Combining the Championship and League 1 and creating a viable fixture list

[Griff]

2 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

I like a lot of that, but imo it fails to deal with the 2 core concerns of Championship clubs when a merger/reshuffle with League 1 has been suggested.

Namely: 1, they want guaranteed home fixtures against the biggest drawing clubs; and 2, they are concerned about trips to the likes of Cornwall.

To me, that means there has to be some jiggery pokery with the conferences to balance them out on those fronts, with a limited number of cross conference games filling in the gaps in fixture numbers.

Tommy - was it not you who countered a reluctance to travel to Cornwall with a suggestion that any club not prepared to travel anywhere in the country should resign and join a regional league?

Yet here we have you advocating regional leagues.

Conferences are what we had pre-1962. It's a step backwards, not forwards.

[Tommygilf]

1 minute ago, Griff said:

Tommy - was it not you who countered a reluctance to travel to Cornwall with a suggestion that any club not prepared to travel anywhere in the country should resign and join a regional league?

Yet here we have you advocating regional leagues.

Conferences are what we had pre-1962. It's a step backwards, not forwards.

I said it was a basic flaw yes. In an ideal world, that is how I would put it, with regional comps being below the national ones. Clubs would soon decide what was more worth it to them and what level there were most suited to.

That said, the Championship clubs hold all the cards here, it is they who will likely have to be pandered to. 

"Regional" conferences, in my view, would be a very loose terminology. I believe it was another similar thread where I posted my split which would have 20 intra conference home and away games plus 6 inter conference matches per club to give the 26 game season Championship clubs would like. I also in that idea had Halifax and Toulouse in "West" and Cornwall in "East" to balance out the talent, club followings and travel. Newcastle weren't included by me iirc. 

[Anita Bath]

The championship is already regional……the north (me bad, i forgot about Toulouse)

[headtackle]

Going to regional leagues below SL should not be seen as a backwards step. With a proper structure it is one that could allow for new clubs to be more effectively introduced.

Many other sports follow this model ie a National premier league then below a certain point regional leagues.

Take our main competitor, rugby union. Premiership, National League 1 then at level to whilst called National is basically 3 regional leagues, North, East & West. 

 

 

 

 

[Griff]

1 hour ago, headtackle said:

Going to regional leagues below SL should not be seen as a backwards step. With a proper structure it is one that could allow for new clubs to be more effectively introduced.

Many other sports follow this model ie a National premier league then below a certain point regional leagues.

Take our main competitor, rugby union. Premiership, National League 1 then at level to whilst called National is basically 3 regional leagues, North, East & West. 

The trouble is that, as mentioned above, everybody's already in the North. Bar a handful of outliers. If it was truly regional, you'd have a division of about 18, plus a few divisions of 1. Proposals for a regional solution so far involve drawing a random line across the country. North/South, East/West, whatever.

[gingerjon]

Gledhill reporting no change except Bash goes and 1895 Cup extended 

[Griff]

1 hour ago, gingerjon said:

Gledhill reporting no change except Bash goes and 1895 Cup extended 

Right.

[Tommygilf]

4 hours ago, gingerjon said:

Gledhill reporting no change except Bash goes and 1895 Cup extended 

Group stage in the 1895 cup keeps guaranteed fixtures against the clubs championship clubs want it to be, makes a trip to Cornwall unlikely for most clubs, and gives League 1 clubs more matches next year.

Its a compromise, will be interesting to see how it is implemented.

[dkw]

 

[Gerrumonside ref]

11 minutes ago, dkw said:

 

Bjork Knights angle?

[sheddingswasus]

Anyone heard anything further?

[Griff]

1 hour ago, sheddingswasus said:

Anyone heard anything further?

Mick Gledhill will probably know.

[dkw]

 

 

[Derwent Parker]

1 hour ago, dkw said:

 

 

Class Act - unlike the RFL

[Blind side johnny]

On 02/11/2023 at 17:58, gingerjon said:

Gledhill reporting no change except Bash goes and 1895 Cup extended 

For 2024, yes. 2025 will likely be a different matter with time to plan and prepare properly.

[iffleyox]

On 02/11/2023 at 10:07, headtackle said:

Going to regional leagues below SL should not be seen as a backwards step. With a proper structure it is one that could allow for new clubs to be more effectively introduced.

Many other sports follow this model ie a National premier league then below a certain point regional leagues.

Take our main competitor, rugby union. Premiership, National League 1 then at level to whilst called National is basically 3 regional leagues, North, East & West. 

 

 

 

 

On a point of order, the split is at tier 4 in RU - Premiership, Championship, National 1,  National 2 E/W/N

[dkw]

 

 

[dkw]

 

[OL14.yeds]

This was brought up at Oldham’s fan forum last night. The board said it was 99% confirmed that League 1 will continue (with Newcastle) with loop fixtures and an extended 1895 Cup.

[Anita Bath]

So long as Newcastle's loop games include Cornwall.

[dkw]

 

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

Fev have announced

The Betfred Championship will continue as a 14-team competition, with the top six teams qualifying for a Play-Off series culminating in a Grand Final to determine the champions. This will be played at the home ground of the team ranked highest during the regular season.

Betfred League One will be a nine-club competition, with each side playing 20 matches – 10 at home, and 10 away. This will involve four loop fixtures for each team, to be determined by seedings based on 2023 finishing positions (a contingency model has also been devised for an eight-team competition, which would see each team play the other three times in a 21-round programme). The League One Grand Final will be played on October 6 at home ground of the team ranked highest during the regular season.  

https://www.featherstonerovers.co.uk/news/1895-cup-championship-structure-kEuYP/

Edit to add: Ongoing discussions re 2025 structure

Edited November 8, 2023 by Les Tonks Sidestep

[Chronicler of Chiswick]

And it's on the TotalRL website. I suppose that's the best that could have been done, at least we get at least 10 home games.

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

And the 1895 Cup:

In 2024 the 13 England-based Championship clubs will join eight League One clubs (Cornwall will not be taking part) in seven groups of three. Groups will be seeded and regionalised, with League One clubs awarded home advantage in any fixtures against Championship opposition. The top team in each group will qualify for Quarter Finals, joined by the best-performing second-placed team – the latter to be determined by competition points initially and then, if necessary, by points difference.

[Neutralfan7]

Seems like it'll be one league in 2025