We have decided to voluntarily discontinue this weblog for the immediate forseeable future in response to information that has only come to light today. This decision has not been taken lightly and is as a mark of respect for the concerns expressed about certain items on the site.
The site – which was (naively) only ever intended as an unofficial source of information and entertainment for the parents of the one team in the club – has literally only today been made aware of concerns lodged last September about a couple of items posted here.
We have acted immediately on receipt of this information and we would have done so at the time, had we received infomation about those concerns when they arose.
The unfortunate communication breakdown appears to have arisen because of the informal status of this site and there also being two football clubs in the area with almost the same name – and particular communications advising of the concerns going to the wrong club by mistake.
In addition, due to the informal nature of the site, we were simply ”out of the loop” in many respects with regard to any local area discussions about match reports and scorelines being published.
Had this information come to light sooner, we would certainly have acted promptly at that time. As such, we have been completely unaware that any concerns had been expressed – and not being club officials or coaches, naively unaware of all the machinations or communications at any official level.
We sincerely apologise for any upset or worry this may have caused. Our naivety or ignorance on this part may explain why certain matters appeared to go unaddressed but we have acted in good faith today because we sincerely appreciate the concerns.
In essence, this naivety (at best) or stupidity (at worst) only go to prove that in some situations it is unwise for the uninitiated to write on an empty head. There are lessons to be learned perhaps, for us all.
Any offence caused by the article in question is sincerely regretted.
The vast majority of the items on the site have been information for parents, fun jokes - and light hearted looks at the game through the eyes of parents often frustrated at some of the sadder things we witness on a Sunday morning.
Ironically, in many ways these frustrations and observations borne from a passionate belief that the game should be played in the right manner would have been far better left unsaid on the odd occasion they have surfaced. In hindsight, there are more sensible and sensitive ways to air frustrations.
To demonstrate the sincerity of this sentiment, all items on the site - mundane, fun, informative, routine or otherwise have been removed. The site will remain thus until we are 100% certain of how the land lies with regard to the use of the internet and guidelines on the use of match reporting/scorelines – unofficial sites or otherwise. There would certainly seem to be a great deal of confusion with regards to what can be reported. On a constructive note it would be extremely beneficial to all if guidelines were produced by such as ESSDA.
Thank you.
