OLd Quality League Season 24-25

This season Lewes FC Vets will run both an over 35s and an over 45s League on Sundays between 4-6 pm from September through to May. This will likely be followed by a tournament or two, in previous years one of these has been held at the Dripping Pan.

The Old Quality League aims to provide a different quality of football for Veteran players, with Lewes FC Vets values of compassion, fairness and inclusivity at the core of what is expected . It is the most fun and the best organised football possible for older players. There will be between 4-6 teams in each category.

Conduct- OLd quality spirit

We invite all individual players to read our club-player contract, (by playing at an OQL game players are de facto agreeing to that contract) and our expectation is that games are played in the Old Quality Spirit- this means that players play with no slide tackles (‘Stay on Your Feet!’) and they remember the poem ‘We Build Friendship Here’.

A simple philosophy is needed: ‘Don’t be a dick.’ Players should not engage in shithousery, or verbal altercation, or unecessary physical aggression in Old Quality games. We all have other responsibilities that we need to engage in after playing the beautiful game, and suffering a physical or psychological assault is not why we play football. We are not registering with the FA and we do not have disciplinary back-up- we only have each other, so we are kind to everyone on the field. Hence our relationships with each other are so much more important than whether a particular tackle involved a foul or not. Players who don’t adhere to this philosophy will not be allowed to play in the Old Quality League, and we ask all our lovely refs to use sinbins and cards liberally if people seem to be having difficulties to help them learn. Players must be willing to resolve conflict after they have made a mistake, and shake hands at the end of the game.

Having said all this, of course, we also want people to play with a level of competitiveness, fun and joyful engagement in their football. Wit, humour, repartee, consensual hugs and gentlemanly conduct are very welcome indeed. It’s all about nurturing Old Quality Spirit. We Build Friendship Here.

Nuts and Bolts

Games cost each team £100, with any profits after G fees and referee costs going towards the Lewes Football Foundation, which aims to support other Lewes Community Football Teams and improve facilities down at the 3G.

Team managers will be expected to pass on communications from the League, and let the League know by Thursdays before each game whether they are able to put a squad together. They will also be expected to co-operate in any efforts necessary to reconcile if there have been any disciplinary differences of opinion. Please see our Conflict Resolution and Refereeing Policy here. We are all working towards a different football culture.

Teams will be expected to take turns reading the poem, and players should show up on time for this, it isn’t okay for players to just drop-in whilst everyone else does the hard work to facilitate football for them. Players should care for each other on the pitch in the event of injury. Each team will have their own nominated first-aider. They should provide a linesman, as well as commit to collecting balls that go over the fence, returning them to storage at the end of the game. Kit should be uniform and smart, and teams should have some pride in their appearance. Games will break briefly at 30 minutes and 60 minutes, as well as half-time, and its expected that teams will share rolling subtitutions fairly amongst their squad of up to 16 players, all of League appropriate age.

I

We Build Friendship Here

Sunday afternoon

Down at the 3G

Playing Football Together

We Build Friendship Here

We face one another

As our bodies decay

The spectre of sickness and death is upon us

We Build Friendship Here

Can we get fitter?

Maybe, maybe not….

Can we run faster?

Maybe, maybe not…

We Build Friendship Here

Can we learn to pass?

To talk kindly?

To listen?

To read each other and the game?

We Build Friendship Here

Scoring matters, yes, it is good

But the score is not the win

The victory is us, still playing each time

Together

That’s how We Build Friendship Here