Step 5 Restructuring

[lazarus]

Yes, if it all goes ahead, the final allocations to the new leagues/divisions will be made in May 2013 by the Football Association. This, of course, will be after promotion and relegation at both the end of this season and next, so the "snapshot" situation of all current Step 5 clubs will change considerably. A few may of course have disappeared from the equation because they haven't met the grading requirements.

 

What will happen thereafter, is that Step 5 and presumably Step 6 clubs will be re-allocated on a regular basis from one league/division to another, based upon geographical requirements, as happens now at Step 4 and above. In mentioning Step 6, everything seems very vague at the moment. We have been told that every Step 5 league will have a Step 6 division as well but that no league will go out of existence. In other words two of the current fourteen will become Step 6 leagues. Quite how Step 6 clubs will be allocated if that happens has yet to be considered.

[Chris Clapham]

Finally, what is the date of the ground grading required to remain at step 5 please?

When will the FA be inspecting?

I assume it remains an "F" grade?

[lazarus]

All Step 5 clubs will be required to have an F grade as at 31 March 2013 if they are to be included in the new set up. Inspections are starting as early as this month so there is plenty of time for clubs to put right any identified deficiencies.

[Chris Clapham]

All Step 5 clubs will be required to have an F grade as at 31 March 2013 if they are to be included in the new set up. Inspections are starting as early as this month so there is plenty of time for clubs to put right any identified deficiencies.

 

Blimey!

[Krooner]

No real surprise there CC. I am sure the league are on top of who has a lot of work to do and who hasnt. Would make sense to get to those clubs that may struggle to give them as much time as possible to get the ground in order.

[Chris Clapham]

No real surprise there CC. I am sure the league are on top of who has a lot of work to do and who hasnt. Would make sense to get to those clubs that may struggle to give them as much time as possible to get the ground in order.

 

I agree with that Kroons. I think we know we have a fair bit of improvement required at Wibbandune.

(cue even more snidey comments)!!!

Pitch is no 1 priority at this time though!

Haven't been to Cambo for a while so looking forward to visiting on Saturday.

Probably get there early for a beer or two!

[Krooner]

Look out for VP then. I have been "invite" to a Wessex league game so will not be there I am afraid.

[Jakesfanclub]

Whitelaw, the examples you gave about Hanworth to Lancing or clubs having to travel to Oxfordshire are rather worrying in that it seems to suggest a beak up of the CCL. Please tell me I'm reading more into that than I should.

[jayjay]

http://www.hellenicleague.co.uk/pages/leaguereorg_jan2012.html

[Terrence Collina]

just how the hellenic see it affecting their teams, but looks quite logical. A bit tough on Farnham and Alton though

 

[bomaya]

Whitelaw, the examples you gave about Hanworth to Lancing or clubs having to travel to Oxfordshire are rather worrying in that it seems to suggest a beak up of the CCL. Please tell me I'm reading more into that than I should.

 

Well I think that is likely although it may be that the CCL still exists as a feeder (Step 6) to one of the new leagues at Step 5. But the proposals as they stand mean a movement of boundaries so many of the current clubs won't be in the same league anymore as of 2013/14.

[Smudge]

Are there any funding proposals from the F.A.within the Restructuring Procedure?

[Big J R]

Whitelaw, the examples you gave about Hanworth to Lancing or clubs having to travel to Oxfordshire are rather worrying in that it seems to suggest a beak up of the CCL. Please tell me I'm reading more into that than I should.

 

So even MORE expense for clubs situated on the outer edges of the League boundary.

 

Lets hope the economic crisis is well and truly over by the time of implementation, though I have serious doubts !

[Krooner]

In that one Camberley either have a 100+ mile trip or a fierce local derby !!!!

 

In theory if you are at Step 5 and stay there then as there will be less clubs you will do more travelling.

 

What you must remember JR no-one is forcing clubs to stay at Step 5 if it is too much for them.

[lazarus]

The FA were very quick and specific in saying that no decisions have been made about who will run the new leagues/divisions. Logic suggests though that the Hellenic League would run the new Central Division and that we (the CCL) might run the London SW Division, simply because there are a surplus of clubs from the Hellenic and CCL in the two I mention (as it stands at the moment). Your club secretaries and chairmen have all the allocations throughout the country, as they would currently stand, the two leagues "suffering" the most in terms of break up being the United Counties League, scattered to the winds, the Sussex League, split over three new divisions and then us. We are actually split into four, but Croydon and Wembley become isolated from all other CCL clubs in their two new divisions.

 

On paper we do at least have a majority of clubs in one new division (London SW) which, as a result, we would hope would be run by and become the CCL It is more about the travelling though - clubs need to have a very close look at the extra amount they will be facing. In Camberley's case, to use them as an example, they would face six journeys in excess of 100 miles according to the mileage charts supplied by the FA., the longest being to Ardley United and back. They probably don't have any at the moment.

 

Colliers Wood would have five journeys over 100 miles, the longest being to Shoreham and back.

 

In more general terms, the average travel per away game in the Central Division would be 64 miles, in the Lonson SW 53 miles, compared to 46 miles at present in the CCL. That might not sound too much but in the Central Division it represents an overall average increase in travel of 39%.

[Krooner]

Judging on the chart above I wouldnt be that upset if that happeend. To be fair at least our longer journeys are not around the infernal M25 rather the M4 which you would hope would be better. I am sure we are all going to have a lot of fun debating all this over the next 2 years while poor Ian has 2 years to redesign his forums !!!!

[bomaya]

Did they specify why the UCL have been treated as such in their proposal? It's often been thought that the Essex League would be most in danger but they seem to have escaped.

[VPCTFC]

I don't think Camberley have done badly out of the proposals at all. When we were in the Ryman League we had worse journeys than most of these. Witham away was always a good one going east, we'd go as far north as Barton, as far west as Hungerford and as far south as Eastbourne.

It wasn't that long ago when the CCL went from Wallingford in Oxfordshire to Withdean in Sussex but it's shrunk in recent years. To be honest we've had it too good in this league as far as travelling's concerned, especially when you compare the distances to virtually every other step 5 league. Our only journey that gets a bit of whinging about is to Croydon and that's due to time rather than distance. As Krooner says (and as I said to him previously via text), we'll be going along the M4 rather than the M25 which is nearly always a more pleasant journey.

Edited January 11, 2012 by VPCTFC

[Big J R]

In that one Camberley either have a 100+ mile trip or a fierce local derby !!!!

 

In theory if you are at Step 5 and stay there then as there will be less clubs you will do more travelling.

 

What you must remember JR no-one is forcing clubs to stay at Step 5 if it is too much for them.

 

No one has ever forced me to do anything, unless of course you include going for a bevvy !!!

 

[Don't Blame Me]

Both Krooner and VPCTFC have touched on the important fact that it is not distance that matters but time.