NOTTINGHAMSHIRE SENIOR LEAGUE READY TO GO!
The 2004/05 season sees a bright new dawn for Amateur football in the County with the Nottinghamshire Senior League raring to go!
The NSL is the brainchild of Clubs keen to maintain high standards both on and off the pitch and eager to prevent the exodus of the County’s elite Clubs into rival leagues.
Whilst ‘feeder’ status into the Northern Counties East League is not currently attached to the NSL, the ambitious NSL Committee see this as an ultimate goal, but are acutely aware that they have to prove themselves first. NSL Chairman Frank Hunt commented- ‘We know that it will take a couple of seasons to settle down. However, enough goodwill exists between ourselves and member Clubs for the NSL to be a resounding success. We are extremely grateful to the officials of the Notts FA for their stalwart support during the setting up process and aim to reward them by giving them a County league to be proud of.’
A meeting of member Clubs took place at Cotgrave Welfare, where the Committee were voted in and Rules agreed. ‘Most importantly,’ added Hunt, ‘we see the Clubs as our customers and our objective is to work with them to make sure things run smoothly and make their lives as easy as possible. After all, local football is all about the players, most of whom pay subs for the privilege of playing, and it is important that we, as administrators, don’t lose sight of this!’ A further meeting of Clubs is planned for mid- March to finalise plans for the new season.
Initially, the NSL will run with two divisions. The Senior Division will be made up of 18 teams- namely: Arnold Southbank, Attenborough, Awsworth Villa, Bestwood M W, Boots Athletic, Burton Joyce, Calverton M W, Clifton, Cotgrave C W United, Keyworth United, Kimberley M W, Kingswell, Linby C W, Magdala Amateurs, Nottinghamshire Police, Ruddington United, Siemens EWS and Wollaton
Division One will comprise of the Reserve sides of all the above except Kingswell and Burton Joyce, with the addition of Sandhurst, although talks are currently underway to bring an eighteenth team in to even the numbers up
Sponsorship of the NSL is yet to be finalised, however negotiations are underway with one of Nottinghamshire’s best known Companies to set this up and it is envisaged that any deal eventually struck will be beneficial to both Sponsor and Clubs
The President of the NSL will be none other than former Forest, Notts County and England legend Garry Birtles, who himself started his illustrious career in the local game with Long Eaton United before being discovered by Brian Clough. Birtles said ‘It is important to young players in Notts that they have a competitive standard of local football to play in and the NSL seems to fit the bill. Hopefully, the leading young locally based players will no longer need to look, or travel outside the County to play at their required level’
The NSL are delighted to include Notts FA Council member Kevin Presland on the Committee. Newark based Presland is well respected within local circles and his knowledge of rules and regulations is second to none. The Secretary’s duties will be undertaken by Darrel Parkes- a senior referee from Nottingham, whilst John Beeston will fulfil the role of Treasurer and Registrar, bringing to the table his wealth of experience as former Secretary of Nottinghamshire Police. Co-ordination of referees and assistants falls to the experienced pairing of Mike Ellcock and Mick Eden, and Dick Durrant will be Press Officer and Vice Chairman. Completing the Committee is Glenn Parkes, who has been instrumental in cementing Radcliffe Olympic’s rapid rise. Discussions are underway to add another couple of well-known local figures to the list, however Hunt says ‘we are delighted with the composition of the Committee. It is vital that any Committee remains in touch with the grass roots of the local game, and I feel that the make up of ours is just about right.’
Quite how the structure of the rest of the Nottinghamshire amateur game will develop is a topic for some debate. A recent meeting was held at the Notts FA to move things forward. NSL Secretary Parkes commented ‘We have seen the success that cricket has had with the advent and development of the Notts Premier League and it would be great if we could emulate this model in our sport. We are genuinely grateful to the other local leagues for developing the Clubs thus far, and look forward to them continuing their good work and contributing to the success of the NSL. We wish them all the very best for the future and look forward to working with them to increase the profile of local football in Nottinghamshire.’
Any Clubs or individuals requiring additional information regarding the NSL are asked to contact Dick Durrant on 0115 928 0549, or via e mail at