Rossa (Cork) - Posts: 60 - 22/04/2014 17:31:59    1578655

Rossa, Let me paint a picture for you here. In your role you are responsible for setting fixtures. At the start of the year, clubs are asked to send an email to you requesting a weekend or two, that their team may be kept exempt from the fixtures for whatever reason. The clubs are aware that this is only a request & nothing more. You are not too hot on the old emails and many don't get a quick reply / any reply. You set fixtures for a particular weekend in April.

The team you are affiliated to is scheduled to play a semi-final. But you have made a human error and not realised that the opposition had an exemption for that weekend (not an exemption for particular day that weekend, but that whole weekend). Because the club you are affiliated with are involved in this situation, surely you would try to rectify the situation as soon as possible, at the risk of it looking like bias. But no..

Lazarus1 (Galway) - Posts: 173 - 23/04/2014 13:30:39    1578991

Lazarus1, I assume you are affiliated to Fulham here. But anyway to give my non-biased view, if you did put in a request and it was granted then yes I agree the CB should hold up their hands say they made a mistake and re fix the fixture.

I can only assume if the CB are sticking to their guns that either the request was not put in correctly and/or was maybe not granted. I don't think this is necessarily going to benefit either Fulham or Towers because as I have said before players wnat to play games that is why they committ to all the training etc. On the other hand the CB has to get fixtures played in a shortened period of time so they cannot afford to have games put back.

Regarding the fixtures secretary I think again that this is a red herring. I agree with you I would have thought he would be trying everything to look like their is no bias, which as they have steadfastly stuck to their guns means that he infact has done everything by the book.

My own opinion is that no exemptions should be made for weddings etc. The only reason why a club can ask for a game to be called off is if a member of the club has unfortunately died. That will avoid all of this rubbish and actually get games played. The CB on their part should in January of each year declare a certain number of weekends free so that clubs can organise what they want be it fundraisers or trips away.

Rossa (Cork) - Posts: 60 - 24/04/2014 11:50:48    1579391

they do set a number of weekends free, bank holiday weekends are left free of fixtures.

Rosineri1 (UK) - Posts: 2013 - 24/04/2014 12:49:19    1579425

Hi Rossa, I can guarantee you I'm not Fulham but I am also from a club that has grown frustrated by the lack of communication from within the ranks. Why shouldn't teams have an exemption for a big social event like a wedding ?? The average senior football team in London will play about 12-14 competitive games between April to October, That is a 7 month period !! If you are telling me they cannot facilitate an exemption or two over that sort of time frame, then there is something fundamentally wrong here.

Lazarus1 (Galway) - Posts: 173 - 24/04/2014 14:10:35    1579457

lads after spending 2 years in london i can safely say that certain members of the heirarchy are bomb proof, many comments made to change the structure and personnel but those on the outside have to pool together and move forward together, there is also too much bitterness among a few clubs who wouldnt assist in making change so your left with the status quo

UniGaa (National) - Posts: 694 - 24/04/2014 14:58:41    1579496

I did also have the view that surely with onlu as you say 14 games over a period of 6/7 months should be easily achievable. But then take out London prep for connacht games, B Hols, etc that period declines quickly. Add to that dual players/available pitches/exemptions would reduce it further.

If you want an exemption for a wedding then it should only be for the day itself, so if the wedding is on a Saturday you play the Sunday. I have to say I am not usually on the side of the CB but clubs have to be flexible here, we all complain that the master fixtures is useless, but then clubs want to postpone because of injuries/cannot travel to Mitcham/Lads on a stag party/Weekend for a wedding. Do we want to play football or not? All other sports in London go ahead regardless unless the weather is bad.

Some clubs want to dictate to the fixtures on when and where they want to play. Look at TCG I have never heard of them not fielding for any of these reasons. We are in danger here of players getting fed up because of matches continually being called off and play another sport.

Rossa (Cork) - Posts: 60 - 24/04/2014 15:56:10    1579530

wats London's chances against Carlow da weekend.....

edshamrocks (Wexford) - Posts: 338 - 24/04/2014 16:45:34    1579557

I see Fulham won their appeal......

WideBall1 (UK) - Posts: 98 - 01/05/2014 13:43:04    1582951

"Regarding the fixtures secretary I think again that this is a red herring. I agree with you I would have thought he would be trying everything to look like their is no bias, which as they have steadfastly stuck to their guns means that he infact has done everything by the book"

Well Rossa - that's not what they thought in Birmingham. One of the most straight-forward cases ever put in front of them. The whole scenario is a huge embarrassment to the London county board.

Lazarus1 (Galway) - Posts: 173 - 01/05/2014 14:41:41    1582980

Not sure why the London County Board ever allowed this to go to Birmingham. Surely one of them should have stepped in and seen common sense. Its a huge embarrassment for them, for a Club to get a higher body (in this case the British Provincial Council) to order them to apply their own rules. The publicity has been substancial & makes the London County Board look very amateurish. Fulham stood up for their rights and won. This should be seen as a victory for all London Clubs who will refuse to be bullied by the London County Board going forward. I would hope the number of walkovers can be reduced moving forward as playing games is far more important than awarding walk overs which the London fixtures committee are quite happy to do on a wide scale.

whiterer (UK) - Posts: 6 - 04/05/2014 22:04:52    1584194

Cannot complain there Liam er sorry Lazarus1, unbelieveable really that the LCB did not just own up to the error. crazy really but there you go. Still think there is no need for weekends off at all, if players are away then so be it just play the game as long as the LCB play there part and produce a Master Fixtures list and stick to them.

Rossa (Cork) - Posts: 60 - 06/05/2014 16:47:37    1584717

Ha - Good Stuff Rossa, but i'm not your man. But from what I heard from the CB meetings he hasn't hid behind anyone, like we are doing here. I'd say in your day Rossa there was never a request put in for a weekend exemption but I'd say in your day , Ryanair & their cheap flights weren't around either.

Lazarus1 (Galway) - Posts: 173 - 08/05/2014 12:00:01    1585311

Ryanair and their cheap flights are not around anymore Lazarus1.

Just think Exemptions make the battle harder to get all competitions finsihed by the end of the Summer (which rarely happens and why competitions are being played in November). We could play weekdays which I think is definately a possibility and not sure why this is not looked at more. Am sure there are influential clubs that do not want this and this is why it has not been explored more.

Rossa (Cork) - Posts: 60 - 08/05/2014 16:57:37    1585460

A little bit of planning by the fixtures committee who have all the information before March 1st is all that's required but alas the task is far too tall for the mighty men in power. What would you expect from Men more familiar with ladders than laptops.

whiterer (UK) - Posts: 6 - 12/05/2014 15:33:01    1586675