2009/10 Season - A New Beginning...

I apologise that it has taken this long to get some information out to you regarding the new season, however both myself and Ivan have been looking at new opportunities due to a number of people becoming disillusioned with the set-up of the Barnesalona League.

I am pleased to announce that Loko have decided to take a step upwards and join an active league playing a higher standard of football which is affiliated to the London Football Association. Next year we will be playing in the Sportsmans Sunday League Division 3 with the prospect of promotion and threat of relegation. The league comprises seven divisions, Sportsman Amateur Division, Sportsman Amateur Reserves, then Divisions 1-5, so in effect we will be playing in the 5th Division out of 7.

Note the Sportsmans League Website and all fixtures tables and statistics on the Football Mitoo website , both linked on the right hand side of this website.

There are many advantages to this League, we will play our home games at Riverside Lands next to Duke Meadows over from Barnes Bridge, 10 minutes from Barn Elms, which are better quality pitches. We will now play teams away from home based in West and South London such as Clapham, Wandsworth, Norbury, Wimbledon, Raynes Park etc which will be much more challenging.

There are 12 teams including us in our division and a knockout cup competition meaning 23 guaranteed games and we are now entitled to enter the London FA Cup Sunday Competitions. The pitches will be better, changing rooms better and standard of football much higher. All league games kick off at 10.30am with a 10.00am kick off for cup games in case of extra time.

The team did become European Champions (See photo above of us at the end of the Tournoi) at the end of last season by winning our Tournoi for the first time since 1994 and there is the chance to defend our title in Lausanne, Switzerland at the end of this season on Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd May 2010. The cost for this year is cheaper than last year at 200 Pound all in plus extra night Thursday 45 Pound and flights (currently various Easyjet flights from Gatwick to Geneva Thursday 20th to Sunday 23rd with 1 x 20kg bag) at 73 Pound Return. Total 318 Pounds.

I want to recruit some new players for next season and look forward to hearing from some of our existing players about playing for us again next season.

With the better organisation this League brings, comes more responsibility from us and from you. Loko now must register players with the London Football Association and for each player we register there is a cost to the club, therefore we ask that if you chose to join us in this new beginning you take it seriously and commit to attending and will be available for selection as much as possible, and we ask that you make yourself available for at least half of the games during the season, as we cannot play ringers who are unregistered and registering a player who only plays four times a season is a waste of the clubs money. The club can be fined for numerous reasons therefore we will look to comply with all rules and regulations and ask you to do the same, an example being a fine for being unable to field a team.

The cost will be similar to last season with a 40 Pound Membership fee (instead of 45 Pound) to cover our start up costs with the League, and weekly subs of 7 Pound Full Match and 3.50 Substitutes to cover cost of pitch and referees each week. We ask that the membership is paid at the start of September if possible, as Ivan has paid the League up front.

The season will start on Sunday 20th September, however we are going to organise some training in Battersea Park on Wednesday 9th September at 6.30pm and a friendly on 13th September so that we can start to get a little match fitness. Details will be confirmed but we will aim for a 10.30am or 11.00am kick off. There may be some more training on Wednesday 16th September but this will be confirmed.

It is important that you attend training on the 9th or the Friendly 13th September in order to fill in your registration form for the forthcoming season that we have to send off to the London Football Association. If you need to make other arrangements for filling in and signing the form please let us know.

Finally, the League is much more organised and there is a committee meeting every Monday night from 7pm just off Lillee Road between Putney and Hammersmith to pay for pitches (when home team) and to file paperwork such as registrations, me and Ivan are happy to share meetings prior to home games to pay pitch money, but we would like two or three volunteers to rotate attendance and show a Loko face prior to away games (roughly 11 or 12 nights during the season) just for 30 - 60 min or so in case any urgent business arises, but not likely anything to do.

This is your club and we hope that you will join us in taking it forward and enjoy your football even more.

Many Thanks

Dale
The Gaffer