Cheltenham League Meetings

CHELTENHAM ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Minutes of the Management Committee Meeting at the Victory Club Cheltenham on Thursday, 24th May 2007.

Attendees: G Cook, J Crowther, R Attwood, N Oram, L Fisher, J Hunt, A.Stiley, T Onions, A Clayton, M.Lytheer, R.Overington, P Tustain.

Apologies: B Hill

Minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday, 2nd May 2007 were read and accepted.

Matters Arising from the minutes.

The General Secretary informed the meeting that a letter had been received from Charlton Kings in appeal against the fines imposed upon the club at the meeting on May 2nd. Charlton Kings were fined under rule 14a for a failure to return an entry form for season 2007-2008 by March 31st, 2007. In mitigation, Charlton Kings drew the League's attention to the fact that they had spoken to the League Secretary about this matter because a delay had been caused through an interruption to email services, and that after the League Secretary had issued replacement hard copies of the relevant forms, they were returned the same day.
It was unanimously agreed that this appeal should be upheld and that the appeal fee should be returned
A further appeal had been received in a letter from FC Electrics, in which the club appealed against the fines imposed upon the club at the meeting on May 2nd. FC Electrics were fined twice under the provisions of rule 13(j), for offences relating to a failure to submit a referee's card & teamsheets for a Division Three match played by the club on April 14th. FC Electrics pointed out in their letter that their first team did not play at all in Division Three on this date.
It was noted that, in essence, this appeal related to a typographical error. It was noted that FC Electrics did not play in Division Three on the day in question but it was also confirmed that the rule offences reported did concern the Division Five match that the club played on that date. Consequently, it was agreed that the appeal should be upheld but that the club should face fresh charges in respect of the transgressions of rule 13(j) relative to the Division Five match. It was agreed that the appeal fee should not be forfeit but that it should be retained in part payment of the fines that would be imposed if the club was found guilty of the new charges.
The General Secretary informed the meeting that he was aware that there had been significant disquiet in a number of quarters in respect to the decisions taken at the last Management Committee meeting that related to the complaints that had been made with regard to ineligible players. The meeting was informed, however, that no further official complaints had been received and it was agreed that all matters could now be regarded as closed.
The General Secretary informed the meeting that Finlay Rovers had acknowledged the problems with their pitch, as detailed at the last meeting, and have issued assurances that there will not be a repetition.
The General Secretary informed the meeting that he had received correspondence from two of the three clubs who had made application to join the League for next season but whose applications had been rejected at the last meeting. It was noted that these matters would be addressed under correspondence.
The meeting was informed that all Cup Final ticket allocations had been taken up and that all clubs had paid for their tickets on collection

Correspondence & Referees Reports: Correspondence Reported for Discussion

Email from Charlton Rovers in which the club expresses its view with regard to the decision taken by the league over the matter relating to the alleged inclusion of an ineligible player by Tewkesbury Town in the team that played Charlton Rovers Reserves in Division 4 in April.
This was noted
Letter from Leckhampton Rovers requesting an explanation of the reasons for the League's rejection of their application for membership for season 2007-08.
This was noted.
Letter from The Beeches expressing the club's disappointment at the League's rejection of the their application for membership for season 2007-08. The club also point out that they were still in a position from which they might have won the Cirencester League when their application was rejected and asking for an explanation of the reasons for the rejection of their application.
The General Secretary was asked to write to The Beeches FC to explain that the reason for the rejection of their application to join the Cheltenham League was because it was made conditional upon receiving a ceding straight into a Division no lower than Division Two and that, as the League felt unable to guarantee this, the application could not be progressed.
Letter from Stonehouse Freeway FC containing a copy of correspondence sent to Northway FC asking for reimbursement of £47.39 pitch hire fees that Stonehouse Freeway incurred when the County Cup match between the two teams was cancelled due to the late withdrawal of Northway FC reserves. Stonehouse Freeway assert that Northway FC are already aware of the fact that Stonehouse Freeway are significantly out of pocket over this matter.
The General Secretary was asked to write to Northway FC to instruct them to ensure that payment was made in this regard within 7 days and to warn the club that, if it was not, the Cheltenham League would meet the debt and invoice the club for it
Letter from Cheltenham Borough Council notifying the League that the charge for pitch hire for season 2007-08 would increase to £29.45 per pitch under the block booking arrangement.
A copy of this letter was passed to the Treasurer for reference when preparing invoices for the forthcoming season.

Correspondence Notified to the Meeting but not discussed

Email from Broadway United informing the League of the reasons for the club's failure to play its final league fixture of the season against Whaddon United on April 28th and the punitive actions that the club has taken since against the players involved
Email from Gordon Cook, the League's Chairman, containing the report prepared following an inspection of the facilities at Sherborne Harriers
Email from C & G FC providing further information in support of their application to join the League should they be reprieved from the Reserve List
Letter from Apperley confirming that the club would be in attendance at the meeting on Thursday, May 24th.
Email from Paul Hockey informing the League that he will be performing the duties of Secretary for FC Barometrics for the foreseeable future as the duly elected club secretary has been unavoidably detained in South Africa
Email from Finlay Rovers requesting details of how to collect the Division Two trophy and, also, whether or not the League still has the club placed on Special Measures
Email from Churchdown Panthers asking for details of how to arrange collection of the Division Five trophy and winners medals
Email from Martin Gulliver, Manager of Charlton Rovers Reserves, asking for details of the manner in which the League deals with debts owed by players to clubs
Reply sent giving an outline of the procedure and referring Mr Gulliver to the relevant section of the handbook
Email from Finlay Rovers containing the minutes of a Club Committee meeting held on May 16th, 2007
Email from Finlay Rovers informing the League that all contacts for Finlay Rovers would be unavailable from June 1st to June 4th because of a Stag weekend
Letter from St Marks Juniors confirming that they would be in attendance at the meeting of May 24th and containing numerous documents in support of their application to enter a Senior side in the Cheltenham League
Email from GFA confirming that the proposed changes to League Rules for season 2007-08 have been accepted by the League Sanctioning and Rules Revision committee.

Rule Offences:

The following clubs have been charged in accordance with rule 5(I): Failure to pay invoices by the due date.
i. Invoices due 14th April 2007. Fine £35: Naunton Park ((invoices 79b & 80b, £251.29, missed deadline date and cheque returned from bank plus additional fines not yet paid).

It was noted by the meeting that Naunton Park had been fined £20 at the meeting held on May 2nd for matters that related to these invoices and the fact that the cheque issued in payment had been returned from the Bank . As a consequence, the Committee felt obligated to set the latest fine at £35. The Treasurer informed the meeting that he had not had any contact from Naunton Park since the last meeting and that the club now owed the League £390. The Chairman pointed out to the meeting that League Rule 2(g) prohibited any club that was in default of the League's books on May 31st from membership of the League for the following season unless the Management Committee explicitly decided otherwise and proposed that, if Naunton Park did not pay the full amount owed, in cash, by Thursday, 31st May, 2007, they should be excluded from the constitution of the League for next season. This was unanimously agreed.

The following clubs have been charged in accordance with rule 11(a) - failure to complete Result cards correctly. Fine £5 for each offence
Incorrect referees Name: 24/04/07 - Minor Charity Cup Sherborne Harriers (stated C Molnar when C Bowen); 28/04/07 - Div 3 Bishops Cleeve (stated W Wain when W Gibbard).
No Score or wrong score given: 19/04/07 - Div 1 Endsleigh (No Score); 21/01/07 - Div 5 Gaffers (stated 4-1 when 5-1); 24/04/07 - Div 4 Charlton Rovers (No Score); 28/04/07 - Div 4 Charlton Rovers (No Score)
Incorrect Sportsmanship Marks: 21/04/07- Div 3 FC Electrics, Div 5 Churchdown Panthers, 24/04/07- Div 3 Broadway; 28/04/07 - Div 5 Churchdown Panthers
No Registration Numbers: 28/04/07 - Charlton Rovers

The following clubs have been charged in accordance with rule 11(c) - late submission of Match Result Cards to the Registration Secretary: Fine £10: 19/04/07 - Div 1 Naunton Park; 24/04/07 - Div 1 Belmore Jags; 28/04/07 - Div 1 Belmore Jags, Div 3 Belmore Jags

The following clubs have been charged in accordance with rule 13(h) - submitting incorrect marks for referees.
Referees not marked out of 100: Fine £5 24/04/07 - Div 3 Broadway United, 28/04/07 - Div 3 Falcons

The following clubs have been charged in accordance with rule 13(j)-Submission of referees cards & teamsheets.

i. Failure to submit Referee's Card within 5 days of the match. Fine £10: 14/04/07 - Div 5 FC Electrics; 28/04/07- Div 1Belmore Jags, Bishops Cleeve, Dynamos, Div 2 Bourton Rovers, Div 3 Falcons.
ii. Failure to submit Referee's Card within 10 days of the match. Additional Fine £10 & Club Suspended: 28/04/07- Div 1Belmore Jags, Dynamos, Div 2 Bourton Rovers.
iii. Failure to submit Teamsheets within 5 days of the match. Fine £5 for each missing teamsheet: 14/04/07 - Div 5 FC Electrics(both sheets missing); 28/04/07- Div 1Belmore Jags (both sheets missing - £10), Bishops Cleeve (both sheets missing - £10), Dynamos (both sheets missing - £10), Endsleigh (no teamsheet for opponents - £5) Div 2 Bourton Rovers (both sheets missing - £10), Div 3 Falcons (both sheets missing - £10) Div 5 Tewkesbury Dynamos(both sheets missing - £10).

League Membership Interviews 2007-08

Four clubs had been invited to attend the meeting for interview before the Management Committee formulated its recommendations for a proposed League constitution for season 2007/2008. These clubs were Apperley FC, Tewkesbury Rovers, St Marks Community Association and Gloucester Elmleaze. Each of these clubs were seen in turn

Apperley FC

Apperley FC were represented by Ian Coggin, the Club Vice-Chairman and Captain, and Chris Freeman, the club Secretary. The Chairman welcomed both of them and briefly explained the purpose of the meeting. He invited the committee to ask questions of the representatives of the clubs. In response, it was confirmed that Apperley were an existing club who played in the second tier of the Cheltenham Sunday League. They confirmed that most of the players that played for them at the moment had indicated that they would continue to represent the club if it was to form a Saturday team and that these players would join from clubs such as Bredon and Tewkesbury YMCA. It was also confirmed that the club would continue to play in the Sunday League and that, whilst most of the players would be the same in the two teams, they did not envisage that this would cause any problems. The meeting was also informed that the club would be seeking to recruit younger players from the village of Apperley who, currently, did not play for anyone on a Saturday. The Committee was assured that the club was solvent and self financing, although it was currently negotiating a sponsorship deal, and that it would play its matches at Apperley Playing fields. It was confirmed that it had 3 people on whom it could call to act as a substitute referee if the need arose and further confirmed that numerous of the players, both present and prospective, had experience of playing in Division Two of the Cheltenham League.
Following the conclusion of the interview, the representatives from Apperley FC were thanked for their attendance and assured that they would be informed of the decision of the Management Committee in due course.

Tewkesbury Rovers

Tewkesbury Rovers were represented by Simon Goodwin, the Chairman, and Andy Coates, the Secretary of the Club. Following the welcome from the Chairman, the two representatives from Tewkesbury Rovers were asked to confirm that the club was not currently playing, which was confirmed, and to explain from where they expected to recruit their players. Mr Coates responded by informing the meeting that it was anticipated that numerous older players who had previously represented other clubs in the Tewkesbury area, for sides that weren't still playing, would be joining the club and that it was the intention to recruit younger players from the Tewkesbury area who, currently, were not playing for anyone. Simon Goodwin confirmed that he had previously played for Bishops Cleeve but pointed out that, because of injuries over the course of the last two years, he had not really played regularly for anyone, although it was his intention to sign on for Tewkesbury Rovers. In response to a request for an honest appraisal of the club's anticipated playing strength next season, Mr Coates proffered the opinion that the club would not be competitive if placed any higher than Division Four. This was noted.
In response to a question relating to the club's nominated home ground, Mr Goodwin confirmed that the club would be using a pitch at the Vineyards and that they had reached an agreement with Tewkesbury Rugby Club for the use of their changing facilities. In deference to the fact that Tewkesbury Town had also nominated these facilities as the home venue for their two sides, Tewkesbury Rovers were asked to provide the League with a letter of confirmation, from Tewkesbury Rugby Club, that the agreement was in place as soon as possible. This was agreed by the club's two representatives.
In response to a question about the provision of a substitute referee, it was confirmed that the club already had one individual who was a qualified referee and had budgeted for the cost of sending another, as yet unidentified person, on a referees training course. It was confirmed that the club was in a sound financial position and to conclude the interview, Mr Coates asked about insurance and was advised that the acquisition of Public Liability Insurance was part of the affiliation process with the GFA and that, beyond this, each club had to assess its own requirements with respect to the needs of their own personnel.
The interview concluded with the Chairman thanking the two representatives from Tewkesbury Rovers for their attendance and assuring them that they would be informed, in due course, of the decision of the Committee.

St Marks Community Association FC

Before continuing with this interview, the Chairman explained to the committee that it was not his intention to put any matters to the representatives of the club but merely to preside over proceedings and that, therefore, despite his association with St Marks, he did not feel it necessary to relinquish the chair. This was agreed unanimously.
St Marks Community Association FC (hereinafter referred to as St Marks) were represented by Paul Bonner, the club secretary, and Chris White, who was introduced as the committee member responsible for Adult Liaison. The meeting was informed that St Marks were, currently, a youth football club with sides ranging from under 6 to under 15, that they had been in existence for 4 years and that they were a charter standard club. The meeting was informed that the club had ambitions to become a Development Standard club and that, to achieve this, they needed to have a Senior Section. It was explained that the club did not have any youngsters who were old enough to make the step up in the next couple of years and that it was the club's intention to get the Senior Section fully established by the time the current Under 15's were old enough to move into Senior Football. In the meantime, the meeting was informed, it was the intention to populate the team with the fathers of the current youth players, the managers of the teams and several other, older individuals who had played for the previous St Marks Senior section when it was in membership of the Northern Senior League. The Committee was assured that the individuals who might return to the club were players who had represented St Marks in the Northern Senior League several seasons ago and that these were not the players who were responsible for the club withdrawing from that League in the middle of a season. When asked for an assessment of the probable playing strength of the side next season, Mr White proffered the opinion that the club would be able to compete in Division Two.
Mr Les Fisher, the League's Treasurer, asked for an assurance that the new St Marks club would not seek to sign on any one who had previously registered for the club and who owed the League money. Mr Bonner assured the League that he would not process the registration of any player that he knew to owe the League money but asked for a list of the names of such individuals so that he could have something to which to refer in these instances. Mr Fisher agreed to provide Mr Bonner with a list of the outstanding debtors to the League should St Marks be elected to membership.
Mr Bonner went on to inform the meeting that the Club was very solvent and that it anticipated having no difficulty in meeting the costs that it might encounter in running a senior side. The Committee was assured that the club had several individuals who were capable of performing the duties of a substitute referee as and when required and confirmed that the team would be using the St Marks pitch at King George V playing fields. Mr Bonner concluded by informing the meeting that the club currently had 150 players in all its teams from under 6 to under 15, that its disciplinary record was excellent and that, on the administrative side, it had just completed the season in the Cheltenham Youth League with virtually no fines at all.
To conclude the interview, the Chairman thanked Mr White & Mr Bonner for their attendance and informed them that they would receive notification of the decision of the Committee in due course.

Gloucester Elmleaze FC

Gloucester Elmleaze FC were represented by Steve Giddy, the Club Secretary, and Paul Finch, the Club Coach and a committee member.
Following the Chairman's introductions, Mr Giddy confirmed that Gloucester Elmleaze was an existing club that had competed in the Gloucester Sunday League over the course of the 2006-07 season. He informed the meeting that he believed that the Sunday League was not in a healthy state and that the move to Saturday football was necessary to preserve the long term future of the club. In response to a direct question about player recruitment, he replied that he, himself, had previously played for Gala Wilton and Elmbridge Old Boys and that he was, therefore, fully conversant with the Cheltenham League. He also informed the meeting that he anticipated most of the team that had represented the club in the Sunday League this season to remain with the club, and that many of these players had played for Stroud League teams during the course of the current season. He pointed out to the meeting that the club had achieved a treble of trophies during the 2006-07 season and that one of these trophies had been the GFA County Cup.
In response to a question about the clubs nominated home ground, Mr Giddy confirmed that the club had been assured that they could use a pitch at Plock Court but that they were still pursuing other possibilities elsewhere. He was asked to confirm the definite location of the club's home ground before the end of June and this was agreed. The meeting was also informed that all the club's pitch fees would be paid by their sponsor.
When asked about their anticipated playing strength for next season, Mr Finch informed the meeting that he believed the club had a good side, as their record suggested, and that the players that they had at their disposal would be able to compete in Division Two. It was pointed out to the meeting that the club was in a healthy position financially and that all the players who had represented them this season were committed to playing for the club in Cheltenham League next year. It was also confirmed that the club had at least one qualified referee in its ranks and that it was actively seeking more.
At the conclusion of this interview, the Chairman thanked the two club representatives for attending and informed them that they would be notified of the League's decision in due course.

Having concluded all the interviews, the committee then considered the merits of each application. Following this consideration, it was unanimously agreed that all four applicant clubs should be recommended to the Annual General Meeting for membership for the forthcoming season.

League Constitution 2007-08

Consideration was given to the League Constitution for the 2007-2008 season, which was to include the new clubs who were to be recommended for membership at the Annual General Meeting. After discussion, agreement was reached on a proposed constitution for next season to be recommended to the Annual General Meeting. It was then agreed to formulate a further version of the proposed constitution, which would be utilised should Naunton Park fail to meet their financial obligations to the League and, as a consequence, default on their membership of the League in accordance with League Rule 2(g). It was proposed that this contingency version of the constitution should include C & G FC, who had been placed on the reserve list at the meeting of May 2nd and whose application was still considered to be acceptable in light of additional information provided by their secretary.

Registration Secretary & Charity Cup Committee 07-08

The meeting was reminded by the Chairman that Mr Terry Onions had tended his resignation as the League's Registration Secretary and that, consequently, a replacement needed to be found. It was confirmed to the meeting that an email had been circulated amongst the existing members of the Management Committee and that, to date, no volunteer had been forthcoming. As this was the case, the General Secretary was asked to circulate details of the vacancy to all clubs to attempt to gain a volunteer for the position

In addition, the General Secretary asked the meeting to give consideration to the matter of the constitution of the Charity Cup Sub Committee for season 2007-08. The meeting was reminded that, currently, the Committee was chaired by Mr John Crowther and that the other members of the Committee were Messrs Oram, Fisher, Stiley, Hill and Overington. All these persons confirmed their willingness to continue to serve on the Sub Committee for the forthcoming season. It was proposed that the Fixtures Secretary, Mr John Hunt, should also be co-opted onto the committee for the forthcoming season and this was agreed unanimously.

Financial Report

Mr Les Fisher, the League's Treasurer, circulated an interim report on the League's Finances. He stressed that the fully audited accounts, which would be presented to the League's Annual General Meeting, were not yet available but he stated that he did not expect any significant changes to the figures as presented. It was unanimously agreed that there should be no transfer of funds from the Charity Account to any of the General Accounts. The Treasurer also provided a copy of the interim report to be forwarded to the GFA in advance of the AGM.
The Chairman proposed a vote of thanks to Mr Fisher for all his hard work in maintaining the League accounts and this was unanimously agreed.

Honoraria

Before consideration was given to this item on the agenda, Messrs Oram, Fisher, Stiley, Onions and Hunt left the room

It was agreed that the following Honoraria should be recommended to the AGM

General Secretary £500.00
Treasurer £400.00
Assistant Secretary £250.00
Referee's Secretary £250.00
Registration Secretary £250.00
Results Secretary £250.00

Victory Club £250.00
Victory Club Steward £100.00

The Chairman also recorded his sincere thanks for all the work that was done on the League's behalf by its officers. This met with general accord.

Any Other Business:

The meeting was informed that the Badges of Office were now ready and that one of them, the President's Badge of Office, had already been delivered. This was displayed and met with unanimous approval.

Mr Arthur Stiley informed the meeting that Referee's fees would be increased by £2 for next season.

The Treasurer informed the meeting that there were 7 clubs, apart from Naunton Park, who were currently in default of the League's books. These clubs were Andoversford Nomads, Whaddon United, Phoenix United, Broadway United, Kings, Dynamos and Finlay Rovers. It was agreed that, as there was no concern about any of the clubs meeting their obligations, all seven would be eligible for membership of the League for next season. It was also agreed, however, that any of the clubs who failed to pay by May 31st would be suspended from the League until such time as full payment was made.

Mr John Crowther asked the meetings indulgence to report the final placings for the John Ingram Cup, the Bill Meadows Memorial Trophy and the Linesman's Cup. This was granted and standing orders were suspended to allow Mr Crowther to continue, as the time had now passed 9.00 pm.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 9.11 pm

NEXT MEETING - AGM WEDNESDAY 6th JUNE, 2007