Regionalised EFL

[hoofer2]

Well....today is my first day for 30+ years I am out of work so though I'd fill a little time by hypothesising the make-up of
a EFL North and South should EFL and NL decide to merge.

Clearly this stands to be be Jerroled based on additional geographical factors and this does not take into account ground grading.
However based on pure how far up / down a ground is on the UK Map:

Northern Division

AFC Fylde
Barrow
Bradford City
Carlisle
Chesterfield
Chorley
Crewe
FC Halifax
Grimsby
Harrogate
Hartlepool
Macclesfield
Mansfield
Morecambe
Northampton
Notts Co
Oldham
Port Vale
Salford
Scunthorpe
Solihull Moors
Stockport
Walsall
Wrexham

Southern Division

Aldershot
Barnet
Boreham Wood
Bromley
Cambridge Utd
Cheltenham
Colchester
Crawley
Dag & Red
Dover
Eastleigh
Ebbsfleet
Exeter
Forest Green
Leyton Orient
Maidenhead
Newport
Plymouth
Stevenage
Sutton
Swindon
Torquay
Woking
Yeovil

[hoppy]

Sorry to hear you are out of work hoofer2. Sadly I fear the unemployment statistics are likely to go through the roof, particularly when the furlough scheme is ended. Good luck on finding further employment.

Re your suggested North and South divisions you have done these on the assumption that there us no relegation from the NL Pem and no promotion from the NLS and NLN. No idea if and when the NL are to make a decision on that.

Given the expected dire financial state of many EFL and NL clubs your North and South Divisions may look very different if they ever do happen. I would like to see it, but I am very doubtful that it will ever occur.

[rudebwoyben]

I do not want to see us play in a regionalised league. I don’t see what problem it is trying to solve and I’d rather see us play Northampton Town than Maidenhead Utd (for example). Moreover any benefits gained from reduced travelling costs will be offset by TV money being sub-divided into ever smaller slices. Additionally such a league would be less competitive as there would be a greater disparity between the stronger and weaker clubs and there would be fewer promotion places on offer.

[hoofer2]

I do not want to see us play in a regionalised league. I don’t see what problem it is trying to solve and I’d rather see us play Northampton Town than Maidenhead Utd (for example). Moreover any benefits gained from reduced travelling costs will be offset by TV money being sub-divided into ever smaller slices. Additionally such a league would be less competitive as there would be a greater disparity between the stronger and weaker clubs and there would be fewer promotion places on offer.

Agreed about playing more established rivals. Would Maidenhead meet the ground requirements anyway?

[rudebwoyben]

I do not want to see us play in a regionalised league. I don’t see what problem it is trying to solve and I’d rather see us play Northampton Town than Maidenhead Utd (for example). Moreover any benefits gained from reduced travelling costs will be offset by TV money being sub-divided into ever smaller slices. Additionally such a league would be less competitive as there would be a greater disparity between the stronger and weaker clubs and there would be fewer promotion places on offer.

Agreed about playing more established rivals. Would Maidenhead meet the ground requirements anyway?

I don’t think they would but they’re planning on moving to a new ground, which would mean another piece of football history lost.

[Norfolk & Chance]

Sorry about your job.
I reckon the same will happen to me soon.

That would be a cracking league to be in.
Practically a derby every week.

It solves a number of financial issues.
Far fewer overnight stays, reduced outgoings for the club. Lower costs for fans who go to away games.
Bigger crowds, more income.
Better atmosphere etc etc

I'd be very happy with it if it stabilised finances for a few years and then review it.

[rudebwoyben]

Sorry about your job.
I reckon the same will happen to me soon.

That would be a cracking league to be in.
Practically a derby every week.

It solves a number of financial issues.
Far fewer overnight stays, reduced outgoings for the club. Lower costs for fans who go to away games.
Bigger crowds, more income.
Better atmosphere etc etc

I'd be very happy with it if it stabilised finances for a few years and then review it.

Quite a lot of assumptions baked into your post which I would dispute. A lot of our smallest crowds have been against southern teams. Travelling costs are not a major part of a club’s outgoings. As I said before, we’d end up with a less competitive league with less to play for, which would mean smaller crowds and less atmosphere.

[Norfolk & Chance]

True, I did make assumptions but overall I think they'd be pretty safe ones.
Of course we can pick out individual games where attendances were low or higher but over a whole season I'm confident there would be a significant increase overall.
Even if travelling costs aren't a big outgoing, any outgoing that can be reduced will be very significant for many clubs. I imagine every cost is going to be challenged more than ever.
You make your own assumptions about having less to play for in a less competitive league leading to lower crowds but I don't accept that at all.
Check out attendances for the southern prem etc, they have some fantastic seasons with many crowds far bigger than ours.
I really don't see it happening but as I said, I'd be quite happy with it for a few seasons.

[selbybee]

I understand the financial rationale but as a Barnet fan living in Yorkshire (it's a long story) it would be a terrible plan. Getting down to the Hive is a major expedition but there is the compensation of having some closer games. I understand that this is a selfish comment. Less so is a concern that we will miss out playing some of the better teams. The implications for promotion are not good either unless League 2 moves to relegating four teams - thus promoting two from each of the North and Southern leagues. Simply coming top of the league would so benefit the clubs that throw money at promotion. The play offs, for all their faults, allow an extra opportunity for promotion.

[alexbach]

Maidenhead is a good example,but I imagine ground regulations, which have slackened in recent zeasons, would be loosened still further as teams struggle to survive

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[amberforever]

I really feel for you Hoofer. I hope something or some turn around in fate happens for you soon.
Interesting proposition.
Also this would have better credentials for virus control with shorter distances travelled.
All the best.

[jerroll]

Sad to hear of your job situ Hoofer,hope you can sort as soon as you can. Not wanting to poor cold water on your list but Crewe , Plymouth and Swindon are supposed to be promoted plus 1 from the mythical playoffs! Tranmere, southend and bolton possibly to come the other way plus there is also the Bury balancing act to factor in.Like RBB i am not a fan of regionalised divisions especially as a travelling fan as GWR is a very expensive train line compared with Lner and artists formally known as virgin trains! plus the cost of beer is often less 'up north'! i also doubt the lg 2 clubs would want to reduce their tv income and solidarity payments toshare with 24 nl clubs. As other posters have mentioned if we are set for a prolonged absence from football recommencing the paused season in february or march next year might not have been the worst idea ever!

[shankbee01]

I fear if they try and change the leagues structure the introduction of B teams will happen as Prem teams claim they are helping fill the gaps left by some of the clubs that go.


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[Tuesds]

As other posters have mentioned if we are set for a prolonged absence from football recommencing the paused season in february or march next year might not have been the worst idea ever!

Yes! All decisions taken so far seem to be in the cause of clearing the decks so that the new season can start afresh in August. Yet it’s been clear for weeks (arguably months) that sadly the prospects for any football at our level before Christmas, let alone in the summer, are fairly slim.

Yes it’s messy to leave things hanging and compromises and fudges would have to be made re end-of-season payments and cancelling contracts and more but messy compromises are ahead of us whatever.

I’ve said since the start of football’s shutdown that it seems not unlikely to me that we find ourselves in a position in the spring where we finally get the go ahead to play football again, with clubs desperate for revenue and fans desperate for a fix, only for everyone to regret that we don’t have a ready-made product in the form of a 6-11 game run-in plus play-offs, and instead having to decide that there’s no time to start a new season and that the only thing to do is to sit tight for August 2021. This should at least have been given more thought as a potential scenario, especially as the first priority in sporting terms should have been the resolution of the last eight months of competition if at all possible!

[John Hunt]

Sensible and sad at the same time.

When I used to be able to go more often I used to love the opportunity to explore The North with the Bees.