Amateur Football Combination - News

LOB Veterans Cup Final (May 2013) - The London Old Boys Veterans Cup Final, between Old Meadonians and Old Salvatorians, will be played on Thursday 18th May, 7.30pm KO at North Greenford United FC, Berkeley Fields, Berkeley Avenue, Greenford, Middlesex, UB6 0NX. All support is welcome.

Southern Amateur League vs AFC (April 2013) - On Wednesday 3rd April, the AFC lost 3-0 against the Southern Amateur League at Potters Bar Town F.C. Squad: Nick Brethanoux, Dan Lettington, Joe Mariani (Old Parmiterians), Aaron DaSilva, Mark Nelson (Old Minchendenians), Timi Dorgu, Tim Kaiser (HAC), Peter Eguae (Old Meadonians), Steve Embleton (Old Belgravians), Chris Heritage (Old Hamptonians), Matt O'Sullivan (Old Ignatians), Chris Parlett (Old Suttonians), Ciaran Prendergast (Albanian), David Stevens (Bealonians). Click here for a match report.

AFC vs Yorkshire Old Boys (March 2013) - On Saturday 30th March, the AFC beat the Yorkshire Old Boys 2-1 in a 3pm KO at Bealonians FC, Squad: Chris Parfell, Nick Woodward (Old Suttonians), Stephen Bowe, Tim Chenery, Aaron DaSilva (Old Minchendenians), Peter Eguae (Old Meadonians), Scott Lewis, Joe Mariani, Ben Olushola, John Sergeant (Old Parmiterians), Conor O'Grady, Matt O'Sullivan (Old Ignatians), David Stevens (Bealonians). Click here for a match report.

Games at Easter (March 2013) - With potential fixture backlogs, if any clubs wish to have games over the Easter weekend can they please contact their League Match Secretary as soon as possible.

AFC Club Ratings (March 2013) - The AFC club ratings to the end of February 2013 have been released. Click here for details.

Old Kingsburians (February 2013) - The Fixtures Committee have agreed to the withdrawal of Old Kingsburians 1sts from 2 North. Their record has been expunged.

Peter Mills Remembered (February 2013) - It is with regret we have to report that Peter Mills, recently awarded the MBE, passed away over the weekend. Peter had been a stalwart at Dorkinians for over sixty years, and was a familiar face to all at the club, passionate about all levels of the club, adult and youth. Our sympathies to his friends and family. The funeral will be held on Friday 15th March, 2pm at St Martin's Church in Dorking - the family have asked for colourful ties to be worn!

Return of Trophies (February 2013) - Please can clubs ensure that all LOB and AFC trophies are returned to:- Len Fowler Trophies Ltd, 4 Lamp Office Court, Lambs Conduit Street, London WC1N 3NF. Tel: 0207 405 6130, website www.lenfowlers.com . Lamp Office Court is a gated alleyway almost opposite Rugby Street.

Wood Green Old Boys (February 2013) - The Fixtures Committee have agreed to the withdrawal of Wood Green Old Boys 5ths from 10 North. Their record has been expunged.

AFC vs Arthurian League (February 2013) - On Wednesday 20th February the AFC beat the Arthurian League 3-1 at Wadham Lodge Sports Centre,

The squad is Steve Bowe, Tim Chenery (Old Minchendenians), Nick Brethanoux, Dan Lettington, Scott Lewis, Joe Mariani (Old Parmiterians), Chris North (Old Wokingians), Timi Dorgu, Tim Kaiser (HAC), Chris Heritage (Old Hamptonians), Craig Jones (Old Meadonians), Matt O'Sullivan (Old Ignatians), Chris Parlett, Nick Woodward (Old Suttonians), David Stevens (Bealonians)

The referee will be John Fowler, assisted by Ashley Hickson-Lovence and John Couzins.

The following matches will be against the Yorkshire Old Boys, on Saturday 30th March at Bealonians FC, 3pm KO and against the Southern Amateur League, on Wednesday 3rd April, 7.30pm KO (venue TBC).

AFC's Albert Adomah at the African Cup of Nations (February 2013) - Those of you following the African Cup of Nations may wish to note that Albert Adomah (Bristol City and Ghana) started out his footballing career at Old Meadonians, before moving onto Harrow Borough, Barnet and Bristol City. Ghana will play their semi final on Wednesday.

Mike Sainsbury Away (January 2013) - Please note that Mike Sainsbury (Results Secretary) will be away from 9th to 26th February. In his absence please contact Ian Andrews.

Matt Le Tissier at AFC Annual Dinner 2013 (January 2013) - We are delighted to announce that the guest speaker at the Amateur Football Combination's Annual Dinner and Presentation of Trophies will be Matt Le Tissier or Sky Sports, Southampton and England.

The dinner will be held on Thursday 23rd May 2013 at The Oval, and ticket details will be published in due course.

Matt's presence as guest speaker is our prize for being a Gold Award Winner of the FA's Respect Awards in 2012.

8 - 10 South - League Match Secretary (January 2013) - Please note that James Whitmarsh has now taken over as League Match Secretary for divisions 8 - 10 South, and any queries concerning these divisions should be sent to him, rather than to Mike Reilly.

Ravenscroft Old Boys (January 2013) - The Fixtures Committee have agreed to the withdrawal of Ravenscroft Old Boys from 3 North. Their record has been expunged.

Wood Green Old Boys (January 2013) - The Fixtures Committee have agreed to the withdrawal of Wood Green Old Boys from Senior One. Their record has been expunged.

Ian Andrews - back online (January 2013) - Please note that Ian Andrews (Secretary) home telephone and internet connection have now been restored, and he is fully functioning again!

Minute's Silence for Richard Nieuwenhuizen (December 2012) The following has been sent around by Dermot Collins, Respect Manager at the Football Association - "I’m sure that like me you would have been shocked and saddened to hear the tragic news from Holland, where a father went out at the weekend to watch his son play football, volunteered to be the club assistant referee as many of us do every weekend but the weekend would end in tragedy as he was attacked and killed. The actions of last weekend won’t only have had a devastating impact for his family but also for the young men who have now been charged with manslaughter.

As a league we regularly talk about the importance of Respect and Spirit of Football, the death of Richard Nieuwenhuizen should focus the mind on what Respect and Spirit of Football stands for. 

Many people will say that couldn’t happen here, I’m sure colleagues in Holland said the same, but last season we did have a situation where after a game a club assistant referee was attacked and players joined in, it just needs one punch or kick for a tragedy. Bill Shankly once said “ Football is not a matter of life and death, it’s more important than that” - probably tongue in cheek - there are many things that are more important, life its self, good health, family and friends to name a few.

We have discussed before that referees, assistant referees, players, managers and coaches will and do make mistakes, and yes football is a game of passion, but we need to keep a perspective it’s a game, there to be enjoyed by everyone involved.

So this weekend I’m asking you to remind your players and parents of the importance of Respect and Spirit of Football and join me in holding a minutes silence before your game not only to show support for Richards family but our colleagues in Holland and also to take few seconds of quiet reflection on Respect and Spirit of Football and this great game we all love."

FA Inter League Cup 2013-14 (December 2012) - The Amateur Football Combination has been given a bye in the Preliminary Round of the FA Inter League Cup, which is due to run across 2013 and 2014. Click here for full details of the draw.

Old St Mary's 5ths withdrawn (December 2012) - Old St Mary's have requested their 5th XI be removed from 10 South, due to the refusal of a number of players to play for other sides within the club. This has been agreed by the league and the team's record as been expunged.

AFC Referees Secretaries wanted (December 2012) - The Amateur Football Combination is currently seeking three Referees' Secretaries, to cover the Senior, Northern and Southern regions of the league. Click here for more details.

Warren Robertson Away (December 2012) - Warren Robertson (League Match Secretary, 1-5 South) will be away from 1/12/12 to 9/12/12. In his absence please contact Jamie Brunton.

Southern Amateur League vs AFC (November 2012) - Unfortunately, tonight's game at Potters Bar FC against the Southern Amateur League has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

AFC vs Cambridge University (November 2012) - Unfortunately, the AFC match vs Cambridge University, due to be played on Wednesday 28th November has been postponed, due to Cambridge having been drawn away to Worcester University on the same day in the last sixteen of the BUSA Trophy.

AFC Club Ratings (November 2012) - The first set of club ratings for the new season have been released. Click here for details.

Christmas Fixtures (November 2012) - We will not be arranging any fixtures for Saturday 22nd December or Saturday 29th December, so if any clubs wish to have a league fixture on this date, please contact your League Match Secretary. Note that Saturday 15th December and Saturday 5th January 2013 will be normal playing days, with a full fixture list arranged as usual.

Eddie Myers Remembered (November 2012) - We are sorry to have to report that Eddie Myers, a Vice President of the league passed away recently. Eddie played for Old Thorntonians in the OBFL for many years, served as a referee for many more, and also held positions on the Executive Committees of the OBFL and AFC.

The funeral will be held at 11.15 am (please note the change of time) on Tuesday 13th November at Croydon Crematorium and afterwards at Surrey National Golf Club, Rook Lane, Chaldon, Surrey CR3 5AA. The family have requested no flowers, rather any donations payable to Fe Myers who will pass these on to the care home that looked after Eddie.

London Legal League 1 AFC 6 (October 2012) - On Wednesday 24th October, the AFC beat the London Legal League 6-1 at Dulwich Hamlet FC. Click here for a match report. 

The following two games will be on Wednesday 21st November (vs Southern Amateur League at Potters Bar Town F.C.) and Wednesday 28th November (vs Cambridge University at Wadham Lodge Stadium).

All support is welcome.

Valuables and Cars (October 2012) - We've had similar problems in the past, and clubs and referees are warned of the potential for thefts of valuables from cars as well as changing rooms. The not uncommon MO of those concerned is to wait and watch teams putting valuables in cars and then break into them once games are in progress. Nor should clubs assume that the changing rooms are secure, as doors can be forced. We would recommend that valuables are taken out onto the field of play and left with the goalkeeper.

Sad to say, nowhere is completely safe. Please be aware.

Old Wokingians Charter Standard Award (Sep 2012) - Congratulations to Old Wokingians, who have recently become the latest AFC club to be awarded the Charter Standard Status.

Changes to Laws of the Game 2012-13 (Sep 2012) - Clubs and referees are reminded that for season 2012-13 there have been in total there have been 5 amendments top the Laws of the Game, including the colour of a player's socks now having to match the colour of any external tape used, as well as changes to the rules if a goal is scored directly from a dropped ball. Click here for full details.

Repeat Substitutes Trial 2012-13 (Sep 2012) - At the 2012 Annual General Meeting, it was agreed by a 48-38 vote to allow repeat substitutions within the Amateur Football Combination for season 2012-13, as part of a national pilot within English football. This will only apply to Amateur Football Combination games, cup competitions determine themselves whether to adopt the pilot. 

For a number of years the Football Association has been petitioning FIFA to allow competitions to allow repeat substitutes in adult male football. It is already permitted in most 11-a-side football in this country, namely youth football, women's football and veteran's football, and in a bid to address the continuing decline in adult male 11-a-side football, the FA have been pushing to allow this experiment, to demonstrate it will increase participation. FIFA have granted the FA a two year window (2012-13 and 2013-14) to allow competitions to try it, though the Amateur Football Combination is only running a one year experiment, to be reviewed in June 2013.

It is worth emphasising that for many of our players, repeat subs is standard. They're used to it at their 5-a-side, they're used to it from youth football, it's only when they step up to "open aged" football that substitutes are more restricted. They're also used to it in pre-season, the vast majority of AFC pre-season games are played with repeat substitutes.

In the Amateur Football Combination clubs will continue to be allowed to use three substitutes (the minimum we can specify), but repeat substitutes will be allowed - we are about people playing football, not watching football. It will apply for all divisions, we don't want confusion where one week a player/referee is in a repeat sub division, the next they are not.

There will be one additional administrative requirement. Every player becomes a potential substitute (because they can leave the pitch and come back on again). This means that the names of all players have to be given to the referee before kick-off, so the Amateur Football Combination will be requiring teams to provide the referee with a team sheet of players' names before kick-off.

The AFC have issued guidance notes for clubs and referees on the Repeat Substitutions for season 2012-13. We have also produced a template team sheet for AFC games, in both PDF and Word format (to allow clubs to modify it if required).

Submitting Results for 2012-13 (Sep 2012) - There are a number of changes to the way results need to be submitted by clubs for season 2012-13. Click here for details.

Ian Andrews Away (Sep 2012) - Please note that Ian Andrews, League Secretary, is away from 8th September until 20th September. In his absence please contact Danny McConnell.

AFC Preseason Fixture Bureau Open (Jul 2012) - The AFC season will kick off for Senior and Intermediate Divisions on Saturday 8th September 2012, and for all other divisions on Saturday 15th September 2012. However, if any sides wish to start league games on Saturday 1st September, please contact their League Match Secretary.

The preseason fixture bureau is now open.

AFC Representative Team Trial (Jul 2012) - The AFC Representative Team will be running some trial games during September, prior to the new season's campaign. If clubs have players they wish to be considered please contact the team manager, Bill Blackwell.