Cheltenham League Notice Board

• 01/11/2004 - Latest Newsletter to Clubs

In a departure from recent practice, items of interest to Clubs and, in particular, their Secretaries, that were not necessarily discussed at the monthly Management Committee meetings, will be reported by way of a newsletter. If anyone has anything that they would like to include on this newsletter, which will be circulated to all clubs and which will also be posted on the Leagues Web site, they are advised to contact the League's General Secretary by the Monday that immediately precedes the monthly Management Committee meeting, at the latest

1) Management Committee Vacancies

Following the recent appointments of a new General Secretary and Assistant Secretary from within the Management Committee, the League now has two vacancies on this Committee that need to be filled. Duties in the first instance involve the attendance at Monthly Committee meetings and lending support, as required, to the League's officers. Becoming involved with the League at this level offers an excellent opportunity to gain an insight in to the way in which the League is run and to play a part in its decision making process. Any one who might be interested in such an opportunity should contact the General Secretary in the first instance.

2) Refereeing Course

We have been asked, by the GFA, to inform clubs that the next course in Cheltenham for prospective referees is as follows

Day Tuesdays from 7.15 pm to 9.30 pm
Commencing Tuesday 23rd November 2004
Venue The Victory Club, Burlington House, Lypiatt Road, Cheltenham
Duration Tier 1 - Tuesday, 23rd November, 2004 - 14th December 2004
Tier 2 - Tuesday, 4th January, 2004 - 8th February 2005

All clubs are reminded of the requirements of League Rule 10(B), which states that, in the event of a referee not being available, the home team SHALL provide a stand in referee and that failure to do this will result in the home club being charged under rule 10f - breaking of fixture. It is in every clubs interests to have at least one but preferably a number of persons within their ranks upon whom they can call in circumstances when an officially appointed referee is not available. One of the best ways in which to prepare these individuals for their stint in the middle is to encourage them to become properly qualified in the art of refereeing. This portfolio of courses is the single best way of achieving this and so the league cannot recommend it highly enough. Further details are available from Steve Jacques, the Course Co-ordinator. Steve's address is 5, The Orchards, Hucclecote, Gloucester, GL3 3RL and his telephone number is 01452 613482

3.) 14 Year Olds Playing Open Age Football

The League has received a letter from the GFA in which it sets out the position relating to 14 year olds playing open age football. This follows a consultation exercise that was conducted last year.

Proposals are now being considered which, if approved, would lead to an amendment being proposed to FA Rule 4(a) vi at the next FA AGM in 2005. If passed, this would mean that, from the start of the 2006-07 season, a child in an age range under 16 or below would not be able to play, and should not be encouraged to play, in a match where any other player is older or younger by 2 years or more than that child.

If this rule change is approved, it will mean that any child under under 16 planning to play open age this season would not be impacted upon as they would have to be 16 by the start of the 2006-07 season.

If you have any queries, comments or observations, please pass them to the General Secretary.

4.)  Handbook Changes

The following changes to details contained within the handbook were noted by the October meeting of the League Management Committee

Belmore Jags: Jim Hughes, secretary, has a new mobile number which is 07731 915456
Bourton Rovers: Reserves new strip is White shirts, Blue Shorts and White socks
Northway: Change of Secretary. The new secretary is Steve Turgoose, of 20, York Road, Priors Park, Tewkesbury, Glos. His telephone number is 01684 291982
Charlton Rovers: Change of strip. New colours are Royal Blue shirts with maroon stripes, Royal Blue shorts and Royal Blue socks
Finlay Rovers: New Secretary is Rod Buchanan. Telephone numbers are (H) 01452 543340, (M) 07855 337989. Email roderickbuchanan@hotmail.com. No address details yet
Tewkesbury Dynamos. Now playing at Dowty Rotol club, Staverton, with effect from Saturday, October 30th.

5.)  Email Addresses

Would all clubs please make every effort to supply the league with an email address that could be used for the dispatch of League Correspondence, if at all possible. This would not necessarily have to belong to the Secretary but would have to be owned by someone within the club who would be willing to accept the responsibility of passing messages on to the Secretary promptly. The propensity to email correspondence in both directions significantly speeds up the League's communications processes and can also result in each club saving money.

PLEASE RESPOND TO LEAGUE CORRESPONDENCE PROMPTLY AS THIS IS AN ENORMOUS HELP TO THE LEAGUE'S BODY OF OFFICERS AND AVOIDS YOUR CLUB BEING FINED

PLEASE NOTE THAT POSTPONEMENTS SHOULD ALWAYS BE NOTIFIED TO THE NEW ASSISTANT SECRETARY, JOHN HUNT, IN THE FIRST INSTANCE