Mainland Premier League

I see the draw for the bottom 3 is now out and online.  4 rounds, someone gets a bye each week. Then the last few weeks there are games on Tuesday and Satdy. 

So the bottom 3 play each other how many times over the next few weeks?

Was this part of the competition designed by a sadist? 

Each team plays the other team 4 times. So 8 games that runs to the end of the season (end of August) but it takes so long because 3 teams can't all play on a weekend. So one team gets a bye each week and then they play catch-up at the end with games on Tuesdays and Saturdays. 

Each team has 24 points they can get, with FC 2011 having a 7 point head start over Selwyn and 10 over Uni. Interestingly, the table on Mainland's site looks like this!

Give it time. From what I gather the new chap is pretty good. Between them they should manage to keep track. 

HT English Cup - ChCh United 3 Burnham 0

Blackwells Holden English Cup: ChCh United 7 Burnham 1 HT 3 - 0

Doesn't the bottom 3 comp start anew though or do they keep the points they already have?

All points / goal differences from first two rounds are carried over. 

All points / goal differences from first two rounds are carried over. 

I haven't seen that written anywhere. All I've seen is that after the 2 rounds the bottom 3 play off to see who is relegated.

The way it's worded it is a separate comp?

It's complete madness, why on earth didn't they being in the CCL teams and have a genuine promotion relegation comp to determine which 3 went in to the MPL next year - give it some real spice?

Would be the most logical way you would think

3 teams playing one another is an odd way to finish it

All good I found the doc today:

The 3 MPL teams play in their own competition Mainland Premier Qualifying League (MPQL),

Points accumulated after the MPL competition has ceased, will be brought forward into the MPQL

Introducing a dynamic and interesting promotion/relegation tussle would have been a no-brainer I would have thought.

Instead we have what could be the most dullest competition in the history of NZ football ever.

Not for the clubs flighting to retain their MPL staus for 2019.

Also understand other formats i.e. bottom teams in the MPL playing with the CCL teams for the a round and no agreement could be reached.

At least Andreas Heraf will probably like it then

From talking with someone who was at the meetings with mpl and ccl clubs, the option of a top 3 from mpl and top 3 from ccl in a promotion league with the top 3 following a 2 round league gaining promotion to mpl was definitely discussed! From what i heard one particular club (uni) was very much opposed to this (mainly due to previous years having 3 rounds and missing the opportunity to pick up points from the remaining round). To me that makes no sense given you have more games with this option to pick up points. add to that the mpl clubs are playing at a higher level so you would think it would take ccl clubs a few games to adjust to the higher level against mpl sides. Really not sure where mainlands thinking is here, again dropped the ball massively and makes a joke of the situation!

If I was a CCL club, I wouldn't have voted for bottom 3 top 3 split. I would see the CCL as having a confirmed path of finishing top and going into the MPL. With the 3/3 league, you would effectively play against better teams, and have to come out in the top 3 to get through. 

Probably harder, altho the CCL looks pretty even this year too. Apart from Chch Utd and Waimak!

vim, my understanding is that all ccl clubs (along with majority of mpl clubs) voted for top finisher after 2 rounds of ccl to be automatically promoted regardless of where they finished following a top 3 ccl and bottom 3 mpl split league. From there the top 2 other clubs move into the 2019 mpl. As i said not sure why the hell they did not go with this

I think one of the sticking issue for the CCL clubs was that they still wanted whoever won the CCL league should still bring automatic promotion or more correctly the right to play-off with the winner's of both the Nelson Bays and Marlborough Division 1 Leagues, to see which team is promoted to the MPL the following season, if two or more of the winner wish to go up (which has not normally been the case in recent seasons).

So this would have had to be factored in by Mainland in fairness to the other league winners outside Christchurch / Canterbury.

If that would of been the case not many would have predicted we’d currently be sitting 3rd! Imagine the uproar then having to play little old Parklands ?

Right, right. So with Blenheim Rangers on a Chatham Cup run and sitting on top of the table, whoever does win the CCL might have to go through them first! Could be an expensive MPL/SIL in 2019.

That could be the case. Unsure if any of the clubs in the north of the Federation have indicated to Mainland that if they wish to enter into a possible play-off series 

Has happen before when Richmond played their into the MPL after winning the Nelson competition. 

still do not see the issue. Said team from the nelson region then plays off against the 3rd placed team of the combined ccl and mpl rounds. still the same as playing off against the top ccl side if the bottom of mpl was relegated is it not?

AllWhites82 is correct on the decisions at the meetings. Being at the meetings and representing a CCL team, we did not want that split, this option was added very late with no notice. As well the MPL teams did not want to drop down and play the CCL teams - that was the main sticking point. Also Mainland wanting to provide a "meaningful competitive league" :) 

so the majority of ccl clubs did not want to be in a league with the bottom 3 mpl sides, is that what your saying? I would argue thats a far more meaningful and high stake option for all involved over a 4 round 3 team split

The CCL clubs wanted a meaningful competition where all games meant something. If it went with a 3MPL/3CCL split what would the other 3 teams in the CCL do? They would be playing for nothing for the last 4-5 weeks of the season.

At one stage it was mooted to have the 3 bottom MPL teams combine with the CCL teams & play 1 round but then this would mean that effectively MPL teams were playing for their MPL status over only 8 games, hardly fair. Also then you have 6 CCL teams influencing 3 MPL clubs future.

As previously stated the top of the south team throws another spanner in the works.

I think what we've got is the best outcome for all & its not something to blame Mainland about.

Mainland won't need to worry about it for next season it will be back to 3 rd MPL.

Southern league will be a dead duck after all the fing around.

Playing Cavy on some old Rugby pitch down the hill in Dunedin really makes the passing game shine. not.

Dunedin pitches [FB aside] are crap in the best of weather.

Just catching up on all the goss while I take a break from writing my mum's eulogy :) 

Yet again football appears to be the winner as everyone sets aside their personal agendas. 

You can see why the game is going ahead in leaps and bounds in this country.

This outcome is clearly in alignment with the NZF decision to put a bus parker in charge of High Performance and the womens game, can't wait to see the next review that recommends girls stop running as much and put on 20 kgs as it makes it easier to fill up the goal therefore much harder for the opposition to score.

While I might be drawing a long bow in aligning these 2 separate but equally concerning issues my point is that neither reflect what is good for the game.

Here's a classic situation where a clear decision from Mainland was required to ensure football was at the forefront of people's thinking and they go awol, yet at other times they jump in and dictate where clearly clubs should have the say.

Leadership clearly lacking on this one I'm afraid.

So sorry to learn of the passing of two lovely Matriarchs of two East side footballing families. My thoughts are with the Bradshaw and McTague families. 

Yes very sad news indeed. Remember Norah Bradshaw when I first started taken photos for the New Brighton in their National League, always a friendly 'hello' for everyone and a cuppa for me at half-time  if it was cold day. Also recall Norah and others in the Square selling tickets in their famous 24 Hour Raffle, in the late 70's, not many got passed without parting with a $1 when Norah was at deck. Used to work in the Square and sure Norah spect all day there raising funds for here belived club.

RIP Norah and Sylvia

Goodnight Universities

1st Round of playoffs:

Selwyn 3 Universities 1

FC Twenty11 the bye

Points: FC 13, Selwyn 9, Universities 3

Mainland Premier League Qualifying Playoffs

Selwyn 3 (Joe Arnott, Dan Ede, Jayden Booth) Univerisities 1 (own goal) HT 1 - 1

Qualifying Playoff Table:

Can't believe they gave that an OG.. from where I was sitting it was toed into the goal by UC.

Checked with the match officials after the game and they said it was an `oggie` also asked UC players and no one was claiming it.

English Cup result;

Halswell 0 Coastal Spirit 6

Close even game.

Coastal now join, Burwood, Cashmere Technical, ChCh United, FC Twenty11, Selwyn, Universities and Western in the Quarter Finals of the Blackwells Holden English Cup

Scorers?