Our notes for the past number of weeks have dealt with looking back at the 20 teams that competed in the WW/EC League last season and last week we announced our team of the season. It was an entirely personal selection and at the time of compiling our notes for this week we have not heard of any complaint, which does appear to be a vote of confidence in our knowledge of the players.

The past season is long finished and in a few weeks the new season, 2013/2014 will commence. Some clubs are already back training, playing tournaments and other clubs have commenced pre-season training.

Two clubs will be running tournaments, Valley Rangers and Castlebridge, with the Castlelyons tournament underway since last Monday.

We have written through the years that the clubs that will prepare properly for the start of the season will be the ones that will have the league points on the league table and it is always difficult for other teams to play catch up football, especially in divisions where there may be only 16 or 18 games in a season. We have spoken to other leagues in the past few days to learn that many of those leagues will have at least five or six rounds of their league programme completed by the start of September. This then allows so many teams to concentrate on the FAI and Munster Junior Cup competitions and the leagues to have their squads ready for the Oscar Traynor Cup.

Our own season will kick off with the Bolger Cup, week ending 18th August and the league itself will be commencing 15th September.

DELEGATE MEETING

The first delegate meeting of season 2013/2014 will take place at Lismore House Hotel on Monday, 29th July commencing at 8.30pm. The draw for the Tony Bolger Cup will take place and the Bolger Cup will commence w/e 18th August.

All clubs are reminded to have their league application form with them on the night, and are also reminded that any delegate not present at the roll call will be marked absent and the club fined as per rule.

As usual we have heard of the “new” clubs that are entering and the clubs that will not be competing, and as we have written many times, this to us is the silly season where rumours abound.

We will have to wait until next Monday night to learn how many teams will be competing in the coming season as we have been informed that two of last year’s teams will not be with the WWEC League come the start of the season.

TJ Moloney, O’Neills Sports, has asked to let all the clubs know he will be in attendance at Lismore House Hotel from 7.30pm to meet with the club representatives before the meeting.

The clubs wishing to enter the FAI Junior Cup and the Munster Junior Cup can collect the entry form for both cup competitions at the meeting from the league hon secretary.

Once again, a reminder that the delegate meeting will commence at 8.30pm sharp.

YOUTH FOOTBALL

In a follow up to our article last week, re the youth league, a meeting was held last Monday night with the interested clubs. The committee and the clubs agreed to run an U17 and an U19 league this season, commencing with the U17 league at the end of August. This is good news for the league and more importantly, for the clubs themselves.

League chairman, Alan McNamee has been very active since the league’s AGM in holding meetings with a view to having the youth league up and running as early as possible. The feedback from the meeting on Monday night has been positive.

Arising from the meeting, the WW/EC League will enter a team in the Umbro FAI Youth Inter League Cup. The league was very happy with the commitment shown by all the players selected and the same management committee – Liam Fraser, Tom Owens and Jason Browne – will again be in charge of the league team. All three last year showed the dedication that is required and this dedication and commitment spread to the players.

FAI ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The AGM of the Football Association Of Ireland was held last weekend in the Arklow Bay Hotel, Co. Wicklow. The WW/EC League was represented by Paddy Pollard.

The meeting followed the week’s Festival of Football throughout the county in which 26 clubs were visited, with Ray Houghton, Jason McAteer and Noel King, plus John Delaney and the Irish manager, Giovanni Trapattoni, in attendance. It was a fantastic week visiting the clubs with the reception that was accorded by all the clubs, from the young to the old, all making everyone feel welcome. This was the 7th year of the Festival of Football that precedes the AGM and it is now quite obvious that this football week has captured the hearts and minds of all leagues throughout the country with the AGM now booked for the next four years in Westmeath, Sligo, Tipperary and Kilkenny.

The AGM on Saturday heard reports from president Paddy McCaul, financial firector, Tony Dignam and the CEO John Delaney. While the usual negativity from some sections of the media preceded the meeting, listening to the CEO, the news was positive with the Association with an operating profit of €6.2m, the highest in its history. The net debt estimated at €63m will be cleared by 2020, and this, considering the current difficult economic climate, is commendable.

Nearer home, John Delaney appealed to Waterford Utd and their former manager Stephen Henderson to engage in meaningful dialogue which is far more likely to result in a resolution.

For schoolboy football, the controversial rule of the 49km has been put back to an EGM of the SFAI to be held shortly.

Overall, the meeting was positive with only one contribution from the floor and this was regarding the schoolboy rule.

Next year’s AGM will be held in Westmeath to coincide with the end of president Paddy McCaul’s four year tenure at the helm of the Association. Cork’s Tony Fitzgerald will then be elected president of the FAI.

FAI AND MUNSTER JUNIOR CUP FORMS

Clubs wishing to take part in this season’s FAI and Munster Junior Cups can obtain their application forms from the hon secretary of the WW/EC League or at the delegate meeting on Monday night next at Lismore House Hotel.

FAI NATIONAL DRAW

As we wrote a few weeks back, the FAI are organising a national draw to benefit all the clubs and leagues throughout the country. The FAI organises the draw, the prizes, printing etc – the clubs purchas the tickets for between €1 and €2, depending on how many tickets are ordered by the club/s. The price of the tickets are €10 each with all the monies being retained by the club. The FAI will not make any profit from the draw.

To ensure that the prize winners are local, there will be four regional draws, as well as the national draw.

There are many excellent prizes at both regional and national level and prizes for the clubs themselves.

This draw is a no brainer for the clubs who are finding this economic climate difficult to raise monies to keep the club afloat. Monies made from the ticket sales will stay with the club and this draw is designed to help the clubs for the season. Clubs continuously tell us how difficult it is at present to raise funds, funds that are needed to pay their insurance, look after their match day expenses and overall to help with their everyday expenses that help to keep clubs on a firm footing throughout the season.

At present 198 clubs have availed of the draw with a total of 51,700 tickets already purchased, so for all clubs in the WW/EC League, we would suggest you purchase your tickets as soon as possible.