Application for Promotion

[thevoiceofreason]

Only 1 winner as always,and it is not the CCL Clubs that have applied,5 will have wasted £200 as only 1 can get promoted.Nice little earner for the F.A. as always they never lose.

Applications for membership of a club is probably the norm for the old farts at the F.A, even if their own experiences usually involve the rolling up of a trouser leg and other unspeakable acts.

[Pitbull]

The fee is £100 +vat =£120. This is not entirely wasted as a club will at least know what is required in the future should they be successful.

[duncs]

Heres one to ponder over,why doesn't one of the clubs who have applied for promotion have a word in Millers shell like,i'm sure he would like to manage at a higher level as his name has been linked to a couple of teams already playing in a higher step,Cove only want to play in CCL Prem and there is nothing wrong with that,Ash won this league and stayed put instead of going to the Ryman/Wessex, its certainly a dilemma for clubs to decide whats for the best.

[Smudge]

The Clubs already have decent Managers though Duncs,thats why they are in the Top 6.

[duncs]

Thats very true Smudge but he is defo one for the future.

[BAD GUY]

This just shows how much interpretation is a matter of opinion. Personally, I thought the comment was merely suggesting that in a world where money isn't plentiful,. a £200 punt on something that is a long shot is surprising...not patronising or condescending to this neutral observer at all.

 

Thank you Voice of Reason obviously a sensible and intelligent person ! 

[Krooner]

Thats very true Smudge but he is defo one for the future.

He is Duncs and good job he was given a go otherwise we would have never known

[VPCTFC]

The fee is £100 +vat =£120. This is not entirely wasted as a club will at least know what is required in the future should they be successful.

 

It is wasted for some clubs. As I've said, Camberley have a D grade ground. We've had a D grade ground for years. In the past the grading was good for three years. We paid the £100+ VAT to get graded in March this year. Got a D again. Why should we have to pay again? It's plainly obvious we have the ground to go up.

The same is true for most of the other applicants. Windsor, Ashford and Epsom & Ewell have the grading. Molesey used to but have changed their ground a bit but I'm sure it'll still get the grading. The only club out of those who've applied who probably haven't is Spelthorne.

Edited December 14, 2014 by VPCTFC

[BAD GUY]

It is wasted for some clubs. As I've said, Camberley have a D grade ground. We've had a D grade ground for years. In the past the grading was good for three years. We paid the £100+ VAT to get graded in March this year. Got a D again. Why should we have to pay again? It's plainly obvious we have the ground to go up.

The same is true for most of the other applicants. Windsor, Ashford and Epsom & Ewell have the grading. Molesey used to but have changed their ground a bit but I'm sure it'll still get the grading. The only club out of those who've applied who probably haven't is Spelthorne.

 

Chipstead naturally have the grading !

[Two Ton Ted]

It's another way for the FA to get an easy £120 out of clubs who can't afford it, so they can give more money to the elite game.

[E&E Rich]

Thanks to Lazy Sod for defending us but Bad Guy's question is probably worth answering.

 

We have obviously been near the top for a few seasons now, although we have applied for promotion every year to my knowledge since coming over from the Ryman League. Two years ago we were in fact lower than we are now at this stage, but a twelve game winning streak put us right up there with Guernsey and Egham and it made sense to have applied, especially with the likelihood of two clubs going up that year.

 

Obviously this time we faced a charge of £120 which hasn't been levied before. However, it isn't really that much in the grand scheme of things, and the decision of whether to spend it has to be weighed against a couple of issues:

 

Firstly, what will your current players think if you didn't apply, and will you lose any? - If you do, then you wasted whatever money you spent on the players thus far in the season if that team is no longer able to win it - usually a far bigger amount. 

 

Secondly, will that decision make it more difficult for a Manager to attract players the following season when they are effectively being asked to join a club that is then perceived as lacking in ambition? - Using Cove as an example, who didn't apply in previous years, this does send the message that they are not looking to progress, which is of course entirely their call. It's also the players call to decide if they would rather play for say, Camberley next year who would apply.

 

At Epsom we recognise that with a fairly new Manager in place and with a reduced budget, he didn't require any other handicaps placed on him. Also, it might not have happened in this League for a while (Guildford apart, who retained the squad and went up the following year) but across the country you see teams winning their respective leagues, declining to go up and then losing the momentum and many of their players to more ambitious local rivals. We want to remind our players that if we finish in a promotion position, we will take that promotion and many if not all of those players will get the chance to prove themselves at Step Four.

 

As for costs of playing at Step Four, there are extra travel costs, but I believe they are netted off against increased crowd sizes and greater public awareness. The big cost as usual, is for players and it would be interesting to know whether South Park have changed their structure from last season. If they truly are playing with no budget again, then their achievement shows what can be done at limited expense. Technically, if you don't want to increase your budget you don't have to. Corinthian Casuals have also shown that it is possible over recent years. We certainly wouldn't be increasing ours in our current position but for the cost of two rounds of drinks for our players at the end of the season, we wouldn't be blocking their ambitions either.

[thevoiceofreason]

Declining to apply for promotion can, of course, be for well thought out reasons. A team's make up may be mainly from players who wouldn't want to make the extra commitments that playing in another league with a bigger radius of travel.

 

A club may feel they would be in a better position financially further down the line than at present. This could be for reasons that they choose to keep to themselves.

 

Clubs may be wary of living beyond their means and believe the investment they would need to make to be competitive at a higher level could jeopardise financial stability.

 

A club may feel a period of consolidation is beneficial and that a slower rate of progress might be for the best in the long run.

 

All, some, or none of the above may or may not apply when a club opts not to throw their hat into the ring, but to give a club a hard time for exercising what is, after all, their right seems a tad harsh...but then that's just my opinion.

[Krooner]

Declining to apply for promotion can, of course, be for well thought out reasons. A team's make up may be mainly from players who wouldn't want to make the extra commitments that playing in another league with a bigger radius of travel.

 

A club may feel they would be in a better position financially further down the line than at present. This could be for reasons that they choose to keep to themselves.

 

Clubs may be wary of living beyond their means and believe the investment they would need to make to be competitive at a higher level could jeopardise financial stability.

 

A club may feel a period of consolidation is beneficial and that a slower rate of progress might be for the best in the long run.

 

All, some, or none of the above may or may not apply when a club opts not to throw their hat into the ring, but to give a club a hard time for exercising what is, after all, their right seems a tad harsh...but then that's just my opinion.

Who is giving anyone a hard time VoR ?

[Smudge]

Thanks to Lazy Sod for defending us but Bad Guy's question is probably worth answering.

 

We have obviously been near the top for a few seasons now, although we have applied for promotion every year to my knowledge since coming over from the Ryman League. Two years ago we were in fact lower than we are now at this stage, but a twelve game winning streak put us right up there with Guernsey and Egham and it made sense to have applied, especially with the likelihood of two clubs going up that year.

 

Obviously this time we faced a charge of £120 which hasn't been levied before. However, it isn't really that much in the grand scheme of things, and the decision of whether to spend it has to be weighed against a couple of issues:

 

Firstly, what will your current players think if you didn't apply, and will you lose any? - If you do, then you wasted whatever money you spent on the players thus far in the season if that team is no longer able to win it - usually a far bigger amount. 

 

Secondly, will that decision make it more difficult for a Manager to attract players the following season when they are effectively being asked to join a club that is then perceived as lacking in ambition? - Using Cove as an example, who didn't apply in previous years, this does send the message that they are not looking to progress, which is of course entirely their call. It's also the players call to decide if they would rather play for say, Camberley next year who would apply.

 

At Epsom we recognise that with a fairly new Manager in place and with a reduced budget, he didn't require any other handicaps placed on him. Also, it might not have happened in this League for a while (Guildford apart, who retained the squad and went up the following year) but across the country you see teams winning their respective leagues, declining to go up and then losing the momentum and many of their players to more ambitious local rivals. We want to remind our players that if we finish in a promotion position, we will take that promotion and many if not all of those players will get the chance to prove themselves at Step Four.

 

As for costs of playing at Step Four, there are extra travel costs, but I believe they are netted off against increased crowd sizes and greater public awareness. The big cost as usual, is for players and it would be interesting to know whether South Park have changed their structure from last season. If they truly are playing with no budget again, then their achievement shows what can be done at limited expense. Technically, if you don't want to increase your budget you don't have to. Corinthian Casuals have also shown that it is possible over recent years. We certainly wouldn't be increasing ours in our current position but for the cost of two rounds of drinks for our players at the end of the season, we wouldn't be blocking their ambitions either.

 

Suggest you apply to get that £120 back Rich,they must already know Chipstead have the grading surely.

[thevoiceofreason]

Who is giving anyone a hard time VoR ?

Seems as if Cove's decision hasn't been universally respected. For me, declining doesn't mean you don't want to progress, but that you want to do it at a pace that you, as a club, are best placed to judge. It doesn't necessarily mean you lack ambition, but that you are being level headed and not swept away by emotion, `A bit more of that might have stopped a few clubs over extending themselves over the years and paying the price. Just my opinion, mind you.

[duncs]

Whatabout the clubs attitude towards the players will they get to a position and realise they are safe and then slash/cut the budget,afterall finishing 4th from bottom guarantees CCL Prem next season,nothing would surprise me from that club lol 

[thevoiceofreason]

Suppose we'll have to see how they get on between now and the end of the season then?

[Krooner]

I think some people are naturally disappointed that Cove haven't gone for Promotion as I am sure the majority of the CCL want their champions to go up, which if Cove now win it will not happen.

 

I don't think anybody particularly has a gripe with Cove over it though as the majority understand the reasons why.

[duncs]

Strange but True Kroons

[E&E Rich]

I agree with a lot of that.

 

You will never get everyone agreeing with a decision but ultimately the club has to do what they believe is best for their club. As a result I feel that Cove's decision is universally respected, even if it may not be agreed with by all.

 

duncs raises a good point though about some clubs who might slash the budget should promotion prove unattainable.

 

Smudge, our application fee was just that. It wasn't to get confirmation of a grading, as we know that is there already. Yes our chances of promotion are slim, but as I said above, we will always allow our players the chance of progress as there is little more demotivating than finding out that their work was for nothing in the end.

 

A price worth paying? In our opinion, yes.