Am I missing something?
How can pro/rel work if each region has a “protected” slot - especially for the regions who only have one NL club (franchise)?
The way I understood it is that, for example, Southern United could only be relegated if they were replaced by another Football South-affiliated club.
Which of course will never happen. The Otago and Southland clubs have been whinging for years about costs to play 7 matches in the South Island league, which has run for the last 2 years. #squattingonalicence
Squatting on licence? Are you for real? Given Southern have been top half for the last two seasons, they're doing more than enough.
Sorry otagolad, I didn’t express the irony well enough at all. Squatting on a Licence really only applies to the weenix. But any club having a rough run that in reality would disappear if relegated is a problem with the league structure. The point is NZF are trying to play both games - a more open system where clubs that aspire to NL have an opportunity; and giving all feds representation in the league. But the system will I reckon see the end of the city/region representative team. It’s just that I don’t see a way how it can work in a one franchise city like Dndn or Chch because the reality of another entity (in all likelihood a single club) stepping up is unlikely (more so in Dunners) and probably not what the football supporters of either city want. So what happens if no other club steps up? Other regions will begin to complain, I’ll wager.