National League review and future

Chatham Cup will still need to run Winter season. I cannot recall if the Review doc even mentioned the Chatty. Any implications?

Hard News: the plan is the same format as A-League. 10 teams playing each other 3 times = 27 rounds. In my opinion it would be better to have 14 teams playing each other twice = 26 rounds. 

Global Game: I guess the summer teams wouldn't join in until the 3rd or 4th round, which would be a pre season game for them. 

In terms of wider implications I think you can question whether we still need the post season playoffs at that point. In that interview Martin says the long term plan is to emulate the English model where all clubs and franchises are part of one system with promotion and relegation. So at that point all we really need is a league, a cup, and a champions league. 

I also think there is a case for the Chatham Cup winner to have a pathway towards OCL. Maybe a two leg playoff with the second ranked national league team. That would throw in a bit of post season drama. It depends whether you see the Champions League as something like "the cup winners cup" or just a sampling of the best teams in each country. The winner of the US open cup gets direct access to the north American champions league. I don't think any of the European countries do that - maybe just Europa league in some cases? I think having a playoff is a good compromise, because if you can win the cup AND win a two leg contest then you are doing something right. 

Yet another change.

http://footballsouth.co.nz/index.php?id=44&tx_ttne...

So many questions. How they survived the review, but folded a few months later is beyond me. Questionable review...

https://in-the-back-of-the.net/2016/04/12/the-end-...

I did a write up of the potential 2018 season here.

I'd see it like the NZFC would be the Conference in the UK. Below it are the Conference North & South and below them are the regional leagues. 

If you win the league but don't meet the criteria for promotion, you get the bit of tin but you don't get the promotion. Stops clubs imploding under the costs of the higher league and ensures improving standards in lower league grounds.

More ramblings from me, sorry...

Why moving everything to Albany makes things a LOT harder for the NZFC clubs.

https://in-the-back-of-the.net/2016/04/19/catchmen...

There have been standards for national league inclusion since forever. They have been ignored since forever. To enforce conditions like that you have to have multiple potential options, which NZF seldom have.

rumour has it that one of the teams with a licence for this coming season is on the brink of falling over and nzf have had secret meetings with at least two other teams about the possibility of taking the spare licence 

what are the odds that Waitakere United is one of these clubs?

That ws my first thought.

If it pans out that that Waitakere are a non starter, do you think NZF would be looking for an Auckland club/entity to replace them, or simply the 'next best" option?

Didn't they just undertake a review to see which clubs would be the best going forward? Can't have been a very thorough review if 2 teams are already being replaced long before the season is due to start!

Time for....?

Plus that would mean 2 teams in Auckland.......

It's a pity there wasn't a decent bid from the North Shore, if Waitakere are one of the teams in strife and do fold that would be the perfect spot for a replacement.

As opposed to three right now.

Kumeu's sort of Auckland.

Auckland with a dash of North Korea...

The problem with the bid process was that it gave automatic first preference to existing teams. Waitakere and ACFC should have been competing directly against the new Auckland bids. WeeNix and TW should have been competing against the other Wellington bids from Wests, Stop Out, etc.

Why doesn't WeeNix play as Wellington United in the National League now? The fact that they don't makes it clear that they are gaming the system in winter. The partnership between the two clubs is not genuine and this should have been queried when they made the bid to renew their National League license.

Personally I think the Phoenix should get out of domestic football, view all three academy setups (United, Olympic, Wests) as feeder clubs and treat them all equally. Let those clubs fight it out for the National League berths and send the reserves out on loan using some kind of draft system. I know that there are other reasons for having a reserve team, like the first team players who are making their way back from injury and just want 30 minutes of game time here and there - but I don’t think you can justify having a reserve team in the National League on that basis alone. The only other argument in favour of domestic Phoenix teams is alignment of playing styles, which does make sense to me, but again, I just don’t think you can justify impacting the local club system for that purpose.

Decentralising would also give Phoenix youngsters the chance to make it to the Club World Cup at some point which would be the ultimate shop window. Even if the WeeNix were good enough to win OCL, I can’t imagine FIFA looking kindly on a reserve team entering a tournament that is supposed to include 6 of the best clubs in the world. Unlike WeeNix, the local clubs could round out their squad with a few veterans to be more competitive in the National League/OCL. A guy like Ifill or Sigmund is not going to play for a reserve team at the end of their career, but they might put in a few seasons for a club team like Wellington United or Wellington Olympic as a way of passing on some game smarts to the younger players. Those clubs could actually give ACFC a run for their money if they combined together a mix of players from their academy, the contracted Phoenix reserves, semi-retired pros, and amateur club players.

You can also question the future of TW. What is the purpose of that team? Is it a rep team for the best footballers from the Wellington region? If so, are they actively scouting all the winter clubs in the region? Would a player from a lower league team like Wainui or Tawa stand a chance of being called into TW? Or does TW aspire to be a professional team that recruits players from wherever, like ACFC? If so, how does that compare with the Phoenix?

Am I right in thinking that most Wellington football fans would happily exchange WeeNix and TW for any two out of United, Olympic, Wests, Stop Out, Miramar Rangers, Waterside Karori, etc? 

Hope you're volunteering to tell Declan Edge he will be a feeder to the Phoenix

No

As a Phoenix fan I would hope that the Nix are evaluating players from WU, Olympic, Wests or any club without bias. I understand the Nix wanting their academy players to play at an appropriate level year round (whether national club league is appropriate level for a whole team of 16-19 year olds is highly debatable); I'd prefer to see WU youngsters fight for a spot in Team Welly for example rather than be given a free ride. But when it comes to pro contracts the Nix can't afford to be too one-eyed about their own youngsters - they simply need the best available. The Nix business model requires the on-going attraction of  players into some sort of Nix-aligned funnel, which could be WU without much issue I would have thought.

someone remind me what the playing periods are for the next two ASB Prem seasons (Senior/Youth)?

Nov-April/May

and the youth league is usually October to December

So you're happy with the current set up? 

I really couldn't care less about Team Wellington, tbh. It'd be more meaningful / interesting if it was a real local club, not an invented franchise.

happy with a partially composite team concept. I just which there was more people picked I recognise i.e. locals

so there isn't a plan to phase it into winter?

I'd be less interested.  Quite possibly would just watch the WeeNix and I've missed less than 10 Team Wellington Home games since they started.

As per the comps review last year, the vision is for July-March in 2018/19 as a preferred outcome.

From AW82 on the Mainland thread (his info is usually pretty close to the mark)...

heard a few are in trouble, and that is talking to a couple of the bids that didn't make it.

Good thing we went through that process of vetting applications.....

Anyone know if it's staying on TV and if they've sorted a sponsor for the comp yet? I hope the national league can keep up the progress.

Draw set to be out early July