Expressions Of Interest Sought For New 'Southern Premier League'.

[del capo]

9 hours ago, bbfaz said:

The next stage is going through the applications and making sure they're viable/compliant.

If that is the case and enough pass the appropriate vetting  from Marc Lovering at RFL to form a competition then I believe NCL have offered to manage it for the RFL ( who simply can't - they are bereft of personnel).

But that would be a rude awakening for our friends  from the south  whose club culture  and structure remains so different to those  ' up north ' whose  NCL clubs bedrock the pro game and are  turning out on average 10 sides each

The NCL stands ready but someone needs to pass out the smelling  salts. Certainly  willing and able to administer  if the participants  ( and enough of them ) are serious ...... NCL however  not in the least bit interested in administering clubs with a potentially shambolic existence - their management has  more than enough on their own plate at present  !!..

[bbfaz]

Yeah, I think we'll pass on that. Would also be helpful if the NCL stopped claiming to be national. And both a conference and a league, that's just stupid.

[Celtic Rooster]

Teams from London, Northampton, Coventry the North East & Nottingham have played in the NCL at some point in time and applications are open to any club in the land that meets the criteria. How is that not National?

[bbfaz]

Have played, do not currently.  It's disingenuous to suggest that, at this point, it's a national anything.  By calling it a national anything, it sets up an unrealistic expectation about it.  Let it be what it is, which is the elite Northern amateur league.

As for this Southern Premier League, the RFL are proceeding with the West/Wales league but don't have enough in the East/South East.  So they're getting behind the London League committee's plans, which involve a cross-regional Premier League and a single London/South/East pyramid.

[Impartial Observer]

1 hour ago, bbfaz said:

Have played, do not currently.  It's disingenuous to suggest that, at this point, it's a national anything.  By calling it a national anything, it sets up an unrealistic expectation about it.  Let it be what it is, which is the elite Northern amateur league.

 

Is it any different to call a club South London Silverbacks, I presume there are no gorillas playing 

[Exiled Townie]

On social media Devon Sharks are saying that they have applied.

[Celtic Rooster]

3 hours ago, bbfaz said:

Have played, do not currently.  It's disingenuous to suggest that, at this point, it's a national anything.  By calling it a national anything, it sets up an unrealistic expectation about it.  Let it be what it is, which is the elite Northern amateur league.

As for this Southern Premier League, the RFL are proceeding with the West/Wales league but don't have enough in the East/South East.  So they're getting behind the London League committee's plans, which involve a cross-regional Premier League and a single London/South/East pyramid. 

The National Conference league is open for any team, anywhere in the land, as long as they meet the criteria. If teams from outside the heartlands don't apply or meet the criteria that's not the fault of the management. Two clubs from outside of Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire have applied for entry for the coming season, and if Exiled Townie is correct in what he just said as I type my answer - that's 3 clubs. Are you saying it should be called the Northern Conference League and should not be open to teams from all over the Country?

[bbfaz]

18 hours ago, Impartial Observer said:

Is it any different to call a club South London Silverbacks, I presume there are no gorillas playing 

You haven't seen our pack. 

[bbfaz]

16 hours ago, Celtic Rooster said:

The National Conference league is open for any team, anywhere in the land, as long as they meet the criteria. If teams from outside the heartlands don't apply or meet the criteria that's not the fault of the management. Two clubs from outside of Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire have applied for entry for the coming season, and if Exiled Townie is correct in what he just said as I type my answer - that's 3 clubs. Are you saying it should be called the Northern Conference League and should not be open to teams from all over the Country?

I think the word conference is superfluous and the league should be what it is and nothing more than that. I genuinely don't see how that's controversial...

[johnmatrix]

I'm assuming it was called conference as a copy of the football pyramid which at the time the highest division under the professional game was called the football conference.

 

[Celtic Rooster]

I don't know why they added the word Conference. I was happy enough with National League. I thought a conference was a business meeting and I only ever seen it used in regards to sport previously in the USA, until Football merged the Southern and Northern Premier Leagues. I suppose somebody in power just thought it would be cool to copy the Americans.

[Methven Hornet]

4 hours ago, Celtic Rooster said:

I don't know why they added the word Conference. I was happy enough with National League. I thought a conference was a business meeting and I only ever seen it used in regards to sport previously in the USA, until Football merged the Southern and Northern Premier Leagues. I suppose somebody in power just thought it would be cool to copy the Americans.

The name change came about after the RFL decided to cut down the number of clubs in the professional league to 32. The three rejected clubs - Chorley Borough, Blackpool Gladiators and Nottingham - had to be placed somewhere so they, along with Hemel, and the leading clubs in the BARLA National League, were to form a league that had the word "conference" in the title (National Conference to distinguish it from the National League?). BARLA objected so a compromise was reached whereby all National League clubs were allowed to enter - and the compromise name was a combination of the two.

That's how I remember it.

[kev p]

Perhaps a southern “premier” could be 2 conferences east & west prob 6 teams each with teams playing home & away in their own division & once against opposing division teams. Cutting down on long trips, but not playing same teams over & over. Would be 16 games max. Could play fewer cross division games if fixture list was deemed too long. 

[del capo]

15 hours ago, Methven Hornet said:

The name change came about after the RFL decided to cut down the number of clubs in the professional league to 32. The three rejected clubs - Chorley Borough, Blackpool Gladiators and Nottingham - had to be placed somewhere so they, along with Hemel, and the leading clubs in the BARLA National League, were to form a league that had the word "conference" in the title (National Conference to distinguish it from the National League?). BARLA objected so a compromise was reached whereby all National League clubs were allowed to enter - and the compromise name was a combination of the two.

That's how I remember it.

More or less right Methven.

The RFL  came to BARLA with the problem of their failing clubs ( nothing new there ) and a deal was struck involving travel grants, paid for match and other officials and one off regional league grants (Hull refused theirs ). Maurice Lindsay coined the phrase 'Conference ' to freshen it up. None of the pro clubs ( they still paid some of their players ) could hack it on the park against the NL sides and all fell by the wayside including Hemel. About 1996 if my memory still serves me correctly....

[bbfaz]

11 hours ago, kev p said:

Perhaps a southern “premier” could be 2 conferences east & west prob 6 teams each with teams playing home & away in their own division & once against opposing division teams. Cutting down on long trips, but not playing same teams over & over. Would be 16 games max. Could play fewer cross division games if fixture list was deemed too long. 

As I said above, they're looking to create 8 team divisions, East and West.  They have enough applicants fom West/South West/Wales to form a West division.  I don't know the applicants but, based on who was formerly in the various NL D3/RLC National/CLS  divisions, those who applied last year and those who've openly shown aspiration towards it, there's probably a fair guess on the 8 they've let in.

With the failure of the bigger Midlands teams (not just last year, but in recent years), they don't have enough Midlands/East/South East teams to create the East division as yet.

[Styx]

Nobody has been let in as yet.  Those clubs that expressed an interest have now been sent an application form, along with a set of minimum standards.  Formal applications have to be with the RFL on 5 November.

[del capo]

9 hours ago, del capo said:

More or less right Methven.

The RFL  came to BARLA with the problem of their failing clubs ( nothing new there ) and a deal was struck involving travel grants, paid for match and other officials and one off regional league grants (Hull refused theirs ). Maurice Lindsay coined the phrase 'Conference ' to freshen it up. None of the pro clubs ( they still paid some of their players ) could hack it on the park against the NL sides and all fell by the wayside including Hemel. About 1996 if my memory still serves me correctly....

As  an anecdote Methven, the  then Chorley  RLFC  Chair came to put his case (firmly but eventually successfully , but he was a trade union rep after all ) to NCL  re their  inclusion.

 None other than Lindsay  Hoyle , Parliamentary member for Chorley and son to now Leader of the House of Lords Doug ( the Warrington President ) a current front runner as Deputy Speaker to replace  the  current one .....

This game has many clans..... and still has friends in high places.....

[Jasper]

On the main rugby site there is a Topic about Hemel Stags pulling out of League 1 next season.  What caught my eye was -

Hemel have already submitted an expression of interest in joining the tier four Southern Conference competition that will be launched in the spring of 2019 – one of 14 expressions that have already been received. 

[bbfaz]

2 hours ago, Jasper said:

On the main rugby site there is a Topic about Hemel Stags pulling out of League 1 next season.  What caught my eye was -

Hemel have already submitted an expression of interest in joining the tier four Southern Conference competition that will be launched in the spring of 2019 – one of 14 expressions that have already been received. 

I get the impression things are going to be changing by the day.

[Exiled Townie]

On social media, from Devon Sharks -

We are sorry to say that our application into the newly established National Southern League 2019 has been rejected, below is official notification from the Rugby Football League.

‘The Management Group who assessed the applications felt that at this stage that due to your lack of competitive fixtures in Tier 5 over the last few seasons, that it would be too big a gamble to put you straight in to a Tier 4 competition in 2019, without the knowledge that the club could demonstrate an ability to compete in and complete a full season’.

As you can imagine, we are gutted by this decision, and those that follow us on a regular basis, will understand why and how the reason given, was not in our control and no fault of ours.  We now have time to regroup as a committee and a club, to discuss the best way we can get back into some competitive rugby league for 2019.

[Norfolk]

I still don't understand why they wouldn't fit into the South West League - if Cornwall were then why weren't the Sharks.  If its personalities then some heads need to be knocked together!

[bbfaz]

As I recall, the issue with Devon was that it was felt they threw their toys out of the pram because the South West League - the most casual of hobbyist leagues - fell apart.  Then they went and created the Devon & Dorset representative team and made their own season, which was a bit of a disaster and showed them to not be on the level they professed themselves to be.

It is a personality thing, heads do need to be knocked together.  They annoyed people, fair enough.  However, at this point, the love for sport should be bigger than the pettiness of individuals.

On the other "watch this space" front, 9 invitees have accepted the challenge of forming a Southern Conference East based on the current summer season from the East and London/South East regions.

[Wiltshire Rhino]

What I heard today... 

 

Confirmed so far are

All Golds

Torfean Tigers

Valley Cougars

Cardiff Dragons

Swindon St George 

 

To be comfirmed

West Wales Raiders 2nd Team

A couple of teams from the Midlands, who my mate couldn't remember

 

Denied

Bath RL - No reason given 

Devon Sharks - Didn’t play enough competitive rugby last year

Cornish Pirates - Travel was too far for clubs

Saltash - Were not competitive enough in the Harry Jepson

 

Also, I've been told, the RFL plan to upload these games onto the Our League app. 

[Marauder]

What happened to Leicester, they seemed to be on a firm foundation ?

[DoubleD]

4 hours ago, Wiltshire Rhino said:

What I heard today... 

 

Confirmed so far are

All Golds

Torfean Tigers

Valley Cougars

Cardiff Dragons

Swindon St George 

 

To be comfirmed

West Wales Raiders 2nd Team

A couple of teams from the Midlands, who my mate couldn't remember

 

Denied

Bath RL - No reason given 

Devon Sharks - Didn’t play enough competitive rugby last year

Cornish Pirates - Travel was too far for clubs

Saltash - Were not competitive enough in the Harry Jepson

 

Also, I've been told, the RFL plan to upload these games onto the Our League app. 

Am surprised Bath didn’t make the cut. Disappointed Devon or Cornwall didn’t, particularly when travel was meant to be subsidised, they’re really out the loop down there now. 

Are Telford and Sherwood Forest the 2 Midlands ones?

I think West Wales should concentrate on getting a first team out first! A 2nd team could play friendlies as and when.....