Cheltenham League Meetings

CHELTENHAM ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Minutes of the Management Committee Meeting at the Victory Club Cheltenham on Wednesday 27th July 2005 at 7-15 pm

Attendees: R Attwood, N Oram, L Fisher, A.Stiley, T Onions, J Hunt, P Newcombe, R.Overington, P.Tustain

Apologies: G Cook, D Barrett, J Crowther, B Hill, G.Morrison

Mr R Attwood took the chair in the absence of Mr Cook

Minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 25th May 2005 were read and accepted

Matters Arising from the minutes.

The reason for not receiving a reply from Cheltenham Borough Council, to the letter sent in April, transpired to be because it was sent to the Victory Club

The Canterbury FC, who were reported in the minutes as having failed to turn up for interview at the last Committee Meeting, did not put in an appearance at a subsequent meeting either and, therefore, their application was deemed to have failed.

Correspondence:

Reported for Discussion:

Letter from Charlton Kings relating the imposition of penalties pertinent to the transgression of rule 8(Q), as laid down at the meeting held on May 25th
Letter from Charlton Kings, stipulating that matters relating to the match between themselves and Kings Reserves, played on January 29th, had been the subject of a GFA disciplinary hearing on April 11th, at which Charlton Kings were totally exonerated
Email from Maureen Newcombe, Personal Assistant to the Group Director of Cheltenham Borough Council, acknowledging receipt of the email and letter that was sent to Chris Huckle and stating that the matter will be dealt with on his return from holiday
Email from Sonia Phillips, Assistant Director of Health and Well being at Cheltenham Borough Council, apologising for the difficulties experienced by the league and issuing an assurance that the League's cheque for £512.12 will be tracked down
Email from Jean Smith, Customer Services and Admin Manager at the Green Environment Department of Cheltenham Borough Council, confirming that the League's cheque for £512.12 had been found.
Email from Linda Wilson applying for the position of Honorary League Historian
Email from John Crowther, Assistant Director of the Green Environment Department of Cheltenham Borough Council, forwarding, as an attachment, a reply from Chris Huckle, Acting Managing Director of CBC, and confirming the offer of a meeting with John Crowther and his team to resolve the pitches issue
Letter from Chris Huckle, Acting Managing Director of Cheltenham Borough Council, apologising for difficulties experienced by the League and proposing a meeting between the League and the Green Environment Department, which will now be co-ordinating both the upkeep and the usage of CBC pitches

Matters relating to the League's recent dealings with Cheltenham Borough Council were deferred until Agenda Item 8

Letter from Don Perry, former secretary of Charlton Kings, hand delivered and undated (received 27th June), concerning the six point deduction imposed upon Charlton Kings at the May meeting which related to the game against Kings Reserves in Division 4 on January 29th
Reply sent to Rob Wilks, current secretary of Charlton Kings, indicating that, until details of the GFA disciplinary hearing involving Charlton Kings are received, no further action can be taken on this matter and asking that all correspondence between the League and Charlton Kings is now conducted through him

It was agreed that all correspondence from Charlton Kings would be considered under the Rule Offences agenda item

Letter from Shipton Oliffe, requesting that they have no fixtures on September 24th as they have a wedding in the club on that day
Reply sent informing Shipton that this should not present a problem with regard to league games but pointing out that their first team was likely to be involved in a Junior County Cup tie that day and that, consequently, they should approach the GFA about this matter.

It was confirmed by Mr Arthur Stiley, who sits on the County Cups Committee, that a request had been received by the GFA from Shipton Oliffe, asking that September 24th be left free of a fixture for Shipton Oliffe's first team. The GFA committee had stated that it was not usual practice to acquiesce to such requests but felt able to do so in this instance, as the game affected would be in the first round and because Shipton had provided sufficient notice. Mr Stiley told the meeting that it was likely that, if Shipton Oliffe were not drawn in, and then eliminated from, the preliminary round, they would be compelled to play their first round tie on Saturday, 17th September. It was noted that this would require the cancellation of Shipton's League match for that date but it was agreed that the League would await confirmation of these details from the GFA before taking any action in this regard. It was unanimously agreed, however, that the Division Four match involving Shipton Oliffe's reserve side on September 24th would be rescheduled.

Letter from the GFA informing the League that three clubs on the League's "D" form had not affiliated. These clubs are FC Electrics, Phoenix United and AFC Southside.

The meeting was informed that FC Electrics had recently experienced a change of Secretary and that it was probable that this was the cause of problems in this area. The General Secretary also informed the meeting that AFC Southside had been confused with the Southside who compete in the Stroud League and had been refused affiliation because the Stroud League club had been suspended for the non payment of fines. Finally, the meeting was told that Phoenix United had informed the Secretary that they had forgotten to post the "A" form and that this had now been rectified, as indicated in the email detailed below.

Email from Phoenix United confirming that their A form had been sent and asking for fixtures arranged on Friday, September 2nd and Wednesday, September 7th to be rearranged.

The meeting considered the reasons given by Phoenix United for their desire to postpone the matches that were scheduled to be played on September 2nd and September 7th. After due deliberations, which specifically took into account the stipulations of rule 10(k), the meeting felt that there were not sufficient reasonable grounds to grant the request for either day and so ordered the fixtures to stand as arranged.

Letter from The Cheltenham Hospital League of Friends thanking the League for the donation made from the funds of the Charity Cup Competitions
Letter from Sue Ryder Homes also thanking the League for the donation made to their cause from the funds of the Charity Cup Competitions
Letter from Sports Today, inviting the League to renew the Subscription to their services that was allowed to lapse over a year ago

It was explained to the meeting that Sports Today had provided the League with the computerised results management service that it had used before the inception of the FA Full time facility. It was felt that there was no desire to return to this service and the Secretary was instructed to write to Sports Today to inform them of this decision.


Correspondence Notified to the Meeting but not discussed

Email from Rob Morris of Tewkesbury YMCA informing the League that he had resigned as Secretary of the club. Rob advised that the Club AGM was to be held imminently and that he would act as a communication point until the new secretary was appointed
Letter from Don Fletcher, Secretary of the GFA County Cup (North) committee, asking for details of League Constitution and Last seasons final league tables by July 20th, to facilitate the draw for next season.
Email from Rob Morris, stating that he is no longer Tewkesbury YMCA Secretary but that he will continue as a contact point until a new secretary is appointed
Letter from Churchdown Panthers, stating that they are pleased that their application to join the League has been accepted and agreeing to attend for interview on Thursday, June 2nd
Email from Belmore Jags, asking if it would be possible to put players' names on the backs of shirts.
Reply sent saying it was unlikely that this would be agreed to, especially as it would mean, implicitly, that Squad numbers would have to be used and this would be contrary to League Rules, which stipulate that numbers 2-17 must be used
Email from Bredon stating that, following a sponsorship deal, their third team colours will be yellow shirts, black shorts and black socks
Email from AC Olympia, giving details of a new address for their secretary. This is 24, Blackberry Grove, Bishops Cleeve, Cheltenham, Glos. GL52 8WL.
Letter from the Chairman of Northleach Town, forwarding a copy of the minutes of the Club AGM and details of the new Club Secretary
Copy email from AFC Southside, sent to Paul Britton at the GFA, pointing out that they are a separate club to the Southside that play in the Stroud League, in response to the GFA returning their "A" form because of unpaid fines relating to Southside FC.
Letter from Northleach Town, forwarding minutes of their Committee meeting held on June 29th
Letter from Tewkesbury YMCA, forwarding details of an email address for their new secretary
Email from John Crowther, Assistant Director, Green Environment Department, Cheltenham Borough Council. In this email which followed the meeting held with CBC on July 11th, John confirms the unit price for pitches next season as £20.43 and provides a list of contact details for the Council
Email from John Rees, Landscape Services Manager of the Green Environment Department of Cheltenham Borough Council. In this email, which followed the meeting held with CBC on July 11th, John provides contact details for Andy Williams, who is responsible for opening and closing pavilions at Council Grounds. This number is 07833 146187
Email from AFC Southside forwarding their balance sheet and informing the league of a change of colours for next season
Email from Brockworth Albion providing details of an email address for their Secretary.
Email from Dynamos informing the League that their secretary will be on holiday from the 13th until 20th August and 26th August until 10th September. During these times, Andy Coates will be the contact on 07815110553 or 01789766921
Email from Andoversford Nomads informing the League that from 26th July, their secretary will not be contactable on email until further notice. In addition, the League was informed that the secretary will not be available from August 12th to August 19th.
Email from Hatherley Rangers informing the League that both their sides will be playing at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester next season
Letter from Woodmancote giving details of an email address that can be used for contacting the club in the future
Email from Cleevonians confirming that the email address used can be utilised for League correspondence.
Receipt from the GFA for the League's affiliation fees, confirming that the League's affiliation number for the season is CL00021
Letter from Cleevonians apologising for the delay in providing an email address for the club
Letter from the GFA requesting that copies of the League handbook are sent to the Association Headquarters and to Mr K Fry, the GFA Referees Secretary
Letter from the Victory Club thanking the League for its donation of £165

Rule Offences:

The following clubs have been fined in accordance with rule 5h

i) Late Payment of Invoices. Fine £15: Belmore Jags (invoice 14, £5), Charlton Kings (invoice 96, £18.29), Northway (invoice 8, £5), Phoenix United (invoice 11, £5), Woodmancote (now paid), Gas Green (£10)

ii) Failure to satisfactorily attend to the business of the League: Northleach Town (non return of Supplementary Information form by prescribed date - fine set at £15 at the discretion of the Management Committee), Northleach Town (failure to reply to an email message from the General Secretary - fine £15),

iii) Failure to comply with an order or instruction of the Management Committee: Northleach Town (did not hold a committee meeting for two months in contravention of instructions issued at the Management Committee meeting held on 26th January 2005 - fine set at £15 at the discretion of the Management Committee)

iv) Failure to reply to official from the League correspondence relating to notification of fixtures Fine £15: AC Olympia, Falcons, Moreton Rangers, Northway, Rowanfield United, St Marks, Tewkesbury Town

The following clubs have been fined in accordance with rule 5L - failure to be represented for the duration of the Annual General Meeting. Fine £5: High-Tech Rangers

The following clubs have been fined in accordance with rule 6H - failure to attend the Annual General Meeting. Fine £15: Gas Green, Northleach Town

The specifics of the on going dispute with regard to the match between Charlton Kings and Kings Reserves, in Division 4, on January 29th 2005 were detailed to the meeting by the General Secretary. Mr Oram informed the meeting that this game had resulted in a charge being brought against Charlton Kings by the GFA but that, despite his best efforts, he had not been able to obtain confirmation of the charge or the result of the hearing from the GFA. It was noted that there had been significant changes to the body of officers at Charlton Kings FC over the course of the close season and that the current administration had indicated that they did not want to pursue this matter any further. As a consequence, Mr Les Fisher, the League Treasurer, was asked to provide the League Secretary with an invoice covering all Charlton Kings outstanding debts, which the Secretary would then relay to Charlton Kings with a covering note.

Fixtures

The meeting was informed that the fixtures for the 2005-2006 season had been released on Friday, July 8th, 2005. The General Secretary informed the meeting that, because neither he nor the Assistant Secretary had any prior knowledge of the Software used, in the FA's Full Time facility, to generate fixtures, the process had been laborious. He emphasised the fact that he felt confident that the fixtures would be available earlier next year. He also told the meeting that he had made notes of the techniques used and problems and pitfalls experienced and had passed a copy of this onto John Hunt, the Assistant Secretary, for future reference.
Clubs had been asked to acknowledge the fixtures by the date of the meeting and only those clubs reported in the Rule Offences section had failed to do so. John Hunt also reported that only a few changes had been required and so the fixture list was still largely as originally released.

Registrations

Terry Onions, the League's Registration Secretary, reported to the meeting that Registrations were starting to come in slowly but surely. He also informed the meeting that some clubs had still been sending the forms with the left-hand counterfoil attached, with stamped addressed envelopes, or both. The General Secretary confirmed that this was no longer required, following the changes that were made to League Rule 8 at the Annual General Meeting, and informed the meeting that all new versions of rules could now be obtained via the web site.

Mr Onions reported that 4 clubs had returned CDP 1 forms before the Annual General Meeting to report players that owed them money at the end of the season. Mr Onions was asked by the meeting to correlate all this information onto the CDP2 form as soon as possible so that it could be released to clubs without delay. Mr Onions agreed to do this.

Charity Cup Draw

Details of the full draw for all three of the Charity Cup competitions, through to the Semi final stage, were circulated to the meeting. The Secretary confirmed that the draw had been made at the Victory Club on Friday, 1st July, 2005 by himself, Mr John Crowther, the Vice Chairman, and Mr John Hunt.

Cheltenham Borough Council

The meeting had already been appraised of the Correspondence that had passed between the League and the Borough Council, leading to the arrangement of a meeting between the two parties that had been held at the Borough Council Offices in Swindon Road on Monday, 11th July, 2005. The League's representatives at this meeting had been the General Secretary, Mr Nick Oram, and the Assistant Secretary, Mr John Hunt. Copies of the record of the meeting produced by the General Secretary were circulated to Committee Members.
The Chairman asked the General Secretary to précis what was a lengthy document. In attempting to do this, The General Secretary informed the meeting that the major point of contention going into the meeting related to the apparent intention of the Borough Council to charge one rate for pitches used during the months between September and March and another rate for those used in April. He told the meeting that he was happy to report that the Council had agreed that one rate should be applied to all the pitches used during the course of a particular season. Furthermore, the Council had agreed that it would be able to communicate this price to the League early in the close season every year. He informed the meeting that, this year, this price would be £24.00 but, as the block booking arrangement would be continuing on this basis, this would be reduced to £20.43 with the removal of VAT. It was noted that this was just in excess of £2 more than last season.
Many other details were discussed in the meeting, most, if not all, of which related to the establishment of better working practices between the League and the Council. The most significant of these was the invoicing for the pitches. The Council agreed that it would invoice the League twice during the course of the season, once in December and once in March. The invoice in December would be for 7 games per team using Council facilities. The invoice in March would cover all other usage. It was agreed that the Assistant Secretary would provide the General Secretary with details of the Borough Council Pitches used on a weekly basis to ensure that verification of the invoice received in March could be achieved.
Further discussion centred on the frequency with which the League would invoice its clubs. It was noted that the rules stipulated that the clubs should be invoiced once, at the beginning of the season, for all pitches to be used during the course of the ensuing campaign. Mr Fisher confirmed that, to his knowledge, this had not been the working practice for many years, as clubs were usually invoiced twice to enable them to spread payments. It was agreed that clubs would be invoiced once, in the close season, for 7 games and that this invoice would be due for payment by August 31st. A second invoice, to be paid by December 31st, would be issued for the remaining 6 home league fixtures. The third invoice would cover all home cup games played on Borough Council pitches and would be payable by March 31st.
Mr Attwood made reference to the form that was mentioned in the notes, which had previously been issued by the League to clubs intending to apply for a key to Borough Council Pavilions. In the past, this form had been countersigned by the League Secretary to authenticate the application for a key. Mr Attwood reported to the meeting that he had been informed that the Borough Council had located no such form and that it was not intended that one should be produced. It was therefore noted by the meeting that each club requiring a key should make its own approaches to the Green Environment Department of the Borough Council, which was based at the Swindon Road depot.
The General Secretary then handed out lists of contact details for personnel at the Borough Council. It was noted that this did not include Andy Williams, the Grounds man who opened up and closed all the facilities on match days. The General Secretary confirmed that a number for this Gentleman had been provided and that this would be printed in the new edition of the handbook.

Honorary Historian

There had been two applications from individuals who had expressed an interest in taking on the role of Honorary Historian with the League. It was decided to invite them both to the next meeting to expand upon their application.

Any Other Business:

The General Secretary informed the meeting that the Web Site had now been completely updated in readiness for the start of the new season and that these changes had been uploaded on Tuesday, July 26th. He also told the meeting that the new handbook would be available on Friday, 5th August and that one copy would be posted to each club, with the remainder to be available for collection at the clubs meeting in September

The General Secretary told the meeting that he would be on holiday from August 18th to September 1st. It was agreed that Les Fisher, the League Treasurer, would act as first point of contact for the League during this time, except for the period from August 29th to September 1st, when he would also be away. The belief that Mr Cook, the League's Chairman, would be prepared to act as first point of contact for the League for this period of 4 days was expressed.

Mr Fisher pointed out to the meeting the fact that, as he was away on September 1st, he would not be available to take calls reporting the scores of games played on that evening. John Hunt volunteered to fulfil this function on the evening of Thursday, September 1st

Mr Stiley, the Referee's Secretary, informed the meeting that he would be away between July 29th and August 12th.

John Hunt also brought to the attention of the meeting the fact that Bredon had made initial inquiries about changing the date of games scheduled for October 8th, which was another Saturday on which World Cup Qualifiers would be played. The meeting was unanimous in the opinion that games should not be postponed on this day and that all clubs who wished to make provision for their players to watch the World Cup Qualifiers on television should seek to arrange an early kick off between themselves.

Mr Attwood raised the matter of the Charities Cup Donations form. This had been discussed at a previous meeting, with the intention of reintroducing it for the Charity Cup Competitions this year. It was agreed that the General Secretary would produce a form and distribute it to clubs at the clubs meeting on September 28th.

NEXT MEETING - WEDNESDAY 7th SEPTEMBER 2005


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