Cheltenham League Meetings

CHELTENHAM ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Minutes of the Management Committee Meeting held at the Victory Club, Cheltenham, on Wednesday, 30th January 2008.

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

Apologies: T Onions, R.Overington

Minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday, 9th January 2008 were read and accepted.

Appeal - FC Barometrics

The meeting was informed by the Chairman that FC Barometrics had asked to be permitted to address the Management Committee in support of two appeals that they had lodged against fines that were imposed upon the club at the meeting held on Wednesday, 9th January, 2008. The meeting was reminded, by the General Secretary, that the two matters in question were a fine, of £30 and 3 points deducted from the club's total in Division 5, that had been imposed upon the club under the provisions of League Rule 5(h), and a further fine of £10 in accordance with rule 11(c), for failing to forward Match Result Cards to the Registration Secretary within 5 days of a match. It was confirmed that details of the submission provided by the club, in support of a previous appeal relating to fines imposed in respect of the improper transfer of N Organ to the club in October, had been circulated to all committee members in regard to the appeal against the fines imposed under rule 5(h).
Messrs Paul Hockey, Secretary, Alan Roberts, Treasurer and Ted Major, Chairman, represented FC Barometrics at the meeting and the club's three delegates were welcomed by the League Chairman. Mr Cook then went on to explain the process under which the appeal would be heard and invited Mr Hockey, in the first instance, to address the meeting.
Mr Hockey then explained that he intended to deal with the club's appeal against the fine imposed at the meeting held on January 9th for the transgression of League Rule 11(c) in the first instance. In support of his appeal, he produced a printed copy of the email that he had sent to the League's Registration Secretary on Monday, 10th December, with attachments relating to the Result Cards for the games that the club played on Saturday, 8th December. This printed copy was examined and it was decided that this constituted confirmation that the club had sent the required documentation to the League Registration Secretary on time, even though it had, then, failed to arrive. It was consequently agreed that this appeal should be upheld and that the appeal deposit relating to this appeal should be returned.
Mr Hockey then addressed the matter of the club's appeal against the fines imposed at the meeting of January 9th for violations of League Rule 5(h). He began by stressing to the meeting that, at no point, did he or the club seek to deceive anyone over the matter of the transfer of N Organ from Southside to FC Barometrics and he emphasised the fact that, as far as he could ascertain, the club had done everything within its power to make everyone involved aware of the position that both the club, and the player, found themselves in on Saturday, October 13th, 2007. He explained to the committee the process in which he engaged to attempt to complete the transfer, obtaining the signature of the Southside secretary on Wednesday, 10th October and then finding himself unable to obtain the signature of the player himself until Friday, 12th October. He stated that, as a new secretary, he did what he thought was best given the circumstances and made the club's opponents on the Saturday afternoon, who were C & G, fully aware of the fact that the club was transferring N Organ from Southside, to the extent that a C & G official witnessed the transfer form before the game. He concluded by stating that he felt that his honesty and the integrity of the club had been called into question by the charges levelled against them by the League and that he wanted to ensure that no lasting damage should be done to the reputation of the club. These sentiments were echoed by Mr Roberts, who testified personally to the honesty of Mr Hockey, and Mr Major, who brought the meetings attention to the club's record in its dealings with Leagues over the course of the 34 years that had passed since its formation.
The General Secretary asked Mr Hockey to confirm that the signature of Mr Organ was obtained on Friday, 12th October, 2007 even though the date on the form that related to this signature was 10th October. Mr Hockey confirmed this, and explained that he had probably filled in all the dates when he left the residence of the Southside secretary on Wednesday, 10th October, in the expectation of finding Mr Organ at home immediately afterwards. The General Secretary then asked Mr Hockey at what point he first consulted the League's hand book to refer to the relevant League Rule relating to the conduct of transfers. Mr Hockey confirmed that he had consulted League Rule 8(K) at 11.50 am on the morning of Saturday, October 13th, 2007, just over an hour before the kick off of the Division Five match with C & G. In response to another direct question from the General Secretary, Mr Hockey agreed that, in hindsight, it would have been better, at this juncture, to have decided not to have played Mr Organ in that afternoon's fixture.
Following this, the club delegates left the meeting and the Committee considered the appeal. Following a brief debate, it was unanimously agreed that the club had not, in any way, sought to act deceitfully over this matter. As a consequence, it was decided that the £30 fine imposed at the meeting held on January 9th should be rescinded and that the club, and Mr Hockey in particular, should be totally exonerated of any suspicion of dishonest practice. It was also unanimously agreed that it had been proven that the club had played an ineligible player in the Division 5 fixture against C & G on Saturday, 13th October, 2007 and that, as a consequence, the 3 point penalty imposed at the January 9th meeting would stand.
The club delegates were then called back into the meeting and informed of the decisions of the committee. In passing on the details of the decision of the committee, the Chairman emphasised to the club's representatives that, as a result of the appeal, the Committee found absolutely no evidence of a deliberate attempt by the club, or Mr Hockey, to deceive the League or the club's opponents on the day. He also stipulated the unconditional exoneration of Mr Hockey from any suspicion of dishonest practice.
The club delegates then took their leave of the meeting, after which it was unanimously agreed that the appeal deposit, for the appeal by FC Barometrics against the fines imposed under rule 5(h), would be retained.

Matters Arising from the minutes.

The General Secretary informed the meeting that a series of letters had been received in relation to the decision taken by the Management Committee, at the meeting held on January 9th, to cancel the registrations of J Simpson and N Jones for the remainder of the season. The meeting was reminded by the General Secretary that the reason for this decision had been the fact that both Mr Simpson and Mr Jones had played for Tewkesbury Town in an away Division Three match with FC Electrics in December whilst still registered with Northway and without first gaining a transfer. Before proceeding, the General Secretary informed the meeting that one of the four letters received in relation to this matter was from Tewkesbury Town and that this letter took the form of an appeal against the decisions, on behalf of the players concerned.
Consequent to this, the meeting was informed that, in the letter from Tewkesbury Town, the club submitted that, following an internal investigation at the club, it had been concluded that the two players concerned were not aware that they had not been transferred to Tewkesbury Town. Tewkesbury Town made it clear that the manager on the day was to blame for the confusion and stated that this person was no longer a part of the club.
It was further brought to the attention of the meeting that two other letters had been received from the players involved, in which they both state that each of them had believed that they were eligible to play for Tewkesbury Town on December 22nd, as they were informed by the Tewkesbury Town official in charge of the team on the day, P Oldbury, that the transfers had been completed.
In addition, a letter from P Oldbury was read to the meeting, in which Mr Oldbury stated that the two players concerned - J Simpson and N Jones - played for Tewkesbury Town on the day in question thinking that they were transferred. In his letter, he also states that he had been made aware, by the Tewkesbury Town secretary in advance of the match, that they had not been transferred but that he did not pass this information on to the players and allowed them to play. He also stated that he has now been removed from the club for his part in this incident and asked the League for assistance in overturning this decision. The meeting was assured that Mr Oldbury had already been informed that the League has no jurisdiction over the internal affairs of a member club.
Following due consideration of this matter, it was proposed that the registration of both players should be reinstated but that they would remain registered to Northway and that, if they desired to transfer to Tewkesbury Town, they would be required to do so in strict accordance with the process detailed in League Rule 8(K). This was agreed unanimously.

The meeting was informed that Northway FC had commenced using King George V Playing Fields in Cheltenham as the Club's home venue.

It was reported that further correspondence over the matter reported by Mr Fisher under any other business at the meeting of 9th January, relating to the Team sheets for the Division Two fixture between Gala Wilton and High Tech Rangers, had been received and would be raised under the correspondence section of the agenda.

Correspondence & Referees Reports:

Correspondence Reported for Discussion

Email from Smiths Athletic requesting permission to cancel the club's Division Three match away to Whaddon United on Saturday, 29th March, 2008 because of a Stag Weekend.
Following consideration, the Committee noted that League Rule 10(f), paragraph 3, stipulated that Clubs with more than one team in the competition should always fulfil their fixtures in hierarchical order. As a consequence, it was agreed that Smiths Athletic's Division 4 match at home to Churchdown Panthers on Saturday, 29th March, 2008 should be cancelled in deference to the Stag weekend.
Email from Tewkesbury Town detailing the difficulties that the club has experienced in attempting to complete the transfer of Simon Lyes to Tewkesbury Town from Northway FC.
It was agreed that this matter would be dealt with later in the meeting.
Email from GFA detailing those referees who are currently registered with them
The General Secretary confirmed that, as a result of receiving this information from the GFA, he had been able, in conjunction with the Referee's Secretary, to identify those persons amongst the League's current list of referees with whom there was a problem. The meeting was assured that, although 10 referees has thus been identified, following investigation it had been revealed that there was only cause for concern with two of them, both of whom were still in discussions with the Referee's Secretary about this matter. This was noted by the Committee.
Email from Gala Wilton explaining the circumstances in which the club submitted teamsheets to the Results Secretary that were duplicates of the ones that were signed by the referee and the representatives of the opposition on the day of the club's home Division Two match with High Tech Rangers.
It was noted that the original copies of the teamsheets for this match had now been located and forwarded to the Results Secretary. It was also noted that, although Gala Wilton had sought to rectify an unsatisfactory situation through their actions, they had not dealt with the matter to the satisfaction of the Management Committee and the General Secretary was asked to write to the club to make this clear and to warn them as to their future conduct.
Email from Cheltenham Civil Service asking for permission for player Jason Spicer to play in the club's third team, and for player David Brown to play for the club's 4th team, on an ongoing basis.
Following consideration, this was unanimously agreed for both players.

Correspondence Notified to the Meeting but not discussed

Email from Andoversford Nomads confirming the reasons for the postponement of the club's Division Four match with Charlton Kings on Saturday, 12th January, 2008
Email from Southside asking whether or not a person who is serving a suspension from playing is able, whilst serving the suspension, to act as a club volunteer referee
Reply sent informing Southside that no person who is suspended from football for whatever reason can play any part in any match that takes part during the course of that suspension.
Email from Falcons asking for clarification of a fine imposed upon the club at the meeting held on January 9th
Reply sent clarifying the reasons for the fine
Email from Gloucester Elmleaze informing the League that Gloucester Enterprise had closed all the pitches under their jurisdiction on Saturday, 19th January and that, as a consequence, the club was unable to play its home fixture on that date
Email from Southside informing the League that the club was running a Club Referee's Course, in association with the GFA, on Thursday, 24th January, 2008.
Details forwarded to the two member clubs who had expressed an interest in sending delegates to such a course
Email from Whaddon United giving details of the new postal address for the club secretary. This is Basement Flat, 6, Hales Road, Cheltenham, GL52 6SE.
Letter from Cheltenham Borough Council detailing pitch hire costs for the 2008-09 season, which feature an increase in price to £31.75 per pitch
Letter from Worcestershire FA giving details of the suspension imposed upon David Baldwin of Bredon FC
Email from Southside stating that the Club Referee's Course held on Thursday, 25th January, 2008 went very well and that two delegates from one other League Member club also attended the course.

Referees Reports reported for discussion

Northway v Siddington, Div 1, Sat 19/01/08: Referee J Marston reports that Northway left the Official Referees
Result card behind at King George V playing fields after this fixture and ascribed this to the fact that Northway were not used to playing at this ground. Mr Marston informs the League that he took it upon himself to send this card to the Results Secretary.
It was confirmed that Northway had not forwarded an Official Referee's Result Card for this match and that, as a consequence, they were currently suspended from the League.

Charlton Rovers III v FC Electrics Res, Div 5, Sat 19/01/08: Referee M Sutherland reports the following:. That he inspected the pitch at 12.00 and 13.15 with the home manager and on both occasions it was declared playable. Before kick off, both Managers agreed that they were happy to play the fixture. The match kicked-off at 2.00 pm and a player broke his ankle at 2.25 pm. The game was stopped whilst the arrival of an ambulance was awaited. The ambulance duly arrived at 3.20 pm, after which the game was abandoned due to the worsening light conditions, which made it impossible to complete a full fixture. The score at the time the match came to a halt was Charlton Rovers III 3 FC Electrics Reserves 1.
The comprehensive report from the referee was noted and his actions were unanimously endorsed. In addition, it was unanimously agreed that this match should be replayed in its entirety at a date later in the season. The Referee's Secretary informed the meeting that he had been in contact with Mr Sutherland and had been informed that Mr Sutherland had only been paid £5 of his match fee for this game. It was confirmed that Mr Sutherland was entitled to his full fee for the game and the General Secretary was asked to write to Charlton Rovers to ask them to address this situation.

Siddington v Woodmancote, Div 1, Sat 26/01/08: Referee M Lytheer reports that this game was stopped whilst he spoke to a person who had walked onto the pitch. This person identified himself as a resident who lived 2 streets away from the Siddington ground and who was offended by the use of swear words during the course of the game. Mr Lytheer reports that the prevailing weather conditions, featuring a strong wind, probably played a part in this but also reports that the use of language by the two teams was nothing out of the ordinary for a Saturday afternoon.
This matter was noted and it was decided that no further action was required.

Rule Offences:

The following clubs have been fined in accordance with rule 5h: Failure to satisfactorily attend to the business of the League.

i) Failure to contact Results Secretary with match result (first report) - Fine £15: 12/01/2008 - Div 1 Shipton Oliffe ( no report of postponement), Div 3 Broadway United ( no report of postponement), Whaddon United (no report of postponement), Div 5 Cleevonians ( no report of postponement); 19/01/2008 - Div 4 Gala Wilton ( no report of postponement); 26/01/2008 - Div 2 Dowty Dynamos
ii) Failure to contact Results Secretary with match result (second report) - Fine £20: 12/01/2008 - Div 1Finlay Rovers (no report of postponement - previously fined £15); 19/01/2008 - Div 3 Gloucester Elmleaze (no report of postponement - previously fined £15);

The following clubs have been fined in accordance with rule 10b:
i) Late Kick-offs (away team). 26/01/2008 - Div 1 Gaffers (15 minutes late - fine £8)

The following clubs have been fined in accordance with rule 11a - failure to complete Result cards correctly. Fine £5 for each offence
No Registration Numbers: 19/01/2008 - Senior CharitiesCup Whaddon United

The following clubs have been fined in accordance with rule 11(f) - Failure to provide a correctly completed teamsheet. Fine £10: 22/12/2007 - Div 5 Gaffers (no signatures); 05/01/2008 - Div 1 Shipton Oliffe

Following consideration of Rule Offences, it was unanimously agreed to suspend standing orders as the time had passed 9.00 pm

Fixtures

Mr John Hunt, the League's Assistant Secretary, informed the meeting that he was in receipt of a letter from Finlay Rovers, in which he was informed that the club would not be able to fulfil home fixtures on Saturday, 9th February, 2008 as the club's home ground at BlackBridge would be required for an Athletics meeting on that date. Mr Hunt assured the meeting that he had told Finlay Rovers' representatives at the Club's Meeting that this was not acceptable, most particularly because Finlay Rovers were behind in their fixtures, and asked them to consider playing the match in question at King George V Playing Fields in Cheltenham. Mr Hunt reported that the club had concurred with this arrangement and that, therefore, this match would be moved to the new venue.
Mr Hunt also informed the meeting that Mr P Langley, the appointed referee for a recent St Marks Community Association home match, had rung Mr Hunt just before the match was due to start to inform him that he had inspected the pitch and that he was cancelling the game. Mr Hunt went on to explain to the meeting that Mr Langley also then informed him that two other pitches, on which Cheltenham League games were to be played that afternoon, were not fit for play and that he was calling those games off as well. Mr Hunt informed the meeting that, at this juncture, he conferred with Mr Arthur Stiley, the Referees Secretary, and that both Cheltenham League Officials had agreed that, as the Officially Appointed Referees for both the other Cheltenham League games scheduled for King George V Playing Fields that afternoon were en route, the decision as to the fitness of the ground should be left up to them. Mr Hunt concluded by reporting that, as it transpired, both other games were played. The Committee unanimously ratified the actions of Mr Hunt and Mr Stiley.
Mr Hunt finished his report by informing the meeting that the dates of the two Senior Charity Cup Semi Finals would be as follows
Thursday, 21st February, 2008: Newton FC v Whaddon United (Cheltenham Saracens FC, Petersfield Stadium)
Thursday, 6th March, 2008: FC Barometrics v Winchcombe Town(Bishops Cleeve FC, Kayte Lane)
Both games will kick off at 7.00 pm

Proposed Rule Changes 2008-09

The General Secretary informed the meeting that he had received an email from the GFA, requesting that all League Rule Changes be submitted by the beginning of April. As a consequence, it was agreed to defer this item until the next meeting

Return of Trophies

Numerous of the League's trophies had been returned, at the Clubs Meeting that preceded the Management Committee meeting, by clubs that had won them during season 2006-07. Mr Ben Hill had acted as receiving officer and was asked to make a report on the number of trophies received and the condition in which they had been returned. Mr Hill reported that all trophies had been returned in good order, with the exception of the Bill Meadows trophy, which was in the possession of referee Mr A Richards. Mr Stiley agreed to contact Mr Richards with regard to this trophy. It was also brought to the attention of the Committee that the base of the Junior Charity Cup was showing significant signs of wear and it was agreed that the General Secretary should arrange for all necessary and possible repairs to be carried out by Brownings.

Any Other Business:

Mr Phil Tustain reported that he had been engaged in the process of transferring two players from Northway FC to Tewkesbury Town FC and that Northway FC had objected to both transfers. Mr Tustain went on to explain that the reason stated by Northway for objecting to the transfer related to the fact that they alleged that both players owed money to Northway FC. Mr Tustain informed the meeting that Tewkesbury Town had offered to pay the outstanding amounts but that two attempts to meet with representatives of Northway FC to transact this payment had met with failure. Mr Tustain then explained that he had made arrangements with both clubs to meet at the end of the Clubs Meeting, so that the outstanding debts of the players could be cleared by Tewkesbury Town and Northway FC could then sign the transfer forms. Mr Tustain reported that both clubs had agreed to these arrangements but that Northway FC had failed to attend the Clubs Meeting, despite assurances that had been given to him by representatives of the club. As a consequence, it was unanimously agreed that Mr Tustain should complete the transfer of the two players, Michael Wiggins and Simon Lyes, from Northway to Tewkesbury Town and that the two players should be eligible to play in the club's Division Three side only from Saturday, 2nd February, 2008.

The General Secretary reported that it had twice come to his attention over the course of the previous month that Mr A Smith was attempting to referee games in the Cheltenham League when no officially appointed referee was present. The Committee was reminded that Mr Smith had received numerous official appointments from the League during season 2006-07 before it was discovered that he was neither registered with the GFA nor had he passed a referee's examination. The General Secretary was asked to inform all clubs that Mr Smith was not to be considered as a Club Volunteer Referee until he could prove to the League that he had passed a referees examination

Mr Les Fisher, the League Treasurer, asked that his intention to transfer the funds in the League's C & G account to the Benevolent Fund be ratified by the Committee. This was unanimously agreed.

Mr Fisher then reported that he had numerous clubs to report for suspension as they had failed to pay invoices or forward club referee cards. It was agreed that he would pass these details to the General Secretary immediately following the conclusion of the meeting.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 9.14 pm

NEXT MEETING - WEDNESDAY 27th FEBRUARY, 2008