| Are the EFL leagues to big? 12:36 - Oct 12 with 3693 views | Wilkinswatercarrier |
The recent fixture congestion got me thinking that perhaps the EFL needs to look at reducing the size of the leagues. Surely reducing the leagues to 20 teams would improve the quality and make it a more attractive to TV companies?
Maybe have Championship, League 1 and then go back to the old League 2 North and South? Could incorporate some of the larger National League teams.
Thoughts? |  |
| |  |
| Are the EFL leagues to big? on 18:24 - Oct 13 with 587 views | davman |
I love the thought of constant games, so love the 46 game season, but it is wrong in terms of protecting the players.
5 leagues of 20 would do or, alternatively extend the season by a month (it feels like it never stops, anyway...). |  |
| |
| Are the EFL leagues to big? on 19:29 - Oct 13 with 555 views | QPROslo |
If the season was lenghthened a couple of weeks or so for example starting it when it did this season but without the month's WC break, and the League Cup scrapped, that ought to allow the 46 games as now with somewhat less fixture congestion which is injuring players, giving us tired games to watch, and also should not reduce income from the Leagues at least. Might give a bit more value back to the FA Cup too. Push the transfer window to before the start of the season too. | | | |
| Are the EFL leagues to big? on 00:04 - Oct 14 with 507 views | NewBee |
I agree that that a Championship of 24 teams is too many for all of the reasons outlined above.
But I would go further, as follows. The PL needs to be reduced to 18 teams, for 2 main reasons:
1. Player burnout is an ever increasing problem; and
2. Every season there is always one team who simply cannot compete at that level, often two and occasionally 3. These teams are contributing progressively less to the PL each season.
(And incidentally, the PL was originally supposed to comprise 18 teams, though reducing the old 1st Divn from 22 to 20 is as far as its got.).
Now I accept that it is exceptionally unlikely that the PL will ever do so, but I would argue that the £240m(?) of TV and prize money which the two bottom teams still get should instead all go directly to the EFL (eg £160m of it to the Championship and the remainder to the other divisions?)
This should be evenly distributed to the clubs, so as to reduce the ever growing gap between the PL and EFL.
And I would go further. Since the National League is now basically f-t, I would increase the (now) 74 EFL members by 14 from the NL and revamp the EFL to have 4 divisions of 22 teams each i.e. Championship, League One and League Two North and League Two South.
Meaning that as well as the extra £240m drawdown every season from the PL, the decrease in income from having 22 team leagues instead of 24 could be compensated further by having an enlarged League Cup, with replays, also replays reintroduced for the earlier rounds of the FA Cup.
Meanwhile, an 18 team PL would mean they could fit in a mid-winter break in Jan/Feb, which could benefit EFL teams if they had January to themselves for 2 or 3 weeks (increased interest, crowds, TV money etc.).
Of course none of this will ever happen, since even though it should be better for the English club game as a whole, individual clubs will fear losing out themselves and so not countenance it. | | | |
| Are the EFL leagues to big? on 10:06 - Oct 14 with 449 views | francisbowles |
| Are the EFL leagues to big? on 00:04 - Oct 14 by NewBee |
I agree that that a Championship of 24 teams is too many for all of the reasons outlined above.
But I would go further, as follows. The PL needs to be reduced to 18 teams, for 2 main reasons:
1. Player burnout is an ever increasing problem; and
2. Every season there is always one team who simply cannot compete at that level, often two and occasionally 3. These teams are contributing progressively less to the PL each season.
(And incidentally, the PL was originally supposed to comprise 18 teams, though reducing the old 1st Divn from 22 to 20 is as far as its got.).
Now I accept that it is exceptionally unlikely that the PL will ever do so, but I would argue that the £240m(?) of TV and prize money which the two bottom teams still get should instead all go directly to the EFL (eg £160m of it to the Championship and the remainder to the other divisions?)
This should be evenly distributed to the clubs, so as to reduce the ever growing gap between the PL and EFL.
And I would go further. Since the National League is now basically f-t, I would increase the (now) 74 EFL members by 14 from the NL and revamp the EFL to have 4 divisions of 22 teams each i.e. Championship, League One and League Two North and League Two South.
Meaning that as well as the extra £240m drawdown every season from the PL, the decrease in income from having 22 team leagues instead of 24 could be compensated further by having an enlarged League Cup, with replays, also replays reintroduced for the earlier rounds of the FA Cup.
Meanwhile, an 18 team PL would mean they could fit in a mid-winter break in Jan/Feb, which could benefit EFL teams if they had January to themselves for 2 or 3 weeks (increased interest, crowds, TV money etc.).
Of course none of this will ever happen, since even though it should be better for the English club game as a whole, individual clubs will fear losing out themselves and so not countenance it. |
Really good well thought out post. The only problem I can see is replays in the early rounds of the league cup. I think in many cases these could lose money, as many of the existing matches are not very attractive, especially being midweek. | | | |
| Are the EFL leagues to big? on 11:36 - Oct 14 with 439 views | Wilkinswatercarrier |
| Are the EFL leagues to big? on 00:04 - Oct 14 by NewBee |
I agree that that a Championship of 24 teams is too many for all of the reasons outlined above.
But I would go further, as follows. The PL needs to be reduced to 18 teams, for 2 main reasons:
1. Player burnout is an ever increasing problem; and
2. Every season there is always one team who simply cannot compete at that level, often two and occasionally 3. These teams are contributing progressively less to the PL each season.
(And incidentally, the PL was originally supposed to comprise 18 teams, though reducing the old 1st Divn from 22 to 20 is as far as its got.).
Now I accept that it is exceptionally unlikely that the PL will ever do so, but I would argue that the £240m(?) of TV and prize money which the two bottom teams still get should instead all go directly to the EFL (eg £160m of it to the Championship and the remainder to the other divisions?)
This should be evenly distributed to the clubs, so as to reduce the ever growing gap between the PL and EFL.
And I would go further. Since the National League is now basically f-t, I would increase the (now) 74 EFL members by 14 from the NL and revamp the EFL to have 4 divisions of 22 teams each i.e. Championship, League One and League Two North and League Two South.
Meaning that as well as the extra £240m drawdown every season from the PL, the decrease in income from having 22 team leagues instead of 24 could be compensated further by having an enlarged League Cup, with replays, also replays reintroduced for the earlier rounds of the FA Cup.
Meanwhile, an 18 team PL would mean they could fit in a mid-winter break in Jan/Feb, which could benefit EFL teams if they had January to themselves for 2 or 3 weeks (increased interest, crowds, TV money etc.).
Of course none of this will ever happen, since even though it should be better for the English club game as a whole, individual clubs will fear losing out themselves and so not countenance it. |
The National League, as u said, is almost 100% full time so moving teams into the EFL makes sense to me. There are some big clubs down there,, Notts County, Wrexham etc, but even smaller clubs would benefit as they would have the opportunity for promotion in future years. | |
| |
| Are the EFL leagues to big? on 12:09 - Oct 14 with 434 views | davman |
| Are the EFL leagues to big? on 00:04 - Oct 14 by NewBee |
I agree that that a Championship of 24 teams is too many for all of the reasons outlined above.
But I would go further, as follows. The PL needs to be reduced to 18 teams, for 2 main reasons:
1. Player burnout is an ever increasing problem; and
2. Every season there is always one team who simply cannot compete at that level, often two and occasionally 3. These teams are contributing progressively less to the PL each season.
(And incidentally, the PL was originally supposed to comprise 18 teams, though reducing the old 1st Divn from 22 to 20 is as far as its got.).
Now I accept that it is exceptionally unlikely that the PL will ever do so, but I would argue that the £240m(?) of TV and prize money which the two bottom teams still get should instead all go directly to the EFL (eg £160m of it to the Championship and the remainder to the other divisions?)
This should be evenly distributed to the clubs, so as to reduce the ever growing gap between the PL and EFL.
And I would go further. Since the National League is now basically f-t, I would increase the (now) 74 EFL members by 14 from the NL and revamp the EFL to have 4 divisions of 22 teams each i.e. Championship, League One and League Two North and League Two South.
Meaning that as well as the extra £240m drawdown every season from the PL, the decrease in income from having 22 team leagues instead of 24 could be compensated further by having an enlarged League Cup, with replays, also replays reintroduced for the earlier rounds of the FA Cup.
Meanwhile, an 18 team PL would mean they could fit in a mid-winter break in Jan/Feb, which could benefit EFL teams if they had January to themselves for 2 or 3 weeks (increased interest, crowds, TV money etc.).
Of course none of this will ever happen, since even though it should be better for the English club game as a whole, individual clubs will fear losing out themselves and so not countenance it. |
Yeah, with you most of that. Or, teh PL could stop questing for more and more money and hoarding it for themselves, instead looking out for the health of the rest of the English game...
The National League one is an interesting one. On the one hand, it is great that there is a clear path to the top through the Pyramid Structure, BUT that comes at a cost; the cost being that most teams feel like they HAVE to go professional to "compete" and therein lies my concern.
Is the number of professional teams in a country a true mark of "success" as if the outcome is that these teams push themselves financially, they'll be heading for a fall? We see it at our level and I am sure it is worse (in a different way) at lower levels. When a "top" PL team deems it OK to pay someone £500k a week, it affects everyone in the chain. One level down players will be on about a 50th of that, or 2%. Maybe "sensibly run" PL teams may cap their wages, but at what level? £10k, £20k, £40k or will they realise that, to "compete" with these teams, they have to pay more?
So, mid-range, shite teams like Palace (as an example) can offer our Star man considerably more than we can, which means he sees it as a "step up" (which at the moment, playing wise, that may be the case, but there is no f-in way that pile of shite is a "step up" from us). Simply, irrespective of the league they are in, we cannot compete in terms of what wages we can offer.
Some clubs, will, however, stretch the boat to be perceived as "having a go". This permeates through the leagues, so the more actual professional clubs out there, the more chance that a club will go to the wall because they can't afford what they pay.
With no disrespect to teams below the National League, why are they paying for players let alone competing wage wise with some of the big(ger) boys? Surely that level of football just doesn't warrant it - at some point in our pyramid, there must be a transition from pro to amateur and it is much lower than I think that it should be.
So, actually reducing the size of the FL to 60 (+20 in the Prem) makes sense to me, but it'd never take off as 12 teams would lose membership of the "prized" FL Membership. | |
| |
| |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
