2024 Zone League 1

[Jim]

I?ll make it pretty simple why 30% of sponsorship would go if you lost 3rd grade.
If a business gives a club $9000 as a sponsorship this year for 3 teams. Next year when there is 2 teams in the club what will the business give the club. The answer $6000. So the club loses 30% of sponsorship.

No business that is run by anyone with half a brain is giving a club the same money for 30% less exposure, participants it make no sense.

If your argument is the sponsorship is more valuable between ZL1 and NL1 you?re taking the piss. The local pub and club that sponsors team from NPL to ZL3 pays an amount on how many teams the club has and the return they will get. So if there is 30% less club the sponsorship will drop

Hope that makes it easy to understand and it won?t be just Dudley it will be all clubs in the same boat

The fk?
Maybe you need to get out of the local pub and look for other sponsors. Maybe get 2 sponsors or even 3 or god forbid 4.
Staring to think that ZL has the laziest boneheaded bogans in Newy business wise. FFS just have a beer drinking club and give the football away. That seems to be the priority here. better still setup your own micro brewery.
So youre also saying if you had 15 grades you'd get 15x the money lol. fk me.
Now not saying it's easy but can be done. If your club had 2 grades in 2nd tier I prefer to sponsor them than ZL.
Waits for more excuses. Yawn

[Thomas477]

I?m with those who are asking why these guys couldn?t just play in an all age game before the NL1 games?

Seems a bit pretentious to say that anyone playing 3rd grade ZL1/ZPL is too good for all age. And if it?s a rego thing, surely NNSWF now being run by NF and co they can come to some sort of agreement. As long as there?s 3 teams, the sponsorship can stay the same.

[Chips]

The fk?
Maybe you need to get out of the local pub and look for other sponsors. Maybe get 2 sponsors or even 3 or god forbid 4.
Staring to think that ZL has the laziest boneheaded bogans in Newy business wise. FFS just have a beer drinking club and give the football away. That seems to be the priority here. better still setup your own micro brewery.
So youre also saying if you had 15 grades you'd get 15x the money lol. fk me.
Now not saying it's easy but can be done. If your club had 2 grades in 2nd tier I prefer to sponsor them than ZL.
Waits for more excuses. Yawn

You are a flog. I used a pub as an example cause every team from top to bottom has one. And every club has multiple
The local painter gives you 5k for a sign to advertise there is one less game every home game so it?s worth less.
Last time I checked no one lost sheep stations if they lose a game so yeah the good strong clubs have a good social aspect too.

[Jake]

I?m with those who are asking why these guys couldn?t just play in an all age game before the NL1 games?

Seems a bit pretentious to say that anyone playing 3rd grade ZL1/ZPL is too good for all age. And if it?s a rego thing, surely NNSWF now being run by NF and co they can come to some sort of agreement. As long as there?s 3 teams, the sponsorship can stay the same.

Because All Age play on a Friday night or Saturday whereas some Zone League Teams (e.g Dudley) play their home games on a Sunday. Moving a 3rd grade team to all age would remove the link between them and the grade system which from what I have seen at a number of clubs would be damaging to the culture and mateship that 3rd division football thrives on.

The idea that current 3rd grade players would spend half of their Saturday playing their own game all age game and then front up for most of Sunday to support the Zone League/NL1 side is unrealistic. People have families and interests outside of football that they would also like to fit in over the weekend.

Maybe an all age competition that?s draw was closely aligned with the affiliated Zone/NL1 side would fix that but I would imagine that would be very difficult to schedule.

[Taffy]

I?ll make it pretty simple why 30% of sponsorship would go if you lost 3rd grade.
If a business gives a club $9000 as a sponsorship this year for 3 teams. Next year when there is 2 teams in the club what will the business give the club. The answer $6000. So the club loses 30% of sponsorship.

There will still be three teams, though if the club did my idea would that mean their sponsors would increase the amount by 30% since they would have 4 teams now.

[2ndclasscitizen]

Because All Age play on a Friday night or Saturday whereas some Zone League Teams (e.g Dudley) play their home games on a Sunday. Moving a 3rd grade team to all age would remove the link between them and the grade system which from what I have seen at a number of clubs would be damaging to the culture and mateship that 3rd division football thrives on.

The idea that current 3rd grade players would spend half of their Saturday playing their own game all age game and then front up for most of Sunday to support the Zone League/NL1 side is unrealistic. People have families and interests outside of football that they would also like to fit in over the weekend.

Maybe an all age competition that?s draw was closely aligned with the affiliated Zone/NL1 side would fix that but I would imagine that would be very difficult to schedule.

NL1 play Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Most of the guys setting up the Athtrack for our home matches head off to their All Age matches afterwards.

[Lofty]

I?m with those who are asking why these guys couldn?t just play in an all age game before the NL1 games?

Seems a bit pretentious to say that anyone playing 3rd grade ZL1/ZPL is too good for all age. And if it?s a rego thing, surely NNSWF now being run by NF and co they can come to some sort of agreement. As long as there?s 3 teams, the sponsorship can stay the same.

This just doesn't work because on the days that your all age team doesn't play against another club that has an all age team in place of thirds, you play at a different ground and usually a different time slot. Suns during one of the covid seasons pulled out of the third grade comp due to there being only a handful of teams and we instead played in an all age comp so we had a full season and it was a proper pain in the ass.

At the end of the day, nothing is going to be solved on here in a place full of keyboard warriors. Dudley and Suns are pretty much the only clubs that have come on here to voice their opinion. I'm very confident that every club in ZL1 are against the removal of thirds. It will change the whole dynamic of the comp at this level. Turnover of players year on year will greatly increase due to the fact you can't have longevity of players over three grades and simply less spots to offer. Going to all age creates and immediate disconnect between the squad. It will be the downfall of the zone division.

[straightred88]

More importantly where is the make up of the zone divisions - NF asleep at the wheel again

[Zonal Marking]

This just doesn't work because on the days that your all age team doesn't play against another club that has an all age team in place of thirds, you play at a different ground and usually a different time slot. Suns during one of the covid seasons pulled out of the third grade comp due to there being only a handful of teams and we instead played in an all age comp so we had a full season and it was a proper pain in the ass.

At the end of the day, nothing is going to be solved on here in a place full of keyboard warriors. Dudley and Suns are pretty much the only clubs that have come on here to voice their opinion. I'm very confident that every club in ZL1 are against the removal of thirds. It will change the whole dynamic of the comp at this level. Turnover of players year on year will greatly increase due to the fact you can't have longevity of players over three grades and simply less spots to offer. Going to all age creates and immediate disconnect between the squad. It will be the downfall of the zone division.

Good point I?m struggling to think of too many clubs in the current competition who would want rid of thirds.

Off the top of my head
Suns
Dudley
Warners Bay
Mayfield
Uni

These clubs as far as I?m aware all have very strong numbers even having to turn players away and you could probably add another 2 or 3 to the list.

[Lofty]

Good point I?m struggling to think of too many clubs in the current competition who would want rid of thirds.

Off the top of my head
Suns
Dudley
Warners Bay
Mayfield
Uni

These clubs as far as I?m aware all have very strong numbers even having to turn players away and you could probably add another 2 or 3 to the list.

Kotara for sure. They have definitely had a shift and are a very young squad and thirds a big part of that.
Cardiff are for it, despite numbers tough the last couple of seasons.
Westlakes have made big improvements.
Azzurri fav grade is thirds.
Swansea often strong in thirds.
Olympic had a mix of older clubman and younger guys.
Minmi I don't rally have much knowledge about.

There's no club that I'm aware of in 2023 ZPL that would want to remove thirds. And as per the zone meeting last year, there was only one club across all the zone leagues that wasn't for it.

[Kicktheball]

More importantly where is the make up of the zone divisions - NF asleep at the wheel again

Will probably get the draws in march. Have any dates been provided to clubs?

[Lofty]

Will probably get the draws in march. Have any dates been provided to clubs?

Round one was pencilled in for 30/31 March just dependant on there being 12-team comps. Don’t think it will change.

[Alton]

Kotara for sure. They have definitely had a shift and are a very young squad and thirds a big part of that.
Cardiff are for it, despite numbers tough the last couple of seasons.
Westlakes have made big improvements.
Azzurri fav grade is thirds.
Swansea often strong in thirds.
Olympic had a mix of older clubman and younger guys.
Minmi I don't rally have much knowledge about.

There's no club that I'm aware of in 2023 ZPL that would want to remove thirds. And as per the zone meeting last year, there was only one club across all the zone leagues that wasn't for it.

Is Cardiff in ZL1 or 2?

[Taffy]

Good point I?m struggling to think of too many clubs in the current competition who would want rid of thirds.

Off the top of my head
Suns
Dudley
Warners Bay
Mayfield
Uni

These clubs as far as I?m aware all have very strong numbers even having to turn players away and you could probably add another 2 or 3 to the list.

They aren't all going to be going up, so not going to be any issue for most of these teams.

[ForeverRed]

Is Cardiff in ZL1 or 2?

One

[MurderOnZidanesFloor]

One

Croudace Bay ZL1 for Cardiff to ZL2.

[Lofty]

They aren't all going to be going up, so not going to be any issue for most of these teams.

I think the discussion is more around the call to remove third grade from 2025 onwards in the zone leagues.

It was announced at the recent zone meeting and subsequently opposed with a vote from all clubs at the meeting and that information was going back to Northern.

[Taffy]

I think the discussion is more around the call to remove third grade from 2025 onwards in the zone leagues.

It was announced at the recent zone meeting and subsequently opposed with a vote from all clubs at the meeting and that information was going back to Northern.

Fair enough though Dudley's letter was about should they be promoted for 2025 season.

[Lofty]

Fair enough though Dudley's letter was about should they be promoted for 2025 season.

Didn't notice that at first, but yeah I'm certain it relates to both scenarios which come into affect in 2025.
There hasn't been any further correspondence from Newcastle Football since that meeting, but I'm sure we will hear more about it in due course. Maybe after we find out what's going on in 2024!

[anfield]

More importantly where is the make up of the zone divisions - NF asleep at the wheel again

My guess, Still a couple of big decisions to be made. Those decisions haven't been made as probably the office was shut for the last few weeks. I would think they might return to work next week.