Should there be playoffs at level 5/6

[Stocko]

Here's one for you all ( and remember to think of next season before answering )
What do you think should there be play offs at this level ? Ie 1 team up automatic and 2/3/4/5 in play offs. Could you imagine the crowds and the excitement at end of season, remember this year I don't think it will effect you this season as you are in driving seat for this season. But next season even harder as only 1 team goes up.

[Stocko]

Play offs :-)

[Trek]

Problem I see at this level whilst it would in theory be a good idea, regular fixtures would struggle to get finished in time when the UCL is giving precedent to all these Mickey Mouse cups. Coupled with the bad winter weather this has particularly hurt Oadby Town.

I would also like to see all final matches played at the same time on the same day so no club has any advantage at knowing other teams results but that is another matter.

In conclusion, play offs in theory are a great idea but the UCL need to sort their fixtures lists a lot better and not penalise clubs like us who have been forced to play 11 home matches out of 18 mid week in the evenings whilst only 1 solitary mid week away game.

[Sid]

As an old git I remain sort of attached to the idea that the teams who prove themselves over the entire season deserve to be promoted. In our division there is not much between the top 4, but 5th are miles behind, is it right that they could be promoted as the result of one awful refereeing mistake? Higher up where money is far more important than the football the arguement for play offs is very strong, but at this level I'm not so sure.
There is a practical reason against as well. In some leagues very few are able/willing to be promoted, in the Wessex League for example only Newport (IOW) applied for promotion and they have withdrawn it as they are stuck in mid table, promotion from the Northern League is almost unheard of, even in the UCL Prem it is enormously unlikely that all of the top 4 would have the grading in any particular year.

[Trek]

You make very good point, Sid about the ground grading issues which I hadn't considered or the unwillingness of clubs seeking promotion, such as Long Buckby who stormed the UCL Premier Division only dropping 12 points and winning 16/17 games straight games at the start of the season, both records I believe. Speaking to Glenn Botterill last evening at BPW, he told me it was the reason why he left the Bucks to seek a challenge with a club who had the facilities to play at a higher level.

[sussexdiamond]

What a refeshing voice of reason Stocko has been on this forum over the past weeks, is it Oadby he supports?

Stocko,where do you get the idea that says only one team will be promoted next season?

Personally I think all four should be promoted this season. The first division is extremely unlikely to ever have four quality teams in contention at one time again.
Did not the FA instruct the UCL Prem (and Sussex County league) to have 24 teams by 14/15 season as a condition of being reprieved from merger/extinction. They only have 21 now. All that needs to happen is for just one to be relegated (Irchester are so far inferior to any other team) AND ALL FOUR FIRST DIVISION CONTENDERS PROMOTED. My only concession would be that the UCL don't announce it until may 8th!!!

[Bob's Bitch]

Playoffs surely couldn't be introduced at Step 5? Promotion's already a shitstorm because there's more leagues than promotion places, doubling the promotion spots would just make it even worse, especially when you get teams like Holbeach winning the league and not wanting the auto promotion.

[Trek]

I wouldn't be surprised to see three clubs promoted. There are clubs from the Leicestershire area including Lutterworth Athletic that have expressed an interest in joining the UCL like Quorn and Oadby Town have done. The Premier and First divisions could easily be increased to 22 teams making a 42 match regular season. Even the manager of one of our competitors told me he thought 3 teams might be promoted from division 1 this season.

[Sid]

What a refeshing voice of reason Stocko has been on this forum over the past weeks, is it Oadby he supports?

Stocko,where do you get the idea that says only one team will be promoted next season?

Personally I think all four should be promoted this season. The first division is extremely unlikely to ever have four quality teams in contention at one time again.
Did not the FA instruct the UCL Prem (and Sussex County league) to have 24 teams by 14/15 season as a condition of being reprieved from merger/extinction. They only have 21 now. All that needs to happen is for just one to be relegated (Irchester are so far inferior to any other team) AND ALL FOUR FIRST DIVISION CONTENDERS PROMOTED. My only concession would be that the UCL don't announce it until may 8th!!!

No the FA say all Step 5 leagues must have between 20-22 clubs from next season onwards. Easy for UCL (and Sussex County) but Kent and Essex Leagues may well have a problem.

[Olly]

1 team promoted next season

We better get promoted this season then!