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Post by sam on Jul 21, 2023 21:18:21 GMT
This is the most depressing post I have read in a long while but I thank Rab, Calum and Scott for some really pertinent points. There was a certain inevitability about relegation but I for one was in complete denial about the decline of the Club off the field of play as well. I suspected it but I didn't want to acknowledge it and instead put all my concentration into our doomed fight for survival. God knows what the future holds for ARFC but it's not going to be a 1 season fix that's for sure. Going to be a mammoth job to get things moving in the right direction both on and off the pitch. What we need now is the people in place that have the vision and the fight to implement change. What it needs Tommy is for the board to communicate to us just where we actually stand in relation to the bronze level. I personally don’t think we are too far off it but I might be completely off the mark. The vision at the end of last season was to try and get back in with the big boys as soon as possible… always was going to be a difficult thing to achieve but if we aren’t in a position to satisfy the bronze requirements then finishing top of this league this season seems a pointless excercise
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Post by terrygillooly on Jul 21, 2023 21:36:31 GMT
I can only assume the criteria has changed over the years - I was involved in the licensing audits a few years ago and the main reason we fell into entry level was that at one time or another all 4 sides of the ground had spectator viewing areas and 2 of ours were closed - you are only allowed to have one closed. We wouldn’t need to build or open another viewing area, we would need to fence off the area behind the goal - something similar to what Hamilton and Partick Thistle have done.
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Post by arfcdm on Jul 22, 2023 7:39:22 GMT
This is the most depressing post I have read in a long while but I thank Rab, Calum and Scott for some really pertinent points. There was a certain inevitability about relegation but I for one was in complete denial about the decline of the Club off the field of play as well. I suspected it but I didn't want to acknowledge it and instead put all my concentration into our doomed fight for survival. God knows what the future holds for ARFC but it's not going to be a 1 season fix that's for sure. Going to be a mammoth job to get things moving in the right direction both on and off the pitch. What we need now is the people in place that have the vision and the fight to implement change. What it needs Tommy is for the board to communicate to us just where we actually stand in relation to the bronze level. I personally don’t think we are too far off it but I might be completely off the mark. The vision at the end of last season was to try and get back in with the big boys as soon as possible… always was going to be a difficult thing to achieve but if we aren’t in a position to satisfy the bronze requirements then finishing top of this league this season seems a pointless excercise Couldn't agree any more with this. If we can't get promoted because of the stadium and there's no plans in place to rectify this by next May then this is a waste of a season and possibly many after. Which begs the question, what exactly is the #roversrevival if its not promotion?
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Post by terrygillooly on Jul 22, 2023 9:12:10 GMT
The club only achieved Entry Level in the most recent published list of SFA Licensing Awards and this seems to reinforce the malaise that currently hangs over the Club. Unfortunately, it is not only on the field of play that ARFC has declined. When Frank Meade became Chairman at the back end of 2005, outgoing Chairman, Andrew Dick, advised him that the Club would never attain Bronze Level. However, not only did we consistently achieve Bronze level over the following 9 years or so, we also achieved Silver Level in a number of the measured categories, including First Team standards, Medical Provision, Legal, Finance & a plethora of Club Policies. Indeed, only limitations around the standard of certain aspects of the aging stadium denied the Club full Silver status. During this period the pitch was also found to meet UEFA standards on gradient etc. While it is fair to say that the Licensing process focusses on continuous improvement, it is disappointing to note that the Club's attainment across all categories is now at the lowest possible level. We were still at Bronze level in 2013/14 when Frank left. The deterioration since then in the club's licensing performance has been stark. This has not happened overnight, so it would be unfair to point the finger at the current BOD. I am sure that it would be interesting to ascertain when the drop to Entry Level occurred, why it occurred, what was ultimately responsible for the decline to the current status. The SPFL's decision to 'change' the criteria for entry to Division 2 through the playoff process, with a minimum of Bronze Level necessary, effectively renders the pyramid meaningless in all but name. Very few Clubs with aspirations of making it to SPFL 2 will ever reach the Bronze level. ARFC surely can't be that far away from reinstating what Frank worked hard to achieve. Which areas need to be improved? Robert what parts do you believe have gone backwards over the last 10 years?
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Post by weerabwatt on Jul 22, 2023 12:17:55 GMT
Terry,
I think it is clear in my initial post that I am unaware of what caused the decline, or when it occurred. The only people who should know the why's and wherefore's are SFA Licensing and the directors who made up the BOD when we dropped from Bronze to Entry Level.
You have referred to probable cause for the failure regarding the stadium, but there are other sections where the club's standard has apparently dropped i.e. First Team, Legal, Admin, Finance and Codes.
Rectifying the stadium issues might involve spending sums of money that the club doesn't have, and it maybe reasonable to take a view that if it is impossible to achieve Bronze for that reason alone, why bust your butt getting the rest up to Bronze. If that is the case then we are where we are, end of story.
On the other hand, in the case of Legal, Admin, Finance, and Codes, these all appear to be related to paperwork and administration practices within the club. Some of these might only have simple failings which might not be major stumbling blocks to achieving Bronze.
Up until this season, and hopefully going forward, the SPFL issue an annual notification to all clubs, including LL clubs, advising them that they have until 31st March in each year to confirm compliance with SPFL membership criteria. Any club that decides that it will not comply must by that date notify the SPFL of their request for a waiver or a period of grace.
I imagine that get out of jail card will be available to ARFC should we win the LL.
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Post by terrygillooly on Jul 22, 2023 14:57:56 GMT
I would suggest that legal, finance, and admin would be a relatively straightforward fix for the board. It’s very clear that the criteria has changed quite a bit in the last 10 years. Unless we can address the viewing area situation we will remain in entry level.
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Post by terrygillooly on Jul 22, 2023 15:09:03 GMT
I think an area the SPFL should be looking at is the consistency of safety certificates issued by councils throughout the country - in Coatbridge we have to ensure the steps are the correct width, there is no corrosion on the barrier - but in two grounds in Edinburgh I can stand on a grass banking.
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Post by stewmelrover on Jul 22, 2023 16:06:12 GMT
Absolutely mad. Nothing whatsoever at Bonnyrigg; massive grass banking at Ainslie Park. A total joke, byraway.
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Post by tommysermanni on Jul 22, 2023 17:00:47 GMT
It may be a joke but these procedures are there and in place. We can adhere to them or continue our decline into nothingness.
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Post by Calum Moore on Jul 22, 2023 17:04:23 GMT
Absolutely mad. Nothing whatsoever at Bonnyrigg; massive grass banking at Ainslie Park. A total joke, byraway. According to the SFA document Bonnyrigg are entry while Spartans are bronze
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Post by Roy of the Rovers on Jun 29, 2024 12:01:26 GMT
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Post by jimbo42 on Jun 29, 2024 16:27:49 GMT
Great to hear as they've been such a worthwhile addition to the league. 🫣 Still, if they can do it...
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