I'm pleased to say we had a really excellent training session last night with no less than 20 players turning up....which is almost unheard of for us, certainly as far as the last 5 years goes !
O.K., we lost the 7-a-side match afterwards to a team that we should be beating (probably because of tiredness more than anything), but in terms of gaining fitness and new players getting to know each other, the exercise was well worthwhile.

Next Thursday, the 7-a-side match is at 7.00.p.m., so we can therefore have a training session starting at say 7.30.p.m. for those not playing in the match, with those playing in the match then joining in at 8.00.p.m.
However, the problem is that the Southgate Hockey Centre have now told us that from next week onwards we can only use the grass field if we pay £75 on the night...in addition to the £36 we are already paying for the 7-a-side match.
This is because they do not want the grass worn out for the coming football season by 'anyone' going on there for a free kickabout as they need to protect the surface for the various Youth teams that play over there during the season.
The £75 payment obviously includes use of changing rooms and showers, but I very much doubt whether it includes being given a key to un-padlock the full-size goals with nets that are over there !

I didn't catch all that was being said last night by our players about this problem, but the main suggestion seemed to be something along the lines of 'We'll pay £50 and tell them we will 'all' have a piss-up in the bar afterwards'. However, that seemed to be mainly by Jacko (who is not there next Thursday for some reason) and other players who are now on holiday (Danny Hagan & Olie Tedder) or might be working late (Rob Brown & Stuart ?).
I can't see the Southgate Hockey Centre agreeing to that anyway, but if they did, I know what will happen...hardly any of the players that normally stay for a drink will be there and the likes of Tem, Daley, Lee King, etc. will just go straight home like they always do. I will then have to take the flak...as always, or we will then be asked to pay another £25 when we turn up for 7-a-side the following week.

So...let's say we decide to book the grass field next week for either £75 (which is more likely) or £50 (if we are lucky). Do we then charge each player £5.00 each (which must be paid on the night) in addition to the £5.00's that the players playing in the 7-a-side match will pay (as normal) ?
That will mean that 8 (or 9) players will be paying £10.00 each and we will need a minimum of 15 players turning up for training to break even.
Will players (and particularly trialists who nobody knows) be prepared to pay £5.00 or more to attend training ? Some definitely won't (in my opinion).
We already have Jacko, Danny Hagan, Olie Tedder, Scott Lewis, Stuart and Danny Smith (I think ?) not available next Thursday and we only have three players who were not there last night (Jim Arrowsmith, Lexton Harrison and John Scoullar) being able to attend next week...at the moment.
I hope I am wrong, but I also thought I heard Lee King saying something last night about him and Dean intending playing for their mates' team on Sundays now (when I suggested we have a Sunday morning training session on the 1st August instead of (or as well as) at 7-a-side).

Basically, I therefore need a lot of assurances from players before I go ahead and try and negotiate with the SHC to use the grass field next Thursday.
Please let me know on here, by e-mail or by text/phone what you think.

I thought yesterday was a really good session, well worthwhile. I do not think £75 is a fair amount when basically we already pay for access to the showers and what not. If you could negotiate it to $ 50 i think that would be ok but the goals should definately be included. I personally see no problem with £5 for training but do not think that those that play should be paying £10, at most £7 so if it did work out at $50 it would be 10 players paying £7 and then 6 paying £5 if we have good turn outs like last night again we should calculate and reduce fee's where applicable firstly from those that play 7 aside then from the others.

Although I am working late next week and I almost certainly wouldn't be able to make the 7-a-side match, I would be happy to turn up for training at 8 and pay a fiver. Anymore than a fiver for what is basically a dry patch of grass with no goals would be a waste of money though.

Other questions:

1.How many more matches are there left in the 7-a-side league?

2.Is it worth having training on say a Wed at Firs Farm or Enfield Playing Fields until the season starts/7-a-side league ends?

There is a park near where i live called Victoria park. There are goals left up all year round and the pitches are marked out. It's not too far from the 7 a side venue. Why not train there on any given night while it's still light as no-one uses them? There are NO changing rooms but it's free and the goals have nets should any of you khunts hit the target! lol. Just a thought. It's off of Park Road, EN4 9 SOMETHING OR OTHER. There are two pitches there plus some swings too lol. Go on to Google maps and search Lawton Road, New Barnet Herts and then check out the satalite pic. Just a suggestion though.

We have a match every Thursday up to and including the 2nd September.
Next Thursday is a 7.00.p.m. kick-off, then the remaining 6 matches are all either 8.00 or 9.00 p.m. kick-offs.

We had this discussion a couple of months ago and numerous players said they can only train or play 7-a-side one night a week because of work, family (and in Barney's case Netball !) commitments.
If we trained at Firs Farm or EPF on a Wednesday night (or even a Monday night), we would get no more than 8 turn up, and those playing 7-a-side the following night would not be there.
I know we had 20 there last night, so you would think 12 would turn up to training on a Wednesday night if they were not playing 7-a-side the following night, but don't forget there will be loads of players on holiday in August and others who will be training with/playing for Saturday clubs.
Also, we want the whole squad to train together, not be split up into two on two separate nights.

As I said last night to several players who suggested it, we cannot pull out of the 7-a-side League now and then have free training only at Firs Farm or EPF on a Thursday night for the rest of the Summer.
We will be wasting half the initial 7-a-side League entrance fee (£60) and they will not let us back in the League next Summer if we dropped out now.

This is from Trev...
(He can't post on here from work at the moment)

Regarding training my view was that we should offer £40 (not $50 !) which would be £76 in total including the £36 7 a side fee. Don’t guarantee a piss up afterwards but just point out that we are likely to have more people using the bar afterwards.

We only need to consider the other options if the SHC say no.

Also...and these are my thoughts, not from Trev...AC Varosi didn't enter the 7-a-side League this Summer but back in May they started using the grass field every Thursday of their own accord for 20-man training sessions like we did last night.
That stopped a few weeks ago when the SHC told them they must pay to use the field, which they were obviously not prepared to do.
Assuming they were told to pay £75 when they are not over there for the 7-a-side League, then we should be charged £39 to use it. (i.e. £75 less the £36 we are paying for the 7-a-side match)....although having said that, if that £36 is Mr.Wildgoose's Refereeing fee per match, then we don't have much to bargain with do we ?

By the way, Daley is another one who now has to work late on Thursday nights and I think Tony King said he is also working late next week. Unless we get a load of people replying to the advert on the League website, there is no way we are going to get 20 over there next Thursday, that's for sure.

£22 per game.

...also, Varosi would have been using the field for two hours for £75. On Thursday night, we only used it for an hour because we were playing 7-a-side afterwards.
We didn't start until 8.15 because people turned up late, and we finished at 9.15. (15 minutes into the 7-a-side match).

i think there takin the piss £75 tell them to poke it.