Old Scholars Sides - Should They Keep the Faith?

[sprinttospace]

If PAOC have certain criteria for those who aren't old scholars to join, no wonder they haven't been near Div 1 in recent times?Clubs like SHOC and ROC have been able to climb to Div 1 by providing an enjoyable environment to play football, no matter whether players are old scholars or not.
Whether an old scholar club can maintain their position in Div 1 without going down the track of paying several recruits is yet to be proven. ROC couldn't do it - they tried to hang in there by getting out the coin. It will be interesting to see how SHOC manage to maintain a position in Div 1 and their Amateur status.

We made it back to D2 5 years ago, led by Chris Threadgold, but ran out of puff with the players we had; as they retired

To me, we have a side to make it back to D2, but can our club go that one more step back to D1 and stay there with just PAOC players and staying amateur?? I agree, but disagree, with Laz about our resources to make it in D1.

i may have misunderstood the conversation thus far.
are there non old scholar criteria at PAOC? if so does it stop the club going out to get players from other clubs?
given something i heard recently it would strike me that if there are criteria it is only for those wanting to join who have not been targeted but i might be wrong.

[rogernumber10]

I cant believe this question even gets a run on the forums. I played at Old Igs for years and we always had non-old scholars playing with us many of them great mates of mine.

Quite simply, if Igs had such a policy I wouldn't have played for them. Such a policy is the total opposite to what footy clubs are about in my view.

I'm sure there are plenty of district club people reading this thread having a good chuckle. This will certainly strengthen their perception that college sides are full of soft, up themselves snobs.

Jimmy- perhaps it would be more appropriate if you changed the title of the forum to only include your club because I cant imagine many other old scholars teams have given more than a moments thought to the idea.

I reckon at Old Igs we had primarily Old Scholars, with a few mates of, for only about the first 1-2 years of the club in the early 70s, when we fielded just one side when we were starting out. That was it for such an approach, but my memory was that it certainly wasn't a mandate we would go that way, only that a group of scholars drove the club into formation. The guys of the time soon realised we wouldn't be much of club (size or chance or success) if we didn't welcome people happy to play with us, hoping they'd enjoy themselves, and we'd move up the grades.
In the early stages, we primarily recruited through the unis / mates' networks etc and the tentacles have slowly spread, to a time when our recruiting out of the school was actually very poor through most of the 1980s. I can't speak for the last few decade or more, having been away, but the link to the school seems exceptional now while players still come from anywhere and everywhere and we happy to have them.

[Jimmy_041]

If PAOC have certain criteria for those who aren't old scholars to join, no wonder they haven't been near Div 1 in recent times?Clubs like SHOC and ROC have been able to climb to Div 1 by providing an enjoyable environment to play football, no matter whether players are old scholars or not.
Whether an old scholar club can maintain their position in Div 1 without going down the track of paying several recruits is yet to be proven. ROC couldn't do it - they tried to hang in there by getting out the coin. It will be interesting to see how SHOC manage to maintain a position in Div 1 and their Amateur status.

We made it back to D2 5 years ago, led by Chris Threadgold, but ran out of puff with the players we had; as they retired

To me, we have a side to make it back to D2, but can our club go that one more step back to D1 and stay there with just PAOC players and staying amateur?? I agree, but disagree, with Laz about our resources to make it in D1.

i may have misunderstood the conversation thus far.
are there non old scholar criteria at PAOC? if so does it stop the club going out to get players from other clubs?
given something i heard recently it would strike me that if there are criteria it is only for those wanting to join who have not been targeted but i might be wrong.

I have deliberately not mentioned the PAOCFC criteria as the question was not about any one particular club, plus I am not on the committee, so dont know the current stance anyway

[Dragons]

We (WOS) have a large range of players and members.
In 2000 when we re-formed we had almost entirely ols-scholars playing for us.
This was simply because we finally thought we had enough numbers (of school mates) to start our own club and play a bit of footy.
As the years have gone on the mix of old scholars, mates thereof, local people and targeted recruits has expanded.
We certainly have no policy in place preventing 'outsiders' from playing at our club - and I am very glad that is the case!
What you might find with old scholars teams though is that there would be something in their constitution (or that of the schools os assoc.) that requires a certain percentage of members to be old scholars before the club can no longer use the schools name.
Well thats the case with us anyway and I'm sure it would be similar for others.
No doubt as more years go by and the founding old scholars move on, the definition of 'members' will require a tweak so as this test is passed!

[Jabber]

Surely the Old Schollars is just a club name, i have to say i dont know because i've never been a part of one, but its a bit like the old postel institute, i believe you didnt have to work there to play there, and our cricket club is called Plympton Footballers Cricket Club yet only a handful of cricketers actually come from the footy club.

In sydney i played footbal for Sydney Uni and certainly had no association with that uni, and nor did most of the players, over half of us were ex-pats from vic or sa.

IF there are still strong ties from footy clubs to thier schools then shouldnt have PHOS Camden changed their name to WLOS Camden?

[Jimmy_041]

That's the discussion Jabber. Some have still got very strong ties to the school and are only allowed to wear the guernsey and other familiarisations with the permission of the school. Others have moved away to be independent.

I dont know about high schools but maybe they would be less stringent about the use of their name.

[Choccies]

That's the discussion Jabber. Some have still got very strong ties to the school and are only allowed to wear the guernsey and other familiarisations with the permission of the school. Others have moved away to be independent.

I dont know about high schools but maybe they would be less stringent about the use of their name.

Question Jimmy. Are the school comfortable with the fact that 2 of your major sponsors are alcohol related ??

[Jimmy_041]

That's the discussion Jabber. Some have still got very strong ties to the school and are only allowed to wear the guernsey and other familiarisations with the permission of the school. Others have moved away to be independent.

I dont know about high schools but maybe they would be less stringent about the use of their name.

Question Jimmy. Are the school comfortable with the fact that 2 of your major sponsors are alcohol related ??

Which 2?

Coopers and Jimmy_041?

[Choccies]

That's the discussion Jabber. Some have still got very strong ties to the school and are only allowed to wear the guernsey and other familiarisations with the permission of the school. Others have moved away to be independent.

I dont know about high schools but maybe they would be less stringent about the use of their name.

Question Jimmy. Are the school comfortable with the fact that 2 of your major sponsors are alcohol related ??

Which 2?

Coopers and Jimmy_041?

Sorry.... 3

[bandar]

Surely the Old Schollars is just a club name, i have to say i dont know because i've never been a part of one, but its a bit like the old postel institute, i believe you didnt have to work there to play there, and our cricket club is called Plympton Footballers Cricket Club yet only a handful of cricketers actually come from the footy club.

In sydney i played footbal for Sydney Uni and certainly had no association with that uni, and nor did most of the players, over half of us were ex-pats from vic or sa.

IF there are still strong ties from footy clubs to thier schools then shouldnt have PHOS Camden changed their name to WLOS Camden?

That is a fair point the change of name of the school coincided with a reasonbly succesful period for the club. At the time it was felt that we should stay as we were known. I have a feeling a name change will come but it will be at a time something else significant happens i would say within the next 2 to 3 years (and it wont be William Light R-13 Old Scholars and Camden)

[Jimmy_041]

I think the whole world heard about the connection between PAC and Coopers when Lion Nathan tried to buy them. There was a Cooper at PAC on the first ever day of the school and there has never been a year when there wasn't one there. There are probably 4 - 5 Cooper family kids there now

Things have moved on as well - the school is Uniting Church now; not Presbyterian

[Choccies]

I think the whole world heard about the connection between PAC and Coopers when Lion Nathan tried to buy them. There was a Cooper at PAC on the first ever day of the school and there has never been a year when there wasn't one there. There are probably 4 - 5 Cooper family kids there now

Things have moved on as well - the school is Uniting Church now; not Presbyterian

Was he in your class Jimmy ?

[Jimmy_041]

[Mr Beefy]

What was the reason Pulteney OS changed to Pulteney FC?