Just browsing round a few sites about the conference it seems that none of them have updated the teams for next season yet - presumably because of all the possible comings and goings around Altrincham, Scarborough, Canvey Island and Tamworth.
The reality of our new league status is going to hit home once you browse football league sites and we aren't listed and we are listed on the conference sites. At the moment it doesn't seem quite real.
Reality
The Oxford Mail seems to have latched onto a non-story today about our three-sided ground not being to conference standard
It is true it doesn't meet the Grade A requirements for sides being promoted into the conference, but it has always been the case (as part of the promotion agreement between League and Conference) that the Conference must accept any side relegated from the League, regardless of their ground conditions. So why hasn't the Oxford Mail simply stated this? (Halifax are another who get away with a three-sided ground as a result.
It is true it doesn't meet the Grade A requirements for sides being promoted into the conference, but it has always been the case (as part of the promotion agreement between League and Conference) that the Conference must accept any side relegated from the League, regardless of their ground conditions. So why hasn't the Oxford Mail simply stated this? (Halifax are another who get away with a three-sided ground as a result.
This issue has actually been bouncing around on non-league forums for a while.
I think it is worth remembering that politics is far more rife in non-league circles than in the comfy surroundings of the Football League, so suddenly issues that have always seemed trivial now become more relevent, witness clubs being docked points for exceeding wage caps..
Ground grading is one of the most controversial of all, with every season on-field efforts being deemed worthless due to some minor technicality meaning that promotion is cancelled. Things also tend to drag on, with urgency rarely deemed important and quite often decisions made after the event so that teams regularly finish the season without knowing what they need to do to achieve their aim (eg Conference relegation this season, Northern Premier playoff semis held before the decision as to whether one of the four would be able to go up had been made, and many more lower down). There is also some latant resentment knocking around following the various dodgy rulings the League used in the past to prevent Conference clubs getting promotion.
It may be worth the club being aware of this, because it is quite possible that some of our admin slip-ups in recent years (eg kit clashes) may actually lead to more serious punishments.
I think it is worth remembering that politics is far more rife in non-league circles than in the comfy surroundings of the Football League, so suddenly issues that have always seemed trivial now become more relevent, witness clubs being docked points for exceeding wage caps..
Ground grading is one of the most controversial of all, with every season on-field efforts being deemed worthless due to some minor technicality meaning that promotion is cancelled. Things also tend to drag on, with urgency rarely deemed important and quite often decisions made after the event so that teams regularly finish the season without knowing what they need to do to achieve their aim (eg Conference relegation this season, Northern Premier playoff semis held before the decision as to whether one of the four would be able to go up had been made, and many more lower down). There is also some latant resentment knocking around following the various dodgy rulings the League used in the past to prevent Conference clubs getting promotion.
It may be worth the club being aware of this, because it is quite possible that some of our admin slip-ups in recent years (eg kit clashes) may actually lead to more serious punishments.
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Peterorange
- Puberty
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Re:
went down to the last page to see how far back this forum goes...and found a spookily prescient post!"Mooro" wrote:This issue has actually been bouncing around on non-league forums for a while.
I think it is worth remembering that politics is far more rife in non-league circles than in the comfy surroundings of the Football League, so suddenly issues that have always seemed trivial now become more relevent, witness clubs being docked points for exceeding wage caps..
Ground grading is one of the most controversial of all, with every season on-field efforts being deemed worthless due to some minor technicality meaning that promotion is cancelled. Things also tend to drag on, with urgency rarely deemed important and quite often decisions made after the event so that teams regularly finish the season without knowing what they need to do to achieve their aim (eg Conference relegation this season, Northern Premier playoff semis held before the decision as to whether one of the four would be able to go up had been made, and many more lower down). There is also some latant resentment knocking around following the various dodgy rulings the League used in the past to prevent Conference clubs getting promotion.
It may be worth the club being aware of this, because it is quite possible that some of our admin slip-ups in recent years (eg kit clashes) may actually lead to more serious punishments.