COME ON IN
Another week of footballing endeavour has been and gone. Let’s dip in to some of the talking points…
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
Which games did I watch this week? Last Wednesday I spent the evening at a blustery Ballast Bank, taking in the 14s East Caroline Weir league clash between The Swifts Blues and Glenrothes Strollers. An excellent first half free kick from Alexis saw the home side lead at the break. The teams shared the next four goals before Olivia scored her second in the last minute to wrap up the three points.
My intended viewing on Saturday was postponed so I opted instead to watch East Fife versus Dundee United in the 14s East League Cup quarter-finals. Maybe it was fate, but this one turned out to be an end-to-end cracker. The home team took the lead on a pitch that looked like the grass hadn’t been cut since Monty Don was a lad. The visitors hit back to lead 2-1 at the break. East Fife equalised before United struck back to lead again. However, the home team were undaunted and equalised with 20 minutes to go. With no extra time in the League Cup until the semi-final stage, it was straight to penalty kicks. United’s first kick was saved, while East Fife missed their fourth. After the regulation five penalty kicks, it was 4-4 and it was down to sudden death. Both teams scored before United missed and East Fife scored to claim the victory. As if the shoot-out wasn’t traumatic enough, there was one extra moment of drama during the shoot out when an East Fife coach noticed that the player stepping up to take one wasn’t on the field of the play when the game ended, therefore wasn’t eligible to take one. The mistake was caught in time and she was replaced. Well done to the eagle-eyed coach.
SO CENTRAL RAIN (I’M SORRY)
In a long-running saga of Mahabharata proportions, the drama of the 14s Central League Cup continues. As previously mentioned in blogs HERE and HERE, the chaos of this competition shows no sign of abating. While most 14s regions are awaiting the semi-final draws for their League Cup and Plate competition, Central region’s protracted League Cup group stage limped to a conclusion this weekend (8/9 Jun).
Clubs were emailed midweek (last week) by the SWF asking that all games be “tied up asap” because they wanted to do the last 16 draws for the Cup and Plate today (Mon 10 Jun) with ties being played on Sat/Sun 15/16 Jun. A very quick turnaround indeed. While the last group fixtures were scheduled for this weekend, there were still four outstanding ties, with three of them being in the same group! The other tie was an abandoned game, which still doesn’t seem to have a resolution. Someone else said that their club was told that no games played after Sunday would count towards the group tables. I also heard there was a tie scheduled for two days after the draw. It’s a bit late in the day to be ‘moving the goalposts’.
Clubs were also sent a copy of the group tables. These tables are not on the SWF website. They’re also not numbered, defying every known convention of group football. How can you identify a group easily if you don’t number it? I digress. I had a look at these tables and compared them to mine. Of the eight groups, only three were 100% correct. These were the errors in the groups they sent (as at last week and BEFORE the weekend’s matches). Note that the group numbers are mine:
- Group 1: Rossvale Reds should be 2nd, not 3rd
- Group 2: Correct
- Group 3: Isla Thistle Whites were missing a bonus point (for winning a penalty shoot out after a draw) and Easterhouse should have been on -10 goal difference, not -6
- Group 4: Correct
- Group 5: The Rossvale Thistle 5-2 Kirkfield United result from 25 May was missing. Milton Rovers were missing a bonus point
- Group 6: Dunipace missing a bonus point and Falkirk’s goal difference should’ve been +6, not +5.
- Group 7: Holytown Colts Reds’ goal difference should be +3 not -1
- Group 8: Correct
I’ll be interested to see what today’s 14s Central League Cup and Plate draws bring up, assuming they go ahead. If they do happen, I may add an update to this section. This competition couldn’t be any more farcical if it had Brian Rix pulling out the draw balls, with his trousers at his ankles, while being chased by a vicar. (Note to self: You really must use more topical cultural references!)
RULE THE WORLD #3
This week’s rules reminder is a rule regarding the number of postponements a team can be granted,
From section 10 (b) of the Youth Regional League and League Cup/Plate Rules 2024, relating specifically to league matches:
“Teams may only be granted a maximum of 3 postponements in any one season with the exception
of postponements granted due to players on International Duty or a Scottish Cup/Challenge Cup
or League Cup/Plate fixture taking precedence and may not apply for any postponements after
the 1st of October in any season. Teams may apply for additional postponement applications in
extenuating circumstances to the Regional Management Committee”
I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE #2
It seems the rumours about three clubs being automatically relegated from SWPL1 at the end of next season (mentioned in Dispatch of the Day #3) are true, with the SWPL making a statement about it last Thursday (6 June 2024). The mooted two leagues of 10 will begin in the 2025/2026 season. The split within SWPL1 will then see a top 6 and a bottom 4.
One thing in the SWPL’s statement intrigued me. Under the list of key objectives, there was the following phrase, “Data illustrated that pre-split the SWPL was below the UEFA average for competitiveness”. I’d love to know what that data was and how ‘competitiveness’ is measured. Does anyone know? Answers on a postcard to @GirlsResults!
I WANT THE ONE I CAN’T HAVE
Word reached my DMs that a club had been fined for making illegal approaches (aka ‘tapping up’) for players. I’m told this offence was committed by someone representing a NextGen team. Whether true or not, the SWF’s Player Approach Policy 2024 makes it very clear what is and isn’t acceptable. Clubs, scouts, parents and players would do well to remind themselves of these rules. Ignorance is no excuse.
YOU’RE FORGETTING
It never ceases to amaze me the short memories that some teams have. If you’ve been mucked about by a team previously in relation to the playing of a match, then learn from that and promise yourself you won’t treat another team in a similar fashion. Do everything possible to get a game played and be as flexible as possible, especially if there’s a short timescale involved. It benefits everybody, especially the players. Don’t be one of those win-at-all-costs teams who don’t care how they get through as long they’re in the hat for the next round. Remember, what goes around, comes around because some teams’ memories aren’t that short and you will, at some point, need a favour returned.
TELL ME WHEN THE WHISTLE BLOWS
I was forwarded an interesting post from a boys’ Fixture Finder page on Facebook. While it concerns boys’ fixtures, we mustn’t be so complacent as to think it wouldn’t happen in girls’ and women’s football. Here is the full post:
“Sadly, due to a number of incidents at recent ESSDA 9v9 and 11v11 matches, Edinburgh Referees have taken the decision not to support our matches for the rest of the season.
We will be holding disciplinary investigations into all the alleged incidents, and players, officials, and teams can expect to receive sanctions if found guilty.
Over the summer, ESSDA will hold dialogue with Edinburgh Referees, and hopefully, we can resolve the reporting issues before the start of the next season when 2013s move to play 9v9. In the meantime, any 9v9 fixture or 11v11 friendly will not be refereed by an Edinburgh based SFA Referee.
Please note – until further notice, Edinburgh Referees will not officiate at any ESSDA scheduled or friendly fixture.”
As I’ve reported on several occasions this season, this kind of behaviour is not unique to the boys’ game. Don’t be so naive to think that it couldn’t happen in girls’ and women’s football.
WE ARE EACH OTHER
One of the main policies I have on my social media pages is, if you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. (Not literally, of course. That costs extra!) You help me when I’m looking for scores (or other information) and I’ll help when you need recruitment or fixture requests shared. I don’t think that’s unreasonable. However, there does seem to be some teams/clubs/people who are happy to lurk on my pages and reap the benefits of the free service I provide (results, tables, information etc) but aren’t so keen when it comes to reciprocating by answering requests for scores or other information.
One of my other rules is that I ask teams to use the @GirlsResults tag in their recruitment or fixture requests. That way I instantly get notified and I can retweet your request timeously from wherever I am. I ask to be tagged because if you think about my site enough to tag me, I’ll think about your team and share the request. Again, another quid pro quo arrangement in which everybody wins.
There are, however, exceptions. Even if you tag me, I may not retweet your request. If I’ve sent countless DMs to your page, over a long period of time, and they’ve all gone unanswered then why should I help you? This has been an issue with clubs of all sizes, not just the smaller, newer clubs. Occasionally, I’ll retweet requests that don’t tag me and I have no hard and fast rules on why I might make those exceptions. Perhaps it’s from a close friend or maybe a brand-new team who needs a little help.
PLAYING WITH NUMBERS
Last week I privately messaged two clubs to inform them that they needed to change their social media posts. One showed a scoreline which was more than a 9-goal winning margin. While they removed the scoreline, they chose to leave the names of the scorers and the numbers of goals each scored. This defeated the purpose of removing the original big score in the first place.
The other team posted a score for an under 12s game. I reminded them that scores for 12s, 10s, 8s etc shouldn’t been shown on social media as these games are classed as ‘non-competitive’.
While I can understand the latter team not knowing the rules as they’re a relatively new team, the ‘big score’ team have been around long enough to know better.
A CENTURY OF FAKERS
There is an individual within the girls’ game who hides behind a number of anonymised Twitter accounts. He uses these accounts to have a go at other teams or point out their indiscretions, while painting himself as some kind of do-gooder protecting the holy sanctity of the girls’ game. On regular occasions this individual tries to infiltrate my site. He is banned/blocked from my page for numerous issues around his behaviour towards both me, my daughter and teams she played for. His latest attempt to access my page didn’t get very far and, after being blocked, the account vanished, which confirmed my initial suspicions. Everything he does I have taken screenshots of. Perhaps, when I finally give up my site, I’ll share these screenshots with you and tell you some stories about him.
FALLING AND LAUGHING
For all the negativity that emanates from social media, there are still people worth following. People who produce wonderfully original content that guarantees a belly laugh. Many football clubs have also upped their game when it comes to making announcement videos e.g. for player signings. Two such sites combined recently to make a wonderful player-signing video.
I must thank Mark Grant (East Fife) for pointing me in the direction of the fabulous funny @bryansgunn on Twitter/X, which produces some of the most consistently funny football content around. Check out the recent “Who’s on the plane?” video from 7 Jun 2024. One of the best clubs when it comes to social media content has been Raith Rovers. Recently, Bryan’s Gunn and Raith Rovers joined forces to produce a great signing reveal for Lewis Stevenson’s move from Hibs.
On that note, I shall wish you all a good footballing week.
Paul
#GirlsResults
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/GirlsResults
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlsresultsscotland/
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Email: talesfromthe3g@gmail.com
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