Cheltenham League Meetings

CHELTENHAM ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL LEAGUE

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

Attendees: G Cook, D Barrett, J Crowther, R Attwood, N Oram, L Fisher, J Hunt, B Hill, G.Morrison,
P Newcombe, R.Overington, P.Tustain

Apologies: A.Stiley, T Onions

Minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 27th July 2005 were read and accepted

Matters Arising from the minutes.

Email from AC Olympia appealing against the fine imposed upon them at the meeting of July 27th for failing to respond to League Correspondence. AC Olympia claim that the message notifying them of the release of fixtures was sent to the wrong email address.

This matter was considered and it was noted both that the appeal had been lodged with the League in excess of 7 days after the original decision, contrary to League Rule 15(b), and also that an appeal fee of only £5 had been forwarded, contrary to League Rule 15(d). In light of this, and the other facts that were presented to the committee, it was unanimously decided to deny the appeal.

The General Secretary reported that no progress had yet been made on the Charity Cup Donation form but that this will be ready for the clubs meeting on September 28th.

Correspondence:

Reported for Discussion:

Email from Phoenix United expressing their dismay at the decision that was taken by the Management Committee at the July meeting to deny them permission to postpone their matches on September 2nd and September 7th.
Reply sent giving details of the reasons for the decision and suggesting that Phoenix United seek to utilise the provisions of rule 10(c), which provides for clubs to mutually agree to bring fixtures forward.

Email from Bredon expressing dissatisfaction with the League's decision not to allow them to postpone their matches on October 8th purely because England will be playing a World Cup Qualifier on that date.
Reply sent giving details of the reasons for the decision and suggesting that Bredon seek to utilise the provisions of rule 10(c), which provides for clubs to mutually agree to bring fixtures forward.

Email from Jim Hughes, secretary of Belmore Jags, in testimony and support of the application of Linda Wilson to become the League's Honorary Historian
Email from Moreton Rangers, sent via the FA Full Time Facility, requesting that the club's fixture with Andoversford Nomads, on Friday, 2nd September, be postponed because of the England International the next day.
Reply sent denying the request and pointing out that the League had already refrained from arranging any fixtures on Saturday 3rd September in deference to this International.

Email from Endsleigh stating that they had received a request from Belmore Jags, asking that the Div 1 game between the two teams in Div 1 on September 1st, which is scheduled to be a Belmore Jags home game, is reversed.
Reply sent asking for more details of this request, as the fixtures cannot be swapped as Belmore Jags are due to play away to Endsleigh on February 25th, a day on which they already have two home games.
It was noted that the two clubs did eventually agree that this game should be played at Endsleigh's home ground but that it should remain Belmore Jag's home fixture.

Letter from the GFA informing the League that it has been fined £20 for failing to supply September Referee Assistant Nominations to Mr K E Fry by the required date.
It transpired that the reason for the League's failure to provide this information was the fact that the Referee's Secretary was on holiday at the time. The meeting was informed that this fine had been paid

Letter from Shipton Oliffe, dated 28-08-05, informing the League of the immediate withdrawal of the clubs 2nd team from Division 4. Shipton also state that they have informed their first opponents of the season of this withdrawal
Email sent to Hatherley Rangers and Gaffers, Shipton Reserves' erstwhile opponents on September 7th and September 10th, making them aware of the situation

Email from Gas Green listing those players who had appeared on the CDP2 form, because they owed money to Gas Green, who had now repaid their debts
It was agreed that the names of these players should be reported on the newsletter.

Email from Smiths Athletic with regard to the cancellation of their Division Two fixture with Star FC Reserves on Friday, September 2nd. Smiths state that they were informed at 4.30 pm that the officially appointed referee had become unavailable and that they called the game off at 4.45 pm having failed to find a replacement.
It was agreed that this matter should be dealt with under Rule Offences.

Before proceeding with correspondence, Mr Glenn Morrison was asked to leave the room

Report from Referee S Jacques regarding the circumstances and conditions in which Newton Heath hosted Winchcombe Town in Division One on Thursday, September 1st, and also the undesirable attitude adopted by the Newton Heath team throughout the game to both himself in particular and the game in general. The report also deals with a dismissal and the flashpoint that resulted in the dismissal. The report is accompanied by the two additional reports filed relating to the disciplinary action taken during the game against Newton Heath players and concludes with the referee stating that he has no desire to be allocated to Newton Heath's matches again in the future.
Reply from Newton Heath taking issue with those elements of Mr Jacques report that they felt were subjective but assuring the League that the club would be taking internal action, where they felt it was warranted, with regards to the substantive points that had been raised by the referee of this match

It was felt by the meeting that most of the matters raised by Mr Jacques in his report, which was also copied to the GFA, would be the subject of imminent consideration by the County Association. Therefore, it was felt to be inappropriate for the League to deal with these matters until such time that it had received notification of the result of the GFA's dealings.
However, it was felt that there were two matters that the League could deal with immediately. Firstly, it was agreed to concur with Mr Jacques request not to be appointed to any more Newton Heath matches and the Secretary was instructed to inform the Referees Secretary of this decision. Secondly, the meeting considered the report that Newton Heath had not paid the referee within 15 minutes of the completion of the match, contrary to rule 13(e). Newton Heath refuted this allegation in their reply and stated that Winchcombe Town officials were present when Mr Jacques was paid. It was decided not to pursue this matter any further and not charge Newton Heath with a transgression of rule in this instance.

Email from Newton Heath informing the League that they inadvertently played a player who had not signed on in the Division One match against Winchcombe Town on Thursday, September 1st, 2005
The content of this unilateral admission of guilt by Newton Heath was considered and the club was commended for its honesty. In recognition of this, it was proposed that Newton Heath's reserve team be fined 3 points but that they should not incur a financial penalty. An amendment to this proposition, that the club also be fined £10, was defeated by 6 votes to 4. This being so, the motion to deduct 3 points from Newton Heath's total in Division One was carried.

Subsequent to this decision, Mr Glenn Morrison rejoined the meeting

Copy of a Newsletter produced by Charlton Kings giving encouraging indications that the club is now functioning on a firm footing with its new committee

Before continuing, Mr Peter Newcombe and Mr Bob Overington were asked to leave the meeting, in deference to their involvement with Hatherley Rangers FC

Email from Dynamos explaining the reason for the postponement of the Division One game between themselves and Hatherley Rangers on September 6th. The appointed referee failed to turn up and both teams felt unable to continue due to the state of the pitch.
Letter from Hatherley Rangers concurring with Dynamos version of events of September 6th and supporting the decision taken.
It was noted that two members of the Management Committee were in attendance at this meeting and both of them had supported the decision taken at the time. It was also noted that all games due to be played at Dowty Rotol had been postponed at this time last year because the pitches were so dry that they were held to be dangerous.
It was noted that Dynamos should have had someone in place to be able to referee the game in the eventuality that the appointed official did not arrive and the Secretary was asked to write and remind both teams of this requirement. However, in light of the two separate reports on the state of the pitch, it was felt that the match would have been unlikely to have taken place anyway and it was there fore decided that there should be no further action against Dynamos in this instance.
Following the consideration of this matter, Mr Newcombe and Mr Overington rejoined the meeting.

Correspondence Notified to the Meeting but not discussed

Email from Kings giving notice of the fact that their secretary will be away from 17/09 to 26/09. Steve Hall on 01242 260598 or 07818 014667 will be the contact during this time
Letter from Don Fletcher, GFA County Cups (North) Secretary, confirming that Shipton Oliffe have been given permission to play any first round Junior Cup tie that involves their first team on Saturday, September 17th.
Letter from Northleach Town containing the minutes of their Committee meeting held on Wednesday, July 27th, 2005
Email from Winchcombe Town asking that all clubs should be reminded that parking is not allowed in Mill Lane, the road in Winchcombe that leads up to Winchcombe Town's ground
Letter from Northleach Town informing the league that Northleach Town 1st team will now be playing in red shirts and white shorts, whilst their 2nd team will be playing in red shirts and black shorts
County Cup Draws Received from the GFA for all competitions except for the Primary Cup
Letter from Cheltenham Saracens informing the League that they would play their first two League home games, on Friday, September 2nd and Monday, September 6th, at Priors Farm and Bredon respectively
An Invoice and a Reminder from the Big Yellow Storage Company, requesting payment of £207.11 for the use of Locker L36 for the forthcoming year
Email from Andoversford Nomads informing the League that the new email address for their Secretary is kev.mansell28@btinternet.com
Email from Belmore Jags informing the League that their home Div 1 game with Endsleigh on Thursday, September 1st, will be played at Endsleigh and stressing that this fixture would remain Belmore Jags home game
Email from Jean Smith of Cheltenham Borough Council stressing the fact that she had no details of any Cup games involving Cheltenham League sides who use Cheltenham BC facilities
Email from Hatherley Rangers giving details of the new address for their secretary. This is 21, Wasley Road, Cheltenham, GL51 7TJ. The telephone numbers remain the same
Email from AC Olympia informing the League that their secretary will be away from 10th September to 25th September. AC Olympia also give details of a new home telephone number for their secretary, which is 01242 706015

Applications for the Post of League Honorary Historian

The League had received two applications from persons interested in becoming the Honorary Historian and both of these persons had been invited to attend the meeting to discuss the matter further.
Linda Wilson

Linda Wilson was not in attendance at the meeting. The Secretary was asked to make contact with Miss Wilson to ascertain both the reasons for her absence and, also, whether or not she was still interested in the position of League Historian.

Steve Mynett

The Chairman introduced Steve Mynett and informed the meeting that he had first indicated an interest in the position of Honorary Historian with the Cheltenham League at the end of the Annual General Meeting. He was asked to explain his interest in the position and gave the answer that he had a keen interest in football, was involved in the running of two local sides, both on Saturday and Sunday, and that he was a keen historian in general terms. He stated that it was his aim to produce a book that would cover the history of football in Cheltenham from the inception of the League in 1899 right up to the current day.
Mr Mynett also stated that he had previously been involved in the theatre, working with the Cheltenham Playhouse for 17 years, and producing a play that had gone on to be broadcast by the BBC. He acknowledged that the League was concerned only with matters that related to the Cheltenham League but stated that he felt he would want to broaden his publication to cover other events, including the football played in other competitions, to give the work a proper context. When asked where he intended to garner his information, Mr Mynett stated that he expected it to come from Council Records, the Gloucestershire Echo, personal interviews and the League's own records. He also avowed his intention to produce a brief for perusal by the committee before publication. This suggestion met with unanimous approval.
The Chairman asked Mr Mynett what he would require from the League, to which the reply was that optimum use would be made of existing resources. Mr Mynett also pointed out the fact that he was self employed and, as such, he only works 4 days a week which leaves him plenty of time to devote to the task of being the League's historian. He told the meeting that he has a number of contacts in the world of printing, which he would be seeking to utilise, and that his aim would be to have the publication ready for the end of the season so that it could be circulated to all clubs in time for their end of season functions. The point was made that if Mr Mynett felt the need to contact the GFA, he should do this through the League Secretary, and this was acknowledged. Mr Mynett assured the meeting that, if appointed, he would produce a prototype of the brief of his efforts for the approval of the committee after two months to ensure that his approach was acceptable. This was agreed.

Mr Mynett was informed that enquiries still had to be made of the other candidate for the position and that he would be informed of the Committee's decision in due course.

Following Mr Mynett's departure, it was agreed that a sub committee should be formed to interview Linda Wilson should it transpire that she is still interested in the position. It was agreed that Mr G Cook, Mr N Oram, Mr B Overington and Mr John Crowther should sit on this committee and that it should endeavour to meet with Miss Wilson before the next committee meeting on September 28th.

Rule Offences:

The following clubs have been fined in accordance with rule 2B - non payment of Annual Subscription by July 31st: Belmore Jags (3 teams - fine £60), Bishops Cleeve (2 teams - fine £40), Dynamos (1 team - fine £20), Falcons (1 team - fine £20), Naunton Park (2 teams - fine £40), Northleach Town (2 teams - fine £40)

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

i) Late Payment of Invoices: St Marks (invoice 45, £15 due 15/08/05, paid 24/08/05), Falcons (invoice 42, £15, due 15/08/05, paid 17/08/05), Northleach Town (invoice 40, £60, due 15/08/05, paid 26/08/05), Phoenix United.(invoice 37, £15, due 15/08/05, paid 18/08/05 but letter had no stamp so add £1.20 postage) Rowanfield United (invoice44, £143.01, due 31/08/05 paid 02/09/05)

The following clubs have been fined in accordance with rule 8F - non payment of fees due for Registration Books by July 31st: Fine £15 Belmore Jags, Bishops Cleeve, Dynamos, Falcons, Naunton Park, Northleach Town

The following clubs have been fined in accordance with rule 8Q - playing an ineligible player: 3 Points deducted: 01/09/2005 - Div 1 Newton Heath

The following clubs have been fined in accordance with rule 10f: For breaking a fixture: Fine £15 and 3 points deducted: 02/09/2005 - Div 2 Smiths Athletic, Div 3 Tewkesbury YMCA

In considering this matter, the submission from Smiths Athletic, as detailed in correspondence, was taken into account. After due deliberation, it was decided that there was no mitigation and Smiths Athletic were found to be guilty of a transgression of rule 10(f) as charged.

The following clubs have been fined in accordance with rule 13j - failure to send teamsheets with official Referees card. Fine £5: 01/09/2005 - Div 1 Tewkesbury YMCA, Belmore Jags, Newton Heath, Div 3 Northway, Gas Green, Div 5 Northleach Town. 02/09/2005 - Div 2 Cheltenham Saracens, Bredon

The following clubs have been fined in accordance with rule 14b - withdrawal of a team after the AGM. Fine £50: Shipton Oliffe

The following clubs have been fined in accordance with Charities Cup rule 2A - non payment of entrance fees by July 31st: Fine £20 Belmore Jags, Bishops Cleeve, Dynamos, Falcons, Naunton Park, Northleach Town
.

Fixtures

John Hunt, the League's Assistant Secretary, reported that there had been a relatively satisfactory start to the League season, although it was disappointing that there had been a number of games without referees and that this had lead to a number of cancellations. There had also been one or two rearrangements due to the preliminary round of the County Cup. Mr Hunt was handed a copy of the draw for the next round of the county cups, all of which are due to be played on a date that has been left free of fixtures.

Club Player Debts

The League Secretary informed the meeting that, in total, debts amounting to in excess of £1000 had been reported to the League via the Club Player Debts system. The names of players who owed money to the 5 clubs who had utilised the League's CDP1 form had been circulated to all clubs on the CDP2 form. All clubs had been made aware of the fact that anyone whose name appeared on the CDP2 form would not be eligible to be registered for the new season until such time that the League had been notified that their debt had been discharged. The Secretary also told the meeting that he felt that the level of debt that had been reported emphasised the worthiness of the scheme.

Since the release of the CDP2 form, Gas Green had informed the League that the debts owed by 11 players that they reported had been repaid.


Clubs Meeting 28th September

Once again, it was hoped that all clubs would take advantage of the opportunity that was presented by the season's first club's meeting, to meet with League Officials and express their views. The format would remain the same as at previous meetings, with various officers providing reports in addition to any particular areas of interest or concern. Clubs would be asked, through the Newsletter, to contribute agenda items as they saw fit. The remainder of the season's allocation of result cards would be distributed at the meeting, along with handbooks and charity cup donation forms.


Any Other Business:

Mr John Crowther informed the meeting that a referees course had started at the same time as this meeting in the Victory Club and asked that the details of the next course, due to start on November 22nd, be included in the League's Newsletter. This was agreed.

Mr Crowther also informed the meeting that Metal Hooks on goal posts had now been entirely outlawed. This was duly noted.

It was noted by the meeting that it seemed as if there had been difficulties with referees over the first four playing days of the season. It was acknowledged that the end of the holiday period, England Internationals and the rescheduling of Cheltenham Town matches may have influenced this and it was agreed to monitor the situation over the coming month.

Mr Phil Tustain reported that he would be away from 24th September to 1st October, as will Dave Lewis, the alternative contact for Bishops Cleeve FC. During this time, the point of contact for this club will be Will Pember, who's telephone number is 01242 673800


NEXT MEETING - WEDNESDAY 28th SEPTEMBER 2005


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