ESL Fixtures

[Southport - TOWNER]

I ETFC were in R2, then they would have been given their fixture list and had to sort it with Brimmo. Being in the higher league I believe they have priority over their land lords

 

SO

 

Why can't ESL issue the fixtures for the season and let ETFC sort it out withy Brimmo and their league?

 

 

[millicent]

But they are not in Ryman 2!!!

[Southport - TOWNER]

milly - assume you never follow logic

[Guest]

ESL are at same level as Spartan South Midlands therefore I expect it is a case of co-operation between fixture secretaries as it would have needed to be with Ryman 2 who are also at the same level (Brimsdown being in a lower division doesn't matter ). I wondered what would have happened if Town went into the Ryman - would the latter organisation have used the "big stick" to knock SPSML into shape and "ordered" them to allow Town first choice of dates or is it another reason why Ilford, with their own ground were given the belated and controversial nod ?

[Guest]

Brimsdown would surely have first priority on the ground, so even if the ESL fixtures were printed in advance, Brimsdown could still get a game on a Saturday that ETFC were due to have a home game. That would mean a switch to Sunday, would ETFC fans really want that, and what would happen to the ladies team?

[MbrunoB]

I thought Ilford was an athletic stadium that was shared by the runny jumpy people and 2 football teams,so its not "their" ground.

[Football Man]

Quote:

Anonymous said:
I wondered what would have happened if Town went into the Ryman - would the latter organisation have used the "big stick" to knock SPSML into shape

That would have been bloody useful!

When Ford United (now Redbridge) moved in at Barkingside, they had to take complete control of the ground as Ryman rules prevented them for sharing as tenants of a lower league ground. Barkingside are now the tenants at what used to be their own ground.

[Football Man]

Quote:

brunob said:
I thought Ilford was an athletic stadium that was shared by the runny jumpy people and 2 football teams,so its not "their" ground.

The agreement has always been that athletics generally stops on 31 July and starts again on 1 April. Very rarely do the athletics club have home meets very early or very late in the season but the football club now have portable goals which makes it easier to switch things around. Since the clubhouse went up, the atheletics and football clubs have been able to harmonise much better than previously.

The ground itself is still council owned and I still vividly remember the pitch being marked incorrectly a few years ago. I complained to the council as there was an FA Youth Cup tie due to take place and we needed the pitch re-marked urgently. I turned up at 5pm on the night of the FA Youth Cup tie (against Cambridge City) and found that they had re-marked the pitch but hadn't taken up the old markings. We ended up with every line on the pitch being marked double about a yard apart! (Fruitbat probably wouldn't have noticed the difference!).

The referee turned up and immediately called the game off. Cambridge City turned up by coach and were not pleased. Both clubs had to submit written reports to the FA by 9:30am the next morning. Ilford were forced to play the match at Cambridge City at our own expense and lost 10-0! Suffice to say that the air was a little bit blue next time I spoke to the local council.

[MbrunoB]

My point was that it was not ilfords ground but a shared facility like many others and all these teams have to put up with a little bit of give and take.

Why when the ladies have a game booked for the sunday wouldnt the men move to the available friday?

[Football Man]

A lot of visiting sides just won't travel into or around the London area on a Friday night. They don't like the travelling and I think too many players at this level don't want to miss their local Friday night out with their mates. I know they would only need to visit you once a season but I still think you wouldn't find many takers even if you could play Friday night matches.

[Colin, Germany]

When I was working in London, I looked at the fixtures printed in the newspaper, and decided which match I wanted to see. So clubs playing their home matches on unpopular evenings like Thursday or Friday got to see me more often than other clubs, with the exception of the club which I was supporting at the time. I don't think there were very many people who chose their matches in a similar fashion, though.

[Southport - TOWNER]

A Long time ago in a land far away, Southport played in the league; with home games on a Friday night, when possible; this was to attract the floating supporters from the BIG clubs in the North West. To some extent it worked. However when they played on a couple of occasions on a Sunday they got even bigger crowds. (but there was no live footy on sundays then)

 

 

Re traveling in and around London on fridays.... forget it. It is a nightmare

 

 

[MbrunoB]

People go on like it would be every week,why would it have to be such a big problem?

We wont have many mid-week games,we didnt last season.Why would a team that has a match booked have to move their fixture because another has excepted a fixture when the ground is not available?

[The Invisible Man]

I think it's been said before but there are two obvious solutions:

 

1. If they won't do it of their own accord, the FA should order the SSML to produce a proper fixture list for the whole season. This monthly thing is ridiculous for a so-called senior league.

 

2. SSML to at least declare that Brimsdown will have home fictures on say the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month, leaving the 2nd and 4th for ETFC (or of course vice versa).

 

This is hardly rocket science is it?

[Colin, Germany]

October 2004, January 2005 and April 2005 each have five Saturdays.

[Football Man]

I agree with point 1.

 

Point 2 isn't always workable due to FA and County Cup matches causing postponements. Incidentally, the number of county cup ties its clubs are involved in is the official reason why the SSML still produce monthly fixtures. I know that's rubbish, you know that's rubbish, but that's the way it is.

[Southport - TOWNER]

Surely it is easier to publish the League fixtures and then work around what is there, rather than wait for County Cup draws that coud have teams, home/away or out of the competition

 

Is SSML run by women ?

 

 

[Mr Happy]

County cup matches are played mid week anyway

[MK James]

 

They are usually, but not every division in the SSML requires floodlights. It's normal for teams in Brimsdown's division to play county cup games on Saturdays.