League in crisis as secretary sought

8:17am Tuesday 1st July 2008

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THE county's youngsters could be without football this season if the Dorset Youth League fails to find a new general secretary.

Outgoing chairman Phil Basford is urging people to come forward and take on the role because without a general secretary, more than 3,000 children could miss out on regular Sunday action.

He said: "The Annual General Meeting is imminent and the bottom line is that without a general secretary the league can't run.

"We can double up on other positions but not this one. Kerry Watts resigned from the post in April due to family commitments and she did a good job, but we've now got 48 clubs, 172 teams, and 3,010 players from last season who could be missing out.

"We are facing a dilemma ahead of the AGM which is on Monday, July 15. There is a small honorarium for the position and the cover of certain expenses. It's desperate that we have a general secretary."

And the lack of a structured league for Dorset's young contingent could have numerous counter-effects.

Basford, whose leaving his post to concentrate on his role as general manager of Dorchester Town Under-18s, added: "Without the league it would damage the county teams and the likes of Weymouth FC and Dorchester Town FC, because kids from under-11s to under-16s wouldn't be playing structured football."

The league is also looking for a new president, and secretaries for the under-11 and under-15 leagues. Anyone interested in any of the positions can visit dorsetyouthfootball.co.uk for more details.