Local Football

[FelindreJack]

Absolutely gone to the dogs. I would imagine anyone who follows the Swansea Senior league will agree.

This isn’t even a dig at the committee either, they are a whole other story, but in my short time back involved in local football, the difference between now and when I played 10 years ago or so is unbelievable. Opposition managers and coaches throwing abuse and threats, players want to get up and fight you if you put a challenge in on them, spectators physically and verbally abusing players, and even the other way around.

If I had known this is what the Swansea leagues had become, I wouldn’t have bothered. It’s sad state of affairs when you think back to what the league was 20/30+ years ago.

 

[Smurph]

I packed it in about 10 years ago and even then a lot of the time some of the opposition were only interested in scrapping rather than playing.

At one point we had one of the biggest local league set ups in the UK.

 

[FelindreJack]

Honestly never seen anything like it. I remember going to watch my old man play for Murton Rovers for whom he played for years. I don’t ever remember players acting like they do these days. And like you said, the Swansea league was one of the best in the whole of the UK. I can see why a lot of people wouldn’t bother if they had to come up against this every week.

 

[Smurph]

Honestly never seen anything like it. I remember going to watch my old man play for Murton Rovers for whom he played for years. I don’t ever remember players acting like they do these days. And like you said, the Swansea league was one of the best in the whole of the UK. I can see why a lot of people wouldn’t bother if they had to come up against this every week.

I spent most of my time playing for Murton Rovers, we had four sides at one point. It was a sad day when the ground was sold that the club house was on.

Absolutely loved my days playing on a Saturday.

 

[Andrew - North Hill]

My theory is that as the professional game has softened up over the last 20-30 years, it has given unrealistic expectations to players at local level that they can expect it to be similar in terms of protection, player safety etc. When it isn't, they can't cope with it so they react in a really prissy manner.

20-30 years when the game you saw on TV was a lot harder, there was less of a disconnect between the two worlds and taking a whack or leaving something on someone was just regarded as normal.

It's a society thing mainly I reckon.

 

[Swanjaxs]

I packed it in about 10 years ago and even then a lot of the time some of the opposition were only interested in scrapping rather than playing.

At one point we have one of the biggest local league set ups in the UK.

30 years ago the Swansea Senior League was the second biggest local league in the UK, only bettered by the Liverpool Sunday league (there were no games played on the Saturday)...

 

[FelindreJack]

My theory is that as the professional game has softened up over the last 20-30 years, it has given unrealistic expectations to players at local level that they can expect it to be similar in terms of protection, player safety etc. When it isn't, they can't cope with it so they react in a really prissy manner.

20-30 years when the game you saw on TV was a lot harder, there was less of a disconnect between the two worlds and taking a whack or leaving something on someone was just regarded as normal.

It's a society thing mainly I reckon.

Spot on Andrew. Lads these days are calling for decisions that would be difficult to make in the Premier League with VAR, and getting overly aggressive with officials if it doesn’t go their way, particularly when it comes to people putting in tackles, I’ve seen it and been on the end of it myself this season.

It most certainly is a societal/generational thing, I can see it first hand running a side in other aspects as well. The commitment and desire to train midweek is non existent, even giving availability for games on the weekend. The list of excuses I’ve had this season would make the old boys cringe.

I grew up loving playing football, as did my old man, and thankfully he instilled in me the desire to play every weekend and to make sure I was always there. You just don’t see it much in a lot of players which is sad, and probably contributed to the downfall of the Swansea Senior Leagues.

 

[CurtessECarr]

Haven't followed the local Swansea league for around 30 years. Out of interest how many teams and divisions are there now?
When I played back in the mid 70s.
We had 6 divisions and 5 reserve divisions on a Saturday and 6 divisions on a Sunday.
I remember being told then we had the 2nd largest league in the UK only second to Birmingham.

 

[FelindreJack]

Currently 2 senior divisions, 12 teams in top division, 11 teams in the 2nd. 4 reserve divisions but not sure how many teams are in each.

 

[Gors Buster]

I knocked it on the head when we moved to the Liberty and all the boys got season tickets.
It was hardly the land of milk and honey back then.
Horror tackles, broken legs, everyone still on it from the night before….

 

[Swanjaxs]

When I played Sunday Div 1 teams were allowed to play up to four Welsh league players, I can honestly say the standard in the Sunday league was higher than the Saturday.

 

[SgorioFruit]

what about the welsh leagues though? I watch Ammanford in the Cymru South. I go to at least one game a month. The standard is quite enjoyable to watch. The clubs at that level are so linked to their communities too, it's great.
No trouble at all in the crowds. And i have only seen nothing but respect on the pitch too.

 

[FelindreJack]

You’re talking a much higher level than I am Sgorio. You would expect all that from clubs like Ammanford. There’s a couple teams and
managers who I’ve come up against this year that need looking in to because their behaviour and the way they conduct themselves is like nothing I’ve ever seen before, and certainly not the way you’d expect a man running a side to behave.