CHIEF: WE’VE A NEW LEASE OF LIFE

The National League System restructure will give leagues and clubs fresh impetus going into the new season, says Combined Counties League secretary Alan Constable.

Steps 4-6 are set to have a different look and feel next new season with 110 clubs earmarked for promotion under the proposal, naturally forcing lateral moves, plus the formation of new leagues.

The Combined Counties League will run a second Step 5 division, acquiring most clubs from the Hellenic League, and long-standing servant Constable is looking forward to the new era.

“The Hellenic League have been extremely helpful in the whole process,” he told The NLP. “We’re very pleased but we’re bound to be having been selected to run one of the new Step 5 leagues.

“With all the disappointment of the last two seasons, it’s given us something to get our teeth into.

“It’s good for clubs to play new clubs or at least ones they haven’t played for a long time. It’s given me a fresh impetus. The last couple of years have not been very enjoyable at times.”

The new ‘pure pyramid’ aims to reduce travelling distances and in turn create more local derbies and fixtures for clubs to embrace.

“There is some incredible travelling for Step 5 clubs in the Hellenic League, they have to go from roughly our part of the world to the West Country,” added Constable. “We have got three clubs who have already expressed their disappointment at the likelihood of them having to leave our league.

“They’re concerned about possible additional travel when in theory the restructure is meant to reduce travel. It’s a fact of life you cannot please everyone in these circumstances. But it’s not so easy to brush that off if you’re one of the clubs involved. We’re concerned for any of our clubs who don’t want to leave, it’s not in our hands obviously.”