Premier Kickoff Proposal

[whataboutbob]

I think if the league wants to get down to 12 teams in the Premier for 2006-2007, to keep it fair for all Premier teams, they must bite the bullet and play a 1-time 26 game schedule. Every team plays each team twice.

The bottom 3 teams are automatically relegated to Div 1
The 4th from last has a one-game playoff against the loser of a one-game playoff between the two top Div 1 teams.

After that, Premier plays a 22-game schedule.

The league should have a HUGE kickoff to the season by way of a 3-game Labour Day long weekend for all the Premier teams at one site (1 game a day). Give it a tourney atmosphere; beer gardens, billboard schedule, 3 fields going at 1 hour split schedules. Obviously not all the teams will play everyone; that is not the purpose. Just have the regular schedule for the 1st 3 games of the season.

The benefits are:
-high profile event (good fan draw/newspaper coverage)
-the league can make some serious money (14 teams mandatory)
-all teams will be able to get a good look at the rest of the league at once.
-referees will be better scrutinized by league officials
-get in games while the weather is relatively good

This will take the presure off the field scheduler and the getting all 26 games in will be little easier than originally anticipated.

If this works, do it every year during the Labour Day weekend.

[SofaKingGood]

[quote=whataboutbob]I think if the league wants to get down to 12 teams in the Premier for 2006-2007, to keep it fair for all Premier teams, they must bite the bullet and play a 1-time 26 game schedule. Every team plays each team twice.
QUOTE]

that would have meant that during the 2005-06 season(which has already started), that your formula would have started 2 weeks ago. Don't get me wrong, it makes sense, but it won't happen for next yr b/c adeqaute notice wasn't given to my understanding. Meaning the Premier will be reduced to 12 teams in the 2007-08 season at the earliest.

[J_B]

SofaKingGood,

What would stop the league from doing this the following year they are the ones in control and assuming that they give 6 months notice they could go ahead with that implementation.

Cheers
JB

[J_B]

Originally Posted by whataboutbob

If this works, do it every year during the Labour Day weekend.

I think it would work as well WAB, I think it would have to work because you are making it mandatory.

Cheers
JB

[SofaKingGood]

Originally Posted by J_B

I think it would work as well WAB, I think it would have to work because you are making it mandatory.

Cheers
JB

I totally agree. The only thing I mentioned to WAB, is that he suggests that the season start Labor Day Longweekend and the Premier play 26 games for the one yr. What I am saying is that Labor Day was like 3 weeks ago and the Premier teams didn't play 3 games each on that weekend. The schedule is out and I don't see each Premier team playing a 26 game schedule. I am 100% for change, but the League should have announced its decision before the first game played in order to give every team a heads up. Persoanlly I don't see them shrinking the Premier until 2007-08

[J_B]

I see where you are coming from as it would be difficult to do the proposal as labour day was a few weeks ago. As for it coming in the 2007-08 season if the league is talking now then why not do it now but we all know that the majority of this league is all talk except when it comes down to collecting money for past year fines .

Cheers
JB

[whataboutbob]

Originally Posted by SofaKingGood

I totally agree. The only thing I mentioned to WAB, is that he suggests that the season start Labor Day Longweekend and the Premier play 26 games for the one yr. What I am saying is that Labor Day was like 3 weeks ago and the Premier teams didn't play 3 games each on that weekend. The schedule is out and I don't see each Premier team playing a 26 game schedule. I am 100% for change, but the League should have announced its decision before the first game played in order to give every team a heads up. Persoanlly I don't see them shrinking the Premier until 2007-08

My bad, I meant impliment this for the 2006-07 season so that 2007-08 will be 12 teams. Obviously this would have to go to the AGM in June before anything could be done.

[whataboutbob]

What I see is that there will no longer be a local Labour Day tournament; especially after this year's Bby one. Kick off the season in style.
As for CAT; make them play an unbalanced schedule of 18 games. Does it really matter for league standings?

[SofaKingGood]

Originally Posted by whataboutbob

My bad, I meant impliment this for the 2006-07 season so that 2007-08 will be 12 teams. Obviously this would have to go to the AGM in June before anything could be done.

Now thats what Im talking about.
But this proposal is what I totally agree with. Esp since now that the date is set straight so that it is actually possible for the League to do. Question is how do you make a formula for Div and Div2? Do you also shrink the number of teams in their Divs or do you just leave them alone?

[Jinky]

Originally Posted by SofaKingGood

Question is how do you make a formula for Div and Div2? Do you also shrink the number of teams in their Divs or do you just leave them alone?

This is a good question and I think the answer is yes. Pre-CAT Division One football was respectable. Now there are teams playing in the First Division that would have struggled in the old Second Division circa 1995.

Overhaul the entire league.