Enfield Town FC in Ryman 2 next season

[PORTENCROSS]

Yes, a very fair question. The problem is the new criteria for membership at our level . This requires a ground that is fully enclosed and floodlights and covered accommodation for 250 spectators, 150 sitting and rest standing plus many other bits and pieces to do with dressing rooms, players walk-way, perimeter fencing - the list goes on. Now, my understanding , which as you can see, I am making public, is that we can now "bring on " one club from the lower "step" who, perhaps doesn't have lights or does not fully conform to our membership criteria and nurture them into fulfilling our ground grading criteria with the help of Football Foundation funding. They would have one year too fulfil the criteria ( a time span,that personally, I think ,is just a bit too quick ! )I am reticent to allow a club without lights in, though, as it messes up fixtures and means, as a league,we might not fully conform to F A Vase requirements. I hope therefore, readers will now appreciate my desire to retain as many clubs as I can , a situation that has been allowed under National League System . The other reason is that there aren't many clubs who actually want to go up the ladder ....allegedly !

[Bill Poster]

Oo er Mr League Chairman.

 

You wouldn't be touting with that last remark of yours would you?

[PORTENCROSS]

Absolutely not,I am quite happy to withdraw the last sentence unreservedly but, funnily enough, don't know how to .. so... it'll have to stay there !

[theabbeyabbott]

Just click on edit before 6 hours is up and it will let you do it.

[PORTENCROSS]

Thanks squire - must be seen to be politically correct !

[Mr Happy]

Who sets the criteria? When town joined the ESL, we had no covered seating and a cow shed that leaked but we were let in. the ground wasn't fully enclosed and had to be cordoned off for each game! It has taken three years of bloody hard work to get to where we are now.

 

My view is that a senior club at ESL should have lights, suitalbe dressing rooms, a perimeter fence and toilet facilites for the fans. surely the powers that be should encourage intermediate clubs to move up. It's a disgrace. as for giving promoted clubs one season to get their ground to the required standard, well, that is way too short. As ETFC have proved, if you don;t have the cash (and we don't) then you have to rely on the hard work of just a few to get there.

[Bill Poster]

You're a spoilsport Abbeynut!!

[PORTENCROSS]

Thank you Mr Happy, I am in total agreement with you. You were blessed with "Senior status" from Middlesex FA when you joined us and that was enough for us..now the granting of "Senior Status" has been changed in emphasis and is not, necessarily required - as long as the new ground criteria is acceptable to the League. So, you have, no doubt, guessed that you came into the ESL just at the right time and have been given a reasonable amount of time to get your facilities up to scratch - a job well done, but I agree, it takes more than a year to do it.

 

"Senior" has had different meanings at different times, Snaresbrook and Severalls were Senior, once and in the F A Cup, Many clubs took part in the Vase with only rope around the pitch, Old Esthamians comes to mind. Then it was all changed and you just cannot dwell on "what was " but "what will be "- that is the sad fact for those who do not keep up with the changing face of non-league soccer. There are very many people who have criticised the requirement for 250 covered accomnodation but that is what has been decreed and we have to get on with it. I must say it is nice to have an opportunity to stand under cover if you wish or a wee seat for those who chose i.e to watch your County football in comfort. The F A have now set the criteria, not the Joint Liason Committees of the Ryman, Dr Martens and Unibond anymore and the final Draft will be with clubs very soon indeed which should give a common ground criteria throughout the country at each "step" of the game.

[Bill Poster]

Then let's hope that the FA show a bit of common sense when setting the standards for the mostly hand-to-mouth clubs playing at or aspiring to our ESL and suchlike levels.

 

But I'm not holding my breath!!

[Mr Happy]

I agree, they just seem to want to hamper little clubs' progress. I guess this is the same as when it comes to league footie with the richest clubs getting richer and the smaller clubs falling by the wayside.

[The Invisible Man]

Absolutely. We need uniform, sensible criteria appropriate to the level. How many clubs at County level have attendances in excess of 50? There are Ryman 1 - even Premier - clubs with gates of around 100. Enormous empty stands and acres of empty terrace are a complete waste of money that could be better spent in football.

 

Rail round the pitch, flodlights of a given lux level, changing facilities, spectators facilities - yes. A certain amount of covered terrace - yes. Seats - yes, a sensible number, say 50 at County level?

 

It is a pity that is not really possible to grade the playing surface. I suppose you could take things like gradient (or lack of) and the provision of drainage (but how many CL clubs can boast that?) into account.

 

Whinge coming - it galls me to hear of what some Premiership players "earn" in a week when a fraction of that would make the world of difference to a non-league club - and to think what it could do for youth or women's football......

[Colin, Germany]

When I compare the situation to Germany, the requirement for covered terracing is ludicrous - even for 50 is too much at this level. I've seen grounds here in the 7th level (counting the Bundesliga as the 1st level) who don't have lights or any covered terracing. The 20-30 spectators are still happy to pay their entrance money.

[theabbeyabbott]

Quote:

Whinge coming - it galls me to hear of what some Premiership players "earn" in a week when a fraction of that would make the world of difference to a non-league club - and to think what it could do for youth or women's football......

Well said, I think if you have a long look back over postings I said that ages ago, one weeks wages from a top team to every ESL team would change the perspective of the club overnight if they spent it in the right way...too much money at the top.and to be fair it is going out of the game when players earn that much. After all how much beer can a man drink in one life time? Fruitbat need not answer.........

[Southport - TOWNER]

Quote:

LgeChairman said:
.............. it is nice to have an opportunity to stand under cover if you wish or a wee seat

does this refer to the toileting requirements?

[Football Man]

Quote:

LgeChairman said:
Now here's a basis for debate - at what level will this "new" league enter the system - we already have 15 feeders with four above us - my mathematics suggest that promotion and relegation could well be a future nightmare and one more league will cause even more confusion ... or, will this "new " league take the place or gobble up another league with Middlesex Clubs in it.

An interesting point was put to me tonight. The main reason for reducing the 15 feeder leagues to 12 is that 12 into 4 (the number of leagues at the next step up) fits better. However, 16 into 4 fits even better still!

[MbrunoB]

How dare you try to bring some sense to an FA idea.