SSML Ground Shares

[Rhodes]

Rather than use the Berkhamsted Raiders thread  to discuss ground shares for 2020/21, whenever that will be, I think it warrants a thread of its own particularly as at the SSML August Management Board, at the start of this season, it was noted that all of the groundshare agreements were due to expire at the end of the 2019/20 season and Club's were very much encouraged to renew these well in advance or, presumably, find alternative venues to play at for 2020/21. So far I have only heard of New Salamis moving from the Queen Elizabeth II Stadium to Coles Park, Broadfields United leaving Preston Park for Berkeley Fields and I gather St Panteleimon going to the Queen Elizabeth II Stadium and Crawley Green remaining at The Brache but haven't seen this confirmed as yet:

GROUND SHARE AGREEMENTS - In accordance with Standardised Rule 2.3.2 the following Ground Share Agreements were formerly approved for Season 2019/2020. It was noted that the vast majority of these Agreements expired at the end of the current season and clubs should be aware of the need to renew well in advance of any expiry date.   

Baldock Town at Arlesey Town expires 31 May 2020

Brimsdown at Ware expires 31 July 2020

Broadfields United at Harefield United expires 31 May 2020

Enfield Borough at Wingate & Finchley expires 31 May 2020

Berkhamsted Raiders at Kings Langley expires 31 May 2020  

New Salamis at Enfield Town expires 31 May 2020

St Panteleimon at North Greenford United expires 31 May 2020 

London Tigers at Amersham Town expires 31 May 2020 

Wembley with Cricklewood Wanderers expires 31 May 2020

Crawley Green at 'The Brache', Luton expires 31 May 2020 

[Savagebee]

19 minutes ago, Rhodes said:

Broadfields United leaving Preston Park for Berkeley Fields  

I thought Broadfields United FC were off to Rayners Lane FC?

[Rhodes]

Karen made this helpful post on the thread below from the end of the 2012/13 campaign when Baldock Town joined the SSML from the Hertfordshire Senior County League and were groundsharing with Hitchin Town, Canary Tom wasn't happy about Baldock Town sharing at Top Field and asked for some clarification although I am not sure how much of the guidance is still current:

A GRADING:

(a) Ground sharing is permitted, but not in order to gain promotion or to avoid relegation. A ground sharing agreement should ideally have been in place for at least one full season prior to the grading inspection. (Consideration will be given, by the Football Conference Board, if the home ground of any club becomes untenable due to fire, flood or any other valid cause.)

(b) The Football Conference Board must approve any existing ground share agreement.

(c) The Football Conference Board will not generally approve any ground sharing arrangement where the club plays its matches outside the conurbation, as defined by the Football Conference Board, from which the club takes its name or with which it is traditionally otherwise associated (d) Where there is a ground share between two football clubs, priority of fixtures must be given to the club playing at the highest level within the National League System. Any proposed ground share agreement with a Football League club would be considered on its merits.

(e) Where a ground share is in place with another sport e.g. Athletics, Cricket, Rugby Union, Rugby League etc, the football club must have priority of fixtures and full use of all the facilities on match days.

(f) No application for a ground share agreement will be accepted during the first three years of a club being elected into membership of the Football Conference, unless the conditions of paragraph 1.2 i) apply

(g) Any ground share application by a member club that does not fall within the conditions of paragraph 2 i) must be for a minimum of ten years with no option to amend the terms during the first three years of a ground share approved by the Football Conference Board.

(h) No application will be accepted from a club applying for membership of the Football Conference who is in a ground share arrangement as a sub-tenant or second user or similar arrangements where the club is not the leaseholder, own the freehold, or license agreement holder or main tenant.

(i) Short term ground sharing agreements will only be accepted if a club is moving to a new ground or their existing ground is being re-built or refurbished or deemed unusable due to fire, flood or other causes. The club must provide the Football Conference Board with confirmation that any new work proposed has full planning permission, that construction contracts with start and finish dates have been awarded subject to ground sharing approval and that the fundingis in place.

For avoidance of doubt, the term “short term” refers to a period of not more than 12 months unless otherwise approved by the Football Conference Board.

B to G GRADINGS:

Ground sharing is permitted, but not in order to gain promotion or to avoid relegation. A ground sharing agreement should ideally have been in place for at least one full season prior to the grading inspection.

Where there is a ground share between two football clubs, priority of fixtures will be given to the club playing at the higher level within the National League System unless otherwise approved by the respective leagues.

Where a ground share is in place with another sport e.g. Athletics, Cricket, Rugby Union, Rugby League etc, the club must have full use of all facilities on match days.

 

 

[Rhodes]

6 minutes ago, Savagebee said:

I thought Broadfields United FC were off to Rayners Lane FC?

Sorry, yes that's correct, I meant Rayners Lane as I don't expect any Club in their right mind would want to play at Berkeley Fields unless North Greenford United do something about the pitch. As I said I am pretty sure St Panteleimon are leaving to go to the Queen Elizabeth II Stadium.

[Savagebee]

29 minutes ago, Rhodes said:

I don't expect any Club in their right mind would want to play at Berkeley Fields unless North Greenford United do something about the pitch.

Yep they have got to sort there pitch out.

[Karen Browne]

Bush Hill Rangers are the new tenants at Ware - Brimsdown rumoured to be going to Ilford

[Rhodes]

So with the SSML Annual General Meeting (AGM) next Saturday what is the state of play on the groundshares for next season as far as we know, surely they should all be ironed out by now, or certainly would have been had the Coronavirus not hit. You have to wonder how a small Club like Cricklewood Wanderers, who play in the Middlesex County League Premier Division, can continue to afford to play at Vale Farm as they must be paying through the nose there, presumably host Club's will also be raising their annual groundshare fee in the current financial climate particularly as, in all cases, a new agreement for 2020/21 will have to be struck up and put in place.

[Winslow Boy]

With Brimsdown at Ilfird surely they won’t be in SSML either. 

[Savagebee]

1 hour ago, Rhodes said:

You have to wonder how a small Club like Cricklewood Wanderers, who play in the Middlesex County League Premier Division, can continue to afford to play at Vale Farm as they must be paying through the nose there, presumably host Club's will also be raising their annual groundshare fee in the current financial climate particularly as, in all cases, a new agreement for 2020/21 will have to be struck up and put in place.

I do wonder and ive heard RUMOURS that Cricklewood Wanderers FC pay well over £10,000 a season to have the pleasure to play on Basher Bates carpet of a pitch.

Just whispers and who knows.

Unless you want to 100% go up to Step 6 I can't see the point in a Step 7 club ground sharing at a proper ground and paying silly money for the pleasure as half of the club's in The Middlesex County Premier Division play on open grass pitches or on 3g cage pitches.

Edited June 20, 2020 by Savagebee

[petethegreek]

12 minutes ago, Savagebee said:

I do wonder and ive heard RUMOURS that Cricklewood Wanderers FC pay well over £10,000 a season to have the pleasure to play on Basher Bates carpet of a pitch.

Just whispers and who knows.

Unless you want to 100% go up to Step 6 I can't see the point in a Step 7 club ground sharing at a proper ground and paying silly money for the pleasure as half of the club's in The Middlesex County Premier Division play on open grass pitches or on 3g cage pitches.

I doubt finances will be a problem to Cricklewood Wanderers as they are likely ti be running more than 1 Adult Team.

[Rhodes]

PetetheGreek - Are you very much hoping for some 'assignments' to Coles Park next season when it eventually gets under way, do you happen to know how much New Salamis are paying Haringey Borough to groundshare and for how long. I expect they got 'mates rates' as I gather the agreement was struck in early March before the Corona virus hit and Haringey Borough started to lose money hand over fist from the lucrative weekend market, matches, the groundshare with Hackney Wick, hiring out the 3G pitch particularly for end of season cup finals as well as the Club house for functions and every day use:

https://nonleaguematters.co.uk/forums/index.php?threads/groundshare-changes-2020-21-season.319/

Enfield Town officials said in the boardroom tonight whilst I was there watching their current tenants New Salamis that next season:
New Salamis are moving to Haringey Borough to be closer to the area where their club is from and where their supporters bar is.
Which means that St Panteleimon can move into Donkey Lane and leave the problems of Berkeley Fields behind.
Whether 3 teams will play at Haringey Borough was not known but if Hackney Wick stay there then you’d expect New Salamis to be in the step 5 league of Hackney Wicks step 6.

[petethegreek]

1 hour ago, Rhodes said:

PetetheGreek - Are you very much hoping for some 'assignments' to Coles Park next season when it eventually gets under way, do you happen to know how much New Salamis are paying Haringey Borough to groundshare and for how long. I expect they got 'mates rates' as I gather the agreement was struck in early March before the Corona virus hit and Haringey Borough started to lose money hand over fist from the lucrative weekend market, matches, the groundshare with Hackney Wick, hiring out the 3G pitch particularly for end of season cup finals as well as the Club house for functions and every day use:

https://nonleaguematters.co.uk/forums/index.php?threads/groundshare-changes-2020-21-season.319/

Enfield Town officials said in the boardroom tonight whilst I was there watching their current tenants New Salamis that next season:
New Salamis are moving to Haringey Borough to be closer to the area where their club is from and where their supporters bar is.
Which means that St Panteleimon can move into Donkey Lane and leave the problems of Berkeley Fields behind.
Whether 3 teams will play at Haringey Borough was not known but if Hackney Wick stay there then you’d expect New Salamis to be in the step 5 league of Hackney Wicks step 6.

I wouldn't mind a few games at Coles Park as it is local to me. No idea what Haringey Borough are charging New Salamis. You could ask Aki.

[Rhodes]

On ‎20‎/‎06‎/‎2020 at 18:27, petethegreek said:

I wouldn't mind a few games at Coles Park as it is local to me. 

Well not as local as it used to be when you were living near the Salisbury pub in Green Lanes

[Rhodes]

On ‎20‎/‎06‎/‎2020 at 12:07, Rhodes said:

So with the SSML Annual General Meeting (AGM) next Saturday what is the state of play on the groundshares for next season as far as we know

So what was discussed yesterday at the SSML Annual General Meeting out of interest or is the deadline 31 July which gives Club's such as Berkhamsted Raiders more time to find a new home for the new season.

[Rhodes]

On 16/06/2020 at 14:41, Rhodes said:

GROUND SHARE AGREEMENTS - In accordance with Standardised Rule 2.3.2 the following Ground Share Agreements were formerly approved for Season 2019/2020. It was noted that the vast majority of these Agreements expired at the end of the current season and clubs should be aware of the need to renew well in advance of any expiry date.   

Baldock Town at Arlesey Town expires 31 May 2020

Brimsdown at Ware expires 31 July 2020

Broadfields United at Harefield United expires 31 May 2020

Enfield Borough at Wingate & Finchley expires 31 May 2020

Berkhamsted Raiders at Kings Langley expires 31 May 2020  

New Salamis at Enfield Town expires 31 May 2020

St Panteleimon at North Greenford United expires 31 May 2020 

London Tigers at Amersham Town expires 31 May 2020 

Wembley with Cricklewood Wanderers expires 31 May 2020

Crawley Green at 'The Brache', Luton expires 31 May 2020 

Now that we have a provisional start date for the new campaign, which was much earlier than originally anticipated, what is the position with the outstanding groundshare agreements involving SSML Club's, I believe the deadline was extended to Friday 31 July however that is less than two weeks away.

[Rhodes]

With the deadline on Friday (31 July) I assume that all the  groundshare agreements have been signed sealed and delivered involving SSML Club's, St Panteleimon are now at the Queen Elizabeth II Stadium aren't they, I wonder whether they asked for it to be fumigated following the departure of New Salamis to Coles Park.

[Rhodes]

What is the current position on SSML Groundshares, is it no change, and business as usual, for the 2021/22 season, of the new Clubs's to the SSML is it only Long Crendon and Rushden & Higham United who groundshare:

Baldock Town at Arlesey Town 

Broadfields United at Rayners Lane

Enfield Borough at Wingate & Finchley 

Berkhamsted Raiders at Kings Langley 

New Salamis at Haringey Borough

St Panteleimon at Enfield Town  

London Tigers at Amersham Town  

Wembley with Cricklewood Wanderers 

North Greenford United with Pitshanger Dynamo

Crawley Green at 'The Brache', Luton 

Long Crendon at Oxford City

Rushden & Higham United at AFC Rushden & Diamonds

[Karen Browne]

Thame Rangers at Thame United

Dunstable Town at AFC Dunstable

Burton Park Wanderers at Kettering Town

Plus Berkhamsted Comrades and Kidlington Reserves where first team games take priority

[Rhodes]

Karen - Thanks, it's hard to keep track isn't it, can you envisage any problems with groundshares next season, such as Berkhamsted Raiders at Kings Langley for example when 'landlords' can be so protective and precious of their hallowed turf.

[Rhodes]

Karen has openly stated on another Forum that she 'hates' groundshares and that is understandable coming from a fixture Secretary, there are a still lot of groundshares to take into account this coming season despite losing North Greenford United, Wembley, St Panteleimon and Enfield Borough:

2021/22 Fixture releases | NonLeagueMatters Forums