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    Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

    The NCEL finally finished a difficult season on Saturday with the League Cup final. Cleethorpes Town won that to deprive Tadcaster Albion of a double.

    Mentioned a lot of the ups and downs on other threads, but in summary Tadcaster Albion got the promotion place to the NPL. They appear to have realised this week that this might impact on their squad given the increased travelling to the likes of Colwyn Bay and Kendal. Still at least they're willing to make the jump to step 4 *looks at the Northern League*. Harrogate Railway Athletic came down to replace them after a decade away.

    After an exciting relegation scrap Pontefract Collieries, Brigg Town and Nostell MW were relegated from the Premier, they are replaced by Hemsworth MW, AFC Mansfield and Bottesford Town. All of the promoted clubs are in step 5 for the first time.

    Two crisis clubs have left the league, Hull United were demoted for ground reasons as detailed above, Lincoln Moorlands Railway resigned just before the end of the season.

    There has been a bit of a kerfuffle about the clubs coming up from step 7. Campion (no idea as to the origins of the name, they play in north Bradford) have joined even though they presently have no floodlights, though apparently this is OK as they have plans in place to build them. The promoted club from the Central Midlands (a league which really needs killing off and the teams distributing around the other local leagues) is expected to be confirmed this week. Ollerton haven't presently passed ground grading for technical reasons, if they fail again then Harworth Colliery will come up. That's Tom Simpson Harworth incidentally for the cycling fans.

    Swallownest missed out again. From what I can piece together, it appears that they passed ground grading but have been rejected as they only came 7th in the Sheffield Senior League. Teams were told this year there would be a moratorium on finishing positions and Swallownest got rid of all their players who wouldn't come to the NCEL well before the season end. They are planning an appeal. This all came as a bit of a surprise to Teversal as they were expecting to be moved to the East Midlands Counties on that basis.

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      Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

      Phoenix didn't make it then?

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        Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

        Didn't apply for promotion. There's a lot of work there to meet ground grading - floodlights, enclosing the ground, hard standing.

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          Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

          Fair enough. I wonder if they'll bother.

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            Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

            longeared wrote: The promoted club from the Central Midlands (a league which really needs killing off and the teams distributing around the other local leagues) is expected to be confirmed this week. Ollerton haven't presently passed ground grading for technical reasons, if they fail again then Harworth Colliery will come up. That's Tom Simpson Harworth incidentally for the cycling fans.
            Presumably why there were no fewer than eight applications from the Central Midlands for promotion to step 6. Is there some kind of crisis?

            I guess they could be going to any number of leagues above them, looking at the step 6/5 map though.



            (I wish there was a higher resolution version of this map so you could read the names. Edit - had a go at doing it myself; think it's a bit better at least)

            We're three down, eleven to go folks!

            Thanks for those roundups longeared and Uroš. The merger sounds like a good move, if only from my OCD senses that I like these local leagues all to have two divisions.

            Uroš, agree with you on the reserves, but sadly in the ECL we have seven of them at the moment and might struggle to keep the league in its format if they weren't there. It is written into the league rules though that the reserve teams cannot be promoted to the ECL Premier. I don't know whether they might at some stage remove reserve teams if enough step 7 teams apply to join, or if we have a relegation into the league not matched by a team leaving to be promoted.

            I forgot to add that within the ECL Great Yarmouth (Div.1, 3rd) were promoted to the Premier with Wivenhoe and Ely, while Whitton United were the sole relegated team.

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              Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

              The legend reads:

              Combined Counties League
              Eastern Counties League
              Essex Senior League
              Hellenic League
              Midland League
              Northern Counties East League
              Northern League
              North West Counties League
              Southern Counties East League
              Spartan South Midlands League
              Sussex County league (no longer exists, replaced by Southern Combination)
              United Counties League
              Wessex League
              Western League

              In addition, there are a few step 6 leagues:
              East Midlands Counties League
              Kent Invicta League
              South West Peninsula League
              West Midlands (Regional) League

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                Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                Central Midlands is quite an old league but has outlived its usefulness now. It's got two divisions at step 7 for a start hence the number of teams wanting promotion. It's got quite a wide geographic spread which could easily see teams rolled into other leagues. There's reserve teams, there always seems to be someone going bust and there are wide differences in club structure and ability. One game recently finished 23-0.

                In fact the whole of non league football across the North and Midlands has become a bit of a mess thanks to various (well meant) piecemeal changes in recent years. There's talk of putting this new league in at step 4 to encourage Northern League teams to be promoted, which was mentioned in WSC recently. That might help solve a few of the problems, but it needs the FA to look at the wider pyramid.

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                  Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                  Thanks ES. Essex Senior is step 5 only, which is odd as it also only has one feeder league in the Essex Olympian. My OCD would like the Premier of the latter to become Division One of the former... but can probably just about cope with leaving them to it I suppose.

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                    Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                    I'd do the United Counties League but it's difficult because 1) they have no website with up to date news, and 2) because it's a multi-county league (Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Norfolk & Bedfordshire), there's no one local paper giving news beyond its local clubs.

                    AFC Kempston Rovers will go up from the United Counties Premier to the Southern League Central, with no club coming down from that league to replace them. However, Daventry Town, who moved into the Northern Premier League South last year from the Southern League Central (keep up!), have taken voluntary relegation to the United Counties Division One. In addition, Northampton Spencer look to have folded, leaving the UCL Premier two clubs short.

                    Daventry will effectively replace St Neots Town Saints in Division One, after that team folded last November. Whittlesey Athletic are coming up from the Peterborough & District Football League, and might be joined by either Birstall United and/or Melton Mowbray from the Leicestershire Senior League.

                    I'll try and nail this down!

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                      Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                      Errorist Sympathiser wrote: the UCL Premier [is] two clubs short.
                      Does this mean that Oadby are going to win the AGM Cup?

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                        Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                        You forgot Buckinghamshire! It's a twisted league, right enough.

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                          Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                          This is where the biggest problems lie right now. The Northern Premier now extends down to places such as Daventry and Halesowen thanks to an influx of Southern based sides from step 5 over the past few seasons and the lack of Northern ones. As a result the Pyramid looks even less appealing to the Northern League clubs.
                          A 1-2-4-8 set up would give a more regional feel rather than the current 1-2-3-6.

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                            Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                            The NPL is tipping ever further south. Rushden & Diamonds are joining next season.

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                              Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                              Sean of the Shed wrote: This is where the biggest problems lie right now. The Northern Premier now extends down to places such as Daventry and Halesowen thanks to an influx of Southern based sides from step 5 over the past few seasons and the lack of Northern ones. As a result the Pyramid looks even less appealing to the Northern League clubs.
                              A 1-2-4-8 set up would give a more regional feel rather than the current 1-2-3-6.
                              Shall we just get on and set up the fourth step 3-4 league? What do we need - an office and a website? How hard can it be?

                              OK, maybe a few other bits and pieces.

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                                Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                                I run a league of 240 teams. Three regional divisions of part timers should be no problem.

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                                  Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                                  Kevchenko wrote: Coggeshall Town appear to be one of them. They have won the Essex & Suffolk Border League, which is one of the ECL's feeders. Holland FC came third but must have made a successful application.

                                  It appears that Coggeshall Town has a celebrity fan. (Warning if scrolling, there is a picture you may find unsavoury.)
                                  Made The Weekly Howl - Hoorah!

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                                    Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                                    Well, I don't think the dust has quite settled on the NW Counties yet, but at present the picture looks like this.

                                    Premier Division - Colne promoted, New Mills drop in from Evostik 1N.

                                    AFC Blackpool, Alsager Town and Silsden relegated to the first divsion, with Irlam, Hanley Town and Barnton coming up to replace them.

                                    The first division constitution is more complicated.

                                    Charnock Richard have been promoted from the West Lancs league, Prestwich Heys promoted from the Manchester league, and Sandbach United promoted from the Cheshire league.

                                    Carlisle City have then been promoted from the Northern Alliance, which knocks Kev's map all to cock. FC Oswestry Town, effectively a new club, have also been allocated to the league, whilst other new club aspirants City of Liverpool have been allocated to the Step 7 Liverpool County Premier.

                                    Meanwhile Rochdale Town have been relegated as they failed ground grading, and after the constitution was settled, Northwich Manchester Villa announced their resignation from the league. This has led to City of Liverpool appealing their league placement in the hope that the FA will place them in NWCFL 1 to make the league back up to 22 clubs.

                                    Watch this space....

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                                      Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                                      Does that mean Charnock Richard and Sandbach are in the same division, producing an M6 services derby? Presumably with very expensive catering but with the toilets open 24 hours.

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                                        Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                                        That's a very good spot WFC, they are indeed. In fact, you've made me wonder whether an adjacent well appointed service area might be a secret ground grading criterion, as the A483 services at Oswestry has been extended to include a KFC and a Starbucks in the last couple of years.

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                                          AGMs gone ok locally? Any controversies? The Eastern Counties League has a nice full Premier Division this season, with 24 genuine first teams present and correct.

                                          Different story in Division One, though, which has 21 teams: 14 firsts and 7 reserves.

                                          Here's the Premier:
                                          Brantham Athletic
                                          Coggeshall Town
                                          Ely City
                                          Fakenham Town
                                          FC Clacton
                                          Felixstowe & Walton United
                                          Godmanchester Rovers
                                          Gorleston
                                          Great Yarmouth Town
                                          Hadleigh United
                                          Haverhill Borough
                                          Haverhill Rovers
                                          Histon
                                          Ipswich Wanderers
                                          Kirkley & Pakefield
                                          Long Melford
                                          Newmarket Town
                                          Saffron Walden Town
                                          Stanway Rovers
                                          Stowmarket Town
                                          Thetford Town
                                          Walsham le Willows
                                          Wivenhoe Town
                                          Wroxham

                                          My money's on Wroxham to make a return to the Isthmian.

                                          Edit: oh crumbs, Histon?! I don't really follow the Southern League - how did they fall this far?
                                          Last edited by Kevin S; 26-06-2017, 08:42.

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                                            Histon have been on the slide for over five years. Now the money has run out they're returning to their natural level in the Eastern Counties league.

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                                              The Northern Counties East League had a successful season last time out as Cleethorpes Town became the first club to reach the Vase final since 2003. They got comprehensively beaten by South Shields once there, but the fact that they made it at all reflected well on the league in general. They also won the league and have gone to the NPL this season.

                                              The demise of Ilkeston further up the pyramid had knock on effects for the league, no club came down as Goole were reprieved from relegation. Barton Town Old Boys had an AGM Cup win from relegation in the Premier, and Nostell Miners Welfare had the same in Division One after Westella & Willerby declined a reprieve. Teversal also left as they were transferred to the East Midlands Counties. Three new clubs have joined the league - Swallownest finally got their promotion and as they're just down the road from me I'll be there a few times next season, little disappointed to see they've not entered the Vase though. FC Bolsover came up from the Central Midlands though their chairman has already left and gone to Shirebrook Town. The other new team is East Yorkshire Carnegie, know nothing about them except that they're the latest club to occupy Hall Road Rangers's old ground in north Hull.

                                              It's been confirmed that there will be the new league at steps 3 and 4 in the 2018/19 season, so in addition to the single promotion place each step 5 league gets there will also be a promotion for the next twelve teams with the best record on a points-per-game basis. There will also be only one club relegated from the step 4 leagues. I suspect that all the knock ons from that will lead there to not many teams being relegated across steps 5 and 6 in general next season.

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                                                I've only just discovered that Dorking FC of the Combined Counties League, formed in 1880, folded this year. There seems to have been a decision that the town could only support one club and Dorking Wanderers (who play in the Isthmian Premier and were formed in 1999) took precedence.

                                                Given they were both due to share a new ground opening this summer it all smells a bit fishy.

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                                                  Wow Histon have meteorically dropped. One time victors over Shrewsbury in the cup in a game my dad and brother unequivocally say is the worst Shrewsbury game they've ever seen.

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                                                    "AGMs gone ok locally? Any controversies? "

                                                    Massive controversies in the Essex Senior League, where Ilford FC were voted out of the league by other members in a secret ballot, apparently for paying a few fees and fines late, but this is in dispute.

                                                    They're one of my favorite teams in the league, solid group of about 50 to 80 fans, good team and manager. They're currently seeking legal advice.

                                                    Clapton's woes were masterfully reported on 200% recently. With Eton Manor taking a year out and both Clapton and Hackney Wick (Ex-London Bari) possibly not having a ground to play at, the league could be reduced to 16 teams this season.

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