Guildford City Football Club yesterday received the outcome of the club’s joint appeal with Godalming Town held at FA Headquarters at Wembley Stadium. The appeal was against the FA’s decision to switch the club into the South & West Division of the Southern League.
The Appeal Board noted our concerns that there are other clubs in the Central division better suited for the switch on grounds of significantly less mileage, overall travelling time and costs. The Appeal Board also noted that a 24/20 division split would also reduce overall mileage, travelling times and costs for the two divisions as a whole.
The two clubs presented an extremely robust case and whilst the Appeal Board were sympathetic, they were unable to conclude that the original decision was technically “unreasonable”. The Appeal was therefore dismissed.
However, the FA have recognised the unusual nature of the situation and have awarded both clubs a significant sum of compensation to mitigate the economic factors involved (although not as much as speculated in the local media). Furthermore, the Appeal Board have instructed the FA Leagues Committee to conduct a comprehensive review of Step 4 and the allocation procedure prior to the 2014/15 season. The outcome is final and binding.
Guildford City Football Club wish to thank Godalming Town for their assistance with the appeal and we now wish to draw a line under the subject and move on.
Having confirmed our position in the South & West Division we look forward to visiting new grounds and meeting new friends. We also look forward to welcoming a host of new clubs to the Spectrum.
