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MACCLESFIELD NEWS!
FOOTBALL: BUREAUCRATS KO FALLIBROOME HIGH SCHOOL In a bizarre move, Cheshire Schools Football Association have NOT put forward Fallibroome's Under 16s football team to the English Schools FA national knock-out competition, despite their outstanding success in the county. The usual format is for the two finalists in the Cheshire Cup to be nominated. Unfortunately, only the semi-final stages have been reached, with Fallibroome set to to play Ellesmere port in one of those. Fallibroome, last years Cheshire Cup winners, are strong favorites to lift the trophy again. Despite this, Ellesmere Port and one of the other semi-finalists have been 'selected'. The basis for this is unknown, especially as Fallibroome have offered to play the tie anytime, any place. The fact that the deadline for the first round of the national competition is not for some weeks yet makes this decision all the more extraordinary. PROTESTS Naturally, the Macclesfield pupils feel extremely bitter and angry, as do many of those who follow the fortunes of the team. One of the players told 01625.Com "This is an outrage. We have a real chance of winning the national cup and we are being robbed. We have never lost in the Cheshire Cup and would win it again. They must know that. They just don't like us on this side of the county". Similar views were sent to us by Debbie Clark of Broken Cross: "What are kids supposed to think of bureaucrats like that? What are we supposed to tell them when we agree that this is blatant. How can we expect them to respect authorities like this when we have no respect? Give some people a small amount of power over others and look what happens. So much for sporting spirit."
Fallibroome Under 16s After Winning Last Years Cheshire Cup
The protest though is gathering momentum. An angry Mrs Clark added "Some of the kids are creating a spoof FA website, one of the parents is writing to our MP, and more actions are planned". Clearly feelings are running high across many parts of the town, with pupils of other schools also offering support. Even the local football clubs are being pulled into controversy, with the manager of our top Under 16s side, Bollington United, commenting that "This decision is obviously a nonsense. Someone at the FA needs to look at this because the decision is bringing the FA into serious disrepute here. Surely football should decide who represents Cheshire, not some administrators pen" The competitions organisers, the ESFA (English Schools Football Association) appear to be attempting to distance themselves from the controversy, by claiming that the Cheshire nominee (a Mr Geoff Reynolds) was responsible for putting forward teams. Despite the fact that they control the competition, they are equally unwilling to take steps to resolve the problem.
NEXT STEPS The school itself has already suggested a number of ways forward and is again requesting a re-think. 01625.Com will keep you posted with the outcome.
WHAT WE THINK The best teams in the county should represent the county. It's as simply as that. In this case, the teams are being selected on some other, unknown, criteria. This is bound to raise all sorts of suspicions. The way out of the situation is simple: allow Fallibroome to play their semi-final opponents to determine the representative. The fact that these groups of bureaucrats are evading this fact does them no credit at all, and re-enforces the views of those who regard them with hostility. To deny these outstanding young players the opportunity to impress on the national stage is not only a shameful act, but it totally de-values the competition itself into a farce.
Note: 01625.Com attempted to contact the Cheshire FA, but their website (http://www.cheshirefa.com) gave no address or contact details!
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