National League review and future

even before then it was debatable as to whether or not it was a viable league

I'm going to assume that this is a serious question and not rhetorical and suggest that you purchase this: https://nationalleaguedebates.weebly.com/

Define "the best 10 in the country on merit" as would be hard to work out based on the strenght of the various leagues around the country. 

Cannot see too many clubs in the South Island putting their hat in the ring for a 'club' based league so numbers may quickly become heavily dominated by North Island  / Auckland teams and that was one of the reason why the old national league was canned.

Yer I guess so, however we continue to see our local federation, and national one as well, mismanaging our money so I'd prefer that changes were made to how it is structured first. 

Next season Canterbury United games are supposed to be free for footballers in Christchurch due to Mainland Football taking on Canty Utd's massive debt. 

If your rival club during the winter becomes your city/area's only national league outfit, would you go and cheer them on? 

Current South Island League is marginal due to Otago/southern clubs finances.

In Canterbury, “Ru$$ia FC” (CHCH Utd) would be in but they’re not even in the top Mainland Premier League. Not likely there would be many other takers. So not really best of the best. 

The only other contender might be Cashmere Technical, but not sure how finances would go, along with a focus on a Chatham Cup run. 

Agree that ChCh United would put their hand up but would they get the fan support that Canterbury United receives, likewise for any other club based team down here.

I’m not sure it is the club make up that is the problem, it’s more the financial model. We have some federation backed franchises that are spending money they don’t have and this either means they are poorly managed or the costs are prohibitive - or both. 

The first thing to do is to fix the financial model and introduce some mandatory restrictions that prevent clubs from getting themselves into debt. It looks like they can’t or won’t do it themselves so make them live within their means. 

Then open up to membership applications and get an independent and brutal committee together to select the teams. Forget about things like having a stadium that is covered or holds so many people and concentrate on criteria like youth development programmes and the like - things that make clubs sustainable and provide something back to the community. The federations should have no say in this, in places like HB or Canterbury they are likely to back the status quo.

Forget about delusions of grandeur, accept our national league as what it is, a development league that can’t be compared to the A League or anywhere else.

I'm sure Eastern Suburbs would endorse this, seeing as they're on the record as saying it doesn't matter whether anyone watches the games

It was in fact a rhetorical question; and that book is on my "to buy once the baby no longer needs new shoes" list

Somebody loan the girl this book - she appears to have no idea how the world works!

¾ of my kids have left home and I'm still probably buying shoes for 5 more years.

It's an ebook and Bruce (the author) frequents here often enough. Not sure he'd like us passing around his hard work. 

BTW, it's a fantastic read.

It's also only $12 - you might get an inner for one shoe for that!

"For sale, ebook, never read"

With apologies to Hemingway:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_sale:_baby_shoes...

Guess that means NZF don't have a lot of confidence in Waitak being able to field a team.

Guess that means the Nix have two teams in the National League

but did hear Waitak has a benefactor sitting behind the scenes - It was at last TW home game from an away supporter so may just a wispier from a  ....man 

is that the same story thats been doing the round since their move to the Oceania complex fell through?

I believe that Sports  will be in when they expand the league by two teams ( play at mount smart) .

If Waitakere  pull out they will firstly be replaced by a NFF team . One is in place .

who?

expand the league by 2 teams? what make it 12 team league, more cost for the teams involved, more teams from cities such as Auckland and Wellington, lessen the quality (what there is off it)  - I know when Split Enz wrote History never repeats they obviously didn't know about NZ Football!

It would seem obvious that any NFF team to replace WU would have to be one of the big Shore clubs, or based around them - so, Birko, Rovers, possibly ECB.

wasn't NSU heavily rumoured a while ago? barring a North Shore team, which I do think would happen, would be great to see Manukau have a go

it was a consortium of North Shore United, Takapuna City and I think ECB, named North Shore City they applied when Tasman and Wanderers were admitted to the league

All 10 teams from 2018-19 have been granted licences enabling them to return for 2019-20 and complete the final year of their two-year participation agreements.

Onehunga are one of three teams waiting in the wings in case one of those 10 teams decides, for whatever reason, to give up, or getting ready in case of potential expansion for 2020-21 onwards.

A Word from GGW ACFC media and Skysport coms team. Not sure I have got the twitter feed in order but worth the time to read

Given this a bit of thought. After 15 years of the #ISPSHandaPrem it would make sense to have the 18-match league as a stand alone competition & dispense with the playoffs. Introduce an #ISPSHanda Cup for the ten teams and put up an #OFCChampionsLeague spot for each winner.

Have the #ISPSHanda Cup played at the start of the season, throughout the season and put the Cup Final in at the end of March/April. League winner qualifies in top spot for the #OFCChampsLeague, Cup winner claims second spot.

Knockout Cup football is important and if the #OFCChampsLeague spot is up for grabs then every team in the top flight can have a crack at it. The league winners deserve to be crowned National champions based on 18 games not the two sudden death matches at the end of season.

You can have an #ISPSHandaPrem Cup with the top eight qualifying for the 1/4 finals the following season. It’s three games to reach the final and I’m sure there would be some exciting matches. It would solve the lack of presence of #ISPSHandaPrem teams in the Chatham Cup.

I’m involved with Auckland City FC as media Manager & as a commentator with Sky Sport so have kept my thoughts on this to myself for obvious reasons & certainty don’t disrespect or begrudge any previous finals winners their claim as national champions.

You can only play each competition according to the regulations that govern them after all and if you win your matches at the right *moments*, you’re crowned champions. I confess to being a traditionalist for League & cup formats.

I’ve seen some fantastic #ISPSHandaPrem playoff matches in years gone by, a lot of them not televised or streamed sadly but it only strengthens the idea that we need *both*formats in New Zealand football but not as part of one competition.

Playoffs might be an Antipodean or American sports concept but it isn’t a *football* one and I can’t see how introducing and embedding it in our own league works well. It *might* if we had promotion/relegation and a national second tier (but it’s a whole other argument).

Chris Milicich

I am totally in agreement here Gordon - it’s what I believe should happen and both spots are open and both styles of teams have a chance to go to the O-league - I would go further and allow the NL teams in the Chatham cup and then have the cup winner 2nd o-league spot

GGW

The only issue with the NL teams in the CC is keeping squads together over both ??♂️ our seasons which is why I believe the League & Cup split are the best compromise.

CM

So let’s make the NL run from oct to June and let the cup finish in July

I totally agree with 95% of that

My one issue, and it's a bit  of a side issue, is that 18 games plus possibly only one cup game is not enough to develop players (which is a current issue anyway)

Word on the street is that a merger between Waitakere United and Western Springs has been floated.

("The street" in this case is obviously SH16)

Certainly the Youth league team has announced a partnership with Zorocich as coach

The story is apparently that Western Springs are sick of having their best youth players leave for ACFC or Easts, and WU... well, we all know the problems WU have been having.

Would they play games at Seddon or the Trusts?

Seddon would need some kind of seating.

The merged NYL team are playing at Seddon, so I assume Waitak-WS would do so as well. Yes, it would need development (as would Waikaraka Park if Onehunga Sports gets a spot); but I believe they're working this out already. Having to play at Trusts or Fred Taylor is one of the main reasons why WU has failed so far imho.

The reason I know about this is that I'm involved with Auckland Gaelic football who've played at Seddon for 10 years, but we're moving - in part, because if the National League bid succeeds then WSAFC will need the space we currently play on.

Sorry to hear that for you - but good news if the merger goes through. Agree that playing in that massive stadium has been a big issue for WU.

before a grand stand they will need a car park first - if you want your side mirror taken off - just go for a drive down Meloa road on a Saturday morning

Take the bus, AP, it's right on the Outer Link route, every 15 minutes.

Gaelic football has found a pretty classy new home at Massey RFC - actually better in every respect than Seddon apart from being out back of beyond

And full of bogan westies. :)