The merger between the Southwest Peninsula League and the Western League was given approval by the Football Association’s League’s Committee last month.

John Pool the Chairman of the Toolstation Western League and Phil Hiscox, the Secretary of the Southwest Peninsular League, joined Ian Nockolds on the Toolstation Western League Podcast to discuss what this latest announcement means for Project South West.

The full interview is being serialised in the Journal and in this fourth episode, John explains what he perceives to be the benefits that come from the proposed merger...

JP: I think the benefits are that clubs, possibly simply because of their geographical location in the past, has probably considered that their opportunities to actively participate in the National League System have been extremely limited. I think this gives everybody the opportunity now. I think what’s important going forward is that there’s more advice given, there’s more ... I think what we need to set up, and it’s just another conversation that we need to have, really; at the moment, county FAs carry development officers, I think one of the considerations we may have to give is whether we actually can operate on a development side with a lot of these clubs to convince those clubs that it is doable. I mean, look, we recognise that clubs, more or less, know what their level is and what they’re capable of being able to deal with. But I also think there’s clubs out there that possibly are somewhat misguided in thinking that they probably can’t cope with it. We all know how important the funding is, it’s a conversation that we certainly need to be having with county FAs and probably with the FA as well. Without labouring it, I think we’ve always considered ourselves to be in a somewhat unique area down here. And I think if there’s an honest intent to allow clubs, in particular in the deepest Cornwall, to be able to be active in the National League System, then some of these things need to be addressed. We’re a long way away from that, but in answer to your question, I think it’s opening up the pathway for clubs that potentially thought ‘perhaps not’ for them. There is a concern going forward with regards to the sustainability for different reasons, really. And I think in the past, the travel distances were key. We historically witness clubs that, unfortunately, were never really going to be able to sustain it over the long-term. I think what we need to be able to do now is get the new league in a position whereby clubs that actually have aspirations, can actually see those aspirations through.

 Next week Phil Hiscott reacts to criticism that the new structure and scale of promotion at the end of this season will reduce the standard of competition in the new League. The full interview can be heard on episode 4 of the Toolstation Western League Podcast, available to listen at http://toolstationleague.com/podcasts/