Pyramid 2019/2020

[Burnie_man]

17 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said:

Best to keep the tier 7 conferences if that's something you want to encourage.

Not really, it's their choice to move or not.

[Guest]

Hopefully the league structure will come into practice next season for the eos, the conferences will have served their purpose after 2 seasons. Whilst they are great for finding balance, Im sure clubs who would end up in the frost division would like a crack at 3 promotion spaces from 16 rather than 1 from 12 (if conferences remain).

That would give us:
LL (on its own, not split East and West)
EOS premier
EOS first
EOS Conferences (ersjfa would join here)

As far as a LL West and LL East goes, what the sjfa are forgetting to tell people (or cleverly keeping to themselves) is that to get an sfa licence you have to play in the sfa pyramid. If you don't join the pyramid you won't be able to obtain an sfa licence. Sfa rules, no one else's. It is actually part of the process.

You can't skip it because you wish to or want to be able to. Tier 6 was where clubs could have achieved this and strengthened an argument to split the LL.

This all being said, I'm not so sure that the good folks at the sjfa have thought about if the LL would ever want to split to East and West......that might have been a good starting point for sjfa discussion, instead of we are the best, we will always be the best and your product needs us to be better..... Oh and we want it all our own way aswell......

[FairWeatherFan]

4 minutes ago, G4Mac said:

You can't skip it because you wish to or want to be able to. Tier 6 was where clubs could have achieved this and strengthened an argument to split the LL.

I'm guessing they're hoping that there will be some sort of dispensation.

At the same time the licensing officers are a small bunch and will have nearly a 100 or so clubs to renew in the next year as well. Doubt they would want even a fraction of a 130+ clubs from all over suddenly applying.

They also I believe take a first come, first served basis. Roughly speaking. So a Petershill that could well be playing West League One level next year are in a position to apply for LL West where others would not.

[Guest]

Not a chance that would be fair, clubs like my own grabbed on and let the wind carry us. We took a massive leap and have had to wait until now to apply for our licence. We had to take a leap and join the pyramid to get it. No way I would feel that was fair allowing others to get their licence without playing in the pyramid just because they weren't happy joining at a level that everyone else thought was fair, other than them.

 

 

 

 

[Ginaro]

44 minutes ago, G4Mac said:

That would give us:
LL (on its own, not split East and West)
EOS premier
EOS first
EOS Conferences (ersjfa would join here)

If only a few ERJFA teams join then there would be no need for conferences - just have Premier (16), and everyone else split between the First and Second Divisions, up to 16 in each with ERJFA teams in at tier 8.

You'd only need conferences if there was too many teams at Second Division level, so you could form two leagues of roughly the same ability like this season with the First Division. After that you can decide whether to have a Third Division at tier 9 or go for North/South at tier 8.

Sure there would be some imbalance with the top ERJFA in with the worst EOS teams but it won't be as bad as the three conference setup.

[Guest]

I concur. If all the east clubs came though, the lowest tier would surely be where they go now. They will have had 3 distinct opportunities to apply now and haven't done so. They will also see their top region in the West sit a tier or 2 higher than they will come in at if they wait around for the sjfa.

[EdinburghBlue]

Perhaps the South of Scotland League should publicly remind clubs that their remit doesn’t just cover Galloway and Dumfries and that is the EoS helpfully did that they are willing to restructure to accommodate however many new members they get.

[LongTimeLurker]

There's no chance of a breakaway or mass defection of west region clubs unless it becomes crystal clear that this Option Z scenario won't work out for them. By all accounts they genuinely believe that pyramid entry is going to happen this time around for all of the SJFA and that they have the backing of the SFA board on that.

[LongTimeLurker]

There's no chance of a breakaway or mass defection of west region clubs unless it becomes crystal clear that this Option Z scenario won't work out for them. By all accounts they genuinely believe that pyramid entry is going to happen this time around for all of the SJFA and that they have the backing of the SFA board on that.

[AlanCamelonfan]

33 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said:

There's no chance of a breakaway or mass defection of west region clubs unless it becomes crystal clear that this Option Z scenario won't work out for them. By all accounts they genuinely believe that pyramid entry is going to happen this time around for all of the SJFA and that they have the backing of the SFA board on that.

But they dont mr sjfa

[LongTimeLurker]

I am not linked to the SJFA and have not expressed support for Option Z at any point over the last couple of days. Please stop responding to my posts, if you don't understand that.

[grinderbrokeyourhearts]

It's a pipe dream.

Why would the LL vote to split when they could have Talbot etc in their league for attendance figures and it would make it even harder to get to League 2.

Why would the EoS vote for it either as they are already set up?

It's WOS or bust. Everyone can see that except those in the West Juniors. One will jump and that'll be it.

[LongTimeLurker]

The question I would be asking is whether a split of the LL to create three tier five feeders is something the SFA can arrange unilaterally if they can agree a change to the HL:LL boundary with the SPFL later this month. The mechanics of how the LL splits is definitely the part that is most unclear.

[ian44wood]

11 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said:

I am not linked to the SJFA 

You sure about that troll

[Guest]

There's no chance of a breakaway or mass defection of west region clubs unless it becomes crystal clear that this Option Z scenario won't work out for them. By all accounts they genuinely believe that pyramid entry is going to happen this time around for all of the SJFA and that they have the backing of the SFA board on that.

So last year the unanimous no was from both the eos and LL. (16 to 0 in the LL) for ersjfa entry at tier 6 alongside the eosfl.

The sjfa have now stated they want to join in a LL East and LL West set up at tier 5 (for the west) and tier 6 for the east - funny that the east and west being negotiated at different tiers is accepted.

This will include splitting the LL into 2 leagues, pretty much reducing their chances from a 1 in 2 promotion chance to a 1 in 3 chance. (let's not start on the licence conundrum)

Couple this with the ersjfa being slipped into tier 6, alongside the eos feeding the LL East (an idea unanimously denied last year).

And people still think this is not only a viable idea and solution, but will be voted through by not only the LL, sos and eos but the HL too (as it impacts both on promotion to the spfl and the promotion from sos and eos).

Am I alone in thinking I don't have to wait for the answer? I can see it now. It'll be a no.

[Guest]

The question I would be asking is whether a split of the LL to create three tier five feeders is something the SFA can arrange unilaterally if they can agree a change to the HL:LL boundary with the SPFL later this month. The mechanics of how the LL splits is definitely the part that is most unclear.

The sfa can't make the LL split lurker. Give it a rest. The sfa set it up so they couldn't do that themselves. You can't just make this up.

Are you Mr Johnston? Can I call you Tom?

[ian44wood]

1 minute ago, G4Mac said:

The sfa can't make the LL split lurker. Give it a rest. The sfa set it up so they couldn't do that themselves. You can't just make this up.

Are you Mr Johnston? Can I call you Tom?

Son of tom

[Ginaro]

9 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said:

The question I would be asking is whether a split of the LL to create three tier five feeders is something the SFA can arrange unilaterally if they can agree a change to the HL:LL boundary with the SPFL later this month. The mechanics of how the LL splits is definitely the part that is most unclear.

If the SFA can do things unilaterally there wouldn't need to be all the discussions, working groups, and posturing - they could just arrange the pyramid how they wanted.

I'd have thought the boundary change conversation would be simple. SFA will ask for it, the LL will say no. Or the LL could say - no, not until we get automatic relegation for club 42, and the SPFL will say no.

[FairWeatherFan]

2 minutes ago, Ginaro said:

If the SFA can do things unilaterally there wouldn't need to be all the discussions, working groups, and posturing - they could just arrange the pyramid how they wanted.

I'd have thought the boundary change conversation would be simple. SFA will ask for it, the LL will say no. Or the LL could say - no, not until we get automatic relegation for club 42, and the SPFL will say no.

Yeah, people seem to overthink the SFA's power in all of this.

SFA that tried to get a pyramid set up over 10 years. Didn't happen.

SFA wanted 10 team Highland and Lowland Regional Divisions. With the Highland League beneath the Highland Regional Division. Didn't happen.

SFA went out and wrote their own proposal for Tier 6 in 2019-20. Didn't happen.

The SFA is a mediator and ultimately differs to its members.

 

[LongTimeLurker]

The boundary would have been negotiated between the SFA and SPFL during the SFL merger with the SPL. Not clear what level of involvement the LL would have had as this was happening before the LL had fully emerged.