Promotion and relegation could assist US club soccer in capitalising on the undoubted interest in, and potential for, the sport in USA.
 
 
                                                        Promotion and relegation introduces competition at the top and the bottom of
            Added interest     leagues, increasing the number of matches in a season with something “at stake”.              throughout  Relegation battles can extend the interest in a season, with relegation often not          leagues and   decided until the final gameday weekend.
            seasons      The potential for clubs to move between leagues creates exciting narratives for fans    throughout the pyramid.
 
 
            A driver of  Evidence from open league structures shows that the movement of teams between      increased         leagues can, over time, be of a net benefit, increasing overall match attendance.           attendance and    The current gap between Division I (MLS) and Division II (NASL) in terms of
attendance is large, but evidence of the uplifts achieved by former NASL/USL teams
                     matchday            entering MLS demonstrates that movement between divisions in the medium term
 revenue    could also be of a net overall benefit in terms of attendance in US soccer.
 
 
•     There are challenges in growing domestic club broadcast audiences, sustaining them  across a season and keeping pace with other soccer broadcast properties. Compelling
•     Promotion and relegation offers appealing and exciting broadcast content throughout             content for the season, in addition to the traditional narrative of a title race.
            broadcasters        Evidence from England and Italy shows that a match in the context of a promotion      race can deliver average audiences in excess of three times the league average.
 
 
•     Existing owners would be compelled to continually improve their organisations either             in hope of winning the league or achieving promotion, or through fear of relegation.         Motivated    This encourages ambition, innovation and dynamism, with no room for complacency   ownership at       or inertia on the part of every ownership group.
            all levels      The opportunity to develop clubs further down the pyramid, with a view to promotion,             can attract new owners to the game who wish to invest at a lower level. This impetus          for ambition should improve the quality of clubs and management at all levels. 
 
 
•     Increased competition at all levels of the club pyramid would provide players at all levels with greater experience of competitive soccer matches.
 
                              Improved          Ambitious ownership at all levels may improve facility and coaching provision at a
 
                          player              larger number of clubs.
                                                           development         Better player development would assist the US National Team’s ambitions, and provide a potential revenue stream for owners looking to realise value through player
 transfers.
 
 
             
                                  Further           Alignment with other major soccer nations positions soccer in the US as being a
 
            positions    global player, whereas a closed league system characterises US soccer as locally led.     USA as a  This would align with FIFA’s statutes that states membership of a league “shall depend principally on sporting merit.”
            global soccer        Improved player development and infrastructure would assist in realising some of US              nation        soccer’s international ambitions.
 
 
             Provides a clear mechanism for the growth of the sport in an organic way, with        A structure for         promotion and relegation (coupled with effective governance and licensing) providing the long term         an evolutionary way for club soccer to find its natural and most effective structure.
growth of the  Soccer in the US is now stronger with greater interest than ever and promotion and sport       relegation could reflect this maturity and encourage and reward investment to allow clubs and players the opportunity to reach their potential.

The opening of the US club soccer pyramid could present a number of significant risks. However, through careful consideration these could be

effectively mitigated.
  
             
            The quality of        soccer of      promoted
 
teams 
 
 
 
 
The quality of
            organisation           of promoted
 
teams
 
 
 
 
Stadium
 
            infrastructure of      lower league
            teams not good       enough
 
 
 
Increased
            competition will    increase costs       (e.g. player            costs)
 
 
             
 
US leagues
 
            may be yet to        reach maturity
 
 
 
 
            Relegation   could be seen        as unfair on
                         long term
 
investors in a
 
                            league
 
 
 
•     The promotion of teams would obviously be of concern for those clubs in the upper division, with regards to the sporting quality of the teams being promoted.    
•     By definition, promoted teams are the ‘best of the rest’ and relegated teams are the worst in the division.
•     As an initial step, play-offs between teams from two divisions to decide promotion and relegation could ensure sporting merit drives clubs’ divisional status.
•     Given the history of US professional club soccer, stakeholders would be legitimately  concerned as to whether promoted teams would have the quality of organisation (management) and be financially sustainable if promoted.
•     Implementation of thorough club licensing regulations, as used in other countries and sports, could ensure clubs were of a high enough standard of professionalism.
•     Minimum stadium requirements form a key part of many leagues’ criteria, such as the English Premier League’s requirement that all stadia are all-seater, or UEFA’s requirement that matches in their Champions League competition from the group stage onwards are played in stadia with over 8,000 seats.
•     Similar stipulations within the US club pyramid would ensure that clubs seeking promotion would have to play in a venue that met a league’s requirements.
•     The increase in risk (relegation) and reward (promotion) within the club pyramid may  well see an escalation in player costs, as they become increasingly valuable
commodities and the ambition of club owners grows throughout the leagues.
•     However, soccer is now full of examples of effective regulation controlling costs (as is common in US sports), such as UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations. The implementation of cost control measures would be critical considerations for any league.
•     A key part of any future plan for US soccer will be the decision in the near term of the ultimate size of the leagues (i.e. scale of expansion).
•     Promotion could be considered as a meritocratic means of growing leagues to their optimal size, with relegation introduced at a later date.
•     Clearly those who have invested in a league over time and/or through the payment of a franchise fee may feel that relegation represents a major new risk which would undermine and unnecessarily jeopardise this investment. 
•     A managed transition with properly structured promotion and relegation could have upsides that could offset this loss and more importantly be of benefit to all stakeholders in the longer term. Equally the implementation of new equity structures and revenue distribution models for leagues may further offset and protect against any perceived or real losses.

Conclusions: Club soccer in the USA today

 
 

 
 Club soccer in the US has come a long way – the last two decades have been  comparatively stable in terms of leagues. Credit is due to Major League Soccer in particular for  driving two decades of expansion and, for some clubs, attendance growth, especially given the  competitive nature of the US professional sports market.

 

 
 However, soccer in the US as a sport has come further – soccer has become a major  sport in the US in terms of grassroots participation and audiences for major international  soccer properties have also become significant. The current club system, while comparatively  stable, has yet to meet the demands of fans, or deliver the broadcast and matchday audiences  the potential of the sport in the US may warrant.
  
 
 Major League Soccer has done well to attract franchise and stadium investment –  but there is a limited lifespan to the franchise fee model and without significant increases in  broadcast and matchday audiences, the business model may face challenges in the medium  term.
             
 
 Fan interest in non-US based club soccer is increasing – with growing interest in  foreign soccer broadcast properties, the revenue potential from broadcast rights deals faces  long term challenges.
             
 
 The closed league system, while understandable in the context of when leagues  were established, may hinder the longer term growth prospects of club soccer – the  closed league system is one that seeks to maximise profit for owners and protect a league’s  financial sustainability. To date however, this model in US soccer is more about loss and  capital call minimisation, rather than profit maximisation, struggling to grow revenues and to  an extent reliant on expansion franchise fees that have a limited lifespan.
             

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Conclusions: The future of club soccer in the USA 

 
 

 
 Open leagues may attract more fans to matches – evidence from other leagues  demonstrates that the spectacle of promotion and relegation, and the churn of teams between  divisions can actually be of net benefit to attendances across the club pyramid as a whole.
 
 
Increased attention and audiences will translate into increased revenue – with
 
 increased competition at all levels of the club game, and at both ends of a league, matchday  and broadcast audiences may be increased. In so doing, this can deliver increase in matchday  (e.g. ticket sales), broadcast (e.g. greater viewing figures leading to enhanced broadcast  rights deals) and commercial (e.g. more attention delivering greater returns for commercial  partners) revenue.

 

 
Promotion and relegation will motivate ownership at all levels – by enabling the
 
ambition of owners further down the pyramid (through promotion), as well as by removing the
 
safety net for owners (through relegation), this will motivate ownership to invest and/or
 
develop their club so as to capitalise on the benefits of promotion or avoid the penalties of
 
relegation.
 
 

 

 
Opening the pyramid will attract investment at all levels of the game – owners
 
looking to develop a long term club project, growing a club from a grassroots organisation to
 
a professional one, may be more motivated to become involved than would be the case with
 
no prospect of promotion or entry to a professional league without a franchise fee payment. 
 
 
 Increased opportunities and competition would assist with player development at  all levels – with more competition throughout the pyramid through the prospect of  promotion and the threat of relegation, the intensity of competition for players would  increase, as would the emphasis for clubs throughout the country to develop their coaching  infrastructure.
             
 
 Opening the leagues can be done in a way so as to mitigate any risks – effective  implementation of governance regulations and minimum league standards would ensure that  the financial security and sporting integrity of leagues was preserved whilst also allowing the  leagues to benefit from the potential identified upsides of promotion and relegation.
 

As it stands however, US club soccer is not immediately ready for promotion and  relegation   – for the topic to move forward several key topics needs to be addressed including:        •          Decisions made on the optimum number of teams in the existing leagues; •          The continued development and stability of a second tier competition to develop clubs        capable in management and football terms of joining the first tier; andConsideration of the mechanism by which long term league investors have their “equity”   •          protected, at least in the short term, from relegation.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

  
 
 
This summary document has been prepared pursuant to our engagement with Silva International Investments (UK) Ltd, solely to assist an understanding of the key findings arising from a preliminary assessment of factors for and against the introduction of promotion and relegation in professional club soccer in the USA. It is necessarily a summary, limited to matters which we have identified that appear to us to be of significance within the context of our engagement, and does not necessarily contain all matters relevant to a proper understanding of the findings included in our full report to Silva International Investments (UK) Ltd dated 9^th November 2016. Insofar as this document contains conclusions and opinions, these are statements of opinion and should not be treated as statements of fact. These conclusions and opinions are derived from the work we have undertaken and are held at the date hereof but may not be applicable thereafter. We give no undertaking to update or correct any conclusion, opinion or fact in the light of circumstances arising or information becoming known after the date hereof.
 
Silva International Investments (UK) Ltd has asked our consent to make this summary document publicly available. We have agreed to provide such consent on the following conditions (i) This document may not be suitable for the use of any person other than Silva International Investments (UK) Ltd. Accordingly, publication of this summary document to persons other than Silva International Investments (UK) Ltd is for information purposes only and no person should place any reliance on this summary document; and (ii) We do not assume or accept or owe any responsibility or duty of care to any person. Accordingly, any person who, contrary to the above, chooses to rely on this summary document does so at their own risk and we will not be responsible for any loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from action as a result of any material in this summary document.
 
 
© 2016 Deloitte LLP. All rights reserved.
 
Deloitte LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number OC303675 and its registered office at 2 New Street Square, London EC4A 3BZ, United Kingdom.
 
Deloitte LLP is the United Kingdom member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (“DTTL”), a UK private company limited by guarantee, whose member firms are legally separate and independent entities.  Please see www.deloitte.co.uk/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of DTTL
/

I reckon they have the right set up imo. 

Geez when a commissioner gets shown up telling out and out lies. 

The evidence is for pro rel. Not against. 

So what happens when MLS does PromoRele, will we still be the last Anglo nation to do it lol?

-PB

does nz football championship have p/r?

Fuck, if Australia's got to wait til MLS wakes up, I'll probably be dead

K

-PB

The yanks will just keep expanding the MLS.

Instead of splitting into 2 divisions they'll probably end up with 4 10 team conferences.

watch a new football league? Try Mexico's popular and exciting Liga MX

If asked to name the fourth most popular domestic football league in the world, would you pick Liga MX? The Mexican league attracted higher average crowds than any league outside of Europe last season – and more than Serie A and Ligue 1. The Campeonato Brasileiro and the Primera División in Argentina are better known but not as well attended, with average crowds of fewer than 16,000 in Brazil and just over 20,000 in Argentina.

With its avowed aim of becoming the Premier League of Latin America, Liga MX’s average crowds of over 26,500 provide a solid platform to become the dominant league in the region. Monterrey averaged 48,392 a match last season – more than Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool and league champions Leicester City. Attendances have been steadily rising over the last five years, with many games sold out and attendance rates of close to 80% for the most popular clubs. With some clubs charging as little as 50 pesos (£2) for admission, there is plenty of scope for growth.

Club América are traditionally the best supported club in Mexico. They have the considerable advantage of playing in the capital city, which has a catchment area of 21 million people, in one of the world’s five largest stadiums used for club football. The Estadio Azteca’s capacity was recently reduced to 87,000 but it is still far larger than any Premier League ground. It was built in 1966 for Club América with a capacity of 140,000 and happens to be one of only two stadiums to have hosted two World Cup finals, alongside the Maracanã.

There are many parallels between Club América and Manchester United. They both have the largest stadiums in their leagues and the most supporters both domestically and internationally. They are also hated. Like United, América have been the most successful club in their league, with a record of 12 titles, but they have not won one for a few of years, their most recent success coming in 2014.

The Mexican season is split into two separate and distinct competitions, bringing a new meaning to the concept of a mid-winter break. The system, which has been used in Argentina since 1991, consists of the Torneo Apertura, which runs from July to December, and then the Torneo Clausura, which runs from January until May. Both consist of 17 regular league games before the top eight teams enter the Liguilla, a play-offs system that determines the eventual champions. Tigres UANL won the 2016-17 Torneo Apertura on Christmas Day, beating Club América on penalties after the two clubs could not be separated in regular time over two legs.

There are some critics of this system as the intensity of two short competitions, with just 17 regular league games, means managers are reluctant to risk young players. There is little leeway to allow development of untried talent when the pressure to perform is so relentless. On the positive side, there are very few meaningless matches as most of the 18 clubs have a chance of qualifying for the eight-team Liguilla and winning the title.

Tigres
Tigres players celebrate during their match against Club América in Monterrey. Photograph: Julio Aguilar/AFP/Getty Images
At the other end of the table, there is only one relegation spot, which is decided by averaging results over a three-year period. With only one club relegated every year, there is not much fluidity between the first and second divisions. Recently promoted clubs face a disadvantage as they are competing against clubs who have been in the top flight for a number of seasons and can mitigate against the odd bad campaign.

In a move that echoed the Premier League’s split from the Football League back in 1992, Liga MX was formed 20 years later in 2012, when the top league broke away from the Mexican Football Federation. While this was not such an acrimonious breakaway, with several key personnel switching between the two organisations, there was still a distinct separation, which was exacerbated by the limited promotion opportunities from Ascenso MX, the division below.

One development that has set the Liga MX apart from the more cosmopolitan Premier League is the 10/8 rule, which was introduced last May. The rule stipulates that eight players in a club’s 18-man matchday squad must be homegrown Mexican nationals, with no more than 10 foreign-born players. The rule has proved controversial, with critics suggesting that it puts naturalised Mexicans and dual-citizens at a disadvantage and does not do enough to encourage clubs to bring through young players. Mexico won the Under-17 World Cup in 2005 and 2011, but the country’s young players are not dominating the league and improving the national team – Mexico were hammered 7-0 by Chile in the Copa América last year.

Club Deportivo Guadalajara – or Chivas as they are more commonly known – need not worry about the 10/8 rule, as they only select players who were born in Mexico. Guadalajara is in the heartland of the country and Chivas relish the idea that they – and not the more corporate Club América – are the club of the people. The two teams contest the Súper Clásico, a game that drew last season’s biggest crowd of 61,561.

Some of the most recognisable players to have played for the Goats – the literal translation of Chivas – include Carlos Vela, once of Arsenal, and Javier Hernández, formerly of Manchester United and Real Madrid. Only a few Mexicans have proved very successful in European football. Hugo Sánchez won five league titles with Real Madrid and Rafael Márquez, who is still playing in Liga MX for Atlas at the age of 37, won four while at Barcelona, but Mexico no longer sends many players to Europe.

There are around a dozen Mexicans playing in Europe at the minute, which is very low considering that there are 14 Argentinians and 12 Brazilians in the Premier League alone. Tom Marshall, who covers Mexican football for ESPN, believes finances play a part in players’ decisions not to move abroad. “Mexican football is so much richer than the other two and such economic power means that, firstly, the players enjoy high incomes and extremely comfortable lifestyles and so are less tempted to seek their fortune abroad. Secondly, the clubs themselves are much wealthier and have less of a need to sell players to balance the books.”

As ever, the crucial barometer of a league’s wealth lies with the broadcast revenues it generates. Liga MX’s annual figure of $120m for domestic rights looks small in comparison to the billions made by the Premier League, but Liga MX has gone through a similar media revolution. Soon after its formation in 2012, the established free-to-air broadcasters, TV Azteca and Televisa, had their duopoly broken up by satellite and cable entrants such as Fox Sports, who were backed by Carlos Slim, the billionaire businessman whose wealth puts Rupert Murdoch very much into the shade.

There is a fundamental difference between the way the broadcast revenues are arranged in Mexico and England. While the Premier League have negotiated collectively for all 20 clubs in a central contract, Liga MX clubs have acted unilaterally, so coverage is split between many more channels. For example, Fox signed an exclusive deal with Leon to broadcast their home games in 2012 and then added CF Pachuca in 2014. Slim runs Movil, Mexico’s largest telecommunications company, so he effectively combines the power of Sky and BT, which he is determined to exploit.

Again Chivas are the outliers. After the club refused to renew the Televisa contract in May 2016 following a 22-year relationship, they were disappointed by what was on offer from the likes of ESPN so decided to set up their own television channel, Chivas TV. The only way to watch Chivas home games is to subscribe to this channel, which is a characteristically bold move.

Some argue that this approach restricts access by the poorer and older supporters who may not be able to afford a subscription or internet access to watch on their laptops or phones. To counter this, the club have offered different levels of coverage, allowing less affluent fans reduced prices for games on delay, for example. At the moment the club do not release viewing figures or revenues but many clubs, including Boca Juniors, are watching carefully to see how this model works.

As Mexican football attracts a larger television audience in USA than any other football league, including the Premier League, it has solid foundations from which to grow – some clubs receive more income from their US deal than their domestic one. The next step for Mexican clubs is to attract viewers – and sell broadcast rights – in Europe. Chivas’ pre-season friendly with Arsenal in Los Angeles showed the league’s intentions. “Mexican football exists in a bubble and is doing absolutely fine as it is,” says Marshall. “But to make the next step they need to burst that bubble and open up to new ideas that may shake the existing order.”

As Mexican football stands at the crossroads, a concerted effort is required to make an impact outside the Americas. The test of its success will be when more people can name the fourth best attended league in the world.

• This article is from the author of The Agony and the Ecstasy
• Follow Richard Foster on Twitter

https://www.theguardian.com/football/the-agony-and-the-ecstasy/2017/feb/09/football-league-liga-mx-mexico-club-america-chivas#comments

Yeah its pretty decent. 

Wooden stadium key to sustainable success for English club



Wooden stadium key to sustainable success for English club

In the battle for promotion from English soccer's fifth tier, every result is key for title contenders Forest Green Rovers but one victory in particular would have a significant impact on the future of the eco-friendly club.

Rovers, based in the southwest county of Gloucestershire, are awaiting planning permission to build the world's first modern-age wooden soccer stadium, incorporating a host of sustainable, eco-positive features.

The 5,000 capacity venue, designed by the award-winning Zaha Hadid Architects, will be the centre-piece for Eco Park, a 100 million pound ($125 million) sports and green technology business park in Stroud featuring training pitches and a sport science hub.

"The really big deal is the fact that it's all made out of wood, minimum use of concrete," Dale Vince, Forest Green Rovers' chairman and founder of British green energy suppliers Ecotricity, told Reuters.

"An awful lot of thought has gone into it. So it's eco but it's going to be aesthetic and also a great experience to be in, playing and watching," he said.

The proposed stadium will feature a translucent, sloping roof to reduce shadows on the pitch and aid grass growth, with venue walkways carefully designed to allow better ventilation and maintenance of the field.

Modern fire-retardant treatments on timber make wood safe to use, said the long-haired, earring-wearing Vince, who has some bold long-term goals for the club.

"We've got ambitions to get from where we are which is tier five of English football to tier two - the Championship," he said.

The 55-year-old broadened his eco philosophy to soccer in 2010 when he took over the lowly English club and instigated a 'Green Revolution', removing red meat from the menu and turning the club vegan among a raft of initiatives.

He also installed solar panels and laid an organic pitch at their current New Lawn stadium in Nailsworth where a robotic lawnmower is employed to cut the grass.

Wooden stadium key to sustainable success for English clubThat venue will be redeveloped into a number of sustainable, eco-homes should planning permission be granted for Eco Park, which will also be home to the headquarters of Ecotricity.


These changes appear to agree with Rovers, who sit third in the English National League, four points behind leaders Lincoln City in the race for the one guaranteed promotion place to League Two, a division the club have never played in.

The club have 16 games left to win promotion, but Vince said the stadium move is necessary for sustainable success.

"We've found the perfect location we think to build something that's going to be really 'out there' in terms of its environment design and infrastructure," he said.

"It'll be eco by name and by nature as you might imagine." Reuters.

http://spanishnewstoday.com/wooden-stadium-key-to-sustainable-success-for-english-club_85472-a.html


Ambition for promotion

I've been following lower league stadium developments in England in the stadium subsection of the Skyscrapercity forums. This stadium proposal is a personal squeeze of mine, but I haven't linked photos here previously because I just cannot be arsed with linking and hosting and whatnot. There's plenty of action going on in the lower leagues for stadiums. 

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=661500

bu bu ma straya is diffrint

Only problem is it's hard to be able watch any matches at the moment, even on replay. You can see resumens "highlights' on youtube.

Issues in sport seem to be common in Australia. Not entirely pro rep related (article) but this one made the cut for the franchise reference

Why rugby league in Australia needs blowing up and starting again

Plays of the Week

Compromise is most often seen as a good thing – but the compromise that created the ARL Commission now seems likely to be its undoing.

You see, under the original plan for the sport's independent commission, the NSW and Queensland Rugby Leagues were supposed to cease to exist. Does the National Football League need an Arkansas Football League and a Nevada Football League to make decisions?

The NRL were going to take direct responsibility for the sport at all levels, nationwide. In place of the NSWRL and QRL would just be regional offices of the NRL.

But the state leagues fought and fought. And the idea of ceding power to a body with no vested interests was seen as such a tantalisingly positive thing for the game that the NSWRL and QRL were reluctantly included in the plans.

And now what's happened? The NSWRL and QRL are arguably more nebulous organisations than they were then.

The clubs, meanwhile, wore the administration down with their constant haranguing for money. They won places on a new commission that will now only be somewhat independent. And, as of Saturday morning, the states are once again being sticks in the mud.

Front and centre: ARLC chairman John Grant.
Front and centre: ARLC chairman John Grant. Photo: Christopher Pearce
Not content with two "independent" nominees to a 10-man commission, NSW and Queensland want their own chairmen on a nine-man board. Clearly, they think 10 directors would give John Grant's casting vote too much power. And as for insisting on wanting to put yourself on any board, it's difficult to see that in anything but the most self-interested terms.

Rugby league has this sort of self-serving … ahem … discord in its DNA and won't be more than a regional curiosity in global terms as long as things stay that way. It's a self-perpetuating spiral; when the game does attract altruistic people they don't tend to stick around long.

Let's look at what rugby league needs to be run efficiently in Australia. It needs an elite competition to attract media rights and fund it. To achieve that, all that is required are 16 25-man squads, coaches and admin. They need to sell tickets, merchandise and sponsorship. That's it.

Why are any clubs responsible for junior development when some have huge nurseries and some have none? If we are looking at talent equalisation – which is supposedly what the salary cap is for – then we should be negating these advantages and disadvantages, too, rather than perpetuating them.

Aren't leagues clubs legally mandated to support junior sport? Why do we have to give them a further incentive to plough money into the game, ie: the implication that those juniors will go into the local NRL club, even when that local club isn't allowed to spend more than its competitor? That's illogical. Leagues Clubs are supposed to fund local sport regardless.

No, our 16 clubs should be lean franchises whose entire expenses are covered by a grant from media rights, full stop. They are McDonald's or Subway – players, coaches, admin staff, 16 almost identical organisations. They make profits by being better at selling merchandise, sponsorship and tickets than their competitors and that's why private owners should be attracted – this little game within the game.

The NSW and Queensland Origin teams don't need entire organisations behind them. There is no Australian Rugby League anymore but the Australian team does fine. They just need funding.

Below that level we should have a uniform second tier. How is it that we can have teams from Papua New Guinea, Perth and Fiji in these competitions yet they are state-based? If we have the money to fly to and from Nadi, why can't we fly teams in the same competition to Brisbane? Will we one day have Wellington in the Queensland comp and Dunedin in NSW? These curiosities are historically-rooted, wasteful and silly-looking.

No, the game needs a national second tier serving secondary markets who don't have NRL teams but maybe one day would like to. It should also preserve cherished brands like the North Sydney Bears or Newtown Jets so fans of those clubs have a side to support and we can generate money from the IP of these brands even though they no longer compete at the top level.

And below that, is grassroots. And grassroots should be wholly the domain of the governing body, perhaps even across Australia and New Zealand. All the money left from media rights beyond covering the operational expenses of the teams in the top two tiers (and they all just have 25 players, some coaches and admin) needs to go into the grassroots.

That's still a LOT of money from $2 billion – enough for offices in all the capital cities, some in the country, a battalion of development officers and grants to existing junior clubs.

Everything that exists now that isn't as described above is a hangover from history, the result of blazer-coveting and the largess of office. The game in Australia needs blowing up and starting again.

We had Sydney expansion in 1967, NSW expansion in 1982, interstate expansion in 1988, the Super League War in 1995 … we're due for another major upheaval soon.

Maybe we're in need of one, too.

Podcast here

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/why-rugby-league-in-australia-needs-blowing-up-and-starting-again-20170209-gu9o00

Fight to avoid English Premier League relegation is as intense as race at top

english premier league, epl, epl table, premier league table, premier league relegation, epl relegation battle, sunderland, swansea city, leicester city, crystal palace, hull city, middlesbrough, football news, sports news Sunderland sit bottom of the Premier League with 19 points to their credit. (Source: Reuters)
The fight to avoid relegation from the English Premier League is as intense as the race at the top. With 14 matches and four months of the season to play, the bottom six sides are separated by just two points: Sunderland (19 points), Crystal Palace (19), Hull (20), Swansea (21), Leicester (21) and Middlesbrough (21).

Bournemouth, on 26 points in 14th place but without a league win this year, could yet be dragged into the scrap.

Reaching the 40-point mark is regarded as the target to ensure safety, although West Ham was relegated on 42 points in 2003.

No team has ever got to 43 points and gone down. Sunderland finished one place above the relegation places in 2016 and 2013, on both occasions staying up with 39 points. In 2014, 36 points was enough for West Brom to stay up.

Here is a brief look at the bottom six teams:

MIDDLESBROUGH (15th place, 21 points)

Boro, without a league win since mid-December, do not concede many goals but do not score many either having notched a league-lowest 19 so far.

Manager Aitor Karanka signed strikers Rudy Gestede and Patrick Bamford last month in a bid to add potency to an attack led by Alvaro Negredo, who is top-scorer on just six.

Boro, which plays Everton at home on Saturday, has been warm-weather training in Spain this week to help foster team unity.

LEICESTER (16th, 21 points)

The storm clouds were circling the champions until manager Claudio Ranieri received a vote of confidence this week, the club offering “unwavering support” to the Italian.

The Foxes have won just five league games amid reports of increasing dressing room unrest and a rift between manager and players.

A much-needed victory in its FA Cup fourth-round replay on Wednesday against second-tier Derby has at least given some cause for optimism.

“The win in the Cup will give us more confidence and we have to keep going,” Ranieri said.

Leicester plays at fellow struggler Swansea on Sunday.

SWANSEA (17th, 21 points)

Paul Clement has been named the manager of the month for January after wins over Crystal Palace, Liverpool, and Southampton.

Clement was appointed only in early January but seems to have galvanized the Welsh side which gave Manchester City a tough match in its last game, only to lose in injury time.

On facing Leicester, Clement said: “We go into this game with a lot of confidence and a belief that we are going in the right direction. There will not be a team in that region of the table who don’t think they can do it.”

HULL (18th, 20 points)

Much improved since Marco Silva was appointed manager last month, Hull plays all the sides in the bottom six between now and the end of the season.

A draw at Manchester United was followed by a home win over Liverpool, but the tough run of fixtures continues on Saturday with a trip to Arsenal.

“We need to continue to do our work to progress our performances,” Silva said. “The same spirit, the same attitude, and the same team performance need to be shown.”

CRYSTAL PALACE (19TH, 19 points)

Palace has lost seven of its last 10 matches, and was jeered off in its last game after capitulating at home to relegation rival Sunderland 4-0.

“I keep preaching the same thing: If you can’t win, don’t lose. But we keep losing! We need to get a result, got to pick points up,” said manager Sam Allardyce ahead of Saturday’s match at Stoke.

“I haven’t been relegated from the Premier League in my entire career, so it’s the last thing I want. This team has a great chance of survival.”

SUNDERLAND (20th, 19 points)

The impressive win at Crystal Palace brought some respite for manager David Moyes, who hopes for more of the same from on-loan Manchester United winger Adnan Januzaj. He created both of Jermain Defoe’s goals last weekend and is relishing their partnership.

“In the last few games, we’ve linked really well,” he said. “We’re enjoying playing together and hopefully he can score many more goals.”

http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/football/fight-to-avoid-english-premier-league-relegation-is-as-intense-as-race-at-top-4518203/

Really good post. And very applicable to our game.

Australian football stagnates as fans grow tired of ten-team A-League

February 10th, 2017 by Back Page Football 

Football in Australia is broken.In the eyes of the national media and indeed broadcasters, a ten-team competition is no longer doing enough to keep fans buying tickets and tuning in.A slightly above average Sydney FC are currently undefeated 19 games in, only two or three out of six finals spots are up for grabs and Adelaide United are set to finish last without the interest of a relegation battle to hold anyone’s interest.Naturally, expansion takes centre stage.

Read more here:

http://backpagefootball.com/australian-football-stagnates-fans-grow-tired-ten-team-league/113441/?utm_content=buffer1c38c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

http://backpagefootball.com/australian-football-stagnates-fans-grow-tired-ten-team-league/113441/?utm_content=buffer1c38c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

'We're a special case!' plead S Lowy and Gallop2017-01-29 | by FT EditorbackFor those who cannot access the publication, we have republished below an article from David Davutovic in the Herald-Sun of 28 January concerning Steven Lowy’s and David Gallop’s visit to Zurich this week. It’s worth a read.Australia’s football association is still trying to circumvent the basic governance principles that the FIFA Congress signed-on to in February last year by pleading a ‘special case’. See our backgrounder on this issue from last September.

---

FFA chiefs Steven Lowy and David Gallop jet to Zurich to meet FIFA president in bid to retain power
DAVID DAVUTOVIC, Herald Sun
January 28, 2017 6:40pm
AUSTRALIAN soccer chiefs Steven Lowy and David Gallop will fly to Zurich this week to in a last-ditch attempt to delay FIFA-imposed reform and cling onto their powerbase.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino will hold talks with the Football Federation Australia bosses on Wednesday, at the request of the Australian duo.The Sunday Herald Sun understands the pair will plead for an extension on the March deadline for local reform, requested by FIFA to address the lack of democratic process in FFA board elections.
FIFA confirmed the meeting to the Sunday Herald Sun.“We can confirm that on 1 February a delegation of the Australian Football Federation will be received here in Zurich by the FIFA president,’’ a FIFA spokesman said.Despite widespread criticism in Australian soccer circles of the process leading to the father-to-son handover, Steven Lowy replaced Frank Lowy unopposed as FFA chairman in November 2015.Gallop and Lowy will have to defend the lack of wide democracy at the FFA.
FFA successfully delayed reform until after the elections, with Gallop arguing in a letter to FIFA that change might compromise TV rights negotiations.Just 10 voters — the lowest of the 211 FIFA member nations — elect the FFA board in what is almost certainly the most narrowly represented stakeholder group in the world.The subordinate state and territory federations have nine votes, while the 10 A-League clubs have one collective vote.
Matildas, W-League and A-League players have no say, while futsal and referees have votes in most other countries.“Steven Lowy and David Gallop will attend a long planned meeting with FIFA officials in Zurich this week to discuss a range of issues relating to the growth and development of the game in Australia including the process of reviewing the statutes and in particular the membership structure of Australian football,’’ an FFA spokesman said.“They will report to the FFA Board later in February as well as update other stakeholders of the football community.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino will personally hear the FFA pair’s case.“Following the postponement of his scheduled trip to Australia last month, the FIFA president has made himself available to meet the FFA chairman and CEO.’’FIFA delegates flew to Australia in September to address their concerns directly to FFA, after clamping down on the likes of New Zealand and China.“We expect the FFA to have fully concluded the statutes alignment process by the end of March 2017. This includes approval by the Congress,” a FIFA spokesman told the Herald Sun last November.“According to FIFA Statutes all member associations must ensure that their legislative bodies are constituted in accordance with the principle of representative democracy.
“We differentiate between three main groups of stakeholders, namely professional football, amateur football and so-called specific interest groups (players, coaches, women, futsal, etc).“While all member associations have to be taken in their own context, the general principle foresees that no singular group of stakeholders should be able to impose decisions on the others (i.e. have a voting majority in congress).’’



If you have a great football news feed, blog, podcast or video channel that you’d like us to include in Football Today, or if you have any ideas of new football topics that you’d like us to focus on in the site, then please just contact us at ref@footballtoday.com.au with details! Please note that the views expressed in this section are those of the individual author and not necessarily the publisher of Football Today.

One team per age is madness

Many clubs currently trending. A metric of Australian football apparently. Yet here we are discussing viability. DCC. 

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Conor O’Shea has to defend Italy’s right to participate in the Six Nations yet again after another comprehensive defeat.

The Azzurri fell to a comprehensive 63-10 defeat to Ireland on Saturday afternoon, with Joe Schmidt’s side running rampant with nine tries in Rome.


The huge margin of victory, and Italy’s likely receiving of the wooden spoon yet again at the end of this year’s championship, has reopened the debate as to whether participation in the Six Nations should be open to a system of promotion and relegation.

RBS 6 Nations Championship Round 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy 11/2/2017 Italy vs Ireland Ireland's Craig Gilroy scores a try
INPHO/Dan Sheridan
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O’Shea, however, is not having any of it and has leapt to Italy’s defence on the matter:

“There will always be discussion but we have earned the right with performances over the years to be where we are: until the rules change there is no debate.

“We have to learn, we have to get mentally stronger, and we have a lot to change in Italian rugby to get that,

“We have a really good group of players, and people will smile wryly, they will hang their heads – we will never hang our heads. And the intention is to fight tooth and nail to make the changes but also fulfil some short-term ambitions.

“I hate days like this. But we know what we have to do. But I still want the short-term to be great performances.”

RBS 6 Nations Championship Round 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy 11/2/2017 Italy vs Ireland Italy head coach Conor O'Shea with assistant coach Brendan Venter
INPHO/Billy Stickland
_____

Italy are currently ranked 13th in the World Rugby rankings – one place below “Tier 2” nation Georgia. The Georgians, along with Romania, have been vocal critics of the current system and have regularly demanded the right to participate among the first tier nations on a more regular basis.

That being said, just last month Six Nations chief executive John Feehan dismissed the notion of promotion and relegation in the competition, saying:

“In the short to medium term there is not any genuine likelihood of that [relegation] happening.

“Some comments are very unfair about Italy. We think they have been a good addition to the Championship since they have entered.”

So while Italy may yet succumb to more thrashings of the nature of Ireland’s rout, their position is secure for the time being.

http://www.punditarena.com/rugby/six-nations-2017/sokeefe/oshea-italy-six-nations/

Best of Shootout: Mark Bosnich and John Kosmina want opportunities for young A-League players

YET another key reason for A-League expansion, Kossie has his say on goalkeepers and the Golden Shinpad nominees.

It’s the Best of Shootout!

‘ANOTHER REASON WHY EXPANSION NEEDS TO HAPPEN’

FORMER Socceroos John Kosmina and Mark Bosnich say there aren’t enough opportunities for young players to develop in the A-League.

On Saturday night, 16-year-old Dylan Pierias became the A-League’s youngest debutant and impressed with his performance against Brisbane Roar.

Pierias was one of a number of either young or fringe players who featured for Melbourne City due to an array of suspensions to senior players.

But Kosmina said that example went against the trend, with few young players getting the opportunity to start A-League games on a regular basis.

“I think it’s great you’ve got a 16-year-old that can actually play because too often you don’t see coaches (back them) — I mean they were forced into this situation,” Kosmina said.

“I don’t think enough young kids are blooded in the A-League.

“They’ve got to go through the process for too long.”

Dylan Pierias during the warm-up session.
Dylan Pierias during the warm-up session.Source: AAP
Kosmina said the current state of things tended to see players spend time in a club’s youth system before failing to make the grade — largely due to lack of opportunities — and returning to state league or local league football.

“I’ve seen a lot of kids that have spent three years in the youth team at a club, they get 10 minutes of football, senior football,” he said.

“And they go and they're back in the NPL or whatever state league they’re from.”

Bosnich agreed, saying opportunities were limited by only having 10 teams in the national league, and pushed the case for rapid A-League expansion.

“That’s another reason why expansion needs to happen as soon as possible,” Bosnich said.

“There are far too little chances for our good kids to come through.

“It needs to happen yesterday.”

Melbourne Victory’s Jai Ingham was at Brisbane, then Hume City
Melbourne Victory’s Jai Ingham was at Brisbane, then Hume CitySource: News Corp Australia
Pierias was excellent deputising for the injured Ivan Franjic at right-back and Bosnich praised the youngster for his achievement.

“He was absolutely outstanding ... this is a young boy who rejected the AIS, said ‘no I’m okay, I’ll stay where I am’, has developed on his own with Melbourne City and he’s a good one to mark down for the future,” Bosnich said.

“(At) 16 years of age, it’s a marvellous achievement — wherever you are — it’s a marvellous achievement to debut at that stage.

“It’s great for the A-League as well that with all their suspensions they had the confidence to throw somebody in at that age.”

Bosnich said City should consider fielding the teenager again in their next match against Wellington.

“For him to do well, he’ll be feeling on top of the world,” he said.

“He’s got a massive case next week if Michael Valkanis says ‘I’m going to leave you out’ because the way he played, he deserves — in my opinion — to keep his place.”

http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/a-league/best-of-shootout-mark-bosnich-and-john-kosmina-want-opportunities-for-young-aleague-players/news-story/258f4cc588d1ee31e6900706cf6729e4

Two-tier county structure could still be the future of Twenty20 cricket in the UK after players back keeping current teams in any competition revamp

By Richard Gibson For Mailonline 00:16 GMT 12 Feb 2017, updated 01:43 GMT 12 Feb 2017


Four out of five county cricketers think the NatWest Blast remains a good option
The ECB are considering revamping T20 in England including new teams
They are considering setting up an eight-team Big Bash style tournament
Four out of five county cricketers believe a two-divisional NatWest Blast remains an attractive option for the future of Twenty20 in Britain.

The results of a Professional Cricketers’ Association consultation of its members this winter, seen by Sportsmail and circulated to clubs in the past fortnight, revealed that while players are overwhelmingly keen on a Big Bash-style tournament - draft plans for which have been penned by the ECB - retaining all 18 first-class counties in a revamp is also popular.

The PCA document highlighted a lack of information reaching the players on the preferred eight-team Super League model proposed by the ECB to the counties at a meeting last September, with 62% suggesting they would like to hear more before anything is rubber-stamped.

Four out of five county cricketers think the two-division NatWest Blast remains a good option
Four out of five county cricketers think the two-division NatWest Blast remains a good option
The ECB are considering revamping T20 in England in order to attract more supporters
The ECB are considering revamping T20 in England in order to attract more supporters
Other concerns included further marginalization of the County Championship, the competition 92% said was the one they most wanted to win, the absence of England players, with 94% agreeing domestic Twenty20 cricket is enhanced when they participate, a lack of terrestrial coverage contributing to a drop in participation levels (84%), and the format of cricket to be played simultaneously with the 'Super League', 31% suggesting none at all and 49% favouring a secondary T20 competition

However, on the last point, it appears the ECB anticipate Test matches and domestic 50-over matches running alongside the tournament, meaning that England players would be conspicuous by their absence and premier white-ball cricketers getting reduced opportunities to prepare for one-day international cricket.

The rival county-centric proposal comprising two divisions of nine with promotion and relegation and fresh player drafts each season was seen as attractive by 79%.

That was one of five options put forward to the counties by ECB chairman Colin Graves at the end of the 2016 season, although the preference for one with eight newly-created teams was made clear.

Moeen Ali played in the Natwest T20 in 2015, a rare case of an England cricketer playing
Moeen Ali played in the Natwest T20 in 2015, a rare case of an England cricketer playing
Setting up new organisations to compete over six weeks at the height of summer from 2020 would undermine 130 years of tradition - counties rather than cities or regions have contested top-level English cricket since the formation of the Championship in 1890.

All but three counties remain members’ clubs and the player survey revealed fears of ostracising them. One wrote ‘supporters are affiliated to a team and generally only that team. So you might find that Worcestershire fans won't come to watch the Birmingham team because they are classed as a rival. You might attract a new audience but again if people are not coming to watch in a major city like Birmingham in their masses now, then they never will.’

This week, PCA president Andrew Flintoff spoke of the charm of representing your county, and the pride he took in doing so.

But the ECB are intent on something fresh, including a new TV deal, which is why they are holding off until 2020 as a start date. Their ongoing agreement with Sky runs until the end of 2019, and the tender document for the tournament will specify a quarter of matches are screened free to air.

The ECB are considering setting up an eight-team Big Bash style tournament with city teams

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-4215934/Players-two-tier-county-structure-Twenty20-cricket.html

Sam Ross Jr. | What if NHL had relegation?

The NHL trade deadline nears, the annual sales event in which contenders stock up for a playoff run and the rest run up the white flag on this season and begin selling the sizzle of the next.

There’s something wholly unsatisfying about the process. A central tenet of sports is playing hard to the end and never giving up. How often this was cited in the wake of the New England Patriots’ epic comeback win in the most recent Super Bowl.

Anyone with more than a casual relationship with sports likely has seen or heard the Vince Lombardi maxim: “Winners never quit and quitters never win.”

Yet, on or before 3 p.m. March 1, fans of struggling NHL teams will be asked to embrace the concept of sending some talented players away because this season has lost its chance for success. Even the acquirers also often give up something of value, either current players, talented prospects or future draft picks.

In the case of the Penguins, goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has been prominent in trade speculation. Fleury presumably will be used to acquire an upgrade to the team’s defensemen.

For the one team that goes on to win the Stanley Cup, it’s all good. For the rest, there is a hodgepodge of both sellers’ and buyers’ remorse. Other than that, there is no significant downside.

Contrast that with soccer’s English Premier League, where even the bottom tier teams have something to play for late in the season. Their goal – soccer pun intended – is to avoid relegation.

Simply put, the bottom three teams in the Premier League standings will find themselves dropped to the Championship classification next season. For context, imagine the Pirates being punished during all those losing seasons by being dropped to a Class AAA league and needing to play themselves back into the Majors.

In hockey, perennial NHL losers could be rewarded with a stay in the American Hockey League, again looking to perform well enough there to get a promotion back up to the majors.

Can it happen? No way. Should it happen? Philosophically, it should.

With the threat of relegation looming, franchises could end up paying a price for giving up on a season. Instead of the current perverse reward of improving draft position by losing, there would be a real punishment.

Otherwise meaningless late-season games take on playoff-like impact. Leicester City’s plight in the Premier League is a current example.

For those who do not follow soccer, Leicester City won the Premier League last season. Before the season began, the Foxes were 5,000-1 longshots to accomplish that. Imagine the Cleveland Browns winning the Super Bowl next season and you have a parallel.

Yet in a Miracle on the Pitch, Leicester City won it all last season by finishing atop the standings. Take a look at those current standings and you see the Foxes near the bottom, in the mix to be relegated next season.

It’s a complex situation, but the most generally agreed upon explanation is that Leicester City doomed itself when it decided it couldn’t afford midfielder N’Golo Kante. He was sold to big-money franchise Chelsea. The reported fee was approximately $40 million.

The point can be made that Leicester City did the expedient thing and got something for a player it couldn’t afford to keep. The Foxes got the money, but may end up paying the price in being sent down next season.

It’s not totally unfamiliar territory. Leicester City just got moved back up to the Premier League in 2014-15 and stayed there only by winning seven of its last nine games that season. The stretch run led to the opportunity to win the championship in 2015-16, the first for the club. With 2016-17 comes the very real possibility of relegation.

But the banishment would not be permanent. The top two teams from the Championship tier move up to the Premier League each season, along with the winner of a playoff between teams that finish third through sixth in the Championship standings.

The sporting world is held out as the last refuge of true meritocracy, where performance and effort decide who succeeds and is rewarded. That’s true for the players and coaches. Relegation makes it true for the ownership, too.

http://www.tribdem.com/sports/sam-ross-jr-what-if-nhl-had-relegation/article_ae7c9dc8-f0b3-11e6-8785-eb7d6aeef052.html

Yet another reason for expansion, but not for promotion/relegation. why would a coach in a relegation battle risk playing a young kid when he could play an experienced player? No coach would take the risk.

Well then they are going down then aren't they. Which is the point you fail to grasp. 

I would argue that having a top 6 where most years about 9 from 10 teams have a chance of qualifying may be a bigger deterrent to not playing youth.

Online views boom for NPL VIC

A crowd of 1500 rolled through the Veneto Club gates in Bulleen on Monday while the online audience tripled the 2016 NPL Victoria Grand Final between South and Oakleigh Cannons at Lakeside Stadium.

Over 15,000 watched Monday night’s match on NPL Victoria’s Facebook Live broadcast for at least 30 seconds. The stream received 93,000 clicks in total.

Football Federation Victoria (FFV) General Manager, Commercial and Media Anthony Grima indicated the response was a sign of the league’s increasing popularity and profile.

The Facebook Live broadcast is the first FFV social network post to top one million reach, while video viewership records also increased heavily.


Grima also believed the numbers of fans engaging with matches online was evidence of the growing interest of the NPL in Victoria.

“It is a credit to FC Bulleen Lions for their enthusiasm to get PlayStation 4 NPL Victoria in front of as many eyes as possible, collaborating with FFV's media team to do so,” Grima said.

“Tens of thousands of viewers have seen a full ground and an exciting game in a professional and well presented online broadcast provided by the FFV media team in conjunction with NMS Media's Nathan Sakellariou.

“I have no doubt many who watched and enjoyed the quality of football and entertainment will now want to come and experience PlayStation 4 NPL Victoria in person at the ground.

“To have one million reach on the match post shows the power of live streaming and what it can do to raise the profile of FFV's competitions and commercial partners.

“It shows the enthusiasm for Victorian football at present, which is also being reflected in the state's rapidly growing participation numbers and commercial investment in the game.”

FFV will live video stream all four Victorian Round Seven matches of Westfield FFA Cup Qualifying, where winners will advance to the National Round of 32.

Also set to be live video streamed this season are the Dockerty Cup and Team App Cup Finals, and both the men’s and women’s NPL VIC Grand Finals.

Additional games to be considered depending on scheduling, resources and budget include FFA Cup Victorian Rounds Four to Six, Dockerty Cup and Team App Cup Semi-Finals and men's and women's minor finals of NPL VIC.

http://www.fourfourtwo.com.au/news/online-views-boom-for-npl-vic-451296

Rise in grassroots popularity.