Cheltenham League Meetings

CHELTENHAM ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Minutes of the Management Committee Meeting held at the Victory Club, Cheltenham, on Wednesday, 27th February 2008.

Attendees: G Cook, J Crowther, N Oram, L Fisher, J Hunt, A.Stiley, P Tustain, A Clayton, B Hill, T Onions,

Apologies: R Attwood, M.Lytheer, R.Overington

Minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday, 30th January 2008 were read and accepted.

Matters Arising from the minutes.

The General Secretary informed the meeting that the matter of the under payment of referee M Sutherland, by Charlton Rovers following an abandoned match, had been satisfactorily, and very swiftly, resolved.
The meeting was informed that N Jones, one of the players whose registration was reinstated at the last meeting, has been in contact with the League asking how he might obtain a transfer to Bishops Cleeve. The General Secretary informed the meeting that this matter had been referred to the Registration Secretary.

Correspondence & Referees Reports:

Correspondence Reported for Discussion

Email from Smiths Athletic thanking the League for considering the request to postpone the club's Division Three fixture on Saturday, 29th March, at the meeting held on January 30th, 2008. Smiths Athletic also expressed the opinion that the requirement for multi team clubs to play fixtures in hierarchical order may be beneficial to single team clubs who are not effected by this rule.
This matter was debated briefly, following which it was unanimously decided that no further action was necessary
Email from Winchcombe Town asking for the date of the Club's Senior Charity Cup Semi Final to be changed from March 6th to either February 20th or February 28th. The club stated that the reason for its request related to the fact that Full Time originally detailed the date of the match to be February 20th and that, because of this, the first team manager had arranged a holiday commencing 3rd March
Reply sent informing the club that this matter would be discussed at the Charity Cup Sub Committee meeting that was held on Wednesday, February 7th
Further Reply sent following the meeting of the Charity Cup Sub Committee that was held on Wednesday, February 7th, informing the club that the Sub Committee had decided that the match would be played on Thursday, March 6th, 2008.
It was noted by the Management Committee that this matter had been dealt with appropriately by the Charity Cup Sub Committee. The General Secretary also informed the meeting that an apology for any misunderstanding caused by certain features of the Full Time facility had been included in the covering letter that had been sent to Winchcombe Town along with the tickets for entry to the Senior Cup Semi Final
Email from Elmbridge Old Boys asking that three named referees are not appointed to an upcoming League fixture for the club.
Reply sent informing the Club that requests such as this need to be made well in advance of the fixture in question and letting them know that, as a result of the tardiness of the request, the League was unable to comply on this occasion.
It was noted that clubs are within their rights to request not to have certain referees appointed to their matches but that all such requests should be submitted in a manner that allowed them to be considered by the League's Management Committee and that any request made should be complete with detailed reasons for the request being issued.
Email from Southside asking whether or not the League was aware of any clubs that had taken out more than just the compulsory Public liability insurance.
Following a quick consultation, it was agreed that no one on the committee was aware of any clubs that had taken out any insurance other than the compulsory Public Liability Insurance and the General Secretary was asked to communicate this to Southside.
Letter from Cleevonians claiming that Northleach Town played 5 players who were not named on the teamsheet provided for the Division 5 match between the two clubs, which was played at Northleach on Saturday, 16th February 2008.
It was noted, from the information sent by Cleevonians, that whilst a supporter of the club had made the team officials on the day aware, before the game commenced, of the suspicions that Northleach Town intended to play 5 players who were not on the teamsheet, no approach was made to Northleach Town before the game started. The Registration Secretary pointed out that one of the players who was named by Cleevonians as being a player who was not listed on the teamsheet was, in fact, registered with Northleach Town and was eligible to play in the game. The General Secretary was asked to write to Northleach Town to obtain the club's reaction to the suggestions made by Cleevonians that they played players who were not named on the teamsheet.
Letter from Cleevonians drawing the League's attention to the behaviour of Cheltenham Civil Service towards a club volunteer referee during the Division Five game between the two clubs on Saturday, 9th February, 2008. Cleevonians also brought the League's attention to the fact that certain Cheltenham Civil Service players seemed to exchange shirts during the course of the match, to the extent that a substitute wore a shirt that had been previously used by another player.
It was noted that this was not the first occasion on which reports had been received of undesirable behaviour perpetrated by Cheltenham Civil Service's IV team towards Club Volunteer Referees and the General Secretary was asked to write to the club to ask for their comments. The General Secretary was also asked to point out that all players taking part in a match must have uniquely identified shirts and that no two players should use the same shirt during the course of a single match.
Letter from Referee M Murray detailing his concerns over the manner in which Tewkesbury Town and FC Electrics conducted themselves during the Division Three match between the two clubs on Saturday, 9th February, 2008.
Following consideration of this matter, it was agreed that Mr Stiley, the referee's secretary, would confirm with Mr Murray whether or not the appropriate reports had been sent to the County FA. It was agreed that, if it transpired that these reports had not been sent, either Mr Murray would be requested to do so or the League would submit the reports itself.
Email from Andoversford Nomads requesting permission for Matthew Brown to play in the Club's Reserve Team on an ongoing basis.
This was agreed.
Email from Sherborne Harriers bringing the League's attention to the fact that the club perceived the behaviour of FC Electrics during the Division Five game between the two clubs on Saturday, 23rd February, 2008 to have been a significant improvement comparative to the game played between the two sides at Sherborne earlier in the season.
This was noted
Email from Elmbridge Old Boys containing a letter that detailed the club's reasons for awarding a mark of 10 to the Officially Appointed Referee at a recent Division Four match. The club articulated certain concerns about the ability of the referee to officiate at the level required.
Following consideration, it was noted that the overall marks for the referee in question were better than average and that no other such reports had been received during the course of the season. Consequently, it was agreed to continue to monitor the situation over the course of the rest of the season.

Correspondence Notified to the Meeting but not discussed

Letter from the GFA, sent by email, asking all leagues to submit proposed rule changes for season 2008-09 to the GFA offices by 7th April, 2008, so they might then be considered by the GFA League Sanction & Rules Revision Committee when it next meets in mid April
Email from Cheltenham Civil Service, thanking the League for granting permission for J Spicer and D Brown to play in the club's third and fourth team irrespective of the number of appearances each had made for teams higher in the club
Email from Gloucester Elmleaze in which the club expresses the opinion that the fine imposed upon the club, for failing to inform the Results Secretary of a postponement, was petty
Email from Charlton Rovers, in reply to correspondence from the League in which the club was asked to ensure that Referee M Sutherland was paid the full fee for an abandoned home game that had involved the club. The club state that Mr Sutherland has now been paid his full fee, in cash and in person.
Further email from Charlton Rovers in which the club point out that further investigation into this matter revealed that the referee was paid, in the first instance, the fee that he had asked for.
Email from Danny Cobb of Avenue FC asking for application forms to join the League for the 2008-09 season
Email from Tewkesbury Rovers informing the League that the club secretary would be absent from 7th February to 22nd February and that the club's alternate contact should be used for all correspondence during this time.
Email from Bourton Rovers in which the club informs the League that its team in Division Two will be changing their colours to Sky Blue Shirts, Navy Blue Shorts and Navy Blue Socks with immediate effect
Email from FC Barometrics informing the League that the club's second team in Division Five will be changing its colours to all grey with immediate effect
Email from Winchcombe Town asking the League to remind all clubs that parking in Mill Lane, which is the road that leads to Winchcombe Town's ground, is not permitted. The club also stress that they have had a number of complaints from local residents with regard to illegitimate parking in the road recently
Email from Dean Carbin of Fintan FC asking for more application forms for the League for the 2008-09 season as the originals, as sent to him at the beginning of January, had been misplaced.
Email from Kings requesting guidance on the process for making application to the Northern Senior League
Email from Smiths Athletic requesting FA Cup Final tickets
Email from Falcons asking for clarification of the decisions taken by the Management Committee in relation to the transfer of N Organ to FC Barometrics.
Email from FC Barometrics asking how many teams are scheduled to be promoted and relegated this season
Reply sent referring FC Barometrics to League rule 12(b)
Email from Bishops Cleeve informing the League that the Club Secretary will be unavailable from 8th -15th March and that, during this time, Dave Lewis should be regarded as the main contact.
Email from The Beeches FC requesting application forms to join the League for the 2008-09 season

Referees Reports reported for discussion

Before considering the referee's reports that had been received during the course of February 2008, the committee was provided with a report detailing the number of Referee Report Cards that had been returned so far this season. This report indicated that approximately 67% of matches played with Official Referees had cards returned and that 18 of the League's referees had returned a card for every game at which they had officiated.

Following examination of the figures, concern was expressed over the number of referees who had not submitted a single report card all season. During discussions on this matter, it was reported that, at a recent Division Two match between Cheltenham Saracens and AC Olympia, which was officiated by one of the referees who had not submitted a report card since the beginning of the season, the referee had been very reticent to complete the necessary League paper work, despite the fact that officials of the League were involved with both competing sides. Consequently, the General Secretary was asked to write to the referee in question to ask him to comply with the requirements of the League.

Newton FC v Winchcombe Town, Div 1, Sat 26/01/08: Referee V Prout reports that concerns were voiced to him, by Winchcombe Town after the final whistle, that the person who ran the line for Newton FC in the second half was banned from involvement in football and had previously been removed from a referees course.
The General Secretary was asked to write to Newton FC to ascertain the identity of the person who ran the line for the club during the second half of this match
Gloucester Elmleaze v Tewkesbury Rovers, Junior Charity Cup, Sat 02/02/08: Referee V Prout reports that during the second half he had reason to speak to the supporters and substitutes of Gloucester Elmleaze. He continued by reporting that he asked one of these persons to leave the area of the pitch and that, as he turned his back, the Gloucester Elmleaze number 6, who had been substituted, squirted water at him. This water missed him but the perpetrator was issued with a red card. Mr Prout also reported that he had to go into the home changing room and ask for his match fee.
It was noted that this matter would be currently under the jurisdiction of the GFA and, consequently, it was decided not to take any further action until after GFA processes had completed.

Referees Reports Notified but not discussed

Bishops Cleeve IV v Phoenix United, Div 3, Sat 26/01/08: Referee I Parsons reports that he was not given an Official Referee's Report Card to complete
Smiths Athletic III v Finlay Rovers, Div 4, Sat 26/01/08: Referee E Baker reports that Finlay Rovers were delayed by a road traffic accident and that, after they had phoned Smiths to tell them they would be late arriving, the game started 10 minutes late.
Cleevonians v Tewkesbury Dynamos, Div 5, 26/01/08: Referee N Newport-Black reports that Tewkesbury Dynamos did not provide a club linesman
FC Barometrics Res v Charlton Rovers III, Div 5, 26/01/08: Referee M Jagus reports that Charlton Rovers did not provide a linesman and that a player from FC Barometrics performed the duties for them
Whaddon United v Charlton Rovers, Div 2, Sat 02/02/08: Referee V Prout reports that this game between two very fair, even and competitive sides, both of whom provided excellent, honest club linesmen, was a pleasure to referee
Woodmancote v Newton, Div 1, Sat 02/02/08: Referee I Parsons reports that an accidental clash of bodies resulted in a Woodmancote player breaking his left leg. Mr Parsons further reports that the player was taken to hospital by ambulance but that there was enough time for the match to be completed in full.
Cheltenham Civil Service IV v Gaffers Reserves, Minor Charity Cup, Sat 02/02/08: Referee M Sutherland reports that this was a well-contested game but that a few comments were not appreciated.
Southside v C & G, Minor Charity Cup, Sat 02/02/08: Referee J Marston reports that both team managers were excellent
High Tech Rangers v Gala Wilton Reserves, Div 2, Sat 09/02/08: Referee P Kerrod reports that High Tech Rangers players were continually back-chatting throughout the game and that they showed a lack of discipline
Kings FC Reserves v Elmbridge Old Boys, Div 4, 09/02/08: Referee M Sutherland reports that this was a good, clean game that was well contested.
Smiths Athletic III v Andoversford Nomads Reserves, Div 4, Sat 16/02/08: Referee G McNamara reports that he issued a yellow card to the Andoversford Nomads number 8, who gave his name as Carl Smith, in contradiction to the teamsheet, which named the player as Carl Davis.

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 (second report) - Fine £20: 02/02/2008 - Junior Charity Cup Winchcombe Town (previously fined £15);
ii) Failure to contact Results Secretary with match result (third report) - Fine £25: 09/02/2008 - Div 2 Cheltenham Saracens(previously fined £20);

The following clubs have been fined in accordance with rule 5i: Late Payment of Invoices. Fine £15

Invoices due 28/01/2008: Kings (invoice 92a, £10, club suspended on 28/01/2008, invoice paid & suspension lifted 31/01/2008); Charlton Rovers (invoice 94a, £20, club suspended on 28/01/2008, invoice paid & suspension lifted 30/01/2008); Andoversford Nomads (invoice 78a, £15, club suspended on 28/01/2008, invoice paid & suspension lifted 31/01/2008); Northway (invoice 84a, £103, club suspended on 28/01/2008, invoice paid & suspension lifted 31/01/2008); Falcons (invoice 87a, £40, club suspended on 28/01/2008, invoice paid & suspension lifted 31/01/2008); Churchdown Panthers (invoice 90a, £5, club suspended on 28/01/2008, invoice paid & suspension lifted 30/01/2008);
Invoices due 18/02/2008: Broadway United (invoice 2, £15, club suspended on 18/02/2008, invoice paid & suspension lifted 20/02/2008); Whaddon United (invoice 3, £20, club suspended on 18/02/2008, invoice paid & suspension lifted 20/02/2008);

The following clubs have been fined in accordance with rule 10b:

i). Late Kick-offs (away team). 21/01/2008 - Div 4 Finlay Rovers (10 minutes late - fine £5)
ii). No First Aid Kit. 16/02/2008 - Div 4 Brockworth Albion (fine £5)

The following clubs have been fined in accordance with rule 10e - playing with less than 11 players: 26/01/2008 - Div 5 Northleach Town (played with 10 players - fine £3).

The following clubs have been fined in accordance with rule 11a - failure to complete Result cards correctly. Fine £5 for each offence
No Score: 26/01/2008 - Div 5 Northleach Town
No Sportsmanship Marks: 09/02/2008 - Div 5 Cleevonians, 16/02/2008 - Div 5 Cleevonians.
No Referee Named: 09/02/2008 - Div 3 FC Electrics
Incorrect Referee Name: 26/01/2008 - Div 4 Cheltenham Civil Service (stated R Morris when M Davies); 02/02/2008 - Div 1 Siddington (stated S Glyde when W Wain)

The following clubs have been fined in accordance with rule 11(b) - Notification of results to the Results Secretary:
Fine £5 (first offence): 21/01/2008 - Div 5 FC Electrics (late result - 5.50 pm).

The following clubs have been fined in accordance with rule 11c - failure to submit a result card to the registration secretary within 5 days of a match. Fine £10: 09/02/2008 -Div 1 Kings, Div 4 Kings; 16/02/2008 - Div 3 St Marks Community Association, Div 5 Charlton Rovers.

The following clubs have been fined in accordance with rule 11(f) - Failure to provide a correctly completed teamsheet. Fine £10: 16/02/2008 - Div 4 Andoversford Nomads (one player named incorrectly);

The following clubs have been fined in accordance with rule 13c - Failure to provide a linesman for the whole match. Fine £5: 26/01/2008 - Div 5 Tewkesbury Dynamos;

The following clubs have been fined in accordance with rule 13J -Submission of referees cards & teamsheets.

i. Submission of an incomplete Club Referee's Card. Fine £10: 02/02/2008 - Div 5 Northleach Town (No score); 09/02/2008 - Div 5 Falcons (no division), 09/02/2008 - Div 5 FC Electrics (no division).
ii. Failure to submit Referee's Card within 5 days of the match. Fine £10: 19/01/2008 - Div 3 Whaddon United
iii. Failure to submit Referee's Card within 10 days of the match. Fine £10 & club Suspended: 19/01/2008 - Div 3 Whaddon United (suspension now lifted)
iv. Failure to submit Teamsheets within 5 days of the match. Fine £5 for each missing teamsheet: 19/01/2008 - Div 3 Whaddon United (both sheets missing), 09/02/2008 - Div 1 Finlay Rovers (No sheets), Bourton Rovers (team sheet for opponents missing)

Fixtures

Mr John Hunt, the League's Assistant Secretary, informed the meeting that all fixtures except one were up to date. In response to a query from the Referee's Secretary, Mr Hunt reported that there were numerous midweek games scheduled for April but he also informed the meeting that there was no need, currently, to consider extending the season beyond the stipulated season end date of April 26th.
It was also reported to the meeting that Mr Hunt had twice, during the course of the preceding month, received requests from Northway FC to move a home game to Tewkesbury Sports Centre. Mr Hunt informed the meeting that, on both occasions, he had refused the request and compelled the club to play at King George V playing fields in Brooklyn Road, Cheltenham. The meeting was reminded that this was in accordance with the agreement reached between the League and the club at the Management Committee meeting that was held on Wednesday, 9th January, 2008. The meeting was further reminded that the League had been in receipt of a letter from Tewkesbury Sports Centre informing the League that they would not consider allowing Northway FC to rent a pitch from them on an ongoing basis. Given these circumstances, the meeting had no hesitation in unanimously ratifying the actions of Mr Hunt in this regard.

Charity Cup Sub Committee Report

The report produced following the meeting of the League's Charity Cup Sub Committee on Wednesday, 6th February, 2008, had been previously circulated. In asking the Management Committee to adopt the report, the General Secretary specifically pointed out both the considerations that were given to the correspondence received from Winchcombe Town with regard to the date of the Senior Cup Semi Final and, also, the actions of the committee in relation to this matter. These actions were ratified by the meeting. The Management Committee's attention was also drawn to the fact that Brownings had informed the League that the Junior Charity Cup was now in a state that was beyond repair and that the Charity Cup Sub Committee recommended that a new trophy be purchased as a replacement. Following discussion, this was agreed. The report of the Charity Cup Sub Committee was then unanimously adopted by the Management Committee.
Consequent to this, Mr John Crowther recorded his thanks to Cheltenham Saracens FC for hosting the first Senior Charity Cup Semi Final on its home ground on Thursday, 21st February. In relation to this match, Mr John Hunt, the League's Assistant Secretary and also an official of Cheltenham Saracens, reported that, regrettably, 10 cars had been broken into during the course of the first half of this match. It was also reported that the police had been informed about these matters and that, although they did not attend, they had provided a incident number for the benefit of the victims of the crimes perpetrated. It was pointed out that the car park at Petersfield Stadium was owned by the Council but it was also agreed that, for further matches at the ground, Car park patrols would be necessary. The General Secretary was asked to write to both clubs concerned to express the regret of the League over the incidents that occurred.
Mr Crowther concluded by reminding the meeting that the next Senior Cup Semi Final was to be played on Thursday, 6th March at Bishops Cleeve FC and asked all officers to attend the match if at all possible.

Proposed Rule Changes 2008-09

The meeting was reminded that an initial draft of proposed rule changes for the 2008-09 season had been distributed at the meeting held on January 9th, 2008. A further sheet of proposed rule changes that had been suggested since this date was also circulated. The contents of both documents were discussed.
Following consideration, numerous changes were made and the General Secretary was asked to incorporate these changes in a final draft, to be circulated to Management Committee members prior to the next meeting. Mr Les Fisher also asked if a rule change could be incorporated to require clubs to pay all pre-season expenses by August 24th each season. This was agreed. In addition, Mr Fisher asked that rule 22(e) be amended to require the production of interim reports on League accounts in October and February, with a final draft of un-audited accounts to be presented to the Management Committee meeting that immediately preceded the AGM. This was also agreed.
Mr John Hunt also pointed out to the meeting that there was no current rule that required clubs to provide a match ball for Charity Cup semi finals. Consequently, he asked that the requirement for each competing club to provide two match balls at Charity Cup semi finals to be incorporated into the Charity Cup Rules. This was agreed.

Any Other Business:

Mr Phil Tustain reported that Gaffers FC had indicated that they intended to sign a player before the deadline on March 1st and that they believed that this player would be eligible to play in the Charity Cup Semi Final. This was noted.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 8.42 pm

NEXT MEETING - WEDNESDAY 26th MARCH, 2008