Give over you are not that daft.

There is also a rumour going round that some some regions want the Northern league kicked out of the pyramid system, due to the majority of its teams refusing promotion year after year.

That would be disastrous.

Unless new teams come in, but I'm not sure that looks likely.


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I played kids footy dibble till I was 15 for a team based in west view then at 17 I started playing Sunday league, no idea what these levels mean.

It's a shame that in a few years something may not be available for lads on a Sunday morning who are not the most skilful but enjoy a kick about n want to take it seriously.


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Durham will never change their policy of holding clubs to ransom over fines, because the greedy baststards know its the best chance of getting their money.

I had a conversation with Topping and said why not put the fine onto the player rather than the club, he just smiled and said, "it will never happen"

My lads played for the county, I was invited in to one of the after match meals when a few awards were handed out.... No expense spared, I wonder where the money comes from, a bunch of pompous Bentley driving leaches who are contributing to the slow death of the local game we love.

I managed in the Saturday Hartlepool league when teams like Billingham Redstripe, Blackhall played catchup to the Hartlepool teams, I believe, if my memory serves me right them winning the Saturday version of the county cup on two or three occasions.. The Chester? and where is that league now...

Personally I think it would be better to decrease fines, increase bans and make serial offenders pay for, and take a mini refs course once they get to a certain amount of reds and yellows.

Give clubs half a chance of survival FFS...

The fact the pyramid system stops at level 11 here just suggests there are too few people wanting to play the game seriously.

The less that play saturday, the smaller the pool for sundays.

Like what was said earlier, the top sunday teams used to be full of ex pro's and northern league players.

Fines going against the player would massively improve things, we had a player who owed £110 this season, we couldn't get hold of the lad anymore so we had to do a whip round to get the money. But as mentioned this will never change. The standard of ref's is dramatically decreasing, not many new ref's are coming through.

Durham FA will never get the money. The lads just stop playing.

Why are so many being fined then?

and to be fair, why did you constantly let that play and build up more fines?

If he didnt pay up, you should have banned him.

Its funny in a way but it always winds me up.

The number of complete areseholes that get sent off regularly...the bad boys......always seem to be a managers favourites, and keep picking them, over more loyal and sensible lads.

Even at Junior football this happens.

It was one instance that resulted in the large fine which was his last game for us.

Just my opinion, but better the odd player packing in than a whole club going under, or other players having to contribute through having to pay their fine...


No easy answers I'm afraid, the only way is an inner club/player discipline policy, works for some, not for others.....

Sometimes u don't know someone's a bad lad till it's too late.

4 year ago we had this sound keeper, lovely lad. Played a game n give a penalty away, ranted n swore at the ref, refused to leave the field when sent off, slapped a fine on him of £80. We never seen him again, how where we to know he'd go crazy? The irony was he was a part time ref.

So we had to pay the fine.

Sometimes you just don't know how people react till it's too late


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If 3-4 new teams come in, which has happened a few times before then there is no problem. If 0 come in then yes we have an issue on our hands, have to wait and see as the May deadline to enter the league is the 16th (I think)

36 is a good steady number of teams. Anymore and we start to have problems with pitches and referees

I hope to bring up the issue of the league sitting on £10k+ (forgot how much it was, probably more) and teams folding. I hope we get some form of reduction in pitch fees next season. For teams that competed this season only

It's always interesting seeing the accounts at the AGM, they always seem to be sitting on a decent amount of money every season.

It is our money, the league members

We pay fees and fines for them to sit on it. Makes no sense

show me a league where this DOESNT happen.

We as member clubs have power though

We elect our committee, we as members decide what to spend our money on

Some of our members don't understand this yet, but with the issue being raised last year and again this year hopefully we'll make a bit of progress

I was in support of your proposals at the last AGM ben and I'd happily support them again, the league seemed to get twitchy when you mentioned it and sort of brushed it under the carpet very quickly without any consideration.

No point in them having a big bank balance if teams are dropping out n we are playing 20 games a season n finishing in February.

I don't know the answer to maintaining the future of sunday football, I think it needs to be looked at though and to try and find the reason why clubs are dropping out.

Who would want to do it though, you'd either have to really love the game or being a complete twat who likes spoiling people's games!!!

No seriously is it a wonder you haven't got a raft of kids coming through wanting to be refs they used to be respected figures if you think of people like Jack Taylor and Roger Millford now the are demonised and ridiculed every time they make anything approaching an error.

Then you get to a Sunday morning were they have no protection whatsoever are routinely abused on occasion physically assaulted. Am I selling this well. The players need a bit more perspective and respect that without the referee they don't have a game. Also that they are on the Rec not the Nou Camp. It's not that important.

That's the problem at the bottom level not enough people are willing to do it for nothing in return but grief and professionally the system is all wrong were to get anywhere you have to start when you are about 16 when kids should be discovering finger blasting and cheap cider not the advantage law. At our game on Saturday it was pointed out to me that the fourth official was the lad who reffed the Darlo 1883 hackfest. Seriously he looked about 12 and someone who's never been close to having sex in his life. You've got to be as a young lad to want to get into that a bit of an oddball without wanting to be too unkind. Yet these are the people who end up in the Football League!!

So I reckon at the lowest level lads need to enjoy it more and help the people trying to ref the game by behaving in a decent manner. They also need to realise that the standard is worse because less and less are willing to do it. Then at the top end the system needs changing were people who actually understand and have played the game can be fast tracked after they stop.

Its a difficult one with refs.

You know they are only trying to ref fairly, but sometimes, just sometimes, they do the most unbelievably stupid things, and give decisions that are bizarre beyond belief.

And then of course, the penalised teams players are up in arms, and then a tackle will fly in, and then the ref will send off a player from the team penalised before, just to compound the issue further.

But the abuse from players is nothing compared to what the ref gets from managers and supporters.............parents in the younguns case.

If the Manager cant control himself, then he has no chance with his players.

And if parents cant control themselves, then the kids wont either.

Again, I wonder why the standards dropped. Refs getting abused by the ADULTS at kids matches. Shocking and moronic.

PJ you've hit the nail on the head when it comes to refs. A lot of refs around mine packed in or moved to reffing kids games on a Sunday as there was too much hassle and abuse. When I was younger there was a lot of the older players who turned to reffing. They made good refs. This doesn't seem to happen as much. Another thing is a lot of former Sunday players who went on to run teams, now help run/coach the junior teams. There does seem to have been a rise in the number of junior teams, which is a good thing, however there does seem to be a mass exodus of players from the ages of 18 to 21. Work/college/girls/drink will have an effect, but also it is a big jump from junior to senior football. As ADG mentioned they go from playing passing football to escaping a bunch of cloggers on a Sunday morning.

As for the lack of Northern League players on a Sunday morning. This is partly due to the wages they can get on a Saturday/ contracted so can't play on a Sunday. I have heard non contracted players have been discouraged from playing Sunday's.

In the thirty odd year I've been involved in the game, I have never seen a ref change his mind after being shouted and balled at, what I have seen are hundreds, thousands ? being sent off or booked for their protests, when will the penny drop?

The other side of the coin is that a lot of work goes in by hard working volunteers to get things right in these games, and to have that ruined by a wrong decision is soul destroying...

Sometimes with rules constantly changing, players, managers don't understand "why" certain decisions are made.

Its time, IMO, for more education toward the rules and updates on changes, and regular meetings between officials, managers, coaches and committee members would certainly help.....
Stop the us and them scenario...

Credit were its due PJ, good post

I know of one, maybe two new teams, with plans to come into the league....
One based in the town, one from outside...

Pubey is your game on next week? Sounds like a few are dropping out and possibly a big one in supporters i heard today.

Decent cup final this morning.

I'd say next weeks game is in doubt, engineers owe money, have players on holiday and are dropping out next season. Doesn't look good. It'll be a bit shite winning a trophy without having to play


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Aye that's what i heard this morning. Bit of a shitter if that's how you win it.

I used to ref from the age of 16-19 and only gave it up because i went to uni forgot my subs and they said that I would have to take the exam again so I said stuff it. I did it the year Tony Harrington did his. The sole reason I did it was that I love footy and unfortunatly not for the want of trying I am crap at it so reffing was the next big thing.

I have to say in the 3 years of doing it reffing all levels from kids, pub league and over 40's I only ever got abuse or people calling decisions in te first 10-15m when they didnt know me, case in point being when I reffed the Telsar over in Billingham they shouted at everything for about 10minutes when they saw I was up with play and wasnt going to stand for any crap they stopped.

Its all about communication being near a decision you call and just doing it like you see it. If you talk explain to the players why you are doing stuff they never complain, but this comes with experience and not being intimidated. From doing this I always had 3 games every weekend and people would always want me to ref their games as I called it fair.

I dont know what the standards are like now but when I reffed there was some shocking refs that couldnt run for more than 20minutes without keeping up with play and that is not acceptable. Being a ref you need to be as fit if not fitter than all the players at this level as you need to call offsides etc. I was watching some local footy here the other week and was amazed at some of the positions the refs where going to making there job harder by basically standing in the wrong place.

Anyway I wanted to get back into it here and emailed the Cambridge FA and got no response so they can swivel for all I care.

Any news on tomorrow mate? Not sure if its worth the risk to drive over.

I've had contact with the engineers this week n they've assured me they will be turning up n playing.


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Cheers. Will head down then.

Tough luck today for your lads. Had most of the play but final third was pretty poor. Needed some composure and didn't get it when it mattered.

The pen you won looked a nailed on one from where i was.

Yeah we just didn't get going, can't put my figure on why, maybe the size of the pitch, the occasion... God knows, a few young lads just didn't play.

Yeah was a definite pen, he pulled me back and give the ref no choice, not sure what he was complaining about.


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Got you down as winning 3 2 on the FA text result website, take it the score was wrong way round?

Yeah must be, though if they wanna give us the win they can :D


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At the start of the season if someone had told me we'd win the league unbeaten scoring 150 goals and get to a cup final I'd be more than happy.

We just never got going, felt a bit flat, put everything into winning the league n probably got carried away with ourselves.

We have a striker whose scored 53 goals this year, he barely got a kick today, missed a header you'd have put your house on him scoring.

Just one of them days


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Happens to the best of us...Done it myself at u9 s with juniors team.. TJFA north League 1 Champions lost one a game cup final ... To St Francis....

Know this feeling after the younguns team lost 3-2 in their final yesterday. Against a team they would put 10 past nine times out of ten.

A game spoilt by the usual big time charlies being lazy not nice people and generally playing shite. Good riddance to bad shit.

The other team gave my youngun man of the match.

Aye the header was a great chance. He could and should have taken a step back but that will come with experience.

The last 3 finals have all been the same with the team who was on the back foot for most of the game getting the win.

One more to go this Sunday and it should be a good one.

The Ath are folding from prem now as well.

How come?


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Really struggled the back end of season and fair few players decided to drop down into 2nd division plus lad who manages got to much on with work and running Seaton on a Saturday.
Massive shame a long standing well run club going this way.

I've heard the Ath and Supporters are going to merge, don't know how true it is, from what I can gather the problem is losing their players, and the manager at the Ath has work commitments.

I was craicin on with one of the hierarchy at the Ath yesterday, and there was an offer of a management team coming in to help out, rather than them folding, whilst I was talking to him, so who know's hopefully they can sort it, real shame to lose another...

Be a shame for the ath. Always a good game against them without any crap. Sounds like it might be an interesting summer. I know diablos and engineers were going to merge but now it shows as engineers have withdrawn their resignation. Ive had a few texts from people taking over teams aswell so could be a bit of a merry go round this summer.

Cup final yesterday was a good watch with 7 goals and 2 reds.

I was gunna watch yesterday but my son arrived a few days early so the mrs was in hospital.,

Lots of things I'm hearing about players dropping to division 2, what's the problem with the premier? Too one sided? Too hard? Too serious?


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Yeah sounds like old boys and into the blue are going to get an influx of prem lads dropping down to play with their mates. Don't think Premier is to hard or serious, in fact its probably the worst standard its ever been, I just think players can't be arsed anymore.

Also looking like someone interested in changing Ath name and carrying on as long as they can get enough players to make it worthwhile.

The problem with the prem is lads don't like losing but its normally the teams near the bottom it effects. Catholic club are another wrapping in and i think starting again.

Hope the few big clubs left don't end up taking all the best players from these folded teams and getting further ahead. What annoys me is these players will.no doubt be back in the prem in a few season and face the same reasons that has caused them to drop out now.

Also congrats Phil!