New Deal Town chairman Dayle Melody

by Andrew Gidley

New Deal Town chairman Dayle Melody has expressed his concern about the Football Association’s radical new plans to re-structure Step 5 football which would mean the end of the Kent League in its present form.

The FA want to reduce the number of leagues around the country from 14 to 12 by season 2013-14 and the plan is for the 16 clubs to play in a new London South-East League alongside former members Croydon, now in the Combined Counties League, and several Sussex County League clubs including Rye, Peacehaven and Sidley.

Life president Roy Smith and first team manager Derek Hares will represent the club at one of the one four regional meetings at the Thurrock Hotel in Essex on Sunday.

Mr Melody said: "The amount of travelling we would have to do and long distance midweek games would crucify the players. Getting to games is a problem now.

"We lost Hythe last season, Herne Bay look like going up this season, which means that Canterbury City would be our only local derby.

"We are not helping our carbon footprint either by sending six cars to places like Bromley – where Greenwich Borough and Holmesdale play – for games watched by only 20 people.

"In an ideal world we would be playing in a league involving all clubs in Kent including Whitstable, Margate and Ramsgate but that is utopia."