Structure for 2019/20 and beyond

[AlanCamelonfan]

22 minutes ago, HibeeJibee said:

There are so many variables and alternatives it's almost mindboggling to even bother considering just now.

If it's just the current clubs (or a handful more new clubs) you could have Premier + 2 conferences... or Premier + North & South... or Premier + First + Second, although it means the bottom few clubs dropping 2 levels at once, plus you need enough new clubs to want to join at tier 8 to fill  a proper division.

If you got many more new clubs you could have Premier + 3 conferences... or Premier + North & Central & South... or Premier + First + North & South... or even in subsequent seasons Premier + First + Second + Third (though I'd think that very unlikely).

Until there's some idea of how many clubs may wish to join; and what current clubs want - and that'll involve many factors like quality gap, travel, moving more steps away from LL / EOS Premier, derbies, etc.; it's impossible to tell. Plus both influence each other, and will only be clear in spring.

I think premier of 14 and 3 conferences below for me if 17 Fife and Lothians clubs and syngenta .  I'm not sure Tayport and other 2 clubsc which I'm taking are scone a Kinnoull  will want to join.  So would give u 14 premier and 3 conferences of 14.

3 conference winners up and bottom 3 down. 2nd 3rd and 4th from each conference and 2 best 5th place make up a division 1. The remaining 28 clubs would be division 2 north and south

 

 

[AlanCamelonfan]

1 minute ago, FairWeatherFan said:

Scone & Kinnoull.

Luncarty fall just north of the HL/LL line. In fact I've seen it said if Luncartys ground was in the South of the town they'd be a LL club.

Yeh I remember now about the oddity of luncarty

[Burnie_man]

Not sure how popular another "transition" season will be amongst those clubs who don't make the EoS Premier. For me personally, the aim for next season should be to establish 2 divisions of 16 amongst the current membership, Premier and First, should numbers allow.

The original 13 EoS members were good enough to accommodate the influx this season via a transitional season, will they be prepared to do it again for another season?

Will the 26 new members, 25 of whom took a leap of faith amidst much criticism from those clubs they left behind, be so accommodating when those same clubs - many of whom chucked sh*t in the direction of the EoS - want entry on an equal basis?

 

[Whitburn Vale]

Agree wae burnie man on this,there shouldnt be anymore transitional seasons.

If you were making the leap you made it this season.

Next season should hopefully see a premier division,a first division and who knows if more apply a second division.

Tough shit if you enter at tier 8 you had a chance to do something about that this season but chose not too!!

[FairWeatherFan]

All the EoS has to do is operate in the same transparent manner they went through the application process this year.

Deadline of 31st March 2018 was set and in the run up it became apparent that there were too many clubs for a single division. Fear mongering ramped up "You'll be stuck a level below all those current EoS teams, it'll take years to even sniff the Lowland League!" The EoS let it be known to those interested that tiered divisions wouldn't happen everyone will be on the same level and we'll go from there.

Deadline 31st March 2019 gets set. All the EoS really knows is that they will have a 16 team EoS Premier. So the only guarantees to someone applying is the list of benefits of being a EoS member compared to where they are now and that all new applicants will start at the same level. What that level will be they can't say, because it hasn't been decided and won't likely be official until the AGM when all the playoffs, number of applicants and the pros and cons of formats have been taken into account.

[Burnie_man]

On a slightly different note, was Wednesdays SFA Board meeting a normal scheduled meeting? if so, has the embargo been lifted?

[FairWeatherFan]

I had a look to see what leagues the remaining 20 South of Tay Juniors had played in since the East Region moved to the Super-Premier-North/South set up in 2013/14.

• 16 of the 20 had at least one season a regional division.
• 14 of the 20 spent a majority of the 5 year period in a regional division.
• 8 of the 20 essentially spent the entire 5 year period in a regional division. The essentially part being Harthill, i'm not sure if they went into abeyance or folded during a 2 year spell.

With so many of the clubs having experienced 3rd Tier status in the East Region, i'm not sure 3rd Tier status in the EoS would be as catastrophic as it can at times be made out. The key to the issue should come down to the wishes of the current EoS members, rather than trying to appeal to new applicants.

 

[Deanburn Dave]

I reckon it's going to be a case of wait and see. A top 16 league next season is a certainty but below that will probably depend on the number of new clubs wanting to join. I have confidence the EoSFL will make the right decision.

[FairWeatherFan]

20 hours ago, FairWeatherFan said:

I had a look to see what leagues the remaining 20 South of Tay Juniors had played in since the East Region moved to the Super-Premier-North/South set up in 2013/14.

• 16 of the 20 had at least one season a regional division.
• 14 of the 20 spent a majority of the 5 year period in a regional division.
• 8 of the 20 essentially spent the entire 5 year period in a regional division. The essentially part being Harthill, i'm not sure if they went into abeyance or folded during a 2 year spell.

With so many of the clubs having experienced 3rd Tier status in the East Region, i'm not sure 3rd Tier status in the EoS would be as catastrophic as it can at times be made out. The key to the issue should come down to the wishes of the current EoS members, rather than trying to appeal to new applicants.

I was wondering what the geography for North/South Divisions, as I know some have said the geography isn't as extreme as the old East Region set up. It's another one of the reasons that could count against a 3 tier set up. If you take the 20 South of Tay Juniors, current bottom 2 in each EoS Conference and Syngenta it works out quite neatly for a first season.