ASB Premiership: Changes Needed Next Season

ok, i can see the benefits of an u20 side, but for me this league now has no meaning as it is not a true competition between the country's top sides.

the league has 2 absolutely worthy teams, a few pretenders and an invitation xi playing build up games for another tourny

this is a far cry from the national league that i enjoyed watchign when i was growing up and also the nzfc when it first started

i'm sure it wasn't an easy decision to reach, but my interest from now on will only be a passing one

Like having the U20's in the ASBP, they will be more competitive than Youngheart Manawatu (Otago better look out). They will be able to get some combinations going for the World Cup qualifiers and then for the World Cup it's self, our Joel Stevens will be the better for it and hopefully we might have another 1 or 2 in the mix as well

Full media release from NZ Football.

New Zealand Football announce changes to ASB Premiership

May 10, 2013

AUCKLAND – The composition of the ASB Premiership will change for the first time in nine seasons with the inclusion of a national U-20 squad into the pinnacle domestic competition.

Following a complete review of the competition by the ASB Premiership Review Committee, the recommendation was made for the 2013/14 League to retain an eight team competition in the Premiership, but expand the ASB Youth League from 10 to 12 teams.

New Zealand Football Chief Executive Grant McKavanagh is enthused by the changes to the ASB Premiership and the expansion of the ASB Youth League.

“We need to ensure any expansion is done in a manner that adds to the success and stability which the ASB Premiership has enjoyed to date. The decision to expand the youth league is about building a broad base and exposing more young players to relevant competition.

Six foundation franchises, Waitakere United, Auckland City, Hawke’s Bay United, Team Wellington, Canterbury United and Otago United have all had their licenses renewed.

The Waikato region retains representation in the league with the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Football Federation agreeing to oversee the running of WaiBOP United - the region's ASB Premiership side, previously known as Waikato FC.

Palmerston North franchise YoungHeart Manawatu have been offered a place in the ASB Youth League, but have been removed from the ASB Premiership after finishing in last place for the three previous seasons.

The ASB Youth League will grow by two sides next season with the inclusion of Heartland Wairarapa from Masterton and a team from South Auckland added to the U-20 competition due to kick off in January 2014.

Nelson returned to national league football – via the southern conference of the ASB Youth League – for the first time in 12 years and although the Falcons enjoyed relative success, the feedback given to NZF was that there is a large amount of effort required.

“The Nelson Falcons example shows us that entry into the ASB Youth League is a good gauge on how teams handle a national competition on and off the pitch,” said McKavanagh. “ It will set franchises up in a manner that creates less pressure. Rather than trying to get two full teams up and running, they can focus on one team and getting the off-field infrastructure right, if that all works well they may be given the opportunity to move up to the ASB Premiership in the future. There is definitely a desire to move to a 10 team league at some stage.”

Heartland Wairarapa have also been given the green light for the ASB Youth League and will look to build on the success of 2011 ASB Chatham Cup winners Wairarapa United and push for a spot in the ASB Premiership in seasons to come.

With nearly a third of the nation’s population to select from, the Super City gets another ASB Youth League franchise in South Auckland.

New Zealand Football also confirmed that a national U-20 squad will be introduced into the ASB Premiership for the 2013/14 season and will comprise of players born on or after 1st January, 1995.

“This is an important component in the preparation for the FIFA U-20 World Cup which will be held in New Zealand in 2015,” said NZF High Performance Director Fred de Jong.

“One of the objectives is to retain our top young players in New Zealand for longer and entry into the ASB Premiership gives us an opportunity to prepare in a cost effective manner when compared to touring the team internationally.”

This is a continuation of the concept trialed by the Northern-based U-17 team that competed in the ASB Youth League earlier this year. That side provided the majority of the Young All Whites that won the Oceania Qualifiers last month and qualified for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in UAE later this year.

Exact draw details for the ASB Premiership and ASB Youth League will be confirmed at a later date.

ASB Premiership – Auckland City, Waitakere United, WaiBOP United, Hawke’s Bay United, Team Wellington, Canterbury United, Otago United, NZ U-20

ASB Youth League

Northern Conference – Waitakere United, Auckland City, South Auckland, Waikato, Hawke’s Bay United, Northern-based U-17s

Southern Conference – YoungHeartManawatu, Heartland Wairarapa, Team Wellington, Nelson Falcons, Canterbury United, Otago United

 

So no Nelson, South Auckland or not just yet?

WaiBOP?  Because I feel the rhythm.

Where will the U-20 side be based?  In all honesty, I have little to no interest in the National League, but I would probably go and have a look at the U-20 team play.  If there are 5,000 people with similar thoughts to me, this will be a good move.

Based in Auckland apparently.

No nelson just yet, but I'll pick that in two/three years we'll be there.  Good to kick Manawatu, good to get a South Auckland Youth team, and am happy to prep an under 20 squad in a national competition.  The under 20's will add a fair degree of "old dog/young pup" spice too.

Poor old YHM - it seems they didn't see that coming.  But it's a good thing in my mind, a bit of a de Facto relegation.  It will put the shits up Franchises now.  Perform for the next three years or you'll be next (WaiBOP, Otago Utd listen up).

Foolish move and I agree that it makes a mockery of the league. All this is good for is U20 team. Where's the fan base come from. Where do they play? What happens when they play a team with U20's already in it? i.e. Who do they play for? What happens if they win? Who plays in the O-League? 

Should've kept YHM and added Nelson and South Akl.

for me it pretty much ends any hope that this league had of being the 'real deal'

and it confirms that NZF don't care about the league

it's just a development league now, which is a pity because we need to have good strong national competition, with the best players, local rivalries and national interest.

please note that i don't for a minute believe that the u20's are not worthy football wise; they will be a lot more competitive than youngheart.  for me they are just not the type of team you have in a proper national league.

when NZF took away the club based national league and made it invitation only, they stripped the competitive desire away from the clubs.  now they have stripped it from the franchises as well because i predict that auckland and waitakere will continue their dominance and the others will just turn their sides in federation development teams.

 Funniest part....."“We need to ensure any expansion is done in a manner that adds to the success and stability which the ASB Premiership has enjoyed to date"

Hilarious ...seriously ,comedy writers WISH they could write stuff this funny !!

Well , even the Titanic was stable , and for quite a long time ....as for success ....F M !!

I actually laugh at the angst. Let's look at some facts.

1: there is no promotion and relegation so winning or losing means nothing others than bragging rights or shame.

2: there is no prizemoney for winning only a place in another league where you could get money if you win (an increasing your costs)

3: there is no real coverage in main stream media let alone TV or anything else 

4: with the exception of 2 teams, the rest are perennial also rans

5: with the exception of a handful of games, the most some teams get are 3 men and a dog and 2 of them are there getting some sun

6: the placings are largely predictable from the outset of the league before it kicks off

7: standards have been lowered or ignored since the league started

8: players are paid and amateur laws are flouted with some rorting the poke system something terrible.

9: you can have a team of imports, and it's ok

10: some teams can't even field a team of locals and a team wanting to get into the league comes from a place where there in no airport, no players and they want to pinch the players of the bottom placed team for the last 3 years that just got dumped.

With the above, what's with the talk of 'a real deal' or lessening the league. As it stands its a tinpot shambles that fills a hole/need/want so let's stop with the poppycock of making this league more than it is. The halicon days of the old national league are well and truly gone and serve nothing more than a visit to nostalgia and memory lane. This is the league today and its the reality. It would largely be pretty much the same if it was a club based league as well (and most 'franchises' are psuedo 'club' anyway while we are at it). The league needs a large injection of cash and that is not coming anytime soon.

The flip side is putting a team in there from the u20s, will actually give some purpose to those kids vs warming a bench in some franchise cause the league mandated quota says they have to. There is a big tournament coming in our own back yard and NZF are taking that seriously. Yes they don't take our own national comp seriously but the u20 WC is a big fucking deal and I applaud them for having the guts for taking this step. Personally, they should have leave that team there because we then have a bit more of a development cycle for our youth. Considering the Premiership is effectively a nothing comp (based on how real leagues are run and the points I listed above) at least there will be some purpose to it cause it stands, it's a league to nowhere.

The o league money - world club champs are the 2 reasons that come to mind as why a win in the ASB matters

Thanks for your summation JV.........I realise now I've wasted nine summers supporting sh*te. 

I feel violated 'cause I really love my local football but I'm not prepared to spend future weekends attending practice kick a bouts where no one cares who wins or lose in the name of development.  

 

 wins or loses ? we cant have that in modern PC NZ...may I suggest we just play for fun ,no scores taken and one club gets pulled out of a hat for the O League ....

The path to the footballing future is at last clear ....

Lighten up FFS, how on earth does the dropping of YHM and the introduction of the U20 team suddenly turn the premiership into a practise kick about? Unlike some of you whingers I actually enjoy ASB football. You know why I enjoy it? because I actually go and watch the football rather than to bitch and moan about the good old days [and I played in the National League] or to compare it to non league football in England or any other type of BS. I see players from the ASB now playing in the English Championship, German League, A League and some pretty good local players and imports. I enjoy having a beer at half time and before and after home games and occasionally mixing with visiting fans, coaches and players. For a dose of higher football I go to Wellington/Auckland/Palmy and watch the Nix, on the very rare occasion I'll watch an EPL game on TV. Some people would moan if their arse was on fire.....

buddy, it's called having a point of view. you're entitled to yours, so grow up a little and don't write everything off that you don't agree with as 'whinging'

i don't know to what degree you're taking the mick, but i think i agree with most things you have said here.

i guess, i was just tolerating all of the these inadequacies in the hope that at some point the national league would become something to be proud of. 

but my unhappiness at the move (for the sake of the league, not the u20's) really is more a reflection of my own naivety.

i actually think the league will improve in standard - the u20s will be much better than youngheart - but it loses something in terms of competitiveness and tribalism. 

oh well.

Of course a point of view, and I'm giving you mine. I'm calling it whinging because that's what it is, not because I disagree with you. So if you've finished crying, go away and leave us adults alone to drink out of our half full glasses.

coming on here and telling people how to behave doesn't sound like much of a glass half full existence to me

+ 1

I'm guessing NZF has admitted Wairarapa into the Yoof League to make the numbers look pretty.

On a practical level who decides which team a player plays for?  If you can get paid to play for ACFC but you get picked by the U20s do you have to play for them?  Or you live in Wellington - will it be compulsory if you're selected for the U20s to play for them.  What about guys in the Phoenix academy - the whole set up is meant to be a JV with Team Wellington but they should be in Wellington so they can train with the Phoenix, do those players now have to go and play for the U20s?

It's basic things like this that should be part of any announcement

It will ne a mess and im sure they gave it no thought its NZF after all

Knowing NZF, they probably haven't even thought that far.

Based on the crowd figures how many people actually care deeply? Like it or lump it, this will always be a development league. When you can find the money to fund 8 competitive teams, get it on TV, and guarantee each team will average 2k + crowds every week, 0000000000000000000come back to me. In the meantime, keep dreaming of some mystical NZ equivalent of a European league

No-one is asking for that.  All we're asking is how this new league is actually meant to work.  Here's another problem, what's the incentive for the franchises to develop and blood youngsters when if they are good they go and play somewhere else?

I ask again - has this actually been thought through other than at a superficial level?

What's the average budget of ASB teams?

From European point of view, his thing with U20 side in national league is ridiculous. Do they look on other leagues throughout the world? If it was something normal, it would be used in other leagues.

We don't have the budget, stadia, people etc to do what other leagues do. We have to do something which works for NZ. This may not be perfect, but at the end of the day what do we as NZ football fans want? Players given the opportunity to develop and hopefully turn into Rufer/Nelsen/Rojas/Wood, and help the All Whites qualify for the World Cup I would have thought. What's your preference for 20 - watching our young AWs make the knockout stages at the u20 World Cup, or reflecting on Auckland/Waitak/Welly/whoever having won the NL?

I admit a lot of what I wrote above is extremely degrading to our national competition but they are true. That does not stop me from attending those games and enjoying *knowing the above happens* anyway. Thats the magic of football. It's like Wigan fans still going to watch their team knowing that their chances of winning the EPL are about as realistic as the joining of North & South Korea.

A chance to win O League money. It's not guaranteed and you increase your operating expenses to participate and win it. With the exchange rate, it's now worth about $600k to turn up to CWC. Remind me of the memorandum of agreed split of this cash between NZF, the other 7 franchises and then what's left over again for that team - minus expenses. Hardly a cash carrot.

I'm not saying its wasted or its shyte. I am saying approach it with eyes wide open because what I pointed out, is not a secret.

I endorse your point of view.

I agree. What's with all this comparison to other leagues around the world. In other countries, football is not an after thought like it is here. What we have is relative to our environment. To that end, our national comp is not professional, how does that compare with other leagues? I don't hear anyone whinging about that and that's a big major fucking obvious point of difference. We have to stop with comparing our national comp to others and a 'European view' and try to create something that works for this country where football is arguably 5th behind rugby, cricket, netball and league. Toss in basketball......

JD you are asking for leadership from an outfit that can't drive a fax machine. You are a smart guy but let's not take the piss. The point you make is spot on and is the massive hole in all of this that you would love to think that NZF has thought of, but 99% chance  has not.

Very surprised by the angst. 

YHM were absolutely terrible and I'm not shocked to see them ditched.

Who cares if no one is a "true supporter" of the NZ U20 side. I'm sure you don't support every team in the league anyway, but I for one would go watch them play over any other ASB Premiership side.

I'm an avid Nelson supporter and player-wise we just simply weren't ready. I'm happy to stay in the youth league and most guys leave the region at 19 anyway.

NZF have made a lot of right decisions in terms of player development. More youth teams in more areas gives more players exposure and experience at a higher level. From there those players can go onto bigger centres, play senior football or even make the U20 side. 

The U20s will benefit immensely by playing together. I'm sure the moaners also question the lack of pre-world cup build up.

The only downside is the impact and double standards surrounding the Phoenix academy as all of those guys will probably be based in Auckland now. (Maybe the U20s should be based in Wellington and the problem will be solved).