Dual Registration??

Hi everybody. This might sound quite stupid but could someone explain dual registration to me. Is it like a loan or do they play for 2 clubs. I have no idea!

My understanding of it is they play for two clubs basically. At the end of last season I believe we had a situation where a few of our players (Aaron Brown, Adam Connolly Jim Rollo and so on) were on dual registration forms with Bishop Sutton, so they played in a few midweek games for them and for us on Saturdays. I also think they're more likely to play for us in Somerset Premier Cup games, Elliott Gibbons and Ryan Mitchell both played Western League last season at different stages of the season but also represented us in the SPC.

Despite that I don't think we can just call them on the morning of the game and say "we're a bit low on subs, can Elliott come along and sit on the bench?" from what I heard at the Meet the Manager they'd rather they went out and got some game time than travel miles with us and their only involvement being crossing to Jason Mellor in the warm-up.

Oh ok so if we have people on dual registration they haven't left the club. Do we have anybody on dual registration at the moment?

Elliott Gibbons between us and Paulton, I think Zak Evans will be with Chippenham(?) and I'm not sure if Ryan Mitchell is with Shepton Mallet or if he has left the club completely. Hope he hasn't because the times I've seen him play, first team or academy, he looks really promising. Same for Jordan Ricketts who played against us for Yate last week, again not sure if that's dual.

Mitchell and Ricketts have both left for Mallet and Yate, and yes Evans has joined Chipp on a dual. I'm sure we'll be seeing them all in a Bath City again in the future, Evans and Gibbons are sure to feature in the Somerset Premier at the very least. Evans will be fine at our level after a bit of match practice and Gibbons won't be too far away either!

Mark Tanner wrote:Mitchell and Ricketts have both left for Mallet and Yate, and yes Evans has joined Chipp on a dual. I'm sure we'll be seeing them all in a Bath City again in the future, Evans and Gibbons are sure to feature in the Somerset Premier at the very least. Evans will be fine at our level after a bit of match practice and Gibbons won't be too far away either!

Junior, what are the stats on players playing for us once they've been farmed out to other clubs? I seem to remember the scenario reported on this thread happening every summer and never seeing the players again. Playing at least 2 levels below our league may be giving the player match time, but is it of benefit to us? It's a similar argument as the one against having a reserve team.

comrade powell wrote:Junior, what are the stats on players playing for us once they've been farmed out to other clubs? I seem to remember the scenario reported on this thread happening every summer and never seeing the players again. Playing at least 2 levels below our league may be giving the player match time, but is it of benefit to us? It's a similar argument as the one against having a reserve team.

I don't know the stats, but interestingly at meet the manager, they mentioned how Dan Bowman was sent out to a Western League side (Shepton I think, but could remember wrong) then when he was too good for Western League, he went to Paulton, was their best player for a month, won MOTM a few times, and by November was in our first team.

So in some cases I guess it does work, but I'd imagine that is a very low % of the time

Well I guess the obvious exception is Holland, who spent most of 2005/06 out on loan and came back to be absolutely immense. Bowman benefited last year as well. I'm sure there are plenty of others who've disappeared without trace.

Is the Bishop's Sutton link not being pursued this year?

If the Academy side of the business is going to be developed then it has to benefit the club. It is no good if all that happens is that players are improved and then move on to get regular football.

If any do come back could you say it is because they were developed in the Academy?

Thanks Junior. Yes, I suppose you could say Bowman benefited from being farmed out. Alternatively it could be argued that he would have been in our team even sooner had he stayed.

And of course, there will be many players who presumably aren't as successful at the club they're sent to, which justifies not being kept on at TP. I just hope with all the efforts being made to develop the under 21 and academy set ups, we are not developing players for the benefit of other clubs.

My other beef (you won't be surprised to hear!) is that the selection process often seems to be based on pre-season friendlies. The best test is surely to trial a couple of youngsters in end of season games when we have nothing to play for.

I never saw him, but heard a lot of good things about Jordan Ricketts. Maybe there would have been too many ahead of him in the pecking order in the present squad...

BenE wrote:Is the Bishop's Sutton link not being pursued this year?

If the Academy side of the business is going to be developed then it has to benefit the club. It is no good if all that happens is that players are improved and then move on to get regular football.

If any do come back could you say it is because they were developed in the Academy?

I believe the Bishop Sutton link is continuing as Billy Clark will continue to manage them and the Academy side with Lee Smith at the Development Squad. I think both will be regular contributors to the programme.