I can understand what you are saying but surely they are playing the game possibly for the love of playing the sport?
If there is something better to do on summer weekends, let them do it. Their heart obviously ain't in it.

It's not every week they'd have to travel all those distances either and if the league uses both home and away fixtures, there's a fair deal there.

I know myself, as i run a BUCS team, that travel costs are an issue but that is surely not a reason to do down the involvement of more teams outside of the M62 Corridor. It's not ideal but it should be welcomed.

conferences?
tbh I played am football in a national comp it is no fun to set off at 6am play a game then sit on the bus for a few hours battered and bruised getting home.

Not a lot of those in Carlisle.

The players have indicated they want to play in the summer and the Centurions are the only club playing at that level (not semi-pro) for 50 miles.

So the bottom line is amateur sport doesn't work at national level , so regional comps should be the aim with a national finals system

Exactly