Post by elmsteaddave on Jan 12, 2010 19:50:11 GMT
Not much happening in terms of football lads with the Fish, and the forum is very quiet. here is a little read you might find interesting. It was sent to me so I am not sure of its source.
"A friend recently hit me with the trivia titbit that Bristol are the city represented at the most levels of the English league system, by virtue of something called the Bristol Downs League, that sits below all other regional leagues," wrote David Whale before Christmas. "Can you shed some light on this? I'd also be interested to know what the highest a team from this league has ever risen up the league pyramid."
Wikipedia, that ever-trustworthy source, agrees with your friend, David, but we'll hand this answer over to reader Joe Rowsell:
"I am from Bristol and have played in the Downs League. It is a completely standalone league and not part of the football pyramid at all. It has four divisions which have relegation and promotion within themselves but if you win Division One you are the Downs League champions, there is no promotion into any other league. This is what makes it so unique. Somebody also told me once that is the largest independent standalone league in Europe but I cannot back that up.
"I was doing some research into the pyramid myself a while ago using Wikipedia. It does indeed list the Downs League as the bottom-most part of the football league pyramid, stating that there is promotion into another Bristol league (Bristol & Avon I think it was) but that is rubbish."
[19:25:28] marcopolo88: "The Copenhagen summit got me thinking: which football club is the greenest?" wondered Jack Lyle a few weeks ago.
Step forward Dartford FC, whose £6.5m 4,100-capacity Princes Park stadium has the green credentials to make Al Gore go weak at the knees. A grassed roof, solar panels to provide hot water, a small lake to catch rainwater which is then recycled, timber cladding for insulation ... even the pitch and floodlights are "deliberately positioned below the level of the surrounding terrain in order to reduce noise and light pollution for the neighbouring population".
And with the Darts turning out in the Isthmian Premier, European football – and the polluting long-haul flights that accompany it – is not an issue. Indeed, the geographical nature of the division also keeps a check on the club's carbon footprint – Dartford rarely have to travel far outside the M25, with the trips to Bognor Regis and Margate about as distant as they get. And the car park at the ground is used on weekdays as part of a park and ride service that encourages the use of public transport.
Swampy would be proud, but Dartford are by no means alone in giving environmental concerns a high priority. The City of Manchester Stadium is set to become the first sport arena in the world to have its own wind turbine, with the capacity to provide enough energy to power 1,250 homes. Arsenal's Emirates Stadium also has excellent eco credentials and the fact that an estimated 70% of Gunners' supporters use public transport to get to games gives the club further brownie (or should that be greenie) points.
The Darts also have a competitors outside the UK. Freiburg's Dreisam Stadium has 60m² of solar panels, providing 60% of the club's hot water. Teddy Barrett also highlights the green credentials of Vitesse Arnhem's Gelredome Stadium, trumping Freiburg with 112m² of solar panels, 320m² of photovoltaic cells that generate a 30,000kWh surplus, eco-friendly cooling and heating systems, and recycled seats.
Across the pond, Devon Rowcliffe has news of Charleston Battery FC, who are set to receive the 2010 South Carolina Aquarium Environmental Stewardship Award. According to the club "the Battery has completed a comprehensive range of energy saving and environmental initiatives including: installation of a geothermal HVAC system, adding energy-efficient hand-driers, switching out water-heaters to tankless units, replacing concession beer coolers with energy efficient models, switching incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents, eliminating bottled water from the stadium, replacing selected urinals with waterless units and implementing a comprehensive recycling program."
[19:25:48] marcopolo88: & for recycling managers???
"A friend recently hit me with the trivia titbit that Bristol are the city represented at the most levels of the English league system, by virtue of something called the Bristol Downs League, that sits below all other regional leagues," wrote David Whale before Christmas. "Can you shed some light on this? I'd also be interested to know what the highest a team from this league has ever risen up the league pyramid."
Wikipedia, that ever-trustworthy source, agrees with your friend, David, but we'll hand this answer over to reader Joe Rowsell:
"I am from Bristol and have played in the Downs League. It is a completely standalone league and not part of the football pyramid at all. It has four divisions which have relegation and promotion within themselves but if you win Division One you are the Downs League champions, there is no promotion into any other league. This is what makes it so unique. Somebody also told me once that is the largest independent standalone league in Europe but I cannot back that up.
"I was doing some research into the pyramid myself a while ago using Wikipedia. It does indeed list the Downs League as the bottom-most part of the football league pyramid, stating that there is promotion into another Bristol league (Bristol & Avon I think it was) but that is rubbish."
[19:25:28] marcopolo88: "The Copenhagen summit got me thinking: which football club is the greenest?" wondered Jack Lyle a few weeks ago.
Step forward Dartford FC, whose £6.5m 4,100-capacity Princes Park stadium has the green credentials to make Al Gore go weak at the knees. A grassed roof, solar panels to provide hot water, a small lake to catch rainwater which is then recycled, timber cladding for insulation ... even the pitch and floodlights are "deliberately positioned below the level of the surrounding terrain in order to reduce noise and light pollution for the neighbouring population".
And with the Darts turning out in the Isthmian Premier, European football – and the polluting long-haul flights that accompany it – is not an issue. Indeed, the geographical nature of the division also keeps a check on the club's carbon footprint – Dartford rarely have to travel far outside the M25, with the trips to Bognor Regis and Margate about as distant as they get. And the car park at the ground is used on weekdays as part of a park and ride service that encourages the use of public transport.
Swampy would be proud, but Dartford are by no means alone in giving environmental concerns a high priority. The City of Manchester Stadium is set to become the first sport arena in the world to have its own wind turbine, with the capacity to provide enough energy to power 1,250 homes. Arsenal's Emirates Stadium also has excellent eco credentials and the fact that an estimated 70% of Gunners' supporters use public transport to get to games gives the club further brownie (or should that be greenie) points.
The Darts also have a competitors outside the UK. Freiburg's Dreisam Stadium has 60m² of solar panels, providing 60% of the club's hot water. Teddy Barrett also highlights the green credentials of Vitesse Arnhem's Gelredome Stadium, trumping Freiburg with 112m² of solar panels, 320m² of photovoltaic cells that generate a 30,000kWh surplus, eco-friendly cooling and heating systems, and recycled seats.
Across the pond, Devon Rowcliffe has news of Charleston Battery FC, who are set to receive the 2010 South Carolina Aquarium Environmental Stewardship Award. According to the club "the Battery has completed a comprehensive range of energy saving and environmental initiatives including: installation of a geothermal HVAC system, adding energy-efficient hand-driers, switching out water-heaters to tankless units, replacing concession beer coolers with energy efficient models, switching incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents, eliminating bottled water from the stadium, replacing selected urinals with waterless units and implementing a comprehensive recycling program."
[19:25:48] marcopolo88: & for recycling managers???
