This was the 37th season of the League and this is my 11th 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 David Kilmurray of Corsham Print who sponsor the Senior KO Cup; Paul and Denise Sebastianelli of Fountain Trophies, who sponsor the Junior KO Cup; and Ken Clarke of Westernsport Trophies who sponsors the Referees Appreciation Award.  Their long and continued support is much appreciated.

In last year’s report, I advised that we had been awarded Step 7 Status by The FA.  This year, we were one of seven Leagues who were to be reviewed.  This is an ongoing process and other Leagues will also be reviewed over a three-year cycle.  Many thanks to all the Clubs who completed the Ground Grading Summary Forms, which I submitted to The FA in March.  At present, I’m awaiting results of the review.  We still await the outcome of The FA’s review of Steps 5 and 6, which should lead to the reorganisation of Leagues at those levels and a return to Step 7 of the Clubs currently playing at Step 6 who don’t meet the required standards.

Last season I reported that we’d been awarded Charter Standard League status by The FA.  There are still a few Clubs who have yet to submit their applications and I would urge them to do so.  To become a Charter Standard Club really isn’t that time consuming or difficult.  I suspect that many of you are probably there without realising it.  If you have any doubts, please speak with either the Wiltshire FA Football Development Officer, or even one of the Clubs who have been awarded Charter Standard.  Amongst other benefits, being a Charter Standard League gives us access to grants from The FA, which should mean fewer increases in fees for Clubs.

We’ve continued to operate our Premier Division with Level 5 Referees as The FA withdrew our Supply League status a couple of years ago.  However, during the past season, not one Premier Division fixtures went short of a Referee or an Assistant, which is testament to the hard work of Adie Cripps.  I am aware that some of our neighbouring Step 7 Leagues operate their fixtures with only one or two games having Assistant Referees each week.  

Use of The FA Full-Time web site for players’ registrations, fixtures, Match Officials’ appointments, results, tables, etc has continued.  Clubs can also use the site for player statistics, match reports, etc and a few Clubs already make use of the facilities available but many do not.  If anyone requires a username and password to be set up as a Club Administrator to access the site, please contact me.  The FA offer training for anyone who requires it.  Again, please contact me if you require training.

The League web site www.wiltshirefootballleague.com has been discontinued due to a problem with the web hosting company.  All League Notices, etc will now be posted on The FA Full-Time web site and also conveyed by e-mail.  We’re currently looking to appoint a Communications Officer to post League news, etc on to Facebook and Twitter.  If there’s anyone among you who would be keen on taking this one, please contact me.

During the close season we again had to update our League Development Plan for submission to The FA and a further updated Plan and Report has to be submitted this year.  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 to set up an U.21 Division, which received backing from The FA.  We’ve had excellent support from the Wiltshire FA for this initiative and quite a bit of interest from Youth / Minor Clubs.  At the time of writing, it looks like an U.21 Division will be up and running for the start of next season.

In February, along with all other Leagues in the county, we were contacted by the Wiltshire FA, who were looking for a League to take on the administration of the County U.18 Floodlight League.  We agreed that such a Division would sit well within our League and duly applied.  We were interviewed, put our case and I’m pleased to report that we were awarded the administration.  We’ve since met with the Clubs and will be looking to develop that Division in the coming seasons.

You will see from the proposed Constitution that we’re not proposing to operate a (Junior) Division 1 next season.  Nationally, there is a reduction in both players and Clubs playing football and Wiltshire is sadly no exception.  Division 1 finished with just 7 Clubs last season and it was agreed that there simply aren’t enough Clubs in the county to warrant four Junior Leagues.  We’re now working with the Wiltshire FA to establish a pyramid system with the three District Leagues in the county.  Now we’re not in competition with them, we hope we can establish a healthy promotion and relegation arrangement between us.  This is a system which works well in neighbouring counties.  We will therefore run just the Premier Division next season, which I’m pleased to report, is back up to its maximum of 18 Clubs.

You will see from the Election of Officers sheet, that we have three vacancies on our Management Committee.  As we will have three quite different Divisions next season ….. Senior, U.21 and U.18.  We decided that it would benefit the administration of the League if we could have a Club Representative from each Division to sit on the Management Committee.  We will accept nominations at the Annual General Meeting but, if such a post is of interest to you or you have any queries as to what it would entail, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Our Representative XI was drawn against the Dorset Premier League in Round 1 of the FA Inter-League Cup and the tie was played at Corsham Town FC in October.  Unfortunately, our Team Managers, Stef Kuczynski and Kevin Cook were let down by late withdrawals and players simply not turning up.  Despite best efforts of the players, we were well beaten 5-0.  The Dorset League is historically very strong and draws their team from just a couple of Clubs, so perhaps we could learn from that.

Some of you may be aware that there has been a reorganisation within the County FA.  Along with other counties, the Wiltshire FA has all but done away with honorary posts and just about all administration is now carried out by full-time staff in the County Office.  There is no longer a County Secretary and they have appointed both a Chief Executive and a Governance Manager.  Whilst this probably has little noticeable effect on Clubs, I’m pleased to report that, in the short time that the new set-up has been in operation, our relationship with the Wiltshire FA has improved considerably and we are now in regular contact, which can only be for the future benefit of Clubs.

The end of this season also marks the end of an era as Rod Wirdnam is retiring from his post as Hon Registration Secretary and Management Committee member, Ernie Sumbler, is also retiring.  Rod has been Registration Secretary since 1981, a truly great achievement.  I don’t believe that the Registration Secretary’s job could have been carried with any more diligence than Rod has done.  It was Rod who approached me when the League was seeking a new General Secretary back in 2003, so I owe him a debt of gratitude.  I’m pleased to report that Rod will be remaining with the League in the new post of League Welfare Officer … a position required now that we have taken on the U.18’s.  Ernie Sumbler was a former Club Secretary of Ferndale Athletic and joined the Management Committee in 1989.  He was elected Chairman of the Discipline Committee in 1995, though he had been acting Chairman for most of the previous season.  His knowledge and experience will be missed.

I must thank our President, Dennis Kilford, Chairman, Bill Shail both of whom I work with very closely and are 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 2014 - 2015.

Jim Thorn

Hon General Secretary

Firstly, may I thank all the clubs for their assistance in completing another successful season?  Despite the terrible weather we suffered in the winter months, we still managed to complete all our fixtures on time. 

Thanks must also go to all members of the League Management Committee especially the League Officers for all their work during the past season with a special mention to our League Secretary Jim Thorn, whose work has been performed with the utmost fervency and zeal.  I would also like to mention two of our Committee who are standing down, Rod Wirdnam the Registration Secretary and Ernie Sumbler Chairman of the Disciplinary Sub-Committee.  We wish them both a long and happy retirement. 

I would also like to thank all the Club Secretaries for the excellent way they have performed their duties throughout the season.  This season was quite unique in League history with a double double as Southbrook and Melksham Town Res, not only winning their Division, but also winning their respective Cup Finals.

The Wiltshire Football League is still going from strength to strength and we have been rewarded by the Wiltshire FA by being given the management duties of the Wiltshire U.18 Floodlight League and also the new U.21 Division.  Any Clubs who wish to participate in these divisions should contact our Secretary as soon as possible.

Thank you all once again.  Enjoy your summer break and look forward to starting again in August.

Bill Shail

Chairman

This is my second Annual Report and I am pleased to advise that the League Accounts record a loss of £1,903.11 as opposed to a profit last year of £3,091.09.  You may think that this is an unusual opening comment, but to me it represents one of the principles I believe the League should be adopting; that of assisting clubs where possible by retuning funds to them.  To this end the League has donated back to the Clubs £3,365 through the donation of footballs, bibs and fees.

As usual the majority of the League’s income is mainly due to FA Grants (£5,135) and fines (£3,115).  I had hoped that fines would have reduced this year, although a good proportion of this is due to clubs resigning from the League after the AGM in 2013 and late fine fees paid by one former member of the League at the end of the 2012/13 season.   

Income has increased by £478 from the previous accounting year mainly due to the fines situation.  However, on the advice of the auditor I have corrected the Guarantee Deposits the League held on behalf of Clubs to more accurately reflect the number of clubs in the League.  This is represented by an income figure of £1,190. Registration fees, transfer fees and subscriptions have all reduced due to their being fewer teams.  FA Grants have also reduced. 

To assist Clubs in the payment of monies owed, the League has adopted the Faster Payment Service and, whilst this has been embraced by some Clubs, it would be nice to see more Clubs utilising this system as it reduces administration for both the League and Clubs.  If feasible, it is hoped that additional player registrations and transfers will be able to be paid this way next season.

Expenditure has seen a dramatic rise from £12,522 to £17,995.  This is mainly due to the aforementioned donations, the write-off the League had made against footballs sold at a loss in previous seasons and the fact that we participated in the FA Inter-League Competition this year.  Other than this, costs are generally on a par or have risen and fallen as would be expected.  However it should be noted that expenditure is still lower that the 2011/2012 season when it exceeded £18,000. 

The League is in an extremely healthy position with total assets of £45,198.68. 

I would like to thank the Management Committee for their assistance especially the Registration Secretary and Disciplinary Secretary who assist on the financial side of things and the Sponsors for their continued financial support.

I can confirm that the accounts have been audited by our Auditor, Mr Peter Mundy.

R Cook

Hon Treasurer

This report signals the end of an era, I suppose, for me at least.  I joined the League in this position in 1981, taking over from Peter Ackrill who became Hon General Secretary.  Upon handing over, Pete said, “I hope you won’t be a one season wonder!”  Well, some 33 years later and I think that Pete would have been suitably pleased with my efforts.

I have to say that the job has changed in many ways since then; the (to some) old fashioned means of record keeping has been overtaken by modern technology … that’s progress I suppose, but there does seem to be an over-emphasis on this now.  The FA system can at times be rather more ‘long-winded’ than the manual methods I have used and I feel, is still far from being completely efficient and user-friendly.  Given the above, I feel now that it is time for me to step away from League business and in turn, hand over to my successor.  That said, I have made many friends and colleagues over the years with whom I have enjoyed working.  Thank you all for your support and co-operation over this period of time.

Due to the record low number of teams in the League this season registrations and transfers were down significantly and, indeed, reached a new low in numbers for this League.  Totals were Transfers 16 and Registrations 971.  Finally, a special note regarding Wroughton FC who created a new record (of sorts) by registering a total of 116 players!  A League record as far as I am aware.

My best wishes to all clubs, teams and players involved with the League and the hope that soon, more teams will be added to make up the numbers in seasons to come.

Best wishes.

Rod Wirdnam

Hon Registration Secretary

The 2013/14 season has come to an end and, despite the severe wet winter we all went through, the season finished on time.  All games had their correct number of Match Officials, which I believe is a good advertisement for the Wiltshire Football League.

The League has helped many Match Officials get their desired promotions and a number of our Referees have been promoted to Level 4 for next season.  Three ex-Wiltshire Football League Officials will be promoted to Level 3 next season, so we wish them all the very best, along with all other promoted Officials.  Next season will hopefully see exciting times return to this League with new teams entering the Premier Division which will push us back up to 18 teams in this Division.  Along with that the Wiltshire Football league will be running the U.18 Youth Floodlight League and an U.21 Division. The League likes to keep all parties involved in football as much as it can.  

I will work hard to make sure all games have the correct number of Match Officials on and I am looking forward to next season already, but we all deserve a well-earned rest first.

Adie Cripps

Hon Referees’ Appointments Secretary

The Discipline Sub-Committee dealt with 80 cases last season, a decrease of 46 on the previous season, which is mainly due to the fewer number of Clubs.  However, the increased use of technology, eg: texting of scores, the e-mailing of Result Sheets, being able to make on-line payments, etc has reduced the workload for Club Secretaries.

The number of Clubs failing to notify the League (Fixtures Secretary and Referees’ Appointments Secretary) that a game is postponed fell last season.  We’re sure you phone round and tell your players if a game is off, so please avoid fines by making those two extra calls to the League.  If we get sufficient notice, Phil Cook may be able to rearrange a game for your opponents or Adie Cripps may be able to send the Match Official(s) to a fixture that is short.

Unfortunately, the number of offences involving ineligible players more than doubled last season.  As a reminder, it is very easy for Clubs to check a player’s eligibility.  Access to the County FA web site is available to all Clubs whereat you can see lists of players under suspension.  This also applies when you register a new player ….. when you send in a Registration Form, he will be registered for your Club (provided he’s not registered for another Club in this League) and his details added to the Full-Time web site.  It isn’t the League’s responsibility to inform Clubs if a player is suspended, so please check the County FA web site at least weekly.

There is still an on-going problem with Result Sheets being submitted too late.  We are all aware that the postal system is not what it was, but Result Sheets can be scanned and e-mailed.  Some Clubs already use this method and it does save you the cost of postage.

Many Clubs still incur additional charges for late payment of fees / fines.  Last season all fines were sent out by e-mail, which reduced League expenditure on postage and eradicated the “lost in the post” excuse.  All fees / fines can be paid by Bank Transfer.  Again, some Clubs already use this method and it does save you the cost of postage and the risk of things going astray in the post.

The table below highlights the most common offences:

Ineligible players 12 cases

(5 cases in 12/13) As stated above, this can be easily remedied by checking the web site.

Late Result Sheets 36 cases

(39 cases in 12/13) Please post the Result Sheet immediately after the match or scan and e-mail it.

Failure to notify and/or confirm a postponement 11 cases

(51 cases in 12/13) You tell your players if a game is off, so try and remember to tell the League as well. Phone in first then confirm the reason in writing on the form provided.

Failure to fulfil fixture 12 cases

(13 cases in 12/13) 

This season saw 79 fixtures postponed for various reasons, a decrease of 70 on last season.  This was largely due to having fewer Clubs in membership.  The policy of deducting points from Clubs found guilty of postponing games without a satisfactory explanation will continue.  Postponements cause a vast amount of additional work for both the Hon Fixture Secretary and for the Hon Referees’ Appointments Secretary.

The Premier Division was won by Southbrook FC, who caught up their games in hand and pipped Supermarine Sports FC to the title who, in turn were just ahead of Shrewton Utd FC.  The title race was somewhat spoilt by the withdrawal of two Clubs during the season.

Melksham Town FC Res FC led Division 1 from start to finish to comfortably take the title.  There was a good battle for runners-up spot between Intel FC and Wootton Bassett Town Development with the former taking the honours by just one point.

The Corsham Print Senior KO Cup saw Southbrook FC attempting to achieve a League and Cup double when they took on Corsham Town FC Res in the final.  The early dismissal of Corsham’s keeper eventually proved too much of a mountain to climb and Southbrook ran out 3-0 winners.

The first and second placed teams from Division 1 contested the Fountain Trophies Junior KO Cup final.  League form prevailed with Melksham Town FC Res running out 2-1 winners against Intel FC to complete their own League and Cup double.  Both finals were again played at Corsham Town and we thank them for their hospitality and use of their facilities.