| The FA's efforts to kill small junior clubs and discourage volunteers- vol.2 18:33 - Nov 28 with 745 views | sparks |
I'll link my previous posts and thread on the subject at the bottom... I'm chairman of a small village club, and coach / manager for the Under 9s
At some point during the close season, the local FA took over running of the league which our two teams play in. I dont know why- it seems there was a mass resignation of the old committee (quite possibly due to hassle with the FA, but I cant be sure). We never had any formal indication or explanation of this- but it seems to be the position as everything we used to receive from the league is now from local FA people.
They called a league meeting. I asked what it was about- as its not normal to have a random meeting for nothing in November. They replied that the league's rules said there had to be one 5 times a year and this was one of them. They declined, when a friend asked for another club, to provide an agenda or any indication of what might be discussed.
I understand from people that went, there was very little to discuss other than- (1) They want to give all parents "FAN numbers" and register them on their system, in addition to players. Which will mean hours of data input and grief for people at clubs, especially as the FA system is appalling and unreliable. (2) Teams should stop scoring if they go 5 goals ahead. This might entail adding extra players on the other side, until the score starts to become more even if we cant engineer it by other means. To hell with the fact that 18 kids on a 7 aside pitch just creates congestion with no room for skill, movement, passing etc- and simply favours the side with the biggest strongest players who can blunder their way through. (3) they want to introduce sinbins in junior football and will suspend referees who dont implement it.
Now... I didn't attend. That was due to a very serious family illness which occupied my attention for several days (not to mention the hours besides hospital beds). All is well now, happily. More importantly though (from the FA's perspective) I MISSED THE MEETING!!! 
I received, yesterday, an invoice for a £20 fine for non attendance.
The £20 is not a big deal to me (and I wouldnt let the club bear the cost on principle)- but it seemed harsh in the circumstances so I emailed indicating my reasons for not having attended.
The reply I got this afternoon just summed up the FA for me in evey way. They didn't express their concern and waive the fine. Nor did they express concern and say that rules are rules, and that they just have to follow them by the letter in fairness to other clubs who might miss meetings and have excuses of varying types (which would be a pathetic jobsworth approach, but at least tolerably rational).
Instead their reply was:
"As the club secretary, XXXXXX should’ve been the main person to attend the meeting and if unable should’ve arranged for someone to go in his place.
This is by no means against yourself for not attending, it’s that the club didn’t send a representative to the mandatory meeting and we have to follow the league rules and issue this fine against the club."
There is NOTHING in the league rules to say that it is the secretary who must attend. I invariably attend these meetings- because as Chairman and a manager/ coach, I can deal with both admin stuff and playing stuff. I had arranged to go to this meeting, and the rest of the committe were aware of that so had no reason to go. I failed to give them a shout and ask for someone to pop along in my place- for reasons which will be obvious.
Essentially- the FA's position, faced with a clearly very reasonable excuse for non attendance, was to claim that there was some obligation for the Secretary to attend rather than me, in the first place, to give themselves a basis for nevertheless blaming a small 2 team village junior football club for non attendance at a pointless meeting.
The mindset seems to run very deep and the FA's paid employees are simply so sanctimonious and unable to recognise the reality of volunteers with day jobs trying to help kids play football, that I really fear for the future of grass roots youth football.
They appear to want the small clubs out. This is what we are dealing with folks. Its little wonder, when we get up to the level of professional clubs, we see the FA working against the small clubs, denying them academy status, agreeing rules which favour the big clubss etc etc.
Hapless ****beaks the lot of them.
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| The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they've found it.
(Sir Terry Pratchett) | | Poll: | Is Fred drunk this morning? |
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| The FA's efforts to kill small junior clubs and discourage volunteers- vol.2 on 18:42 - Nov 28 with 710 views | Fixed_It |
Glad to hear things are better on a personal level. But can clearly empathise with your disgust at the inflexibility that your situation was met with by the powers that be. Shameful. |  |
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| The FA's efforts to kill small junior clubs and discourage volunteers- vol.2 on 18:46 - Nov 28 with 698 views | sparks |
| The FA's efforts to kill small junior clubs and discourage volunteers- vol.2 on 18:42 - Nov 28 by Fixed_It |
Glad to hear things are better on a personal level. But can clearly empathise with your disgust at the inflexibility that your situation was met with by the powers that be. Shameful. |
Its not the inflexibility itself which gets me, so much as the mindset which immediately looks to disingenuously justify the position rather than actually addressing it honestly. | |
| The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they've found it.
(Sir Terry Pratchett) | | Poll: | Is Fred drunk this morning? |
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| The FA's efforts to kill small junior clubs and discourage volunteers- vol.2 on 19:04 - Nov 28 with 669 views | sparks |
| The FA's efforts to kill small junior clubs and discourage volunteers- vol.2 on 18:46 - Nov 28 by sparks |
Its not the inflexibility itself which gets me, so much as the mindset which immediately looks to disingenuously justify the position rather than actually addressing it honestly. |
It gets better.... I've just had confirmed by a friend who runs another local club, that he actually explained the situation to the FA at the meeting and requested, on our behalf, that no fine be imposed... | |
| The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they've found it.
(Sir Terry Pratchett) | | Poll: | Is Fred drunk this morning? |
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| The FA's efforts to kill small junior clubs and discourage volunteers- vol.2 on 19:11 - Nov 28 with 654 views | brazil1982 |
That's terrible but not surprising, I agree - I think the powers to be want small clubs to fold. It is also laughable the proposed sale of Wembley would have added much needed cash to grassroots. This would not have happened. |  | | |
| The FA's efforts to kill small junior clubs and discourage volunteers- vol.2 on 19:18 - Nov 28 with 637 views | sparks |
| The FA's efforts to kill small junior clubs and discourage volunteers- vol.2 on 19:11 - Nov 28 by brazil1982 |
That's terrible but not surprising, I agree - I think the powers to be want small clubs to fold. It is also laughable the proposed sale of Wembley would have added much needed cash to grassroots. This would not have happened. |
Agreed. The money would not have been used efficiently or effectively. | |
| The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they've found it.
(Sir Terry Pratchett) | | Poll: | Is Fred drunk this morning? |
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| The FA's efforts to kill small junior clubs and discourage volunteers- vol.2 on 19:22 - Nov 28 with 624 views | Fixed_It |
| The FA's efforts to kill small junior clubs and discourage volunteers- vol.2 on 19:04 - Nov 28 by sparks |
It gets better.... I've just had confirmed by a friend who runs another local club, that he actually explained the situation to the FA at the meeting and requested, on our behalf, that no fine be imposed... |
Tossers! | |
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