Promoted / Not Promoted....Who's In / Who's Out ??

[CoachKT]

There has been much speculation surrounding the restructure of the SWPL and ECPL, the increase in the ECPL from 28 to 32 teams, new applications from Plymstock Utd Res, Elburton Villa Res and Plymouth Parkway Res, whether or not Padstow and Bodmin Res will actually get relegated, what is going to happen to St Austell and whether St Stephen's Borough promotion has been rubber stamped ( ) with them intending to play on the drastic plastic next season.

Amid all that, we have kept on fighting for the league title and / or promotion and although we have fallen short of winning the league, we're guaranteed to finish 3rd in ECPL Div One.

In view of pre-season preparations, new signings etc, etc.... can I assume that we (Bere Alston United) are now promoted and will be playing our football in the ECPL Premier Division next season??

I know there is an SGM planned for the end of the month, but the first few days of the close season are vital when it comes to negotiating with players and getting commitment for the following season. Any delays and potentially good signings could be lost and with the difference in class between the majority of clubs in ECPL Premier and ECPL Div One, those extra few days in knowing where you're playing your football next season can make all the difference.

[Guest]

How many times does it have to be spelled out.

The ECPL has increased to 32 teams. 16 per division.

Godolphin are taking the route up to SWPL

No one is coming down. That leaves currently 13 teams in the premier division. It is understood that Bodmin Town and Padstow United will be relegated from the Premier Division as per league rules. Which leaves 11 teams.

The top 5 from Division One would therefore be promoted making 16 teams in the premier division.

That means Division One has currently 14 teams + 2 (Bodmin & Padstow) - 5 going up plus the bottom team being relegated (curretly Lifton) leaving 10 teams. This means 6 new teams can come into Division One.

The Duchy League champions come up (assuming their pitch is passed) plus the second team in the Duchy League which is St Dominick. The reason for two Duchy League club sides is because of Godolphin going up and the ECPL has to accept a second team from the Duchy League). (Their facilities were passed last season when they applied).

This leaves four vacancies. Plymouth Parkway, Plymstock United and Elburton Villa Reserves facilities would pass as they are reserve teams of SWPL clubs. If these teams are acccepted then this leaves one more team who could come in but not from the Duchy League.

Having written all this the decision will be made at the SGM as to who to accept which will be ratified at the AGM.

Hope that helps. If this question comes up one more time I will cut and paste

And CoachKT you will have to wait like everyone else. Think yourselves lucky that more than two teams will be promoted from Division One

[Richard Rundle]

How many times does it have to be spelled out.

The ECPL has increased to 32 teams. 16 per division.

Godolphin are taking the route up to SWPL

No one is coming down. That leaves currently 13 teams in the premier division. It is understood that Bodmin Town and Padstow United will be relegated from the Premier Division as per league rules. Which leaves 11 teams.

The top 5 from Division One would therefore be promoted making 16 teams in the premier division.

That means Division One has currently 14 teams + 2 (Bodmin & Padstow) - 5 going up plus the bottom team being relegated (curretly Lifton) leaving 10 teams. This means 6 new teams can come into Division One.

Why would they want to relegate Lifton if there are already 5 vacancies? Far better to offer them a reprieve. Especially if the result of their relegation is to add more reserve sides to the league, one of whom are actually in a relegation position themselves in the Plymouth & West Devon Combination.

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Richard

[Guest]

Thankfully Richard the 'old pals' act is gone.

[rawa]

thank goodness, but why didn't sticker get in to the Peninsual and Goldolphin did instead? ( genuine question )

[metts]

answer to your question after spending 6000 pounds on up grading our field in the last 3 months and another 4000 planed in the close season . getting plans passed to extend the changing rooms then getting it all passed by the swpl we were accepted for promotion, because torpoint could not go up, because of their first team already playing in the swpl, and there was the little point of only us and sticker applying for promotion, and we are 2nd in the league pushing to win it and about 14 points ahead of sticker so why would we not be given promotion ahead of sticker, our facilitys are on par now with sticker but we are in a better league position, the swpl are taking 2 promoted teams ourselves and truro city with no relagation for goonhavern or st austell there for making the league bigger creating more games to referee as reqd by the FA , last night godolphin beat torpoint the present league leaders in front of a great crowd, prob playing some of the best football ever seen at godolphin way ,Godolphin atlantic earned the right to go up through their ;league position ,met all standards reqd,playing attractive football, and every one behind the club working together, thats why we are promoted and not sticker but im sure their time will come and good luck to them when they do and i can say that as an x player and manager of sticker , they are a great club and under glyn and keith will improve,

we at godolphin want promotion as champions and after last night its very possible to over come torpoint (6 points behind 2 games in hand) alan metters (godolphin afc)

[rawa]

cheers metts. was just wondering as wasn't entirely sure about the reason why sticker were turned down. Thought they may have been in a similar situation to camelford last year.

good luck next season, and this.

[Richard Rundle]

Thankfully Richard the 'old pals' act is gone.

Eh? What's that got to do with anything?

The league is increasing by 4 teams - with Godolphin going up there is no fewer than 5 vacancies. There is absolutely no need to relegate anyone.

Perhaps the Plymouth reserve teams have some "old pals" though?

If the ECL do relegate Lifton to bring in the likes of Plymstock United res then they are making themselves a laughing stock. If Plymstock res can't hack in the P&WDC Premier Division, what are their chances in the ECL Division One?

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Richard

[Guest]

No Eh!!! about it. If you finish bottom you are gone. No 'old pals act' of cozying up for re-election. Lifton joined from the Devon & Exeter League, I am not sure which division and finished 7th last season and bottom (at this time) this season. Mind you we would look a little silly if Lifton who have got just 2 points from 21 games, won 4 of their last 5 and St Columb Major lost their final game.

You mention Plymstock United Reserves. What about Camelford Reserves. They didn't even have a team until this season and after tonight’s result they have finished 4th and if the ECPL moves up 5 teams as we expect then they will be in the Premier Division next season.

The P&WDL is not a bad standard league, club for club and player for player most teams would hold their own in the ECPL. So would Plymstock. Now that the ECPL has been granted 32 teams for next season - hopefully the league will settle down and become a strong league.

I can remind you that last season the CCFA's criteria for entry into the ECPL was based on facilities. The three Plymouth clubs already have that criteria as they are reserve teams of SWPL clubs.

Perhaps if the North Devon League had better facilities the ECPL would have an influx from that league.

[Richard Rundle]

No Eh!!! about it. If you finish bottom you are gone. No 'old pals act' of cozying up for re-election. Lifton joined from the Devon & Exeter League, I am not sure which division and finished 7th last season and bottom (at this time) this season. Mind you we would look a little silly if Lifton who have got just 2 points from 21 games, won 4 of their last 5 and St Columb Major lost their final game.

You mention Plymstock United Reserves. What about Camelford Reserves. They didn't even have a team until this season and after tonight’s result they have finished 4th and if the ECPL moves up 5 teams as we expect then they will be in the Premier Division next season.

The P&WDL is not a bad standard league, club for club and player for player most teams would hold their own in the ECPL. So would Plymstock. Now that the ECPL has been granted 32 teams for next season - hopefully the league will settle down and become a strong league.

I can remind you that last season the CCFA's criteria for entry into the ECPL was based on facilities. The three Plymouth clubs already have that criteria as they are reserve teams of SWPL clubs.

Perhaps if the North Devon League had better facilities the ECPL would have an influx from that league.

One word for all that - twaddle.

No other league in the country would relegate one of its members if it was expanding and creating 4 vacancies at the same time. No other league.

As for the entry criteria being facilities - if Lifton's facilites passed two seasons ago do they still pass? Looks like they do to me - I can't see the size of changing rooms etc. but as they have been developed with Footbal Foundation money I assume they are OK. So I ask again, why relegate them to bring in amongst others a reserve team who have finished in a relegation position in another league, which is at best of equal strength and in my opinion (which to be fair isn't based on a huge number of P&WDC games) considerably worse, and you've got 4 or 5 vacancies?

And yes, the same arguments by and large would have applied to Camelford reserves (and St Blazey reserves) in recent seasons, where promotion was not based on playing performance at all. The difference there though was that the league was not relegating anyone to bring them in. As a fan, I would still have preferred to see clubs taken from the top of the Duchy League (or the P&WDC) to fill those gaps, be they first teams or reserve teams.

Oh and as a last point, the facilities in the North Devon League, club for club, are at least as high as the P&WDC, and on average better. Most of them are enclosed village grounds (not park pitches although of course there are some exceptions), and quite a number have cover, even in the Senior (second) division. Travelling and the wish for most of the Devon clubs to remain in Devon-based leagues are the reasons they do not want to go for the ECL, although I have heard one or two of the area's referees are thinking about trying to affiliate to Cornwall to do ECL games ("to do something different").

I hope the ECL see sense before the Special General Meeting.

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Richard

[johnnie bates]

St Dennis Afc have a meeting on tuesday to clarify there intent on trying to put a team back into the ECL.

They would also keep there Duchy side in the Premier League.

Any reason why they shouldn't apply?

The club is on the up again after some years in the wilderness, they have a very strong local committee intent on having a Veterans side next year and soccer schools in the summer for local kids from 7 upto 10.

[Guest thebigfella]

Just like to pick up on a few points there fellas...

In my opinion, if you finish bottom of the league you would expect to get relegated wouldn't you? Regardless of how many teams are being 'promoted' or accepted into the league for the following season. It may seem harsh on Lifton but, they have proven over the last 2 seasons that the ECL Div One is difficult for them. I would suggest that not alot would change next season either.

As for Plymstock. Yes, they have finished near the bottom of the P&WDCL Premier Division but, who's to say that with playing in a new league, with better facilities and visiting new venues they will not be able to attract the players to make them a force in the Division and, overall, improve the general quality of the ECL.

Plymstock, Elburton, Plymouth Parkway and Vospers Oak Villa are looking to pull their reserve sides out of the P&WDCL because, quite simply, it's crap! Relationships between first and reserve sides have historically been a problem because players are reluctant to move between the two teams... especially when the reserves are playing at Staddiscombe, Victoria Park or Tothill Park. Sad, but unfortunately true.

Putting their reserve sides in a league such as the ECL would give them the opportunity to treat them as a 'true' reserve side as players would not be so reluctant to turn out for the second string.

As for the P&WDCL being on a par with the ECL Div One, I would have to disagree slightly. Apart from the top 4 or 5 clubs in the P&WDCL, the remainder would struggle in ECL Div One without a doubt. The quality of football played in the P&WDCL as declined steadily and alarmingly over the last 10 years or so, so much so that I believe they are in danger of loosing their 'Senior' and SWPL Feeder League status. Again, in my opinion, justified.

Wessex Rangers have won the P&WDCL Premier for the last couple of seasons and, in all honesty, even they would not be promotion certainties should they enter the ECL Div One... that some have suggested they might try to do. Their facilities at Yelverton Memorial Ground are awful by the way!

All in all, my opinion is that the relegation of Lifton (sorry boys) and the inclusion of the 'Plymouth' reserve sides would only strengthen the league as a whole. Tamarside recieved a lot of criticism from the football fraternity in Plymouth when they joined the ECL but, they haven't looked back have they? Now long standing Plymouth clubs like those mentioned previously now seem to want to follow in the footsteps of their yong cousins!! I say young as Tamarside were only formed in 2000 as a mens team and have made huge strides forward in that time. The only thing that's holding them back now is their pitch.

I happen to think that the ECL is a great competition and if a few more Plymouth or North Devon based teams can spice that up a bit, then even better.

If that's to the detriment of the P&WDCL, that's unfortunate. They should have got their act sorted years ago.

If that's to the detriment of teams at the bottom of Div One, that's unfortunate too. But by finishing bottom of the league, they have proved they're not good enough.

[Guest]

Crikey Richard you are like a dog looking for a long lost bone. Can I just say when you are in a hole – STOP DIGGING.

I can assure you I have always been of the opinion that whoever comes out on top on the field of play should be allowed promotion. Unfortunately in today’s world it is all about facilities whether we like it or not.

You mention the top of the P&WDL. Wessex Rangers pipped Plymouth Parkway Reserves by a point but their facilities are not up to the required standard. Only administration errors cost Elburton Villa Reserves a possible third place.

Let us take Bodmin Town and Padstow United. Both finished in the bottom two and only survived in the top flight due to Camelford, Foxhole and Dobwalls opting to move up into the SWPL. So where are those two teams now? Yes – in the bottom two. Why should anyone say they have deserved the right to stay in the Premier Division?

Lifton as we expect will finish bottom because to date they have picked up 2 points from 21 games. That is not to say they are a bad club, but what gives them the right to remain in the league with that record. How many managers have they had this season?

You mention why should not the Duchy League provide more teams? The answer is simple. Because Godolphin are moving up to the SWPL the ECPL must accept an extra team from the Duchy League, hence St Dominick. St Dennis want to know if they can apply, the simple answer is no. Forget their troubles of the past if the CCFA say this season only two teams can be promoted from the Duchy then that I’m afraid is that.

You mention the ECPL is a laughing stock. If it was that bad why do a large number of teams want to join it each season? Somehow I don’t think so. Don’t forget it was the clubs who wanted more games so we ended up with group stages in the league cup. Throw in some terrible weather over the last two seasons and yes the league became very stretched. But that will hopefully be no longer and it will revert to a normal season of league matches and a league knock out cup.

You mention you hope the league sees sense. I think you will find that because of the above commonsense has prevailed. A new lifeblood of teams coming in will surely raise the standard of the ECPL. My only wish is that they change their league name to the EC&WDL.

Thebigfella is right. The P&WDL league has buried its head in the sands for years and had every opportunity to get it right. That is a shame.

I’m afraid Richard it is onwards and upwards for the ECPL