T5 wrote:Is North of Scunthorpe really "pushing this" too far - 25miles to the M62 and 30miles the A1? Maybe the "guiding principles" need clarifying, so clubs can be sure not to volunteer to host such events if they don't fall within the 'accepted boundaries'. Many previous threads have gone on about that lack of clubs being prepared to host "major" events and here we are cutting out clubs from Scotland, Wales, East Anglia, most of Yorkshire and the North. Do we want to have the event in Sutton Park every year....?
I didn't say pushing it too far: I simply said pushing it, as it was strictly outside the box. Distance is pretty irrelevant - it's the time that matters, and the area being close to motorways was probably acceptable, but needed to be recognised that it was at the outer limits, rather than pushing it even further over the next couple of years. Sandringham is well outside the range, and in my view shouldn't be used; looking at AA route times, it's considerably further than Scunthorpe for pretty much all of the country except EA and SE (and not much different for most of the SE!). I would not be at all surprised to see more clubs deciding not to travel, especially given the time of year.
Given that the event has always been aimed at English clubs, I wouldn't have any worries about Scottish clubs not being able to put it on! They now have the Jaime Stevenson Trophy instead. The area included in the box is substantially bigger than Sutton Park, as previous finals have shown.
I do agree Mharky, inclusivity is important, as you will have seen from the eligibility rules. Having a one off final isn't more inclusive, as the competition is still open to all, with early rounds often a lot more accessible to clubs who might otherwise not take part.
