Sat 19th December Match Thread

[Bronco]

Firstly, I have at no point ever ridiculed them for what they have done. I really wonder about you Smudge. Do you actually read what I write or just make it up as you go along?

 

As for probably being the best run club in the CCL, firstly, how do you know that and secondly how do you define that? A bit of a wild statement no doubt based on your time there. I could suggest favouritism but that would be speculation on my part.

 

I would reiterate that many clubs at our level would have a nice neat and tidy ground if they had been given the money they had.

 

Bronco, apologies, I should have said "almost certainly". My tally is currently 525 though, just for the record, so I am certainly qualified to judge and "almost certainly" more qualified than most. As for football foundation grants, you do not always need to put up 50%. Certainly having a youth policy is an advantage and it's one that all clubs at our level should be following up if at all possible. Most in our division do already,

 

I have no doubt Bedfont Sports have their own fund raising facilities too as they are well organised. With a decent revenue stream, you could argue that there should be less reliance on grants than the less well off clubs could do a lot with, but that discussion is for another day. 

 

I would disagree about it being the nicest ground in the CCL though, as there are others that are at least equally nice to visit. Windsor and Westfield come ahead of Bedfont Sports quite clearly, while others like Horley, Knaphill, Camberley and Chertsey are well appointed too and the latter two have character also. That's without including SCR or ourselves as obviously they are not really CCL grounds. I enjoy my visits there. It has a nice clubhouse, although the ground itself is still basic and the car park is dangerous, so to call it the best in the League at this time is a little premature. As I said above, many other grounds would have nicer facilities too if they had been given the additional finance. Except Raynes Park obviously.

No worries Rich. No idea how many I've been to (hate to think!) Didn't know it wasn't always 50%, although I did know it wasn't 100% funded by the Football Foundation. It is just my opinion that it is the nicest. I know there are other nice ones. Just seems to be something new at Bedfont Sports every year.

[Bronco]

Also worth remembering that Raynes Park also had a Budweiser grant!!!

[jayjay]

Rpv have had a lot of bad Luck arson attack floodlights cables Stolen.

[E&E Rich]

Also worth remembering that Raynes Park also had a Budweiser grant!!!

That was what I was referring to earlier. They appeared to spend it on the clubhouse.

 

In fact this isn't really a dig at RPV at all. I'm aware that their ground is actually owned by the guy who owns MK Dons and there may be restrictions on what they can do on it. My issue is whether it actually still reaches the grading required as parts of it are really quite shabby.

 

In the same way as my earlier posts weren't a dig at Bedfont Sports. They were a dig at the people who actually hand the money out in the first place. One day, higher up, the financial bubble will burst, at which point you can bet it will be grass roots football that will suffer and there will be limited, if any grant money left. With responsibility comes accountability and if I were one of the grant bodies I would be saying "hold on a minute, club a have already had this, this and this, while clubs b, c and d have had nothing at all. That's not right, how can we justify giving one club so much more than others".  

 

Just as an aside I see Bedfont Sports were advertising their new pitch rotovator on Twitter yesterday, partly funded by the Football Foundation ffs. Why should the foundation be paying any of this out? It isn't even a necessity, while some clubs who really need facilities miss out. Just not fair.

[Bronco]

Don't disagree with you Rich. The money for the rotovator should go back to the Football Foundation.

[Big J R]

As someone said earlier, this is a very good thread.

 

I can only reiterate what other people have said.  I can remember on two very specific occasions at Meadowbank when the visiting team and officials left the ground without the courtesy of even visiting the club-house for food and drinks.  No Names  -  No Pack Drill !

 

As usually one of the first to arrive at the groumd for a home match, I always made a point of walking around the perimiter of the ground and pitch.  On several occasions I would find the 'away' dug-out full of tape, cans and bottles. Plasters, orange-peel and God knows what else.  This used to really infuriate me  -  Not so much that I would have to pick it all up for the visiting team, but that in my view, it was just damn bad manners.

 

I'm sure the people responsible would never think of visiting a friends house and leave ALL their rubbish on their friends living-room carpet !!!

[Smudge]

You have to hand it to Dave Reader(Grant getter Extradonaire)every Club would love one.Seriously though the Clubs that have benefitted from Budweiser/Foundation Grants,all have 1 thing in common,they do not pay their players a kings ransom.If anything at all.Maybe the rotovator is for when Bedfont Sports get a grant for a 3g pitch.forward planning my guess?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited December 23, 2015 by Smudge

[aupostie]

As someone said earlier, this is a very good thread.

 

I can only reiterate what other people have said. I can remember on two very specific occasions at Meadowbank when the visiting team and officials left the ground without the courtesy of even visiting the club-house for food and drinks. No Names - No Pack Drill !

 

As usually one of the first to arrive at the groumd for a home match, I always made a point of walking around the perimiter of the ground and pitch. On several occasions I would find the 'away' dug-out full of tape, cans and bottles. Plasters, orange-peel and God knows what else. This used to really infuriate me - Not so much that I would have to pick it all up for the visiting team, but that in my view, it was just damn bad manners.

 

I'm sure the people responsible would never think of visiting a friends house and leave ALL their rubbish on their friends living-room carpet !!!

Totally agree big Jr..it also infuriates me when you go onto the pitch after the final whistle & see all different kinds of colour sick tape...it's called a bin

[bedfontsports]

That was what I was referring to earlier. They appeared to spend it on the clubhouse.

 

In fact this isn't really a dig at RPV at all. I'm aware that their ground is actually owned by the guy who owns MK Dons and there may be restrictions on what they can do on it. My issue is whether it actually still reaches the grading required as parts of it are really quite shabby.

 

In the same way as my earlier posts weren't a dig at Bedfont Sports. They were a dig at the people who actually hand the money out in the first place. One day, higher up, the financial bubble will burst, at which point you can bet it will be grass roots football that will suffer and there will be limited, if any grant money left. With responsibility comes accountability and if I were one of the grant bodies I would be saying "hold on a minute, club a have already had this, this and this, while clubs b, c and d have had nothing at all. That's not right, how can we justify giving one club so much more than others".  

 

Just as an aside I see Bedfont Sports were advertising their new pitch rotovator on Twitter yesterday, partly funded by the Football Foundation ffs. Why should the foundation be paying any of this out? It isn't even a necessity, while some clubs who really need facilities miss out. Just not fair.

[bedfontsports]

Hi all

 

I'm new to this but think some of the comments need to be put straight about bedfont sports.

 

Starting with the gentleman from Epsom and Ewell. Our club spent several weeks with your former chairman helping him out with grant applications, as we have also done with CB Hounslow and several other clubs. We are not experts and have not been given anything we have not worked for. We have had to find 50% of all the funding we have had, including the new machine we got which helps with the drainage on our pitch. This fund is open to all clubs and you need to have 50% of the money, so it cost us £2.5k, Wembley fc have one too.

 

We invest our club funds in improving our club, what other teams do with there funding is down to them but that's our choice.

 

As for the recent issue about the changing rooms, there were several signs in the changing room, and the management team were also asked to use bins for there rubbish. No one is complaining about the mud but when the bin is empty and the floor has rubbish all over it that's just bad form and the club were upset about this, if it's right or wrong to publish this is a debate but if clubs start to respect each other's grounds then it's a good thing in my opinion.

 

Our club has always offered advise on funding but if you go onto the football foundation website it's all there, the bottom line is you need to find half the money, I'm sure Terry or David would be happy to advise clubs but they don't have a magic wand, you need hard work, dedication and be prepared to put your own money up to get things done.

[Go on have a giggle]

Was this back in the days of Dorking in the Isthmian League Mr Big ?

 

It must be a few years back so wondering if those teams that you don't mention are CCL.

[Big J R]

Was this back in the days of Dorking in the Isthmian League Mr Big ?

 

It must be a few years back so wondering if those teams that you don't mention are CCL.

 

 

No - CCL days. Never involved that far back, so definitely not Isthmian.

 

May-be you should wait for my book.