Sometimes I see players swearing at their own managers on the pitch and still get £50-60 a game. If this happens in Premier League they lose 20-30% of their wage. But I believe players being paid should be on bonus only, scoring goals, assists, clean sheets etc... This would see the players on high money putting more effort to earn their mone than some that sit on the bench, don't come on and still get paid.