I think a lot but my review of the league names got me thinking big time.
The Essex Senior League is the last league with a county name in it still competing at level 9 in the pyramid. This step 5 league have always been a bit out there, rather like the Hellenic League when it comes to running things their own way.
The Football Association stated a few years ago that they wanted level 11, step 7 to be the point at which County Leagues competed in the National hierarchy and they renamed the Kent League to be the Southern Counties East League and they renamed the Sussex League to be the Southern Combination League so the last remaining "Blot on the landscape" is the Essex Senior League.
Rather than give the Essex League a second division the F.A. chose to give the Eastern Counties League a second subsidiary division which now acts as the feeder to the Essex League. So, I thought, what names could I come up with for a revamped Essex Senior League?
The Essex Olympian League is already sitting in the correct place for a county league so they would take over as the County League once we have renamed the Essex Senior League but what name can we come up with?
The Eastern Counties League Premier South is the obvious choice. Do we need to persuade the committee that runs the Essex Senior League or can the F.A. just run roughshod over the will of the league itself? The Sussex League thought long and hard before agreeing to become the Southern Combination on the basis that the same initials as the Sussex County could be used.
Essex is east of London so could become the East of London League but London is a bit specific. There is already a Thames Valley league but another option for the ESL is to become the Thames Estuary League.
Going back to roman times I think the Iceni came from somewhere out east so The Iceni League is an option but I doubt that it would be that popular.
Given the main thoroughfare of the area the league could be renamed The A12 league but then it would stand out like a sore thumb, just as it does now.
One of my favourite footballers was Ray Parlour who never got the credit he was due when he played. The superstars took all the credit while he did most of the work. The Romford Pele could be a lynchpin in the renaming and we could call it the Romford Pele League.
Taking the Sussex idea of keeping the same initials for the league we need to find some words to fit the E and the S while we can leave the L as it is. How about the Eastern Southhalf League, or the Express Shithot League? The Easy Supporters League? The European Super League?
O.K. I just hit a nerve for some people. Other people can come up with a suitable name but I know the F.A. want to change the name and it is only a matter of time as it was for the restructure to 1-2-4-8-16.
Essex is a proud county and when cricket first started printing the name on sports shirts I was pleased to wear the name Essex across my chest as a young man. Now I am a little ashamed that my old home county is the last to move into the modern era and remove the county name from level 9.
How long can the Essex Senior League go on at this level?
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