Mike Odgers Posted December 30, 2007 Report Share Posted December 30, 2007 With Falmouth Town and Plymouth Parkway making it public interest to progress to the Western League Premier,what are the desires of other top table clubs Saltash,Bodmin , Dartmouth and Torpoint(the latter two still without floodlights)? To finish second knowing the top team were not applying would be a gateway to the WL. When is the application deadline? From a personal point of view following Falmouth I would enjoy another season or two on the South West Peninsula League circuit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Phil H Posted December 30, 2007 Report Share Posted December 30, 2007 Mike you must be a mind reader ! I had prepared a statement for the next newsletter (next weekend) ready to educate all ! One side note, a club having been granted dispensation for 1 step up the pyramid cannot be granted another dispensation until the 1st one is complied with, so Dartmouth & Torpoint etc would have to install their lights by 1st April this season to go up another level. Statement will be made next weekend and will post it here as well as on the SWPL forum Phil H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sport Lover Posted December 31, 2007 Report Share Posted December 31, 2007 Any club gaining promotion should have to take it otherwise it makes a laughing stock of the league PYRAMID system. Doesnt PYRAMID mean you filter up to the tip of a PYRAMID by promotion and relegation. If the club doesnt want to be in the higher league for what ever reason then dont play in the league just below. NO other sport operates a choice in whether you take promotion so why Cornish football? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoleftfeet Posted December 31, 2007 Report Share Posted December 31, 2007 Are any of the ECPL, Combination teams etc applying for for promotion to the Peninsula League? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Odgers Posted December 31, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2007 Truro City Reserves for sure-as long as their first team get into the Southern League Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Deacon Posted December 31, 2007 Report Share Posted December 31, 2007 I agree that it makes a mockery of promotion and relegation, but the rules se they can't take promotion if their facilities are not up the required standards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Home Waters Posted January 2, 2008 Report Share Posted January 2, 2008 <_< most clubs cannot afford to jump from one league to the next, funds have to be found to secure their place in their present league without moving on. I have no doubt that when funds are available then clubs would want to move up. If you had a situation where clubs had to take promotion it would soon bring an end to the pyramid system, or indeed an end to any league system which had ground standards. We would be back to 'friendlies' and changing from the boots of cars. :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sport Lover Posted January 2, 2008 Report Share Posted January 2, 2008 I understand what your saying distant shore but if you let clubs decide whether they can afford to go up then the pyramid systems doesnt exist anyway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornishteddyboy Posted January 2, 2008 Report Share Posted January 2, 2008 Perhaps the jump wouldn't be so bad if the next step up was the Western League Div 1 (West) which would cover Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorest. There would also be a Div 1 (East), to cover teams from Avon, Hsmpshire, Wiltshire and Gloucestshire. The Western League Premier (step 5) would then cover the whole area. Both these Divisions, East and West, to be level 6 with the SWPL leagues each dropping down a grading level from 6 and 7 to 7 and 8. The ECPL and Combo, etc would also drop a level and so on down the leagues. This would make it cheaper for the teams stepping up from the SWPL Premier to the Western League with only a bit more travelling etc instead of every other week having to travel all the way to Bristol and beyond. Players wages would stay roughly the same as now in the SWPL Premier as most people say players are overpaid now. Sorry players only reflecting what posters on the forum say. It would be interesting, putting aside players wages, to see the books of a SWPL Premier club to find out how much the new league has cost teams such as St Blazey, Liskeard and Falmouth. The biggest fear of promotion to the Western League Premier is costs. By regionalising and putting another level of football in it then the jump up would not be so great on Cornish clubs. The Western League Div 1 West and East could have 16 teams in each (21 in Div 1 at present) allowing 11 clubs to make the step up now. Promotion of 2 up and down from the SWPL Premier both at the top and bottom, changing 4 out of 18 teams per year. Both SWPL Div 1 East and West to be 18 teams with 1 from the top and 2 off the bottom meaning a one/sixith changover each season. Promotion to the SWPL Div 1 West to be 2 teams from 3 leagues and both could come from say the Combo or ECPL if need be. We ave to get rid of the huge jump in costs between the SWPL Premier and Western League Premier or the SWPL Premier will become like the old SWL where only 4 teams made the jump and of them 3 came back down (Falmoth, Saltash and Likeard) and one might yet (Truro). It will stagnate in a couple of years and then supporters will drift away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Home Waters Posted January 2, 2008 Report Share Posted January 2, 2008 :( So whats the answer then SL. If you forced clubs to go up, how would they exist, how would all the ground improvements be done to meet the standards? Who would give them the finance? With the pyramid system, it allows those clubs that over the years with ambitions, to play at a higher level, it allows them time to collect their thoughts and finances, it offers incentives to clubs to be better run, to seek support from local business and FA grants etc. It allows them to improve the facilities for supporters. If clubs were promoted without standards you could end up with some teams playing on crap pitches, soaked in mud and sloping like the north face of the Eiger, whilst others in the same league would have bowling greens. The Pyramid system for all its faults has brought vastly improved facilities to clubs that only dreamed of it in the past. Mind you we still await for the improvement in football to arrive. :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sport Lover Posted January 2, 2008 Report Share Posted January 2, 2008 How about, just for a thought. Players didnt take so much in 'expenses' allowing the club to invest in facilities like floodlights small stands. Thats one idea. Another idea would be financial support from lottery grants/sports associations,councils etc etc. Wendron seemed to have mananged to build fantastic facilities that I am sure would take them up the ladder two or 3 steps. Fund raising. Local business sponsorship. If the team that wins the league refuses promotion they should suffer a penalty and the next team in the league be offered promotion. Or are we saying that 99% of teams in Cornwall only play for the fun and have no ambition at all? The league should be able to offer some sort of condition of acceptance that the work required could be done over a set period and with help from them ensure it gets done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 2, 2008 Report Share Posted January 2, 2008 It is a difficult subject but if you don't have rules then what is the point of playing in the first place. I was one of many - a few years ago that felt promotion should be earned on the field of play, but over the years I can understand why the new rules have been brought in. Many clubs have a limit as to how far they can go. Whether it be facilites (which includes covered seated areas and floodlights), size of population in area for support or finance. If a club has these three points then why shouldn't they go for a higher position in the pyramid. Crikey when I played senior football at times the changing rooms were just about fit for animals, but those times have gone. Twoleftfeet asked if any teams from the ECPL have applied to join the Peninsula League. To the best of my knowledge none have from the ECPL. I know Godolphin are keen to give it a go but they will have to accept the laid down criteria. But when you look at the rest of the leading teams. Clubs with reserve teams like Torpoint Atheltic and Saltash United won't be allowed to neither will Tamarside. despite having floodlights I understand their pitch is to small. Morwenstow would also find it difficult to progress because as nice a club as they are they do not have floodlights etc. There is a limit to how far a club can progress and that will always without exception be decided on finance. Without it you can't build a seated grandstand or put up floodlights. Once you go into the upper echelons of the Peninsula league out of the top six possibles Saltash United have lights, Dartmouth don't, Falmouth do, Plymouth Parkway do, Bodmin Town do and Torpoint Athletic don't It would appear Falmouth Town and Plymouth Parkway have indicated they will give it a go if they finish high enough. Saltash and Bodmin have as far as I know have not indicated anything. Dartmouth and Torpoint can't unless they have lights installed by the end of the season. (I think I am right) Of the top teams in Division One East Budleigh have lights, so does Exmouth, Newton Abbot and Ottery St Mary. Totnes & Dartington and Stoke Gabriel do not. So it shouldn't be a problem for promotion from that division. It should also not be a problem for the top three Division One West teams Porthleven, Penryn and Wadebridge although the next two Dobwalls and Mousehole do not. As I understand it any team wishing to take promotion into the Western League Premier Division must make application by 7th January. We will have to wait for Mr Hiscox newsletter to see who has and who hasn't decided to apply to move up. It may also say which team/s have decided to drop out of the Peninsula League. We keep hearing rumours but unless we hear officially then that is all they are - rumours. According to the league handbook the next full Peninsula League Board meeting is tomorrow (3rd January) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornishteddyboy Posted January 2, 2008 Report Share Posted January 2, 2008 SL. The problem regarding financial sponsorship is that the "pot" in Cornwall is small. Very few large firms to be approached. How much would a club want to have a main sponsor on a shirt. £5-10,000 per season in the Western League Premier. Any less would make the jump in costs between leagues unvialble. This means you would need a firm that would find it useful to advertise. It wouldn't be your local corner garage or accountant as they would gain nothing from players wearing shirts with their name plastered on it playing away in Bristol. You need firms such as Ginsters as shirt sponsors and there are not many of those sort of firms down here. Programme advertising would be local as would ground adverts so not much increase in income there. The increase must come from match attendances and shirt sponsors. Lottery money only seems to be available to clubs that are or were growing such as Hayle or Wendron. Who else has had some money from the lottery down here? FA money is going into improving facilities for children and ladies teams. Going off subject a second. Did anyone see tht news story that Cornwall might be getting special status in the ECC again due to lack of infrastucture and might get the same as Objective 1 funding. Wouldn't it be great if the council could put in plans to build a "Stadium For Cornwall" that could then be rented out to Truro and The Cornish Pirates plus be used for other events. This would put less finacial strain on both clubs. Imagine the Cornwall Senior Cup Final or Cornwall Rugby Cup Final in such as stadium. 10,000 all-seater would do with a new running track and training pitches. Olympics are coming so ideal time to push for sports funding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornishteddyboy Posted January 2, 2008 Report Share Posted January 2, 2008 Having been posting at the same time as ECPL it is interesting to note that no team from that league has applied to join the SWPL West. Looking at the title race for the Combo this year perhaps it would be great if both Truro City Reserves and Helston could be promoted from the Combo. Helston should have got in last year. How many people know they used to be in the SWL from 1953 to 72? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyebrows33 Posted January 5, 2008 Report Share Posted January 5, 2008 CTB - Yeah work with a ex Helston SW league player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porker Posted January 5, 2008 Report Share Posted January 5, 2008 Come on Eyebrows what do you mean "work" you aint done a hard days graft in yer life.(crap card player as well ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippy Posted January 6, 2008 Report Share Posted January 6, 2008 Perhaps the jump wouldn't be so bad if the next step up was the Western League Div 1 (West) which would cover Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorest. There would also be a Div 1 (East), to cover teams from Avon, Hsmpshire, Wiltshire and Gloucestshire. The Western League Premier (step 5) would then cover the whole area. We ave to get rid of the huge jump in costs between the SWPL Premier and Western League Premier or the SWPL Premier will become like the old SWL where only 4 teams made the jump and of them 3 came back down (Falmoth, Saltash and Likeard) and one might yet (Truro). It will stagnate in a couple of years and then supporters will drift away. The SWPL Premier is effectively Western League Div 1 (West) already, with the Western League Div 1 now being the feeder from East (Bristol, Somerset plus eastern parts of Wiltshire and Dorset). The exception is Elmore who are the remaining Devon club in WL1 and may see the light and transfer to the SWPL. Clyst Rovers have doubled their home attendances since switching leagues. Leave Hampshire and east Dorset & Wilts step 5 clubs in the Wessex League, likewise Gloucestshire in the Hellenic. Lets not forget this season has 6 Western League Premier clubs from Devon/Cornwall, which I understand is the highest since the league began. Would have been 7 if Torrington had not folded! Clearly if a few more clubs can make the step up than half the away trips are within Devon/Cornwall than travelling costs are more manageable. A great benefit of the SWPL is that all the Devon/Cornwall clubs going to the Western League are in the one division (except Elmore), not split between two divisions (4 in WP, 4 in WL1 last season) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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