Hemsworth MW hit back after decision to relegate club from NCE League

The FA and NCE League confirmed last week that Wells would have to play their football in the lower Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior League next season because of “ground grading issues”, but the club have appealed the decision and have answered back with a statement.

In it they say there is an ongoing appeal against the sanctions and severity of punishment and the club attempts to explain how they see what has been going on behind the scenes.

The statement reads: “Hemsworth MW was established in 1981 and it has always played in the landlocked ground it plays today.

"We improved our facilities in 2007 with funding from the Football Foundation, which led to the club being catapulted into the NCEL Division One 2008-09 season.

“Ground grading was carried out by members of the NCEL ground grading officials and apart from hard standing around the pitch the ground was passed to play at step 6 by the league officials.

"We have continued to play in the NCEL since 2008 and for the last 15 years, 15 years of ground grading visits along with numerous match day visits.

"As most people are aware we changed the playing surface during the season of 20-21, this was during covid and led to the league being curtailed yet we received a fine from the NCEL in doing so.

"Our new state of the art pitch was then subject to being passed by FIFA to which it received certification from the governing body with dispensation being given to reduce the 3m run off to 1.8m needed for the league. This also made the 3G pitch bigger than the grass pitch.”

The statement continued: “The pitch dimensions were detailed on the certification and the pitch registered on the FA website as a 3G pitch.

"The NCEL wrote to the club saying that it didn’t meet the criteria set out by the league.

"This was during the season of 21-22 and that we would have to play our remaining home fixtures away from home.

"When the club contacted the league they said it wasn't down to them and that it was the FA who put the sanction in place. When we spoke to the FA, they said it was the NCEL decision and it was down to them if we were to stay in the league.

"The club took legal advice and the NCEL and the FA removed the sanction and we played the last three fixtures at home, which cost the club £8,000 in legal fees.

"This was after a Zoom meeting with Laurence Jones, head of the National League System, and Mark Frost, chairman of the league’s committee.”

Hemsworth MW were then told they would be allowed to carry on playing at their ground if they started work on extending the pitch size, with the measurement being 96.8m x 63m.

After an NCEL site visit the club was then told that they needed to concentrate on the length of the pitch as the width was almost enough. The FA rules are that pitches for step 5 clubs should be 100m v 64m.

The Hemsworth statement explained: “Having informed them that the ground is landlocked and it would take some considerable time to complete legal changes to the secure tenure of boundaries on the ground it was agreed that as long as we continued to work towards extension that we would be able to continue to play at step 5, however, if we gained promotion to step 4 it would be halted unless works were completed within the 2022-23 season.

"If not, then no sanctions would take place as long as the club could prove it was active in making these changes.

“We are a voluntary run community club who have been vigorously active in trying to make the necessary changes set by the NCEL/FA.

"We started immediately on the project and the easiest way would have been to the cricket side. Unfortunately once we had clarified who owned secure tenure of the land, our option to gain land and change deeds for both parties the Hemsworth Miners Social Club voted against this happening – we want to put on record we understand their decision and wish them all the best for the future.

"The second option was the top net and the only way we could go as a club and the involvement of changing such land would take time and a considerable number of hours in legal jargon to remove the footpath.

"This would need diverting and the only way to do so was to take part of a WMDC housing tenant garden.

"Authorisation was sought from the tenant, architectural drawings were completed and sent to Wakefield Pathways, who would seek permission from the next meeting. This would also need to be put to WMDC planning and any objections listened to.

"Contact and meetings were held with the Football Foundation who would support us with such changes, but again things don’t happen overnight.

"We were also informed that this summer the FF would undertake the ground grading and that most clubs in step 5/6 wouldn’t meet the FA’s criteria set and that the criteria needed to be either relaxed or the FA faces more community clubs being diminished.”

Hemsworth say they received an email asking them to ground share for next season or they would be excluded from the league. They were also asked to show proof of where they were at over the ground problems and did that.

"We contacted 10 NCEL clubs to which only Nostell MW would accommodate us, but this would leave the club with no way to generate revenue to survive,” added the Hemsworth statement.

"We informed James Earl (National League System manager) that after discussion with Nostell it wasn’t feasible or viable for us from a financial point of view an the club would need to close its doors. Once again we explained that we continued to work to remedy out pitch extension, but the saying falling on deaf ears came to mind.

"We have remained silent whilst all this was being carried out and have remained professional in our approach in not sharing with social media sites.

"We feel an unjust in the actions, especially after 15 years as an NCEL member. Whilst we try to build a community still in deprivation there is always someone wanting to knock you down.”

Hemsworth MW have thanked local MP Jon Trickett for his support for their cause along with Wakefield Council and the Football Foundation.

Several players have opted to leave the club, but Wells are pleased they have a core of players still wishing to stay on.