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Toolstation League Announcement

TO ALL CLUBS:

THE BOARD OF THE TOOLSTATION WESTERN LEAGUE ARE DISAPPOINTED TO CONFIRM THAT TALKS BETWEEN
THE SOUTH WEST PENINSULA LEAGUE AND THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION, CONCERNING THE CREATION OF THE
NEW WESTERN PENINSULA LEAGUE, HAVE NOW ENDED. ALL WESTERN LEAGUE CLUBS MUST UNDERSTAND THAT
THIS MEANS NEXT SEASON’S STEP 5 COMPETITION WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE CURRENT GEOGRAPHICAL
FOOTPRINT, FROM CORNWALL TO SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE.

WE HAD HOPED THAT THE INTERVENTION OF THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION, UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF AN
INDEPENDENT CHAIRPERSON, WOULD HAVE LED TO FURTHER TALKS ON FEBRUARY 22ND, BUT TODAYS
STATEMENT MAKES IT CLEAR THAT NOT ONLY HAVE THE SOUTH WEST PENINSULA LEAGUE WITHDRAWN FROM
THIS PROCESS, THE FA HAVE NO DESIRE TO ENGAGE IN PROACTIVELY ADDRESSING THE ECONOMIC CHALLENGES
OUR CLUBS CURRENTLY FACE WITH TRAVEL. THE BREAKDOWN IN NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO LEAGUES
CAME ABOUT ENTIRELY THROUGH A DIFFERING PHILOSOPHY ON HOW ADMINISTRATION SHOULD BE HANDLED,
HOW MANY ROLES IT WAS APPROPRIATE FOR ONE INDIVIDUAL TO FULFIL AND HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS WERE
GENUINELY INTERESTED IN ASSUMING RESPONSIBLE FUNCTIONS WITHIN THE NEW STRUCTURE. MISTAKES MAY
WELL HAVE BEEN MADE ON BOTH SIDES, BUT THE BOARD OF THE WESTERN LEAGUE WISH TO PLACE ON RECORD
OUR UNERRING COMMITMENT TO REPRESENTING THE BEST INTEREST OF OUR CLUBS AND FOOTBALL ACROSS THE
SOUTH WEST.

WHILST WE HAD BEEN CONSISTENT IN OUR COMMITMENT TO THE MERGER PROJECT, THE FA HAD REQUESTED
AN ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION TO MANAGING THE CHALLENGES POSED BY LONG DISTANCE TRAVEL. THE BOARD
PROPOSED A PLAN TO SPLIT THE PREMIER DIVISION INTO TWO GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS AS AN INTERIM MEASURE
FOR 2023/24 SEASON, IN ORDER TO REDUCE CLUBS TRAVEL. AT THE SAME TIME, WE WERE TOLD THAT THE
SOUTH WEST PENINSULA LEAGUE HAD SUBMITTED A PROPOSAL TO CREATE THEIR OWN STEP 5 DIVISION,
ACROSS THE SOUTHERN REGION ORIGINALLY PLANNED FOR THE WESTERN PENINSULA LEAGUE. BOTH PROPOSALS
HAVE BEEN REJECTED BY THE FA.
IN THE SHORT TERM, THE BOARD REMAIN RESOLUTE IN OUR BELIEF THAT CLUBS COMPETING IN THE WESTERN
LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION MUST HAVE THEIR TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS ADDRESSED BEFORE NEXT SEASON AND
WE RECOGNISE THE FINANCIAL CONCERN THAT THE CURRENT UNCERTAINTY WILL INEVITABLY CAUSE. THE BOARD
WELCOME THE FA’S PROPOSAL TO CONSULT CLUBS ON THE FUTURE OF STEP 5 AND 6 FOOTBALL IN THE SOUTH
WEST AND WITH THIS IN MIND THE WESTERN LEAGUE WILL BE CONDUCTING OUR OWN ENGAGEMENT EXERCISE
TO ENSURE THAT ALL OPTIONS ARE PROPERLY CONSIDERED.

ADDRESSING THE ISSUE OF THE FA LEAGUES COMMITTEE’S “HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT IN THE BREAKDOWN OF
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO LEAGUES AND INDIVIDUALS THEREOF”, THE WESTERN LEAGUE BOARD
ARE IN NO NEED OF REMINDING THAT IT IS THE CLUBS WE REPRESENT THAT WILL FEEL THE GREATEST IMPACT
OF THIS OUTCOME. THE BOARD OF THE WESTERN LEAGUE REFUTE THAT THEY ARE CULPABLE FOR THE
BREAKDOWN OF NEGOTIATIONS.
IN THE SHORT TERM, THE LEAGUE WILL ISSUE A SHORT SURVEY TO ALL OUR CLUBS TO ASCERTAIN THEIR VIEWS
AND THIS WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A MEETING WITH ALL OUR CLUBS.

ANDY RADFORD
LEAGUE SECRETARY
TOOLSTATION WESTERN LEAGUE
TEL: 07872 818868
WWW.TOOLSTATIONLEAGUE.COM