Cheltenham League Notice Board

  • 02/09/2006 - August Newsletter


1. Match Reports to The Gloucestershire Echo

The Echo has requested that we ask all clubs who wish to submit match reports for publication in the paper to submit them via the "sport@glosmedia.co.uk" email address. Any reports submitted should be restricted to 200 words and should be received by the Echo by the Tuesday morning after the match at the very latest.

Additionally, the League will be attempting to compile its own preview of weekend fixtures for publication in the paper on Friday evenings. This preview will have to be submitted to the paper by the morning of the Wednesday preceding the Saturday when the matches are played and it is anticipated that most of the information that is collected together for inclusion in these previews will be gathered by email. Therefore, if you receive an email from the League's General Secretary, asking for information relating to a match that might not be scheduled until 10 or 11 days later, please respond as soon as you can so that your club can share in the coverage that the League is able to generate in the local press.

2. Car Parking at Winchcombe Town

Winchcombe Town have asked us to point out to all clubs that there is a no parking policy in force in Mill Lane, which is the road that leads to their ground.

3 Registration

Clubs are reminded that they should check with Terry Onions before contemplating signing anyone who's name appeared on the CDP2 form. Numerous of the names have now been removed from the CDP2 list and up to date information is only available from Terry.
In addition, will clubs please note that, if they attempt to sign on a player before a match and their opponents decline to witness the form, it is now acceptable for the Officially appointed Match Referee to witness the form. It should also be noted, however, that it is only acceptable to ask the referee to witness the form if the opposition have refused and that all referees have been asked to report every instance in which they have witnessed a registration form. Once a Referee's report is received that details such an incident, the League will investigate the matter and take the action that is appropriate to the circumstances. If these circumstances turn out to be the fact that the opposition club has refused to sign the form, it is likely that they will be charged with failing to satisfactorily attend to the business of the League,

as stipulated by League Rule 5(h). The League Management Committee will then consider the matter and, if proven, a penalty will be imposed at the discretion of the Management Committee.

4 Clubs Meeting 27th September 2006

The next Clubs meeting will be held at the Victory Club on Wednesday, 27th September 2006, starting at 7.15 pm. Attendance at this meeting is not obligatory but clubs are advised to send a representative if at all possible, for a number of reasons. In the first instance, the meeting provides a forum at which issues can be discussed and possible resolutions to any problems can be identified. Secondly, it acts as an information exchange, at which both reports are made by the League's Officers and, also, help and guidance is offered with regard to matters concerning League affairs. Thirdly, the remainder of each club's allocation of handbooks will be available for collection on the night.
All clubs are urged to attend if at all possible. Anyone who has anything that they would like to include on the agenda should send the details through to Nick Oram, the League Secretary, by Tuesday 19th September at the latest.

5 Referee's Cards

All clubs are reminded of the changes that were made to rule 13(J) at the last AGM, with regard to Referee's Cards. However, it should be noted that, in essence and as far as the clubs are concerned, the system remains the same as last season. Each club will already have received its supply of Official Referee's Result Cards for the season and one of these should be presented to the Officially Appointed Referee after each home match. Once the information has been completed by the referee and he has signed the card, the card and the home team's copies of the teamsheets for each side involved in the match, must be put into an envelope and sent to Les Fisher, the League's Results Secretary. It should be noted that, this year, the fines for not complying fully with this rule have been raised significantly. Clubs will be fined £5 for each missing team sheet and £10 for each missing result card, meaning that the total fine if nothing is sent in will be £20. Also, clubs run the risk of being suspended if they do not send in a Referee's Result card, a course of action that will bring with it the prospect of further fines and even a loss of points. There is provision in the rule for reasonable excuse, however. Therefore, if the opposition have not provided you with a team sheet, or the referee has refused to sign the card, make sure that you tell Les Fisher that this is the case when you ring the result of the match through to him. Also, make sure you put a note in the envelope, explaining the situation, as well. Be warned, however, that if an excuse is used, the League will be checking with the referee concerned and clubs will be severely dealt with if they are found to have been less than honest.

League Rule 13(j) also now makes mention of Official Referee's Report Cards. These have been distributed directly to the League's officially Appointed Referees and the Referee's will return them directly to the League. This process does not involve the clubs AT ALL so please do not concern yourselves with these cards.

13(J) does also now cover the requirements laid down for Substitute Referees, as provided by the home club if no referee is appointed or the officially appointed referee has failed to turn up. These stipulations simply put into words the practices that have been in place for many years now. Clubs are reminded, however, that the Home Club must find a substitute referee if no Officially Appointed Referee is present, otherwise they will be charged under the provisions of League Rule 10(F) with failing to fulfil a fixture. This means, in practice, that each club should have a contingency plan in place, in advance, for each home fixture it plays, just in case there is not an officially appointed referee for the match.

6 Tivoli Rovers

Tivoli Rovers will be playing their home matches at King George V Playing Fields in Brooklyn Road, Cheltenham, until further notice whilst renovation works are undertaken at Kingsmead School. It is anticipated that the work at the school will not be complete until the end of November at the earliest.


7 Pitch Hire

It has been brought to the attention of the League that at least two member clubs have played a friendly match on a pitch belonging to a local parish council without booking the facilities that they used or, indeed, even seeking to pay for them.

Incidents such as this reflect extremely badly on the League as a whole and, in particular, on all member clubs who may find themselves damned by association in any future dealings with the various local authorities who provide pitches and facilities to our clubs each and every season. In this instance, the incident was made worse by the fact that the two clubs concerned left a huge amount of rubbish around the perimeter of the pitch, behaviour that would have been undesirable

and inexcusable even if the pitch that they used had been booked and paid for in the proper way.

Please ensure that you all play your part in maintaining convivial relations with the authorities and private concerns that provide our clubs with pitches throughout the year, by following the proper processes when you want to play a match and by making sure that you pay the fees required IN ADVANCE!!

8 Club Details

The New address for Bourton Rovers Secretary is 25 Springvale, Bourton-on-the-Water, Cheltenham, Glos. GL54 2ES. All other details remain the same.
The correct mobile number for the secretary of Tivoli Rovers is 07887 861730
The correct mobile number for the secretary of AC Olympia is 07855 276630
The Secretary of Star FC will be unavailable from September 2nd to September 16th inclusive.
The Secretary of FC Barometrics will unavailable from September 1st to September 8th.
The Secretary of Hatherley Rangers will be unavailable from September 1st to September 9th inclusive.
The Secretary of Cheltenham Civil Service will be unavailable from September 3rd to September 10th inclusive.
In all these instances, queries for each club should be referred to the alternative contact, as detailed in the handbook, until the club secretary becomes available again.
The Mobile number for the alternative contact for Finlay Rovers is now 07855 944204
NB: KICK OFF TIME OF MIDWEEK GAMES FOR WEEK BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 4TH IS 6:15 PM
KICK OFF TIME OF MIDWEEK GAMES FOR WEEK BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 11TH IS 6:00 PM


Thanks,


Nick Oram
General Secretary,
Cheltenham Association Football League


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