NCRL Confernce playoffs

[Mr Plow]

Cross conference playoffs start this week with the group stage. I’m assuming the winners get promoted the Division One, the RFL website is very vague. 
 

When this new league got announced there were hints at promotion and relegation between the Conferences and regional leagues (north west, Cumbria, Yorkshire) does anyone know if that’s been confirmed?

[Spidey]

There’s also mandatory playoffs for the bottom half of the groups. (That a few teams seem to have dropped out of)

No southern teams involved in that,  they were blocked by the organisers

 

[Eddie]

Surely the play off / P&R structure won’t have been decided at this early stage of the season? 

[Spidey]

Just now, Eddie said:

Surely the play off / P&R structure won’t have been decided at this early stage of the season? 

I think in this circumstance they’ve not quite spelled out what happens say if Cumbrian teams get promoted but a North West team is in the relation spot. Does the regional group expand or do they have to lose an extra club.   It’s just not been made clear at all

[Eddie]

23 minutes ago, Spidey said:

I think in this circumstance they’ve not quite spelled out what happens say if Cumbrian teams get promoted but a North West team is in the relation spot. Does the regional group expand or do they have to lose an extra club.   It’s just not been made clear at all

Which is bonkers, in football it would all be decided before the season started. 

[Archie Gordon]

28 minutes ago, Spidey said:

I think in this circumstance they’ve not quite spelled out what happens say if Cumbrian teams get promoted but a North West team is in the relation spot. Does the regional group expand or do they have to lose an extra club.   It’s just not been made clear at all

I think they did sort this out tbf. In your example, the Cumbria conference gains (net) a club from below (1 down, 2 up from regional leagues) and the NW conference loses (net) a club (2 down, 1 up from regional leagues).

[Spidey]

1 hour ago, Archie Gordon said:

I think they did sort this out tbf. In your example, the Cumbria conference gains (net) a club from below (1 down, 2 up from regional leagues) and the NW conference loses (net) a club (2 down, 1 up from regional leagues).

Has that been 100% confirmed. It all sounds sensible but I just don’t get the feeling that it’s nailed on

luckily all the bottom clubs of National  are NW based and we’re a team down so shouldnt cause much disruption 

Is there relegation from conferences to regional leagues? Thats something we’re not 100% on either 

[Archie Gordon]

Just now, Spidey said:

Has that been 100% confirmed. It all sounds sensible but I just don’t get the feeling that it’s nailed on

luckily all the bottom clubs of National  are NW based and we’re a team down so shouldnt cause much disruption 

Is there relegation from conferences to regional leagues? Thats something we’re not 100% on either 

My memory is that all of that was covered in the documents circulated right at the start of the year and I'm sure that P&R between conferences and regional leagues was part of it.

On a different note, like you, I was interested to see that some clubs have opted out of the Shield. I feel sure that was not allowed. 

[Mr Plow]

5 minutes ago, Archie Gordon said:

My memory is that all of that was covered in the documents circulated right at the start of the year and I'm sure that P&R between conferences and regional leagues was part of it.

On a different note, like you, I was interested to see that some clubs have opted out of the Shield. I feel sure that was not allowed. 

How would P&R work in Yorkshire? There two conferences so who would get relegated? 

[Mr Plow]

2 hours ago, Spidey said:

There’s also mandatory playoffs for the bottom half of the groups. (That a few teams seem to have dropped out of)

No southern teams involved in that,  they were blocked by the organisers

 

Would it not have cost the southern teams too much to compete in the playoffs? 
 

Honestly cannot see the point of the Shield competition. Why do we need a losers final

[Archie Gordon]

2 minutes ago, Mr Plow said:

How would P&R work in Yorkshire? There two conferences so who would get relegated? 

That's beyond me! 

[Archie Gordon]

1 minute ago, Mr Plow said:

Would it not have cost the southern teams too much to compete in the playoffs? 
 

...

I think this goes two ways. It might also have cost the Northern teams too much.

It's really just an illusion of a national comp. It would soon break down in practice if travelling from Cumbria to West London ever became anything other than a one-off. 

[Mr Plow]

6 minutes ago, Archie Gordon said:

That's beyond me! 

Unless both YML Grand finalists get promoted (which would undermine winning the GF). I’m a bit confirmed as to why there two Yorkshire conferences to begin with.

[Eddie]

25 minutes ago, Archie Gordon said:

I think this goes two ways. It might also have cost the Northern teams too much.

It's really just an illusion of a national comp. It would soon break down in practice if travelling from Cumbria to West London ever became anything other than a one-off. 

Yet meanwhile in the non heartlands RFL competitions teams are expected to travel enormous distances for league games, Norfolk to Bristol for example, which prohibits teams from playing. 

[Damien]

1 minute ago, Eddie said:

Yet meanwhile in the non heartlands RFL competitions teams are expected to travel enormous distances for league games, Norfolk to Bristol for example, which prohibits teams from playing. 

That is usually because of a lack of local options though isn't it? Unfortunately we have seemingly still never come up with a half decent strategy, or had one at all since Richard Lewis left, to develop the game nationwide so that these things can be made easier.

[Spidey]

54 minutes ago, Mr Plow said:

 

Honestly cannot see the point of the Shield competition. Why do we need a losers final

It was to give clubs more games. My club only had 8 home games. Roughly half of what we had when we originally entered the NCL. That’s a massive hit in revenue. As it stands we’re only guaranteed one extra game at home now. It’s all a bit pants

shame really the NW conference has been really competitive this session 

Edited September 4 by Spidey

[Spidey]

52 minutes ago, Mr Plow said:

Would it not have cost the southern teams too much to compete in the playoffs? 

It may have cost them a bit, but it wasn’t their choice. They were simply left out as as understand

[bowes]

4 hours ago, Mr Plow said:

Cross conference playoffs start this week with the group stage. I’m assuming the winners get promoted the Division One, the RFL website is very vague. 
 

When this new league got announced there were hints at promotion and relegation between the Conferences and regional leagues (north west, Cumbria, Yorkshire) does anyone know if that’s been confirmed?

The two finalists get promoted to division 1.

[bowes]

2 hours ago, Mr Plow said:

Unless both YML Grand finalists get promoted (which would undermine winning the GF). I’m a bit confirmed as to why there two Yorkshire conferences to begin with.

It was because there were 12 Yorkshire teams that would have been in division 2 and 3 of the NCL without the changes (plus I believe 2 others had applied to step up and met the criteria). Therefore, they didn't want to demote teams that would have been in the NCL out of the national league structure altogether.

[Mr Plow]

36 minutes ago, bowes said:

It was because there were 12 Yorkshire teams that would have been in division 2 and 3 of the NCL without the changes (plus I believe 2 others had applied to step up and met the criteria). Therefore, they didn't want to demote teams that would have been in the NCL out of the national league structure altogether.

Would it not have just made sense to have a  12 team Yorkshire Conference? They added Newsome, Fryston, Siddal A, King Cross Park and Kippax from the YML Prem and Dudley Hill, Kippax and Moldgreen from YML Division 1.

 

[Eddie]

2 hours ago, Damien said:

That is usually because of a lack of local options though isn't it? Unfortunately we have seemingly still never come up with a half decent strategy, or had one at all since Richard Lewis left, to develop the game nationwide so that these things can be made easier.

It’s lack of local options yes but there is no discussion about it and no effort to encourage other clubs to play, Union clubs for example who might like a run out over a short ladies season. Just telling an amateur team that they have to travel 200 miles to an away game and then wondering why they decline doesn’t cut it really, particularly as the heartlands game is so parochial.  I heard (can’t confirm this but it was from someone I consider to be a reliable source) that the RFL gave Thurrock £10k to set a ladies team up a couple of years ago and I don’t think they lasted the season, if they’re throwing money away like that no wonder we’re in a mess. 

[Damien]

52 minutes ago, Eddie said:

It’s lack of local options yes but there is no discussion about it and no effort to encourage other clubs to play, Union clubs for example who might like a run out over a short ladies season. Just telling an amateur team that they have to travel 200 miles to an away game and then wondering why they decline doesn’t cut it really, particularly as the heartlands game is so parochial.  I heard (can’t confirm this but it was from someone I consider to be a reliable source) that the RFL gave Thurrock £10k to set a ladies team up a couple of years ago and I don’t think they lasted the season, if they’re throwing money away like that no wonder we’re in a mess. 

Yeah I have no doubt the RFL make a right mess of it. As I said there seems zero strategy for a good decade or so since Lewis left. We just seem to go round and round in circles until people quit the game disheartened.

[Mr Plow]

56 minutes ago, Eddie said:

It’s lack of local options yes but there is no discussion about it and no effort to encourage other clubs to play, Union clubs for example who might like a run out over a short ladies season. Just telling an amateur team that they have to travel 200 miles to an away game and then wondering why they decline doesn’t cut it really, particularly as the heartlands game is so parochial.  I heard (can’t confirm this but it was from someone I consider to be a reliable source) that the RFL gave Thurrock £10k to set a ladies team up a couple of years ago and I don’t think they lasted the season, if they’re throwing money away like that no wonder we’re in a mess. 

I’m always surprised more union clubs don’t run a league team in the summer. In Yorkshire I think there’s only Moortown that have a league team (Harrogate Hawks play out of Knaresborough RUFC but I’m not sure how much the union club is involved). Surely it’s more money behind the bar and into the club during the union off season.

[Eddie]

16 minutes ago, Mr Plow said:

I’m always surprised more union clubs don’t run a league team in the summer. In Yorkshire I think there’s only Moortown that have a league team (Harrogate Hawks play out of Knaresborough RUFC but I’m not sure how much the union club is involved). Surely it’s more money behind the bar and into the club during the union off season.

Indeed, a couple of clubs in Lincoln did it a couple of years ago but not sure how it turned out. I get that players need a break but they would have a load of fun and learn new skills that would help with their Union too. 

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

2 hours ago, Eddie said:

Indeed, a couple of clubs in Lincoln did it a couple of years ago but not sure how it turned out. I get that players need a break but they would have a load of fun and learn new skills that would help with their Union too. 

RU clubs are full of bovine excrement on the ‘need a break’ these days with 7 comps Going deep into June and pre season for them starting week or so after..