The unofficial AFC Rushden & Diamonds messageboard

In all today's shenanigans with regards to re-structuring, teams moving around leagues, Kings Lynn being promoted to the Evo-Stik LD1S etc. etc. one very small but very important detail came out that went largely unnoticed but which makes me extremely happy.

It came in this document about league placements in the NLS for 2012-13:

http://www.thefa.com/Leagues/NationalLe ... -2013.ashx

Most of the way down is a short statement which reads:

The FA wrote:Therefore, as at 16 May, there will be nine clubs relegated/placed at Step 5. In addition, AFC Rushden & Diamonds and AFC Croydon Athletic, as “reformed clubs”, have been allocated to Step 6 competitions, making a total of 11 clubs moving to Step 5/6 for Season 2012‐2013.

This is the first acknowledgement I have seen of this from the FA in public print.

Therefore if anyone ever says to you that AFC R&D are a new club, you can now tell them that the FA have officially acknowledged our status as a reformed club and consequently that we are the rightful heirs to the history of Rushden & Diamonds FC.

In my book, that is a massive win on our part - well done to everyone involved

We all knew it anyway, but the rubber stamp from the games overlords is a welcome acknowledgement all the same.

We'll never die.

Agreed, I really can't wait to see our side walk out for the first time.

A massive credit must go to you AK and the group of others that have made AFC a reality!!

Does this mean all the records R&D holds are contiuned? For example if Andy Peaks starts a game (just making a situation up here) that will be his 206th Appearance or 1st for the club?

I think it would be his first game for AFCR&D, which, though the successor of R&DFC, is not, in itself, R&DFC.

A possible analogy would Remembrance Sunday (bear with me). I have never served in the Royal Navy or any other military service, but my father and grandfather did. On Remembrance Sunday, I would be entitled to wear my father's medals - but on the right side not the left, because I was not the winner of the medals, but the descendant of the winner - because he is deceased.
I would not be able to wear them if he was still alive, even if he were not capable of attending the parade himself, and although no-one else would be entitled to wear them (for the sake of this example, presume I am an only child) because no-one else is his legal descendant, I could not wear them on the left side, because I did not win them....

Does that analogy make sense to you?

It makes sense to me, but I don't entirely agree with it, as your analogy is of two seperate individuals. As the re-formed successor to R & DFC we ARE still the CLUB, so we could consider them to be appearances for us as opposed to the legal entity that carried our name. It would be a bit like your father's medals not counting for himself (or yourself in the way you described) if that military organisation he served in were re-formed and/ or re-named, which does happen. That would be plain wrong (and disrespectful to his service IMO).
Perhaps it's not our place to judge what Andy would consider it to be ?

This is clearly a complex and sensitive question that needs a lot of thought - and possibly some kind of consultation is needed with Rushden & Diamonds fans going back to 1992, as well as current AFC RD fans should there be an attempt to glue the two histories together to such a detailed degree.

I agree with the view that it's great to get FA confirmation of AFC RD being the reformed club (we've seen instances such as at Scarborough or Enfield where more than one group tries to adopt that role) - but I think their use of the word "reform" is a clear indicator this is a new beginning with links to the past).

Formic wrote: I agree with AK's view that it's great to get FA confirmation of AFC RD being the reformed club (we've seen instances such as at Scarborough or Enfield where more than one group tries to adopt that role) - but I think their use of the word "reform" is a clear indicator this is a new beginning with links to the past).

No-one is suggesting that the use of "reform" leans itself to close to the old club but Its my personal opinion that records, cups etc should be carried on. Players like Peaks etcd played all their games infront of the same people he would play in front now. I would like to see appearance's contined, most goals and all the other stats carried over!

Rushdenjim wrote: No-one is suggesting that the use of "reform" leans itself to close to the old club but Its my personal opinion that records, cups etc should be carried on. Players like Peaks etcd played all their games infront of the same people he would play in front now. I would like to see appearance's contined, most goals and all the other stats carried over!

Don't suppose you want the debts carried over too, do you? ;)

As far as i'm concerned it's a new club and should be treated as such.