The News Vault 2009/10
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Beckenham Pull It Off
Former England international Teddy Sheringham has signed for Bulmers Cider Kent League Premier Division Beckenham Town.
League registration secretary Doug Francis confirmed Sheringham's registration had gone through on Wednesday.
There had been much speculation during the summer about the possibility of Sheringham playing for Beckenham in the FA Vase.
League chairman Denise Richmond said: "We can confirm that Teddy Sheringham is registered to play for Beckenham Town.
"There is nothing to stop him playing league matches for Beckenham, starting at Holmesdale this weekend, as well as in the FA Vase."
Step Six - Latest Developments
The Bulmers Cider Kent Football League were informed of the latest development by the Football Association regarding Step 6 football in Kent at the end of last week.
The FA's league committee met earlier this month and have stated: "We should pursue the establishment of a Step 6 "division" in Kent and that in order to achieve this either a merged competition between the Kent League and the Kent County League or a newly established competition be formed which would create at least a Step 5, Step 6 and Step 7 competition within the County."
In welcoming the news, Bulmers Cider Kent League chairman Denise Richmond said: "It's another positive step forward on the road to securing Step 6 football in the region.
"We're fully behind the FA's plans and will be keen to work closely with them in the coming weeks and months. The sole aim of this project is to improve football in Kent and this latest development will only help that objective."
The FA have told the league that they will be sending out questionnaires to clubs in the near future, before creating a Kent Football Steering Group who will be tasked with taking this matter forward to the next step.
The League will also keep clubs updated as and when we receive information from the FA
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KENT SET FOR REVISED LEAGUE STRUCTURE
A new league structure within the County of Kent is set to be developed with the introduction of a new division at Step 6 of the National League System. The new division will bridge the gap between the Kent League at Step 5 and the Kent County League at Step 7. It is hoped that the new structure will be in place for the start of the 2011/2012 season.
FA Leagues and Clubs Manager, Mike Appleby stated that “this is an exciting opportunity for the future of senior football in Kent. The current gap between Steps 5 and 7 is too wide and it is vital that a division is put in place to bridge this gap. It is understood that it will take time for the clubs interested in this division to attain the full grading requirements but we must start the process as quickly as possible. The Kent League has been very successful in promoting clubs to the higher levels of the league structure and we must ensure that in future years there is a flow of clubs coming up from the lower levels”
Kent League Chairman, Denise Richmond commented “The Kent League continues to be committed to the formation of a step 6 division. Our record promoting clubs is second to none in recent seasons and we'll continue to work with our current constitution and those that form the new step 6 to help them progress in the national league system.
We've been pushing for this development for some time and are delighted that all parties have worked together in the best interests of football in Kent. There are still some challenging times ahead but our focus remains to form the new step 6 division in any way we can."
Cyril Windiate, Chairman of the Kent County League added “we have always encouraged those clubs wishing to climb the non-league ladder and the success of VCD Athletic, Maidstone Utd and Folkestone Invicta who have all passed from the County League to the Kent League and beyond is testament to this.
Clearly much work is required to bring matters to a successful conclusion and the continued co-operation of ambitious clubs is essential in this aim.
We view this joint initiative as providing a further opportunity that is in the best interests of Kent soccer and look forward to working with our partners”
Denise Richmond