After FA move, club resigns from league!

[Dave Deacon]

http://www.pewseyvaleafc.co.uk/news/
 

 

[Quiet Man]

This could be the destiny of any Cornish club from the far West. The FA just do not understand. 

[Tommy Matthews]

I remember a few years ago and Falmouth were hoping to move up to the Western League. It was the Easter weekend and Town were at home to Porthleven and it was rammed. I couldn’t help but think if the were home to Pewsey Vale what a difference the gate/income to the club would be? 

Very sad to hear but people’s work/life balance has changed dramatically over the last decade and it shows how quickly you can go from being a successful club to one that is close to collapse. Let’s not forget it’s even harder if you’re a Cornish club. 

[Philheybrookbay]

However Pewsey Vale have been in the last 20 years, acWestern League club, Hellenic League Club and Wessex League on top of a drop to the Wiltshire league before as well. This was the only time they've been 'forced' into a league. 

 

Personally I think they wanted to stay in the easy option of Hellenic 1W. But that's not an option now. 

 

[Jeff Chambers]

The FA have not considered the impact getting "promoted" would have only little clubs way down in Cornwall. Step 6, step 5..who cares ? its non league football. Local derbies bring the crowds in. Small clubs without the income travelling 300 miles for a game against a club we've never heard of.. yea right !! A recipe for disaster. 

[The Town Man]

Promotion for a Cornish club will never be financially viable.  Look at Truro City.  The only way it will work is if someone has millions and is prepared to spend his money with absolutely no chance of turning a profit.  Maybe as a plaything or hobby. Then you have to get a set of players who are up for the travelling.  Realistically they would have to be Plymouth or Exeter-based. Probably the manager also. Hence, no training in Cornwall and just travel down for home games.

No allegiance to the town for the home players and no local boys for the fans to get behind.  All a bit soul-less really and of course attendances will suffer.

Accept that further take-up for promotion for Cornish clubs will make the leagues a bit more local but still wont be enough to make it financially viable.

Cornish geography dictates that it just does not work I am afraid and the FA need to understand that, and either start funding the travelling like the RFU do in Rugby, or just leave us to take promotion if and when we decide to.

 

[Rayvon]

You are spot on with your comments Town Man although I don't think attendances would suffer in the long run, it is what it is unfortunately as far as the FA are concerned, play by there rules or get left to stagnate in a small pond. There are advantages of climbing the steps with promotion and that is that the prize money does get quite considerable, Truro City made a small fortune when they got to Wembley and also when they got to the first round proper of the FA Cup,  but are any other Cornish clubs prepared to take the risk, only time will tell.

[Rayvon]

Forgot to mention if you are lucky enough to do well in a cup competition and manage to get your game televised then you are set up for years if the winnings are spent wisely of course.

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

1 hour ago, The Town Man said:

Promotion for a Cornish club will never be financially viable.  Look at Truro City.  The only way it will work is if someone has millions and is prepared to spend his money with absolutely no chance of turning a profit.  Maybe as a plaything or hobby. Then you have to get a set of players who are up for the travelling.  Realistically they would have to be Plymouth or Exeter-based. Probably the manager also. Hence, no training in Cornwall and just travel down for home games.

No allegiance to the town for the home players and no local boys for the fans to get behind.  All a bit soul-less really and of course attendances will suffer.

Accept that further take-up for promotion for Cornish clubs will make the leagues a bit more local but still wont be enough to make it financially viable.

Cornish geography dictates that it just does not work I am afraid and the FA need to understand that, and either start funding the travelling like the RFU do in Rugby, or just leave us to take promotion if and when we decide to.

 

It took Falmouth to the brink of bankruptcy and nearly losing their ground to realise that.

[Hetty]

I’ve heard that step 6 clubs will not be invited into FA Cup from next season! 

[Jeff Chambers]

Cornwall should breakaway from the step system and all the club's buy into it.  Just imagine the size of crowds that a Truro v Town game would attract if they played competitively.  Interest in local football would soar also. Only my opinion of course. 

[Hetty]

That would be disastrous 

[Jeff Chambers]

35 minutes ago, Hetty said:

That would be disastrous 

Not as disastrous as a club trying to survive in a so called higher league on a shoe string. Start losing every week, playing in front of no fans and can't raise a team to travel to Bristol for a mid-week game.  I repeat its only my opinion Hetty so open to discussion. Would'nt it be better to keep all the best players in the area, playing for the local clubs, like it used to be. Players that are above this standard with a chance of playing in the football league professionally could still do it, but do it their own way.

[Quiet Man]

When did Truro get to the first round proper of the FA Cup?

[hedgerow]

12 minutes ago, Quiet Man said:

When did Truro get to the first round proper of the FA Cup?

Couple of seasons ago. They played Charlton away 

[Quiet Man]

Cheers.

[Dave Deacon]

4 hours ago, Jeff Chambers said:

Cornwall should breakaway from the step system and all the club's buy into it.  Just imagine the size of crowds that a Truro v Town game would attract if they played competitively.  Interest in local football would soar also. Only my opinion of course. 

It probably wouldn't be that disastrous for our current Step 6 sides. Only 2 in the FA Cup this season. However there wouldn't be any FA Vase, which would be a shame!

[Jeff Chambers]

1 hour ago, Dave Deacon said:

It probably wouldn't be that disastrous for our current Step 6 sides. Only 2 in the FA Cup this season. However there wouldn't be any FA Vase, which would be a shame!

 Good point Dave.  Didn't think of that.  

[Philheybrookbay]

If you read Tony Kempsters site, Pewsey Vale were moved into the Wessex from the Hellanic with LESS travelling for 2019-20.

 

[oliveoil]

We operate like the welsh league now top 3 clubs pay silly money to win league go nowhere and still get crowds off 200, at least in the English set up if you have money for progress you can take progress .TAVI EXMOUTH AND PARKWAY doing well and i would travel the extra 30 mins to watch them than to see a cornish side paying money and winning silverwear but going nowhere.

[leedsunited]

Guys, Cornish football is a back water. Apart from a sprinkling of players who have made it in the professional game we are second rate down here. Being good in Cornwall is fine stick these teams players further up the Country & way out of their depth ... Harsh but true. Cornish Football is a small environment, lots of players ' Could Of, Should Of, Would Of ' ... In reality if we're good enough they would of made it. 

[isaac rosenberg]

True. What's wrong with that ? Those of us who want to leave, leave. Those who want to stay can stay. Secede from the English FA and a set-up based on proximity to big clubs, populations, money and training facilities. Stop paying ridiculous levels of taxation to a distant government (the FA) which does not represent your interests at all; and is dominated by international plutocrats. Restore some community to football. Otherwise, in this poor Extremadura of the heart, it will die out altogether.

In 1497, the Cornish faced similar choices and fought back. Maybe they cared more about identity and starvation than most of us do about local football. Fair enough. Fight or die, your choice.

[oliveoil]

we all NO IF YOU VOTE TO LEAVE the rich will try and stop it 

[Alun Duckstein]

Olive oil, do you mean the Welsh league or the Cymru Premier, either way you're very wrong. Top three teams in the Cymru Premier play in Europe, and the attendances have risen every year. 

[Ian Pethick]

On ‎01‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 19:11, leedsunited said:

Guys, Cornish football is a back water. Apart from a sprinkling of players who have made it in the professional game we are second rate down here. Being good in Cornwall is fine stick these teams players further up the Country & way out of their depth ... Harsh but true. Cornish Football is a small environment, lots of players ' Could Of, Should Of, Would Of ' ... In reality if we're good enough they would of made it. 

Agree with you Leeds, too many clubs and players happy with being big fish in a small pond. See the stick that Helston and Steve Massey get on here for looking to push onwards and upwards, surprised that Mousehole don't attract similar attention. 

The performances of the Peninsula League West clubs in the FA Vase and Cup this season is a good marker for where they are.

[leedsunited]

1 hour ago, Way Of The Park said:

Agree with you Leeds, too many clubs and players happy with being big fish in a small pond. See the stick that Helston and Steve Massey get on here for looking to push onwards and upwards, surprised that Mousehole don't attract similar attention. 

The performances of the Peninsula League West clubs in the FA Vase and Cup this season is a good marker for where they are.

Always been the same in Cornwall, I have seen it over the last 50 years, the standard is poor, the better players are good locally but aren't up to the higher end of non league .. far from it. Like I said lots of people say ' Joe blogs was a great player in his day, tackle anything ' or ' He could score goals in any league ' in reality if these guys were could enough they would of made it somewhere .. always been the same

[Dave Deacon]

2 hours ago, Keith B said:

Correct. Adjust your sights so far as ambition goes. Cornwall is too far west and travel to away games will always cost you. Simply enjoy playing football at a level that is sustainable for all. Play for love of the game - the competition will always be hot because of all the local rivalry - thus comes the enjoyment and fulfillment.

As Jeff said - if a player is really top quality, he/she can always apply for a trial at a professional club.

Spot on Keith B! Far better way to look at what we’ve got rather than settling for ‘standard is poor’ stance!

[Jeff Chambers]

2 hours ago, Keith B said:

Correct. Adjust your sights so far as ambition goes. Cornwall is too far west and travel to away games will always cost you. Simply enjoy playing football at a level that is sustainable for all. Play for love of the game - the competition will always be hot because of all the local rivalry - thus comes the enjoyment and fulfillment.

As Jeff said - if a player is really top quality, he/she can always apply for a trial at a professional club.

Agree totally Keith. The grass isn't always greener the higher you go  and could turn easily into mud.  

[ECPL]

Unfortunately it is all about Geography. I doubt if the suits at the FA have ever used or seen a road map.

[Martin Eddy]

Bet most of them have never been down here

 

[Martin Eddy]

Would love to welcome anyone from the executive committee of the FA to our club to show them everything about our club, both on and off the pitch. Then let them explain to me how, it would be plausible for us as a club to climb the pyramid from Cornwall. We agreed to join the new St. Pirans league and yes I know we are not in a position to talk promotion, but this was the idea that they have sold to all clubs around the country. What I would say to them is we are not all playing on a level field. It would be nigh on impossible for a club from Cornwall to do it. Believe me I would love for a club in Cornwall to play in the Football leagues.

 

[Rayvon]

16 hours ago, leedsunited said:

Always been the same in Cornwall, I have seen it over the last 50 years, the standard is poor, the better players are good locally but aren't up to the higher end of non league .. far from it. Like I said lots of people say ' Joe blogs was a great player in his day, tackle anything ' or ' He could score goals in any league ' in reality if these guys were could enough they would of made it somewhere .. always been the same

Think you will find the situation will change dramatically when the S4C gets built Leeds. Truro and Penwith Colleges already doing there bit to promote Cornish Football in case you haven't already noticed. Chelsea for one have a local academy in the County with several players already signed on for the City. As I have said before the Isaac Vassels the Kieffer Moore's the Cody Cooke' s are out there, they just need that shop window to be displayed in. 

[We Two]

As Henry Ford once said " Whether you think you can, or think you can not, you're right." or in other words if you have the ambition you can make it work, if you don't it won't.

Postman Pat has a positive idea when he suggests that an official of the executive committee of the F.A. should be invited to explain how our clubs should deal with the logistics of being a cornish football club.          If no one from H.Q. is properly informed about the problem, how can they be expected to fix it.
No need to rely on the C.C.F.A. to put the case, get a reply straight from the horses mouth, make a case for cornish football if you think it's not being fairly treated, it could attract an interesting answer.

[Hetty]

14 hours ago, Keith B said:

Correct. Adjust your sights so far as ambition goes. Cornwall is too far west and travel to away games will always cost you. Simply enjoy playing football at a level that is sustainable for all. Play for love of the game - the competition will always be hot because of all the local rivalry - thus comes the enjoyment and fulfillment.

As Jeff said - if a player is really top quality, he/she can always apply for a trial at a professional club.

Yet teams like Bodmin are forever criticised for not taking promotion over the years.  
 

 

[Ian Pethick]

1 hour ago, Hetty said:

Yet teams like Bodmin are forever criticised for not taking promotion over the years.  
 

 

Possibly why the FA are now taking a firmer line regarding refusing promotion?

[Hetty]

That may well be the case, but over the years Bodmin have come in for criticism on this forum for not taking the step up, but now if reading this thread it seems acceptable by some for clubs to just be happy to play at step 6 and cut their cloth accordingly. 

Isn't that what Bodmin have done for years? 

[We Two]

Regardless of whether it's Bodmin or Boscastle, has any club officially approached the F.A. to state their case, or is it being left to the C.C.F.A. who by popular opinion on this forum are not doing enough about the situation.

[Rayvon]

6 minutes ago, Hetty said:

That may well be the case, but over the years Bodmin have come in for criticism on this forum for not taking the step up, but now if reading this thread it seems acceptable by some for clubs to just be happy to play at step 6 and cut their cloth accordingly. 

Isn't that what Bodmin have done for years? 

Fair point Hetty , I know I take the p out of Bodmin and there supporter but in the real world and without a benefactor Bodmin would definitely struggle financially  in the higher leagues. I was surprised at the weekend to see that Beaconsfield had only eighty three spectators for there game against Truro and that's in the Southern League, how do these teams survive?

[Ian Pethick]

13 minutes ago, Rayvon said:

Fair point Hetty , I know I take the p out of Bodmin and there supporter but in the real world and without a benefactor Bodmin would definitely struggle financially  in the higher leagues. I was surprised at the weekend to see that Beaconsfield had only eighty three spectators for there game against Truro and that's in the Southern League, how do these teams survive?

When I speak to people I work with in London about non league football, particularly the Devon and Cornwall area, they are always amazed at the "expenses" that clubs are rumoured to be paying at step 5 and step 6 level.

[leedsunited]

What you get in Cornwall for say £50 a game, these lads wouldn't earn £15 up North in the proper footballing world. That's a fact, & have heard this from at least 2 ex pro's that were amazed at how poor the level of football was in Cornwall.

As someone said, realistically unless the club has a very very wealthy chairman moving out of the current set up would be extremely difficult to sustain. 

[BIG AL]

6 hours ago, We Two said:

Regardless of whether it's Bodmin or Boscastle, has any club officially approached the F.A. to state their case, or is it being left to the C.C.F.A. who by popular opinion on this forum are not doing enough about the situation.

The ccfa seem not to bother about football in Cornwall. Has always been that way and I have followed local football for fifty years.

[We Two]

We have posed the question has any club made an official representation to F.A. H.Q. to ask their opinions on why the logistics of running a cornish football club has apparently been overlooked.
No reply seems to suggest that everyone is waiting for somebody else to do the deed

[Bruegel the Elder]

3 hours ago, We Two said:

We have posed the question has any club made an official representation to F.A. H.Q. to ask their opinions on why the logistics of running a cornish football club has apparently been overlooked.
No reply seems to suggest that everyone is waiting for somebody else to do the deed

It’s because nobody has the faintest clue‼️

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

Because you wouldn't get anywhere if you did.

The FA have got what they want, all counties in the pyramid system, you dont like it they relegate you...end of.

[We Two]

A defeatist attitude with not a whimper from those it affects most is exactly what the F,A, need, to thrive on.
No dissenters so the system must be acceptable.

[John Mead]

12 hours ago, We Two said:

We have posed the question has any club made an official representation to F.A. H.Q. to ask their opinions on why the logistics of running a cornish football club has apparently been overlooked.
No reply seems to suggest that everyone is waiting for somebody else to do the deed

I was involved in the process which resulted in the restructure of Steps 6 & 7 in Devon and Cornwall. The FA representatives were made fully aware of both the geographic and financial implications facing Cornish Clubs if they were to progress further up the ladder. I think the NLS reps understood we are in a unique position and that only a handful of Cornish Clubs would ever be able to consider playing at Step 5.

[Dave Deacon]

Are you suggesting John that the FA will listen with a sympathetic ear and excuse the Cornish clubs from having to take promotion? 

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

20 minutes ago, John Mead said:

I was involved in the process which resulted in the restructure of Steps 6 & 7 in Devon and Cornwall. The FA representatives were made fully aware of both the geographic and financial implications facing Cornish Clubs if they were to progress further up the ladder. I think the NLS reps understood we are in a unique position and that only a handful of Cornish Clubs would ever be able to consider playing at Step 5.

I was at one of the meetings,  St Austell if my memory serves me correctly,  and the FA rep clearly  stated..."if all of the Cornish clubs embraced the pyramid system they would consider financial assistance with the travelling"

I was sitting 20ft away when he said it.

Oh yes he did!

[We Two]

12 minutes ago, TheolderIgetthebetterIwas said:

"if all of the Cornish clubs embraced the pyramid system they would consider financial assistance with the travelling"

If that is the case and although this comment has only just resurfaced, surely some interaction from the clubs within the pyramid system to remind the F.A. executive member of what was stated would put the F.A. in the position of confirming of whether it was possible or not.

Don't suppose it was a formal meeting where minutes were taken ? that would be too much to hope for.

[Ian Pethick]

21 minutes ago, TheolderIgetthebetterIwas said:

I was at one of the meetings,  St Austell if my memory serves me correctly,  and the FA rep clearly  stated..."if all of the Cornish clubs embraced the pyramid system they would consider financial assistance with the travelling"

I was sitting 20ft away when he said it.

Oh yes he did!

Sounds like a pre-election "giveaway" from a politician. As somebody else mentioned, be very interesting if this was minuted. If the FA did commit to this, there would be other leagues thumping on their door looking for similar promises. The leagues from the North East for example who have had similar historical issues with promotions.