This was the 39th season of the League and this is my 13th Annual Report as Hon General Secretary.

I would firstly like to extend the League’s sincere thanks to our sponsors: Chris Perry and David Kilmurray of Corsham Print who are the main sponsors of the League; Paul and Denise Sebastianelli of Fountain Trophies, who sponsor the Senior KO Cup and Ken Clarke of Westernsport Trophies who sponsors the Referees Appreciation Award.  This was the first season that the League had been sponsored by Corsham Print, though they had been sponsoring the Senior KO Cup since 2002.  Fountain Trophies had been sponsoring the Junior KO Cup since 1990.

I advised last year that we had retained our Step 7 Status following a review by The FA.  However, The FA have since decided that such reviews are now going to be annual, rather than a 3-year cycle, so we had to submit all Ground Grading Summaries again this year.  As many of you may know, we are somewhat borderline in achieving Step 7 Status as one of the provisions is that Step 7 Leagues must have no more than 25% Reserve teams, so we do have to be careful with our structure.

In last year’s report I advised that we were trying to establish a pyramid with the three District Leagues in the county.  Following meetings, quite a lot of e-mails and a great deal of assistance from the Wiltshire FA, this was finally agreed earlier in the year.  Subject to agreement at their respective AGM’s, the top 3 Clubs in each of the Salisbury, Swindon and Trowbridge Leagues will be eligible to apply for promotion to this League.  At the same time, we will relegate up to 3 Clubs from this League.  This is a system that works well in neighbouring County Leagues and I’m sure that, within a couple of seasons, it will work well for all four Leagues in the county.

You will see from the proposed constitution that we’re planning to operate with 16 Clubs (possibly 17) in the Premier Division plus 12 in the U.18’s Youth Floodlight Divisions.  We’re also open to running an U.21’s Division should there be sufficient interest.  Subject to approval at the AGM, we welcome back Cricklade Town and Bromham to the League plus welcome Fairford Town to the U.18’s Division.  Malmesbury Victoria, League Champions in 2014/15, applied for promotion to Step 6 and, following a ground grading inspection, were awarded a place in the Toolstation Western League.  We wish them well in their new League.

As most of you are aware, we were awarded Charter Standard League status by The FA in season 2012/13 and this will be coming up for review very soon.  It’s imperative that at least 60% of our Clubs are Charter Standard Clubs … preferably 100%.  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 some 4 years ago.  During the past season, as it was the previous two seasons, not one Premier Division fixture went short of a Referee or an Assistant, which is testament to the hard work of Adie Cripps.

There are Leagues at our level who struggle and often fail to complete all of their fixtures and end up awarding points at the end of the season in order to complete their tables.  Thanks to the hard work and persistence of the Hon Fixtures Secretary, Phil Cook, this doesn’t happen on this League and, to my knowledge, never has.  Next season will be Phil’s 39th on the League, which is a tremendous achievement.

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.

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.

You will see from the Election of Officers sheet, that we have vacancies on our Management Committee and also for Club Representatives from each Division.  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.

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.  Dennis is standing down as President at the AGM, but thankfully will continue to attend meetings as his knowledge and experience are invaluable.  Bill will relinquish the Chairman’s role and become President whilst John Gingell, who’s been a member of the Management Committee since 1992, will become Chairman.

Best wishes to all Clubs for a good summer break and a successful season in 2016 - 2017.

Jim Thorn

Hon General Secretary

As this is probably my last Chairman’s report, I would like to say a few thank you's.

Firstly to Corsham Print our sponsors for their much appreciated and valued support.  Secondly, to my colleagues on the League Management Committee, particularly the Officers, whose efficiency and hard work have made this League as popular and efficient as it is today; with a particular thank you to our Secretary, Jim Thorn, who's work rate and dedication is second to none.  Finally, to all our Clubs whose efforts and keeness have made this League as strong as it is today.

I would also like to congratulate all our League and Cup winners on their success this season.

Finally, I wish you all good luck for the 2016/17 season and hope it will be a successful one for you all.

My sincere thanks once again.

Bill Shail

Chairman

This is my fourth Annual Report and I advise that the League Accounts record a loss of £2,798.14p as opposed to a loss last year of £350.59p.  Whilst this is quite a large loss in comparison to recent seasons, there is a direct correlation between this and the loss made thus far on the purchase and resale of footballs.  You will see that we purchased footballs for a total of £3,837.00p and have raised £1,060.00p from their resale so far; a difference of £2,777.00p.  Given the account balances, I am not overly concerned about this loss as I am aware that many leagues similar to ours do not carry such healthy balances.

As usual, the majority of the League’s income is due to FA Grants (£4,000) however subscriptions and registrations accounted for an additional £2,970.  The income from registration fees has been affected by the change made to how these were collected in 2015/16. 

Income from fines accounted for £2,469.71p this year and, with the assistance of the Wiltshire FA’s Debt Recovery System, the League has been able to recoup fines from defaulting clubs and the registered players thereof.  Whilst the Management Committee would prefer not to use such systems, it is evidence that the Management Committee will do all it can to protect your interests and pursue those who owe the League money. 

On a personal level, I would like to see fines reduced.  I believe that many Clubs could assist themselves greatly by simply consulting the Handbook!

Income has increased by approximately £360. 

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.

Expenditure increased by approximately £2,800 mainly due to the aforementioned footballs purchase.

The Management Committee have endeavoured to reduce costs where possible and it is pleasing to see that printing and stationery costs reduced by approximately £450 and telephone and computer costs by over £1,000.   

Due to timing the costs of the League entering that Inter League Cup fell within this accounting period rather than 2014/15.  This increased expenditure in this area by approximately £600.

Other costs are generally on a par or have risen and fallen as would be expected.  

The League is in an extremely healthy position with total assets of £42,409.95p. 

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

Well here we are at the end of another season.  Congratulations to the Cup and League winners.  I hope that all teams have enjoyed the season.

This is the end of my second season and I am still enjoying the role.  The FA Full-Time system is not perfect, but it does make the job easier.  This season I tried a different system of collecting the registration fees by doing it in two payments.  This has worked well apart from when a team pulled out in the early part of the season.  Thanks to the hard work of the Hon Treasurer we well recover all money owed.  This has highlighted that the system needs to be amended slightly.  So for next season, the fees will be invoiced in three payments.  I will send out statements for payment at the end of September, December and March.

A total of 811 players were registered in the Premier Division last season (down 187) plus a further 320 in the U.18 Floodlight Division (up 114).  A total of 17 transfers took place (down 7).

I would like to thank all the Club Secretaries and Team Managers for their help and support this season.  Most teams now submit Team Sheets and Referee Reports via e-mail as a scanned attachment which makes it quicker for me to receive the reports and getting the information on to the Full-Time web site.

Now the season has ended, it’s time to relax and recharge the batteries ready for the start of next season.

Thanks again to everyone for all your assistance.

Brian Busson

Hon Registration Secretary

Another season over which has been competitive with some good team challenging for the title this season in the Premier Division.  Happily, four of our Level 5-4 promotional candidate Referees have been promoted to Level 4, so we wish them all the best for next season and beyond.

The Northern Division of the U.18 Youth Floodlight League was all but finished by Christmas, but as a League, we need to work with teams to get games played in a timely manner. The Floodlight Divisions are good for the younger Referees to work with neutral assistant Referees and we want to encourage youngsters to play football. 

Looking ahead to next season, new law changes come into place and we as a League are making changes to helps the with Respect framework and we will work with coaches and Managers to implement this. 

Enjoy your summer rest. 

Adie Cripps

Hon Referees’ Appointments Secretary

The Discipline Sub-Committee dealt with 89 cases last season, a decrease of 10 on the previous season.  The increased use of technology, eg: texting of scores, the e-mailing of Result Sheets and Registration Forms, being able to make on-line payments, etc has hopefully 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, increased substantially last season.  We’re sure you phone / text 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.  One matter that did increase last season was Clubs failing to notify Match Officials about postponements, which resulted in them turning up, us having to chase you for payment, then you having to pay them again when the match is rearranged.  When you tell your players and the opposition that a game is off, please remember the third team and save your hard earned money.

The number of offences involving ineligible players was similar to 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.

The problem with Result Sheets being submitted too late has again seen a dramatic reduction.  As Brian Busson put in his earlier report, Result Sheets and Referee Reports can be scanned and e-mailed.  Some Clubs already use this method and it does save you the cost of postage.

A few Clubs still incur additional charges for late payment of fees / fines.  For the past two seasons, all fines have been sent out by e-mail, which has reduced League expenditure on postage.  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.

This season saw 136 fixtures postponed for various reasons, a decrease of 9 on last season.  A disproportionate percentage of these were by Clubs in the U.18 South Division not fulfilling scheduled fixtures, which caused an awful lot of work for both the Hon Fixtures and Referees’ Appointments Secretaries and we need to decide how best to deter / avoid postponements. The Premier Division runs with a policy of deducting points from Clubs found guilty of postponing games without a satisfactory explanation.  We may have to look at awarding points and not rearranging games in the U.18 Division.

The Premier Division was very keenly contested and, up until February / March time with Ludgershall Sports, Malmesbury Victoria, Melksham Town, Shrewton Utd and Trowbridge Town all in contention and leading at some point.  The eventual winners were Trowbridge Town, who caught up their games in hand to take the title by some 11 points.  Runners-up position wasn’t decided until the last week of the season when Malmesbury’s defeat at Trowbridge handed second spot to Shrewton Utd.

The U.18’s Youth Floodlight teams were split into North and South Divisions, each with six Clubs.  The North Division was hit with the unfortunate loss of a Club after just one fixture.  They raced through their fixtures and the Division was won by Royal Wootton Bassett Town with Shrivenham a very creditable second place in their first season in this League.  For varying reasons, fixtures in the South Division proved very difficult to complete.  One Club withdrew with just 3 fixtures outstanding and, despite several efforts by Phil Cook, this Division finished with one fixture not played.  The South Division was won by Melksham Town with Laverstock & Salisbury in second place.

The Play-Off to determine the U.18 Champions was played at Calne Town FC and resulted in a 3-1 victory for Melksham Town over Royal Wootton Bassett Town.

Round 1 of the Senior KO Cup, under the new sponsorship of Fountain Trophies, saw the two Trowbridge clubs drawn against each other for the second successive season with Town gaining revenge for last year’s defeat by Wanderers.  Ludgershall Sports defeated last year’s League Champions, Malmesbury by 4-2.  Round 2, saw Melksham Town Res overcome Trowbridge Town 3-1 (aet).  Ludgershall Sports had another tough draw, but overcame Shrewton Utd with another 4-2 victory.  The semi-finals both resulted in 1-1 draws (aet).  Chippenham Park Development reached their first final, defeating Melksham Town Res 5-4 on penalties whilst Ludgershall’s run came to an end, losing 8-7 on penalties at Wroughton.  The cup was won by Wroughton, defeating Chippenham Park 2-1 in the final, which was played at Corsham Town.  

We thank both Calne Town and Corsham Town for their hospitality and use of their facilities.

I am pleased to report that no incidents or issues were reported to me during the past season and, as far as I’m aware, there were no welfare issues in this League last season.

As far as was possible, given the relative scarcity of fixtures and associated weather conditions, I was able to visit a few Clubs and also attended the U.18’s Play-Off, in order to discuss players’ welfare with the relevant Club Officials.

I have recently had a lengthy discussion with the Welfare Officer of the North Wilts Youth League, who has been most helpful and informative and regularly speak with the County Welfare Officer at the Wiltshire FA.

May I remind all member Clubs of their responsibility to advise me of any issues arising regarding players’ welfare.

Enjoy your summer break

Rod Wirdnam

Hon Welfare Officer