2016/2017 Fixtures

[Ginola]

Enjoying the last little bit of anticipation before Eeyore's green light comes on.

[Monkey8]

9pm tonight..

[patemondo]

I have just seen the fixtures and whilst I know this is  a difficult task surely it is not difficult to get in general alternate fixtures. Stotfold starting with 4 away then I at home then away and then a run of home games then a run of away.

Its not as if Karen favours Welywn GC as they start with 6 leagues games away!

This is completely nonsensical.

There are plenty of computer programmes out there and I know its a bloody difficult task taking into account groundshare, county, reserves and fa competitions but I don't know any other league whose clubs suffer from it as badly as the SSML.

Perhaps its asking too much of 1 person to do as I bet Karen has spent hours on it but perhaps someone should considering reviewing prior to them being published. You would only need to print out each clubs league programme to see where big anomalies are.

They could then at least be adjusted to make more evenly spread.

[Uncle T]

Looks ok from a Levy view. It is the ground shares that cause all the problems and then some of the games are cup fixtures so this also makes it look worse.

[thecoldend]

Hertford Town v Hoddesdon Town on the opening Saturday (13th) of the league season....  

[Jonno]

Hoddesdons opening league game is Wednesday the 10th at home to Stotfold

[tringarmy]

It does seem a bit odd from Tring's point of view. Only 3 home games after 10th December. Last 9 out of 10 away from home. So if anyone needs a groundshare after November let us know! Has everyone else got a winter break? Nothing for Tring between 2nd January & 4th March so hopefully we can concentrate on 3rd, 4th & 5th rounds of the FA Cup in that period!

[Uncle T]

Yes I also noticed the 2 month gap this morning. Seems illogical to me. We want to play Saturday football not midweek football. It seems the SSML world has gone made. We should have every Saturday with a fixture and then the ones left over should be midweek with all the cup games too.

 

What happens if we have a lovely mild winter. No football in Jan or Feb or move the March and April games to Jan and Feb.

[Karen Browne]

Following discussions with a number of Premier/Division One clubs I intend to front load the first half of the season.

I am suggest that I schedule no Premier/Division One fixtures for January and February. Given that these two months we normally suffer our worst weather. (Division Two and Reserve Team fixtures would not be effected)

The Full Time fixture generator operates on the following. It allocates fixtures firstly for the Primary Day (Saturday) and then the Secondary Day (Tuesday) thus filling all Saturdays first and any remaining games will start filling the Tuesdays from the first one until all fixtures allocated. Obviously I would then move Tuesday games to the following night should that be the club’s allocated midweek night.

Given that we normally get 39 Saturdays in a season and then removing two due to first rounds of FA Cup and FA Vase that means 37 Saturdays and in case of Premier Division the first five Tuesdays for their 42 games (August to second week in September).

By closing out January and February it would mean fixtures allocated for the next eight Tuesdays taking us through to the end of November. (The two extra weeks being allowed due to two Tuesdays being closed for the first two League Challenge Trophy Round fixtures)

This would also aid clubs that have pitches that are easily affected by the poor winter weather conditions.

 

January and February Saturday games would then be allocated by the following

1. Games called off due to clubs progressing in FA Cup and FA Vase.

2. Games called off due to clubs having replays in the FA Cup or FA Vase.

3. Games called off due to County Cup Fixtures.

4. Re-arrangement of any scheduled league games postponed due to the weather.

5. The latter stages of the League Challenge Trophy and Divisional Cup fixtures.

 

So effectively the clubs will not get eight blank Saturdays after all, they may get the odd one.

 

By doing these it will cut down on clubs receiving a fixture pile up at the latter end of the season.

 

Option B would be do away with giving clubs full season fixture lists and going back to monthly issues.

 

I know that you can’t please all the clubs and whichever way we go some clubs will continue to moan.

[the hare]

when are the div 1 fixtures coming out ? i can only see a couple of cup games..

[Karen Browne]

According to Full Time they are being processed now

[stingray]

17 September - Stotfold v. Leighton Town

17 September - Tring Athletic v. Leighton Town

 

Anyone know where I can clone myself?

[Karen Browne]

17 September - Stotfold v. Leighton Town

17 September - Tring Athletic v. Leighton Town

 

Anyone know where I can clone myself?

 

Thanks, noted on my list to move

[petethegreek]

Thanks, noted on my list to move

 

Move one to the morning and one to the evening. 

[Uncle T]

Karen, thanks for explaining how it works.

[non league fan]

People need to stop moaning about the fixtures. You all don't get enough fans through the gates for there to be a so called 'home advantage' anyway. Just enjoy the footie. Its only SSMFL football. Not premier league!!!

[Munchkin]

Haven't see anyone mention home advantage...

[non league fan]

It's not rocket science pal. Why are people complaining about playing so many opening fixtures away then?

[Munchkin]

They're not, they're just saying its not spread out very well. I would imagine the uneven revenue streams, the additional work required at home games v away, impact on reserve teams are more of an issue than home advantage. Pal

[patemondo]

Well its alright for Hoddesdon certainly as a quick lok at your early fixtures so pull the ladder up mate as its not in your backyard. Mst leagues operate on a home and away basis. Our ground share is simple when we are at home Baldock are away.

Of course there are time when there will be a couple of home or away but having 4/5 in clusters is simply ridiculous and should be easily rectified.

If it so difficult simply go back to dishing a couple of months fixtures only. Surely we can get balanced fixtures that way.

I simply don't accept that Step 4 leagues can arrange a full league programme and we cant. I understand they get preference to Step 5 so hence the reason we should go back to doing it monthly or 2 months.  Mind you they also seem to also have an ability to rearrange postponed games between them without putting more pressure on their fixture secretary.  

I've now got the task of making an official complaint to the league which isn't ideal as I know Karen does her best but the way the fixtures fall makes the league all a bit mickey mouse and this has been going on now for a few seasons and its about time it was addressed. A month or 2 month programme should make it easier for the league to control properly