New set up for next season

[lowenan]

12 hours ago, FairWeatherFan said:

I don't think it really makes that much of a difference. Now I think that Conference B is the stronger of the two.

Actually that looks really good and like two tighter conferences. 

[lowenan]

16 hours ago, FairWeatherFan said:

 

Still, this will be a very interesting season. 

[AlanCamelonfan]

1 minute ago, lowenan said:

Actually that looks really good and like two tighter conferences. 

They are playing everyone anyway so it will be tough regardless

[lowenan]

Just now, AlanCamelonfan said:

They are playing everyone anyway so it will be tough regardless

Yes. Also we'll see from those matches which conference is the stronger. 

[Crossbar]

17 hours ago, HibeeJibee said:

Here you go.

Premier Division of 16 teams = 30 games. Bottom 3 relegated.

First Division of 2 conferences of 12 teams = 34 games (play other conference 6 home / 6 away). Conference winners promoted and playoff for overall title. Conference runners-up playoff for promotion.



EOS Qualifying League suspended.

League Cup = straight knockout.

Vote on whether King Cup = First Division clubs only.

 

He means whether inter-conference games are random or seeded to ensure equal difficulty of home/away games for each club.

They're seeded to ensure equal difficulty of home/away games for each club:




As regards the First Division in future seasons - I guess there could be varying ideas like continuing with the conferences, moving to First & Second Divisions, or moving to North & South First Divisions. How many (if any) new clubs joined for 2020-21 could also be a factor.

Is it definitely three up and three down? Or is there a scenario whereby only two up? What happens this time next year if...

Albion Rovers/Cowdenbeath are relegated to LL; Brora/Fraserburgh get promoted to SFL2; A non licensed club wins the EoS Premier and SoS;  Vale/Gala/Ed Uni finish bottom of LL. That would leave a 17-team LL unless Vale/Gala/Ed Uni are relegated to EoS Prem.

Sorry for being pedantic ... overall it's a great set-up IMO

(only using these clubs as examples of course)

 

Edited May 21, 2019 by Crossbar

[Ginaro]

7 minutes ago, Crossbar said:

Is it definitely three up and three down? Or is there a scenario whereby only two up? What happens this time next year if...

Albion Rovers/Cowdenbeath are relegated to LL; Brora/Fraserburgh get promoted to SFL2; A non licensed club wins the EoS Premier and SoS;  Vale/Gala/Ed Uni finish bottom of LL. That would a 17-team LL unless Vale/Gala/Ed Uni are relagated.

The LL would relegate the bottom club to remain at 16, and the EOS would probably relegated the 4th bottom club to remain at 16 as well (or deny promotion to the winners of the play-off between the runners-up in each conference).

[gaz5]

Is it definitely three up and three down? Or is there a scenario whereby only two up? What happens this time next year if...

Albion Rovers/Cowdenbeath are relegated to LL; Brora/Fraserburgh get promoted to SFL2; A non licensed club wins the EoS Premier and SoS;  Vale/Gala/Ed Uni finish bottom of LL. That would leave a 17-team LL unless Vale/Gala/Ed Uni are relegated to EoS Prem.
Sorry for being pedantic ... overall it's a great set-up IMO
(only using these clubs as examples of course)
 

It's included as a footnote in the EoS pack.

Definitely. 3 or 4 up from conferences, 3 or 4 down from premier depending on various possible circumstances above.

[Eye Valley]

Why are Stirling Uni in italics & not bold?

[FairWeatherFan]

2 minutes ago, Eye Valley said:

Why are Stirling Uni in italics & not bold?

I just did that because they're a reserve side.

[HibeeJibee]

4 minutes ago, Eye Valley said:

Why are Stirling Uni in italics & not bold?

That's his own version.

This is the official version:

 

6 hours ago, lowenan said:

Actually that looks really good and like two tighter conferences. 

In all seriousness - an ABCABC system was used last season, and not ABCCBA, so it's consistent.

[Salvo Montalbano]

EDIT: Cracking number of derbies you could not have got otherwise, too... Leith v Tynecastle; Heriot-Watt Uni v Stirling Uni EOS; Haddington v Preston; Craigroyston v Tynecastle; Burntisland v Inverkeithing; Ormiston v Preston... LTHV v Edinburgh Utd; Oakley v Glenrothes; Peebles v Coldstream / v Hawick; Eyemouth v Coldstream / v Hawick... Edinburgh Utd v Leith / v Craigroyston; Glenrothes v Burntisland... Tynecastle v LTHV; Inverkeithing v Oakley; Tweedmouth v Eyemouth... handy side effect.

Take it you're classing this as a derby in the Derby d'Italia sense or something? [emoji6]

[HibeeJibee]

2 minutes ago, Salvo Montalbano said:

Take it you're classing this as a derby in the Derby d'Italia sense or something?

 

 

Universities always pair-up on derby day.

Same in LL.

[FairWeatherFan]

[HibeeJibee]

[ShrimpLok]

4 minutes ago, HibeeJibee said:

Fair distance for Tweedmouth to play their home games... 

[Crossbar]

Although I would have preferred regional rather than seeded conferences, I think the new structure is fair, and playing cross-conference games is innovative and progressive. The EoS should be applauded for this set up. The vote to restrict the King Cup to First Division clubs only is sensible, reducing fixture congestion and giving these clubs a realsistic shot at silverware.

But... I can't help thinking that it will be a real struggle to fit all the fictures in. I know league matches will start on July 27 after the scrapping of the Qualifying League (another good decision), but 30 (Premier Division) and 34 (First Division) league games is a lot to get in over a season when you consider that teams will also be participating in 4 or 5 cups.

• Scottish Cup/Alex Jack Cup 
• South Challenge Cup
• EoS Qualifying Cup
• League Cup
• King Cup (probably Conference teams only)

There are 44 Saturdays from July 27 to May 23. If there's a one-week break at Christmas, that makes 43 Saturdays.

For First Division teams, there are 34 league games and 5 cup ties to play at a minumum. That's 39 fixtures to squeeze into 43 Saturdays even if  you lost in the opening round of every cup competiton. Or a minumum 34 fixtures (30 league plus 4 cup) in 43 Saturdays for Prem Division sides. 

Some teams could easily play a lot more than ten cup ties, maybe even as many as 15 if they have a good season. And there's play-offs to consider too.

And inevitably games will be hit by the weather in winter.

I know midweek games can be played at grounds with floodlights and I know the fixture secretary is first-class, but it looks tight to me.

I wonder how HibeeJibee sees it working. For some reason, he always seems to have a good idea about how it will all work (insert wink emoji here) It ain't going to be easy.

Edit: And will the cross conference games be kept to the end of the season )robably too difficult to plan for) or will they be interspersed with the 'same conference' fixtures? 

Edited May 21, 2019 by Crossbar

[gaz5]

I'd imagine with a fair spread of floodlights across all 3 sections we'll see at least a few rounds of midweek games to ease the reliance on Saturday fixtures.

Makes sense to use the facilities clubs have.

I think it's a great setup and really looking forward to it.

[FairWeatherFan]

8 minutes ago, Crossbar said:

Although I would have preferred regional rather than seeded conferences, I think the new structure is fair, and playing cross-conference games is innovative and progressive. The EoS should be applauded for this set up. The vote to restrict the King Cup to First Division clubs only is sensible, reducing fixture congestion and giving these clubs a realsistic shot at silverware.

But... I can't help thinking that it will be a real struggle to fit all the fictures in. I know league matches will start on July 27 after the scrapping of the Qualifying League (another good decision), but 30 (Premier Division) and 34 (First Division) league games is a lot to get in over a season when you consider that teams will also be participating in 4 or 5 cups.

• Scottish Cup/Alex Jack Cup 
• South Challenge Cup
• EoS Qualifying Cup
• League Cup
• King Cup (probably Confernce teams only)

There are 44 Saturdays from July 27 to May 23. If there's a one-week break at Christmas, that makes 43 Saturdays.

For First Division teams, there are 34 league games and 5 cup ties to play at a minumum. That's 39 fixtures to squeeze into 43 Saturdays even if  you lost in the opening round of every cup competiton. Or a minumum 34 fixtures (30 league plus 4 cup) in 43 Saturdays for Prem Division sides. 

Some teams could easily play a lot more than ten cup ties, maybe even as many as 15 if they have a good season. And there's play-offs to consider too.

And inevitably games will be hit by the weather in winter.

I know midweek games can be played at grounds with floodlights and I know the fixture secretary is first-class, but it looks tight to me.

I wonder how HibeeJibee sees it working. For some reason, he always seems to have a good idea about how it will all work (insert wink emoji here) It ain't going to be easy.

Edit: And will the cross conference games be kept to the end of the season )robably too difficult to plan for) or will they be interspersed with the 'same conference' fixtures? 

It wasn't too long ago (2015-16) the EoS was a 15 team league with those cups and the Qualifying Leagues. That season ran from 1st August to the 29th May. There's more rounds to the cups this year with the increased numbers but I think they can get everything in and there are going to be more clubs with floodlights than ever before.

[Crossbar]

1 minute ago, FairWeatherFan said:

It wasn't too long ago (2015-16) the EoS was a 15 team league with those cups and the Qualifying Leagues. That season ran from 1st August to the 29th May. There's more rounds to the cups this year with the increased numbers but I think they can get everything in and there are going to be more clubs with floodlights than ever before.

The 15-team league meant 28 league fixtures. We're now talking about 34 league fixtures in the First Division and with far more teams there are obviously more rounds to play in the cup too. I have every faith the in fixture secretary but he can't control the weather. If we have a bad winter it could be tough getting it all in. I can foresee a few teams ending the season with a Saturday-Monday-Thursday schedule.

[FairWeatherFan]

Just now, Crossbar said:

The 15-team league meant 28 league fixtures. We're now talking about 34 league fixtures in the First Division and with far more teams there are obviously more rounds to play in the cup too. I have every faith the in fixture secretary but he can't control the weather. If we have a bad winter it could be tough getting it all in. I can foresee a few teams ending the season with a Saturday-Monday-Thursday schedule.

That season started with 16 teams which meant most of the planning went into spacing out the season for 30 league match days, 3 Qualifying League games plus the 5 cups you mentioned. Like I said the major difference is that now those cups will have additional rounds.