Ferring FC in the County League

[Return of the Rev]

I think mate, generally, the standard has dropped quite severely. This isn't just my view. Yeah I agree, the way clubs nurture kids now is much, much better than it was back in the day, but the standard just isn't there anymore. Non league players just don't have the motivation any more. No-one could tell me there is a club in the SCFL that could compete with the likes of 90s teams like Wick, Littlehampton, Peacehaven, Langley Sports, Stamco or Burgess Hill?

Southern combination probably not the standard of the old county league,very difficult to get players to play each week as too many other distractions,as soon as the lads turn 18 they discover nightclubs beer cocaine and girls.Still players on £200 a week in the second tier of the southern combination(in a very small minority though)

 

[BensGrandad]

Get your boots out dad dad,chance of a game

I would think they would ask Steve or Scott Welman before they got around to me.

 

[BigGully]

Southern combination probably not the standard of the old county league,very difficult to get players to play each week as too many other distractions,as soon as the lads turn 18 they discover nightclubs beer cocaine and girls.Still players on £200 a week in the second tier of the southern combination(in a very small minority though)

Plenty of that in the 80's too .......

What Sussex teams are in the southern combination 2 ?

 

[Return of the Rev]

Plenty of that in the 80's too .......

What Sussex teams are in the southern combination 2 ?

THESE

http://www.scfl.org.uk/pages/tables.html

 

[Kuipers Supporters Club]

I know for a fact that players are getting paid in the West Sussex Prem, that's the division below Ferring!

 

[Postman Pat]

Fair play to the lads for turning up every week.

Safe to say it's been a disappointing first half of the season.

http://www.scfl.org.uk/pages/fixtur...hoice=all&pitchchoice=all&divisionschoice=all

Another 13-0 defeat today....

 

[BensGrandad]

I know for a fact that players are getting paid in the West Sussex Prem, that's the division below Ferring!

Ferring have only ever paid travelling expenses to the best of my knowledge. Unfortunately they had a club house that nobody used other than match days. If they could have opened it and had it used by the locals during the week that would have helped.

 

[TheJasperCo]

Until recently I lived literally round the corner from Ferring FC (my folks still do). It was good to see the club investing in new changing rooms, club bar and stand. Although I don't follow grassroots football much any more, I heard from colleagues when I did a P/T refereeing role for a few seasons, that Ferring were on the up. Seeing the results in the OP is shocking really. Am I right in thinking this is not their first season in their current division? In which case what happened compared to last season - what's gone so badly wrong?

 

[Sussex Nomad]

I know for a fact that players are getting paid in the West Sussex Prem, that's the division below Ferring!

If that is a fact then the world really has gone mad.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

Until recently I lived literally round the corner from Ferring FC (my folks still do). It was good to see the club investing in new changing rooms, club bar and stand. Although I don't follow grassroots football much any more, I heard from colleagues when I did a P/T refereeing role for a few seasons, that Ferring were on the up. Seeing the results in the OP is shocking really. Am I right in thinking this is not their first season in their current division? In which case what happened compared to last season - what's gone so badly wrong?

I believe they lost their manager, which in turn screwed their infrastructure. I could be wrong but I believe that happened. The old Div 3, now Div 2 is full of the same. Climping being another good example. Lose your linchpins, including helpers and you have nothing to fall back on.

 

[Munchkin]

The SCFL is now a terrible standard of football, as for Division 2 it's pretty much Sunday morning standard, gone are the days when you needed half decent facilities to be considered for the league, I believe the likes of Clymping and Worthing Leisure play on recreation grounds and school fields with no roped off pitch let alone barriers.

To think Littlehampton Town made the first round of the FA Cup in the 90's playing in the County League, yet now many of the SCFL Premier League sides will struggle to get through the prelim rounds of the FA Vase.

Stupid money being thrown around at the likes of Pagham where one player is on a reported £200 a game. Madness!

 

[Dr. Notthenineo'clocknews]

I don't really know the situation at Ferring but someone mentioned the manager leaving. At this level it is common that a manager can leave a mid table side, take five players with him to his new club then the old one starts losing 8-0 every week.

At Peacehaven we are working very hard at the moment to make it a community club, 94 of us "chipped in" and bought the club therefore presently no one gets paid inc the manager and the players, however this has so far resulted in loyalty, 100% effort and most of the time entertaining football. This fan ownership has resulted in us being top of the attendance table and fan initiatives such as more flags, more singing and more away support (almost unheard of at that level)

What I find strange though on here is when a Pagham player is reported to be on £200 a match it is described as ""madness" (this part I fully agree with) but when players like Dimiti Payet sign a deal worth £32 million no one bats an eye lid!

Anyway, I'm waffling now so in a nutshell, your local club could really use your support so next season when almost every Albion match is on a Sunday, pop into your local club, you'll miss them when they're gone.

 

[Kuipers Supporters Club]

If that is a fact then the world really has gone mad.

I know that it is true! And yes, I agree!

 

[drew]

I don't really know the situation at Ferring but someone mentioned the manager leaving. At this level it is common that a manager can leave a mid table side, take five players with him to his new club then the old one starts losing 8-0 every week.

At Peacehaven we are working very hard at the moment to make it a community club, 94 of us "chipped in" and bought the club therefore presently no one gets paid inc the manager and the players, however this has so far resulted in loyalty, 100% effort and most of the time entertaining football. This fan ownership has resulted in us being top of the attendance table and fan initiatives such as more flags, more singing and more away support (almost unheard of at that level)

What I find strange though on here is when a Pagham player is reported to be on £200 a match it is described as ""madness" (this part I fully agree with) but when players like Dimiti Payet sign a deal worth £32 million no one bats an eye lid!

Anyway, I'm waffling now so in a nutshell, your local club could really use your support so next season when almost every Albion match is on a Sunday, pop into your local club, you'll miss them when they're gone.

It's supply and demand. If a club can afford to pay DP £32m then what's to stop them. Equally if a non-league club can afford £200 then fair enough. And let's be honest, there are plenty of comments about the money Premier player earn so not sure you can claim no one bats an eyelid!

 

[Roadrunner]

The SCFL is now a terrible standard of football, as for Division 2 it's pretty much Sunday morning standard, gone are the days when you needed half decent facilities to be considered for the league, I believe the likes of Clymping and Worthing Leisure play on recreation grounds and school fields with no roped off pitch let alone barriers.

To think Littlehampton Town made the first round of the FA Cup in the 90's playing in the County League, yet now many of the SCFL Premier League sides will struggle to get through the prelim rounds of the FA Vase.

Stupid money being thrown around at the likes of Pagham where one player is on a reported £200 a game. Madness!

I know the guys running Worthing (Town) Leisure really well; they are all that's left of the Sunday League incarnation of the same club which I used to play for. I've watched them play a few times in County Division 2 this season and the standard isn't brilliant but still a little higher than our old Sunday League (top flight) level. I take my hat off to them for sticking with it, they merged with Worthing Town to create WTLFC partly in an attempt to provide the Worthing Town youth players with a route into intermediate football. They play at Palatine Park in Goring and there are minimal regulations which they have to adhere to - they do have to rope the pitch off and provide rudimentary dugouts, and I think they are obliged to produce a programme and provide refreshments. They have grand ambitions for the club, which involve a 3G pitch being built at Palatine, but whether anything will come of it.... Clymping's ground was OK, but something must have gone awry there as I believe that they are currently sharing at Littlehampton's Sportsfield ground.

Mention of that Littlehampton Town game v Northampton takes me back. Heady times for the Marigolds - 1st Round proper of the FA Cup and semi finals of the FA Vase that season, I think. Although the less said about that trip to Gresley Rovers the better, I think.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Ferring have only ever paid travelling expenses to the best of my knowledge. Unfortunately they had a club house that nobody used other than match days. If they could have opened it and had it used by the locals during the week that would have helped.

We had exactly the same situation when I was on the Horsham FC committee and reserve team manager back in the late 1990's early 2000's. We had a club house that was just begging to be rented out, but with very few exceptions, we never managed to do it. Perhaps it was no surprise the club moved from Queen Street!

In fact as far as our reserve team in the Suburban League were concerned, they weren't even paid travelling
expenses in their final season! Just young lads who played because they loved football.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

It's supply and demand. If a club can afford to pay DP £32m then what's to stop them. Equally if a non-league club can afford £200 then fair enough. And let's be honest, there are plenty of comments about the money Premier player earn so not sure you can claim no one bats an eyelid!

The problem is, that very often non-league clubs can't really afford the £200 a week that they hand over, not long term anyway, and it's when those funds dry up, (or more than likely, when the benefactor walks away), that the real problems can start.

 

[worthingseagull]

anyone know the latest with Ferring FC ?

 

[timbha]

anyone know the latest with Ferring FC ?

SCL Div 2 played 21 won 1 lost 20

 

[Sussex Nomad]

The SCFL is now a terrible standard of football, as for Division 2 it's pretty much Sunday morning standard, gone are the days when you needed half decent facilities to be considered for the league, I believe the likes of Clymping and Worthing Leisure play on recreation grounds and school fields with no roped off pitch let alone barriers.

To think Littlehampton Town made the first round of the FA Cup in the 90's playing in the County League, yet now many of the SCFL Premier League sides will struggle to get through the prelim rounds of the FA Vase.

Stupid money being thrown around at the likes of Pagham where one player is on a reported £200 a game. Madness!

Pretty much agree with everything you say there. I remember the inauguration of the SCFL Div 3, all played on recs with roping off. This was totally correct for intermediate football. It was correct for lower senior too. But the laws laid down by the FA now are not only unsustainable but completely ridiculous. The FA, despite all their bleatings, could not give one fck about grass roots football. They expect, for example, EP, my local club, to have 100 seats. Why? They don't even get 100 people through the gate. Expense. Everything is expense. And yes I know of the grants, but they don't cover total costs that are forced on these local sides. The FA, the FL, the PL have no interest in our national game other than to take the money out of it. They hate EP, they hate the Prelim rounds of the FA Cup. Having been in it for many years I have seen clubs ruined by the FA and their demands. Local clubs, just trying to be successful, totally screwed from the top level. If you lose the point of success where do you go? The ties couldn't care less about non league.