You can now click here to download/view a PDF of the Waltham Sunday League Handbook for the coming 2011-2012 Season. (This is hidden away on the League's Full-Time website...if you can find it !).

The handbook has been updated by League General Secretary Denis Coventry. It is a job I used to do, and the layout and design is pretty much all mine. I stopped doing the handbook about 4 years ago as I was too busy to update it during the Summer months.

There are a hell of a lot of changes and re-wording of the rules and regulations in there from last season's handbook. It looks to me as if a lot of it is mandatory Football Association stuff that the League have been forced to insert, although other things do look suspiciously like 'somebody' making up their own rules as they go along without it being minuted as a League Management Committee decision !?

Here are some of the more interesting changes to the handbook...
1) Firstly, you will see on the opening page that we now have to text the results in (to Denis only) instead of phoning them in to several different officers. This is a good thing as it will mean the results will appear online a couple of hours earlier every Sunday. However, what the hell does 'You will send a Text to say the Text was received' mean ?

2) On Page 8, it says 'New Member Clubs have one year to achieve the Charter Standard club award'. WTF !!?
I always thought the F.A.'s Charter Standard Club award was for clubs who own their own grounds and run a Youth set-up ? Surely the 7 or 8 new clubs joining the League for next season don't have that ?!

3) On Page 11 (Rule No.8 ), there are a couple of new rules which appear to be stopping illegal immigrants and soldiers playing Sunday League football ! That sounds like the F.A. being a bit 'silly' if you ask me !

4) On Page 12 (Rule 8e), you will notice there is a new rule whereby each club is charged £2.00 per registered player (instead of getting the first 30 free) ! What this means is that a lot of clubs will now register as few players as they possibly can and then attempt to play ringers in an effort to save money. However, I still prefer to sign up as many players as we can as we (as a well-run club) can afford £2.00 each. If you get caught playing ringers, it's a £50.00 fine and you lose the match anyway, so what's the point ? In this League, teams playing ringers do quite often get caught, especially if they have won the match.

5) Now my League Website has been scrapped, Referees' e-mail addresses are no longer accessible. Denis Coventry has told all Club Secretaries that Referees must be phoned and not e-mailed next season. I have argued that I cannot do this as I work evenings, so I would have to phone them during the day when they are at work. Rule 10d on Page 14 still says that Referees can be e-mailed though, so if he fines me for that, then he is wrong.

6) Page 14 (Rule 10e). It says 'In the event of a Club playing in any match with less than 11 players, they may be fined £1.00 for each missing player' ! WTF !!!? Well this is definitely one that Denis has just inserted himself, as it did not appear in any minutes last season and there is no way that is an F.A. ruling. It's another totally unnecessary money-grabbing idea to kick teams in the nuts when they are struggling. Well out of order in my book.

7) Page 12 (Rule 10L)...it says 'The League shall require all players and club officials to have signed the F.A.'s Respect Code of Conduct...'. How and when are we supposed to be doing this ? Does this mean players can't play until they have signed ?

8 ) Page 26 (Cup Rule 23)...There's the rule in black & white that has been specifically brought in to kick me in the nuts personally. For what reason, I still honestly don't know !

9) On Page 42 in the Club Directory, a new team to the League (Edmonton Blades) also have a Secretary named Laurence Hughes ! Blimey, what a co-incidence !

10) On Page 45 in the Club Directory, a new team to the League (Old Pond) also have a Secretary named Tony Ritter...the same as Percival. Blimey, another co-incidence !

So there you go, welcome to the wacky world of the Waltham Sunday League for Season 2011-2012...without me on board to correct things.

...and here's the list of Leagues using the Full-Time system with the 'most visited' Leagues listed first.
Our League is currently 226th and Denis Coventry thinks it will get to No.1 now my League website has been scrapped...this being one of the official reasons he has given for making that decision.

We shall see. My League website goes offline on the 4th August and my guess is that by the end of September the Waltham Sunday League's Full-Time site will be no higher than 100th...unless he spends a whole day deliberately clicking on the Home page to bump it up the rankings !?

Which I am sure he will do as he has nothing better to do with his life.

Some of the grammar in the hand book is a joke !!!! appalling in fact.

" Enfield Rangers v Lea Valley Royals has been abandoned Enfield Rangers have charged, waiting for Middlesex FA for decision"

Who or what have Enfield Rangers 'charged'?

The guy has the intelligence of plankton....