This was the 33rd season of the League and this is my 7th Annual Report as Hon General Secretary.

I would firstly like to extend the League’s sincere thanks to our sponsors:

• Chris Plaister of Plaister Auto Services, who are the main sponsors of the League.
• Chris Perry and Dave Kilmurray of Corsham Print who sponsor the Senior KO Cup.
• Paul and Denise Sebastianelli of Fountain Trophies, who continued their long-standing sponsorship of the Junior KO Cup.
• Ken Clarke of Westernsport Trophies who has again donated the individual trophy for the Referees Appreciation Award.

The past season has again given the League Officers and Management Committee some problems, not least for the Hon Fixtures Secretary, Phil Cook who, after the rain in December and the snow in January, did a tremendous job in rearranging League and Cup fixtures and getting the season to finish on time.  Thanks must also go to Clubs for their co-operation.  The adverse weather also posed problems for Adie Cripps and his Referees.  I’m sure you will agree, Adie also did a splendid job in ensuring that every match had appointed Match Officials.  We only had only one instance where we were short of an Assistant Referee in the Premier Division and only one match throughout Divisions 1 and 2 without a Referee.

The Football Association’s restructure of non-League football is still ongoing, although they have now published a timetable for the restructure of Step 7.  The criteria depend on both the number of Clubs in a League and also the facilities that those Clubs have.  Leagues will then be graded at either Step 7, 7A or 7B.  We have submitted all the requested information and are currently awaiting The FA’s decision.  Unfortunately, for this League, the criteria restricts the number of Reserve teams allowed.  This meant that, in order to achieve Step 7 status, we had to increase the number of first teams in the Premier Division.  We subsequently met with the Wiltshire FA to see how we could achieve this and they agreed to change their Senior Status Regulations to allow ground sharing at Step 7.  The Football Association subsequently ruled that, Clubs do not have to obtain Senior Status from the Wiltshire FA in order to play in our Premier Division, hence the reason you will see that we are able to propose the promotion of 5 Junior Clubs to the Premier Division.  Clubs will still have to achieve a certain Ground Grading level (similar to Senior Status) to play in the Premier Division, but The FA ruling puts us on a par with all other Step 7 Leagues and we can now promote a Club prior to all improvement works being completed.  A lot of time and effort was put into achieving this and I believe it is a big step forward for the League.  I could probably write several pages on this subject (but won’t), but am happy to answer any queries you may have.

The League continues to maintain its Supply League status for the development and promotion of Referees.  The number of Supply Leagues has dropped considerably in the past couple of seasons and we hear that the number may be reduced again, so it is vital that we continue to work with the Wiltshire FA, as Adie does, to ensure that we retain this status.

In last years report, I mentioned that we were intending to make use of The FA Full-Time web site for fixtures, Match Official appointments, results, tables, etc and this has worked very well.  Next season, Clubs will text their results to Full-Time, rather then phoning them in, which will allow you to see other results and updated tables immediately.  Players’ details will also be uploaded, which will allow you to see who is registered for each Club.  The Full-Time web site offers the opportunity for further information to be uploaded and we will make use of this as we progress but, one step at a time!  The League web site www.wiltshirefootballleague.com continues, but mainly for reference and archive purposes.

During the season we again had to update our 3-year Development Plan for submission to The FA and a further updated Plan and Report has to be submitted in August.  Last season’s Plan was completed, presented to The FA and duly approved.  We subsequently received grants from The FA for various initiatives.  One initiative was towards the scanning of League records.  This has already been done and all League minutes and correspondence files are now stored on a couple of CD’s rather than in two dozen ring binders.

Following the decision made at last years AGM, we signed up to The FA Respect Programme.  Initially, we only adopted the “Referee working with the Team Captain” aspect, but from next season, we will also adopt the “Fair Play Handshake Protocol”.  We’re going to run this in the Premier Division only to start with, to see how it goes.

We’ve also signed up with the Wiltshire FA to work towards obtaining Charter Standard for the League and you will soon be receiving a letter from them, to explain what will be expected of Clubs and also what the advantages will be.

Last season saw the introduction of the Match-Based Discipline System for Clubs in the Premier Division.  The FA has decided that, next season, this is to be extended to cover Division 1 as well.  We will be meeting with those Clubs prior to the start of the season to explain how it works.

The involvement of our Representative XI in the FA National League System Cup only lasted as far as Round 1, where we lost 0-3 to a very good Jersey side.  Due to the adverse weather conditions, the Western Counties Inter-League Competition was restricted to just one game, which resulted in a 0-2 defeat to the Dorset Premier League.  Games against the Gloucestershire and Somerset Leagues will be arranged for this coming autumn.  Thanks again to Kevin Cook of Wroughton and Stef Kuczynski of Purton, who managed the side and to the players who gave up their time to represent the League.  Thanks also to New College and Westbury Utd for the use of their grounds.

Again, one of the most common complaints I received during the past season concerned hospitality and poor changing room accommodation (not swept out, cold showers, etc).  The provision of hospitality is not currently a Rule in this League, but it is expected that home Clubs, particularly in the Premier Division, provide both the opposition and Match Officials with drinks at half and full time.  Just as important, it’s incumbent on the visiting Club to stay behind for these refreshments.  I do find it nothing short of bad manners for a visiting Club to disappear at the end of a game after their hosts have gone to the time and expense of preparing refreshments.

Another season is over and it doesn’t seem a year ago that I was writing my report for last season.

Firstly may I say a big thank you to all our sponsors for their continued generosity in helping keep the League on a sound financial footing.  My thanks also go to all the League Officers and Management Committee for their tireless endeavours throughout the past season and I would especially mention our Fixture Secretary Phil Cook who despite the atrocious weather we suffered still managed to get his fixtures completed on time, also the League Secretary Jim Thorn, who, despite an ever increasing workload, has carried out his duties with a professional and efficient manner which has been a credit to both himself and the League.

May I take this opportunity of congratulating all the Clubs who achieved success this season in both the League and Cup competitions with a special mention to Minety FC who not only won their division but also won the Wiltshire FA Junior Cup bringing more kudos to our League.

Thanks also go to all the Club Secretaries for their efforts in the well running of our League.  Having been a Club Secretary myself for many years, I know it can be a very thankless task at times but, for the most part, they have achieved the high standard for which the League is renowned.

The other points I would like to mention are finance and status.  I mentioned earlier in my report that the League is financially sound, and so we are, but when you study the Hon Treasurer’s accounts, you will see that, had it not been for the aforementioned generosity of our various sponsors, together with the grant we received from The FA, the League would have made a substantial loss this season.  this regrettably means that increases in fees and fines are inevitable, particularly as The FA grant scheme does not help those who do not help themselves.

On the question of status, the President, Secretary and I have had various meetings with both the Wiltshire FA and, more importantly, the Football Association regarding the Step 7 status of this League and the ground criteria of clubs playing in our Premier division, resulting in the League gaining control of the criteria to be achieved by clubs wishing to play at Step 7 level (ie: Our Premier Division) which means, as you already have been informed, that the League will now decide who meets that criteria and not the Wiltshire FA.  The only problem is that, although your Club may be playing in our senior division, it will not automatically gain entry into the Wiltshire FA Senior Cup.

Finally, may I thank everyone once again for all you have done during the season past, enjoy your summer break and I look forward to seeing you all again in August.

Bill Shail

Chairman

Another year has passed and I submit my report, for the 25th occasion, for the year ending 31st March 2010.

Once again, I am able to report a profit, this year in the sum of £1,048.56p as against £914.74p for the previous year.  However, this is not as good as may appear as last year the League spent, on a “one off” basis, £2,182 for 1st Aid kits, which were given to member Clubs.

Total income this year was £15,754 as against £17,784 last year.  Total expenditure was £14,706 as against £16,870.  The reduction in income is mainly due to two factors: (i) a reduction in income from fines being down by over £1,100 and (ii) a reduction in entrance fees of £750.  Except for additional expenditure on engraving of League trophies of £540 and Representative games costs, League administration expenses were lower than the previous year.

It is self-evident that the League is now kept financially afloat because of the Annual Grant received from The Football Association, this year being £4,500, and from the generosity of our sponsors.  It is not intended to increase subscriptions this year, but The Football Association do believe that, as costs generally increase with inflation, the League should be seen to be increasing income.  The Football Association carefully peruse our financial position each year and League Officers have a meeting, face to face, with FA Representatives annually.  It is therefore likely that the League will have to consider an increase in subscriptions next year.  I can remember, not so long ago, when we managed to balance the books without any assistance from other sources other than sponsorship.

Your Management Committee proposes, subject of course to Clubs’ approval, to increase Honoraria and office expenses for League Officers this year.  The increase for the Hon General Secretary is slightly greater than the other Officers on account of the ever-increasing workload which falls on his shoulders.  We are indeed very fortunate to have such a dedicated and efficient person to be our Secretary.

The League now has total assets of £44,620.

I thank all our sponsors for their continued support and also the Clubs and League Officers for their co-operation with me throughout the last year.

J S Northover

Hon Treasurer

The 2009/2010 season was without doubt, one of the most difficult and indeed disappointing for everyone concerned I can recall in my long service with the League.

I am as always, grateful to the majority of clubs whose co-operation is greatly valued and appreciated.  Disappointingly however, due in part to the unprecedented withdrawal of so many teams during the season, much extra work fell upon myself and my fellow League Officers.  In addition, I have become increasingly frustrated by the attitude of certain Clubs despite my personal efforts to assist them with their administration, which was of a poor quality.  For example, Result sheets were persistently late in arriving and, in many cases, were incorrectly filled in with incomplete information given.  Fines were therefore incurred on a regular basis.  This inevitably held up the accurate up-keep of all League records.  

I would ask clubs to try to give the correct expenses figures for Match Officials, by quite simply deducting the match fees from the total claimed, leaving the net total as expenses.  This figure is recorded weekly and the final totals are used to calculate each club’s share at the season end.

Total registrations were 1657 with 51 transfers being approved.

Finally, a personal note of thanks to David Phillips who has been an excellent Secretary for his Club and who’s administration and co-operation with me has always been first class.  David is now heading for a very well earned retirement and I wish him well.

Rod Wirdnam

Hon Registration Secretary

Firstly, I would like to congratulate New College Swindon on winning the Premier League title and Westbury Utd on coming Runners-Up.  I would also like to congratulate Pewsey Vale for winning the Senior KO Cup and Wroughton Reserves for winning the Junior KO Cup.

It has been a long season with much hard work put in behind the scenes.  All games were covered with their quota of Match Officials this season, with the exception of one Junior Division game late on in the season, of which I tried extremely hard to get a Referee for, and one Premier Division game of which was out of my control.

I look forward to welcoming new Clubs who enter the league for the new season and wish all Clubs all the best who are becoming senior Clubs within the League.

I look forward to working with everyone involved in the Clubs and League in the new 2010/11 season.

Adie Cripps

Hon Referees’ Appointments Secretary

The Discipline Sub-Committee dealt with 203 cases last season, a large decrease of 192 on the previous season, which is reflected in the Hon Treasurer’s Statement of Accounts, which shows that income from disciplinary matters was over £1,100 down on last season.  This is due in part to there being fewer Clubs in the League, but mainly thanks to Clubs committing fewer offences.  There is an ongoing problem with Clubs who fail to pay fees / fines on time.  Such Clubs are promptly chased and, in some cases, suspended from the League until fines had been paid.  Charges for late payment will substantially increase next season.

The table below highlights the most common offences:

Ineligible players 16 cases

(33 cases in 08/09) This could be easily remedied by checking with the Hon Registration Secretary.

Late Result Sheets 55 cases

(55 cases in 08/09) Please try and post the Result Sheet immediately after the match.

Incorrect Result Sheets 21 cases

(26 cases in 08/09) If you are in any doubt as to how to complete a Result Sheet, please check with the Hon Registration Secretary.

Failure to notify and/or confirm a postponement 33 cases

(62 cases in 08/09) We’re sure you tell your players if a game is off - try and remember to tell the League as well.  Phone in first then confirm the reason in writing on the form provided.

Failure to phone in results 23 cases

(39 cases in 08/09) Most people have mobiles nowadays.  This shouldn’t really be a problem.

This season saw 163 fixtures postponed for various reasons, a decrease of 32 on last season, though we did have fewer Clubs in membership.  The policy of deducting a point from Clubs found guilty of postponing games without a satisfactory explanation continues to have an ongoing positive effect.  Postponements cause a vast amount of additional work for both the Hon Fixture Secretary and for the Hon Referees’ Appointments Secretary.

There were 23 cases of Clubs failing to telephone in their results, which was a decrease of 16 on last season and a remarkable 72 less than in season 07/08, which is very encouraging.  Many of the cases were Clubs not phoning in results of County Cup ties.

The Premier Division title race was again keenly contested.  After a shaky start, defending Champions, New College Swindon overhauled Pewsey Vale to retain their title.  Runners-Up position wasn’t decided until late in the season, when Westbury Utd also overhauled Pewsey Vale.

The Division 1 title wasn’t settled until May when Minety caught up their games in hand to pip long time leaders, SKS Blyskawica by one point.  The fixtures in this Division were severely disrupted by the withdrawal of three Clubs during the season.

As with Division 1, the honours in Division 2 weren’t settled until May either.  Wilton Town won the title in their second season in the League, edging out Moredon Cheney by two points.   The fixtures in this Division were also severely disrupted by the withdrawal of two Clubs during the season.

Pewsey Vale won the Corsham Print Senior KO Cup, defeating Westbury Utd 1-0 in the final to lift the Cup for the second time.  Wroughton Res won the Fountain Trophies Junior KO Cup, also for the second time, when they defeated Byrons Wanderers 3-0 in the final.  Both finals were again played at Corsham Town and we thank them for their hospitality and use of their facilities.

Congratulations must go to New College Swindon and Minety for retaining their Premier and Division 1 titles respectively and also to Wilton Town on gaining their first ever honours in this League.

Congratulations also to Minety who won the Wiltshire FA Junior Cup for the second time in three years and also to Chalke Valley, who reached the semi-finals.

You will see from the proposed Constitution that we’re proposing to operate just two Divisions next season.  Subject to approval at the AGM, congratulations go to Chalke Valley, Moredon Cheney, AFC N’Power, SKS Blyskawica and Wilton Town on achieving promotion to the Premier Division; the latter three Clubs having the course of next season to bring their grounds up to the required standard.  The aforesaid five promotions has left us with three vacancies in Division 1, for which there are five applicants, meaning there will be a ballot at the AGM.   We believe that having just the one Junior Division will be better for Clubs than two smaller Divisions and, in seasons to come, will make the League both stronger and one in which Clubs will aspire to play.  

In closing, I must thank our President, Dennis Kilford and Chairman, Bill Shail with whom I work very closely and are both always there for help and assistance.  I also extend my thanks to my fellow League Officers and Management Committee for all their help and assistance over the past season.

Best wishes to all Clubs for a good summer break and a successful season in 2010 - 2011.

Jim Thorn

Hon General Secretary