SWPL ground grading statement

[Dave Deacon]

From the SWPL Website:-

Subject: Applications for Promotion to, and within the SWP League

Allocation of club from outside the feeder league system:
None received this year.
Step Seven to Step Six: (East & West to Premier)
Liskeard Athletic West Division Passed
Plymouth Argyle West Division Passed
St Dennis West Division Failed
Sticker West Division Passed (Subject to Dispensation)
Tiverton Town East Division Passed

Feeder Leagues to Step Seven :
Buckland Athletic South Devon League Passed
Dartmouth South Devon League Failed
Elmore Devon & Exeter League Passed
Feniton Devon & Exeter League Passed
Ilfracombe Town North Devon League Passed
Ludgvan Cornwall Combination Failed
Mullion Cornwall Combination Passed
Newtown Devon & Exeter League Passed
Plymouth Marjons Plymouth & West Devon Passed
Plymouth Sol Plymouth & West Devon Withdrew application
Topsham Town Devon & Exeter League Failed
Torridgeside North Devon Passed

Premier Division: One club from each of East & West are eligible for promotion. Two clubs are due to be relegated to Division One. Premier has full complement of 20 teams.

Division One East & West: Two clubs can be accepted for promotion.
Due to one vacancy from Step 7 (West has 17 this season) relegation will be reduced from 2 to 1 and that will be decided by a play off match between the bottom sides in East & West on 13th May, provided both those clubs wish to remain in membership of the league.

Before ground grading we had 12 active applicants from 5 different feeder leagues, that is now reduced to 8 active applicants from 5 different feeder leagues.
The following advice had already been issued when the original 12 were announced, but it is worth repeating :
1) Only clubs who achieve a ground grading are acceptable (those listed as “Passed” above)
2) Only one club per feeder league can be accepted
3) Clubs must finish in the Top three of the league
4) In the event of more than two clubs remaining eligible the next determining factor is league position. The rules state the Champion club of any 1 feeder is ranked higher than a 2nd or 3rd : No difference is afforded to the perceived strength of one league over another. If two champion clubs are acceptable they are accepted and clubs finishing 2nd or 3rd fail, likewise if we go down to 2nd the clubs finishing 3rd fail etc.
5) In the event of more than 2 clubs achieving the ground standards and finishing in the same position the board at its May meeting will vote on who to accept, those tied clubs will be invited to make representation prior to any vote.

Additionally the board voted in favour at its last meeting of a motion that it would use the same principle used for FA Cup entry to decide equal clubs under 5 (above) that being a points per game average system, points gained divided by games played.
It is further noted that the Rules revision sub-committee put forward a proposal that next season relegation be increased to the bottom Two in East & West (rather than the bottom one) and opening up a maximum of 4 spaces for clubs to join in future years rather than 2 as at present. The board approved the proposal and it will now be placed on the order papers for this year’s AGM in June. If passed at the AGM it cannot be retrospective and will only apply from the end of the 2016/17 season onwards.

Philip Hiscox (Company Secretary)