With less than 50 day to go before the 20th and final edition of the MPL kicks off, in what is likely to be the most important season for most clubs in recent times as they chase a top five placing to advance to the Southern Conference (South Island League) and from there looking for a top two placing to contest the National Championship which commences in early October 2021, along with the top 3 and top 4 from the respective Central and Northern Conferences.
Top five from the MPL this season also guaranteed a place in the 2022 Southern Conference so added pressure on clubs, coaching staff and players to finish in the top five to avoid what is likely to be a hotly contested promotion / play-off series.
With the leagues moving to a equalised cost model for the 2021 season and beyond there will no longer the same financial costs constraints holding back clubs from the Canterbury Championship League, Nelson and Marlborough Division 1 League's mounting a serious challenge for a spot in the Southern Conference in the coming seasons.
Already clubs from the Football South Federation looking at formal mergers or closer working relationships so they can be more competitive in the coming season(s), possibly not many options left for mergers between clubs within the Mainland Region but will be interesting to see what happens in this space going forward.
All this should bring an added edge to the local leagues this season and no doubt plenty of players movements in coming weeks.