New league sponsor & League Cup rule changes

News from SL AGM:
Red-Insure Cup is optional!! And no ET, straight to pens like the Johnstone Paint Trophy.

The 'quota' rule is removed for the league cup so teams do not have to field any players who played the previous league game.

Constitution of 24 teams confirmed as per FA list

New league sponsor is Calor Gas! The league will be known as the Calor League.

NPL also to be sponsored by Calor, apparently. Hope the SL will learn from the farce with the previous sponsor and not allow the League's identity to be compromised this time.

Will be interesting to see how clubs approach the LC now. You'd instantly imagine a lot would opt out given the way they often treat it, but the change to basically allow them to treat it legitimately as a reserve/youth competition might stop that happening. I can see its usefulness to managers in that context, although as a result it is hardly going to become any more attractive to fans and maybe sponsors likewise. The logical conclusion from there would be that it almost ends up as a series of "behind closed doors" friendlies. I hope if we do continue to enter, and if we do treat it as a run-out for fringe/youth players (even more so than before), then we won't be charging as much as even £6 admission. Otherwise we can probably expect crowds of 50 or below.

I can't see what's in it for the League to allow these changes, unless the clubs gave them a "this or nothing" ultimatum?

Sorry, think I was wrong about Calor sponsoring the NPL as well. Misread a tweet.

Their lower divisions are changing to an East/West split rather than N/S in 2014/15, though. Might affect us if we are relegated as we would then be almost certain to move to the NPL.

Haven't seen any official confirmation of the changes to the League Cup yet either from the League or any of the clubs.

Not saying you're making it up stour_boy but would be interested to know where you got it from?

A lot of clubs reported it on Twitter 'live' from the AGM but I got it from Frome Town's twitter.

I really wouldn't expect it on the SL website for a while (they're probably still hungover in Torquay).

More or less confirmed in today's Non-League Paper.

Apparently the E/W split in the NPL lower divisions is only a "consultation" thing, so I assume if the clubs don't like it then it won't happen.

According to a post on the SL forum, it was us who proposed the "Opt out" for the League Cup, from which (if it's correct) I would assume we won't be entering it next season!

If that's true it's a big shame. One of the best nights I've had watching Stour was the League Cup final at Dover.

More than 20 years ago now!

And that, of course, came after one of the great sights, sorry nights, any of us have ever witnessed.

We're opting out. I can understand why, but it's still a pity that cups are now so unimportant.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=593949440635868&id=137634529600697

I kind of feel as though I should be disappointed that we've decided to opt out, but to be honest my reaction is a bit of a shoulder-shrug. As Dave says, it's a pity, but it's indicative of the way clubs treat the "minor" cups.

When you read our reasoning, it does make sense. Nobody wants to play Evesham or Redditch any more than we have done over the past few seasons, but beyond them who is there that is close at hand for a midweek fixture nowadays in the SL?

Im sure we will play either or both in the Worcester Senior Cup!

Seems a very sensible decision despite the historical merit. The travelling could get ridiculous if we get to the latter stages; and five cup competitions seems a little too much coupled with 46 league games.

This will mean less of an October/November 'pile up' if we progress in the FA Cup and Trophy too, so we won't be as knackered come Christmas and beyond.

Surprised we have decided to drop out of the league cup where we could have played the youth team to give them experience against better oposition.

We if anything should have pulled out of the worcestershire  senior cup.

Has the decision got anything to do with promotion if we can get there.

Agreed. Terrible decision. There's only two decent knock out competitions we've any chance of winning and we've just cut that by a half.

I'm going to surprise no one by agreeing with Stoursi that we should pull out of the Wasteofspace Senior Cup. Four extra league games? Clear space for two of them by not bothering with this joke of a competition.

Dave the Glassboy wrote:
I'm going to surprise no one by agreeing with Stoursi that we should pull out of the Wasteofspace Senior Cup. Four extra league games? Clear space for two of them by not bothering with this joke of a competition.

I can only assume we are obliged to take part in The Worcestershire Senior Cup, but take your point entirely.

UlsterJim wrote:

Dave the Glassboy wrote:
I'm going to surprise no one by agreeing with Stoursi that we should pull out of the Wasteofspace Senior Cup. Four extra league games? Clear space for two of them by not bothering with this joke of a competition.

I can only assume we are obliged to take part in The Worcestershire Senior Cup, but take your point entirely.

No we aren't. We are obliged to take part in the Birmingham Senior Cup as it is our primary affiliation. We could pay a fine to skip it (which is what Villa do) as the only other option.

Our continued entry in the WSC is based on two things as far as I can see (which basically amount to the same thing in reality).

1. We've always entered it.

2. We were founder members of the Worcestershire County FA.

Neither of which is a valid reason IMO.

Looking at the League Cup draw it seems there are 65 teams. With 68 in the league that means us and two others are the only abstainees. Not sure who the other two are but either the 65 still in can't afford the fine or they don't view it as a worthless competition.

One is Cambridge City but I can't for the life of me work out the other.

Interestingly if St Albans did second our motion for this rule change, they must have had a change of heart since they have entered!

stour_boy wrote:One is Cambridge City but I can't for the life of me work out the other.

Interestingly if St Albans did second our motion for this rule change, they must have had a change of heart since they have entered!

Mangotsfield Utd are the other opters out.

I found the St Albans thing interesting too. Perhaps they just thought it was a rule worth having if they wanted to take advantage of it at some time in the future.

TRM wrote:
No we aren't. We are obliged to take part in the Birmingham Senior Cup as it is our primary affiliation. We could pay a fine to skip it (which is what Villa do) as the only other option.

As a Villa "fan" (the last time I paid to see them was at Stourbridge in the BSC iirc) I find it disappointing that they don't enter. It denies the opportunity of a big night for a local non-league club with little downside for the Villa (perhaps kids are slightly more to get injured than in youth games).