Ladies Football - Is the League Table meaningless?

[cornishteddyboy]

So far this season St Agnes, who lead the League table have only played two games, and one was abandoned, have 12 points from 4 games. They have only played one game for full time, having had 3 walkovers.

With several sides calling off games the League Table for this season should be forgotten and the remaining games played as friendlies, whilst still retaining the cup matches.

Anyone else agree?

Here is the website.

http://full-time.thefa.com/Index.do?divisionseason=175230037&league=265458316

and the fixtures grid making a mockery of the league system

http://full-time.thefa.com/FixturePublicGrid.do?divisionseason=175230037&league=265458316

[Guest]

Women's football at county level is going through a very bad period. But what we must not forget is that EIGHT teams are playing at a higher level. Truro City, Launceston, Callington Town, Charlestown, Newquay Celtic, Illogan RBL, Dobwalls and Bude Town are all playing in the South West Regional League. In years gone by all these team would have been playing at county level and we would not be having this conversation. To critisize the league will not do anyone any good. The league are doing their best in trying to develop the womens game at county level and they should be praised not critisized. So what is the problem, I would suggest it is no different than in the men's game at the lower level where managers find they have 15 players on a Friday night and seven on Saturday morning. So what do you suggest Cornishteddyboy, scrap it all together. No you try to find solutions. What is it that stops young kids both boys and girls give up the game once they leave school, solve that and you will solve the problem, but please don't mock what in effect is a great success for womens football in Cornwall. With people like Mandy KIimmins in charge the league will come through this dark stage.

[cornishteddyboy]

I am not knocking the league, all I am saying is perhaps JUST the league table should be abandoned for a season and the remaining fixtures played as friendlies. Teams could then lend players to make up sides of 11 making the games less one sided.

Perhaps the league could pre-postpone matches for the sides that are having problems with getting sides to travel away such as Mullion who have called off all their away games so far. These games could be played later on in the season when sides might have had a chance to build up their squads.

This couldn't happen in cup games so they should be played as normal with the sides teams turn up with.

I enjoy watching ladies soccer and like you despair at it's problems.

[Scooby]

I believe looking at the League in isolation does not show the whole healthier picture. Mandy and the League along with Warren Parker at County are developing a good grassroots pathway for girls to progress into adult football. We are trying our hardest at Culdrose to intitiate the Ladies team in order to provide our girl's teams with an exit from Youth Football and know there are others clubs doing likewise but there is no point starting up new teams at the detriment of other local teams. We are trying to attract new women to the game or grow our own so that the game grows rather than players just shuffling from team to team. I think you wil see the women's game and the league go from strength in the next 3-5 years.

[Guest]

As I said the picture is not so bad as there are 8 teams playing at a higher level.

[Mandy K Aggiemaid]

Thank you Paul for your interest in the CWFL.

Last season the CWFL committee spent the first 3 months of the season doing exactly as you suggest delaying the start of the season/re-fixturing games and even holding an EGM to agree to playing some matches at 9 v 9 all of which failed to have the positive result we hoped for and teams we were trying to support folded anyway.

At this years AGM member clubs voted that we would simply start the season as we should and games would be forfeited etc as some clubs were unhappy with the disruption caused by attempts to give clubs time to resolve their problems.

I raised the suggestion of 9 v 9 again and even running a 7 aside friendly division - all voted against by the member clubs of the league.

In March this year we arranged an emergency committee meeting with the CCFA and following that a future planning meeting was held with the CCFA and clubs - we are now back in touch with the CCFA to see where this has moved forwards.

The CWFL have supported clubs by providing each with training equipment/match balls and First Aid kits/ given existing clubs free league affiliation and offered to financially support coaching/first aid courses etc....

I am not sure how taking the league table down would achieve anything or create any more fixtures/teams or players and I can't see how within SCOR it could be done anyway.

In short we have tried everything you suggest and a lot more and hope to hold on to every team we presently have - hopefully there will be more clubs out there looking to field ladies sides too - if there are please get in touch.

As ECPL said there are more sides above the CWFL playing within Cornwall and each season we lose one upwards with promotion without anyone coming down as the SWWFL isn't full either.

We are happy to listen to anyone with any new ideas or thoughts on how to improve the ladies game but some constructive and positive input would be hugely appreciated as hopefully you will see there are some very hard working volunteers trying to keep it all going.

In short the league this season is being run in the way the member clubs voted for at the AGM and we do have 6 sides who are turning out full squads amongst the couple who are struggling.

Mandy

Chair CWFL/Manager St Agnes AFC Ladies Mob:07974 370666 Email: bolsterpaper@gmail.com