Semi Finals

Help.....

As everyone may or may not be aware the County cup semi finals this year were hosted by the first drawn team and NOT at a neutral venue.

Every year I get tonnes of abuse about the semi final venues I choose..........

With us slowly but surely getting towards semi finals I have got to sort out what we do? My opinion is that a neutral venue (no matter how good or bad) is always better than playing at the first named club but I also understand especially this year so many teams have not played games and pitches are not in the best state so teams are going to be reluctant to host a semi final???

So for the first time ever I am going to canvas opinion before the event and see what everyone thinks.

So can people let me know what they think? (Please don't go too off topic or make this a rant about previous years or an opinion on which pitch is good or bad), I just want opinion on what people think for this season???? I can't guarantee the quality of where the games will be played but want to know what people's opinion is of neutral or not bothered?


Thanks............

Personally think neutral grounds add to the occasion. We have had Huncote a few times, sport on desford and one out in the sticks. Win or lose it makes it worth while gettin to the latter stages

Can't beat a neutral venue but the billy Walton semis last year was at aylestone park. I'm pretty sure they won't want there pitch being used in these conditions.
So I think should save teams money and just play at home team pitch.
Save 50 pitch fee I.e what we payed last 2 seasons

Neutral. As said it adds to the occasion slightly

100% should be played at a neutral ground....both semis should be at the same pitch too....there are plenty of decent pitches to choose from....aylestone park! Oadby town! Daykn road! Just to name a few

Qprs pitch to...great surface

Would like a neutral as tradition dictates, but would play a semi anywhere as its a priviledge to get to one

Fair point

Why not try Hinckley United? I know it's a bit out of town but the semi-finals could be held one after the other and they need the money!

I know the chief sponsor there and he has offered me there 3g training pitch thats meant to be very good?

It's not a lot different to Wigston 3g facilities mate

Fair enough. Prob best sticking to leicester, even if not senior league standard.

Actually, why not Holmes Park? County could do with the money after our reserves folded last year

Neutral ground James
We played county cup semi final at home yesterday and to be honest having to put the posts up in them conditions yesterday our players were soaked and froze before they even got changed whilst the opposition were sitting in a nice warm changing room.
Neutral grounds make it more of an occasion for both teams!

Holmes park semi's would take a bit of the spark away from reaching the final i think

Neutral grounds would be preferable but with the way things are I expect it would be very difficult to arrange enough venues.

Ude have a bit of the hump if u played thurmaston away in a semi on the hill wiv no showers

Try St. Andrews WBC use it Sunday morning sure they might let alliance use for semi with costs ?
All about money now days

Pretty Boy wrote:

Holmes park semi's would take a bit of the spark away from reaching the final i think

yeah to be honest i agree totally.

Just fancied a sly comment

Widds wrote:

Pretty Boy wrote:

Holmes park semi's would take a bit of the spark away from reaching the final i think

yeah to be honest i agree totally.

Just fancied a sly comment

Thats a £10 fine thank you please.

Hellboy wrote:

Widds wrote:

Pretty Boy wrote:

Holmes park semi's would take a bit of the spark away from reaching the final i think

yeah to be honest i agree totally.

Just fancied a sly comment

Thats a £10 fine thank you please.

not going to pay for seven days. Feel free to increase it to thirty.

Itd be nice to see them played on a Wed night perhaps?

not if all your players work night shifts...

eastern european excuses...

Hellboy wrote:

Itd be nice to see them played on a Wed night perhaps?

Would cause a few moans I guess from one or two, but a decent idea. Playing under floodlights always adds to the occasion, and I'm sure would help james out!

Besides, if your players work nights they won't be available for the final anyway!

I think this idea has some mileage. Incentivise teams by giving option of senior league pitch on Wednesday or normal pitch on Sundays?

The final is a set date and people can book a night off in advance. But the semis are a no go, Sundays all the way!

Hellboy wrote:

eastern european excuses...

Helly - we're the guys that keep the wheels turning so you get your horsemeat every tea time

Polska legend II wrote:

The final is a set date and people can book a night off in advance. But the semis are a no go, Sundays all diffy!

]

I'd have thought that anyone in a semi final will be playing midweek football at some point anyway even if its in the league as the cup run has caused a backlog.

And surely your players haven't booked the final off before getting there?!?! So 2 weeks notice for a midweek semi final would be no different.

I understand your objections this year, but maybe for next year....

no, I didn't say that we'd booked anything off for a final - that would be very silly and we'd fall flat on our faces. What I meant was given the occasion, and the fact the final is already a set date, IF we were lucky enough to get there there would be plenty of notice to book it off. And I'm sure most employers, with enough notice, would allow a one off holiday. Again, IF we were priviledged enough to get there.

We are well aware that there might be night (league) games, and to be honest it's a big problem, but we don't want to compound that by putting semi finals in there as well. As many people have said on the forum, we play SUNDAY football and night games should be avoided at all costs.

Thats why we were so angry with the council for calling off games 2 weeks running

NIMBY!

?

Well if you weren't in a semi final would you object so strongly? I appreciate its not ideal, and I think you make a valid point and its probably not appropriate this season. However, due to the weather and councils trigger happy approach to cancelling games you're going to be screwed at some point.

If the league decides pre season they'll be played midweek and everyone knows at the start I think its fair. As i said, teams reching the latter stages will end up having to play several midweek games, we will ALWAYS lose a few weeks to the weather, and for those teams is the price of their success.

no problem with midweek league games (despite the fact I hate them!) and fully udnerstand the demands of the weather. just saying I would draw the line at semi finals

Or how about having less teams in each division thus avoiding midweek semi finals and most if not all Wednesday, Friday league games all together??!!

This will then allow an element of bad weather cancellations without penalising the successful teams by making them play Wednesday, Friday, Sunday...

And I'm not saying this because my team is having a successful season - far from it, we only have 6 games left and will probably be done before the end of March.

To counter act fewer teams in each division the Alliance League should also then introduce an Invitation Cup to start in January involving teams who are out of all the other cups and hence have plenty of capacity for the extra games.

Not rocket science really...

its not rocket science blackie to realise that you came up against a monster when i entered the fray on saturday

Blackie wrote:

Or how about having less teams in each division thus avoiding midweek semi finals and most if not all Wednesday, Friday league games all together??!!

This will then allow an element of bad weather cancellations without penalising the successful teams by making them play Wednesday, Friday, Sunday...

And I'm not saying this because my team is having a successful season - far from it, we only have 6 games left and will probably be done before the end of March.

To counter act fewer teams in each division the Alliance League should also then introduce an Invitation Cup to start in January involving teams who are out of all the other cups and hence have plenty of capacity for the extra games.

Not rocket science really...

not less league games mark but less pointless cup games(arthur moore divisions and billy walton)

rocket ledge wrote:

its not rocket science blackie to realise that you came up against a monster when i entered the fray on saturday

Haha Tommy, to be honest you did play well Saturday mate

FC POCHIN wrote:

Blackie wrote:

Or how about having less teams in each division thus avoiding midweek semi finals and most if not all Wednesday, Friday league games all together??!!

This will then allow an element of bad weather cancellations without penalising the successful teams by making them play Wednesday, Friday, Sunday...

And I'm not saying this because my team is having a successful season - far from it, we only have 6 games left and will probably be done before the end of March.

To counter act fewer teams in each division the Alliance League should also then introduce an Invitation Cup to start in January involving teams who are out of all the other cups and hence have plenty of capacity for the extra games.

Not rocket science really...

not less league games mark but less pointless cup games(arthur moore divisions and billy walton)

Clearly I'm not going to disagree with my manager!!

And to be fair I agree about the Arthur Moore divisions although that only affects the top divisions anyway. However the Billy Walton has got to stay in my opinion.

I just think the idea of an Invitation Cup would be attractive to a lot teams round about this time of the year (us included)

I've said before on here that I won such a thing with Red Cow in the LSL a few years back - still remember the final at Friar Lane on a hot Friday night and ultimately it turned out to be the highlight of our season that year.

I agree the invitation cup is a great night, also won it a few years ago.

Problem with reducing number of teams is you never know who Will fold, few years back the prem ended with about six or seven teams, if it started with less at the beginning then you have a farcical division

you wouldnt get holmes park for semis as they are fully booked with their own finals and rep games etc