I have not had a lot to do with the NL but do enjoy following any games that I can get to for my summer fix. Having read the various comment below it appears to me that we are going to end up with a very watered-down league.
Which has me asking these questions
Are we doing this for the Clubs or for the better good for football and the players?
At the moment the better players tend to disperse to local clubs over the winter and then come together for a NL team in the summer. In the winter they are usually helping their local team/ club by mentoring other players and helping to achieve the goal of winning their respective league.
In the summer when they return to the NL team, they are pitting themselves every training and game against some of the best players in New Zealand. This is their development time, where the are truly challenged by playing and training with best.
(We do not see Rugby expecting their players to play solely in a local team. They have their players in Teams training and playing with the best for their area and then these players being challenged and improving.)
Are we just asking by not providing this ability to play in an elite group for players to look elsewhere? (Australia? or further, not sure what the league is like over there). I know some players do go overseas anyway.
But are we not just diluting top quality football?? I do enjoy watching the HANDA League, the skills and ability that most of these players have brings joy to watching the beautiful game.
Comparison to having watched some of the CL, the levels are miles apart and should give young players something to strive for.
At the moment you have Wainui who have just won Cap Prem. They have a striker who is now playing for Hawkes Bay in the NL. He will now be training and playing in the top league. He will benefit and improve for this. So, in the new system you would presume they would try and keep him, and he would not have the exposure of training and playing against the top players. Is this good for football?
Has anyone bothered asking the players what they think? Or are we just stroking the club egos.
Yes, it is financially a problem, but let us work through that for the betterment of the game. Let’s not be short-sighted and look at the long-term picture.
There must be a better way to have the best playing with the best and having quality football and not diluting the level.
Reading above does make me wonder about the statement if you win one year, you will not be available to play and win the following year, due the timing I presume. I will have to read into this further, but talking to others it seems we have a been here, a done this before, and it didn’t work then!
So why go back we are supposed to looking forward. Sorry if any of my assumptions are incorrect, I am going back to read information more in depth again.