New structure 2015,



SL 1, 12 TEAMS

SL 2, 12 TEAMS



AFTER 11 ROUNDS , SPLITS TO THREE DIVS OF 8



EACH DIV PLAYS HOME AND AWAY



PLAY OFF SERIES, AND GRAND FINAL



4 TEAMS IN SL2 PLAY IN THE TOP TIER THE FOLLOWING YEAR



2016 THE SEASON REPEATS

Worse than stupid

Why?

It doesn't work out, "4 teams from SL2 play in SL1 the following year", so does SL1 become 16, or does someone get relegated?



I hope it's a wind up.

So I buy a season pass expecting to be playing wire, leeds, saints and wigan 3 times but end up playing them once along with fev, fax and Sheffield a couple of times. Genius

Awful!!

After the split



The top 4 teams in the middle tier come the end of the season will start in sl 1 the following year

Don't really see the point.



Top teams will be sick of each other

Those scraping the 8 won't win a game after mid season

Those better teams with early injuries will end up stuck with Cas, Fax, etc

Passholders won't know what they're signing up for



Why have the club's signed up for it? I don't mind change, but not sure how this benefits the fan other than having more close/exciting games which are ultimately meaningless.

Yes, I can read thanks.



Who comes down?

It does give more games more meaning and acknowledges that we have a widely disparate spectrum of clubs, with too many games having +20 bookmaker handicaps.

But it is very convoluted. And it is difficult to imagine how the Sky money would be divided in a way that was seen as fair by all or even most. A variation with 2 10s and a semi-pro third tier would be more sensible, IMO, but too many clubs would be nervous of coming bottom 4 next year, I assume. And it'd be just as complicated.

Blake Solly and Gary Hetherington have said it is one of 4 options being considered. Another is staying as we are. As long as we admit licensing is franchising, fine - but there's a fine line between giving clubs security and allowing them to stagnate. Plus we do have a lot of effectively dead rubbers, even without considering reducing the number of play-off places. I don't know what the others are, but really it comes down to trying to make a complicated structure to try to suit as many clubs as possible or telling them to get on with it even if it is square pegs and round holes. Plus finally coming to a honest settlement between clubs at different levels.

Surely having more close/exciting games is a big benefit to fans?

I think it has its flaws but to dismiss it outright is a bit strong, the current system we have also has flaws.

People often bang on about promotion/relegation but in reality the step up/down doesn't make that feasible and at least this gives the opportunity to expose lower clubs to higher opposition on a more regular basis a maybe raise standards as a whole.

I understand the point about "not knowing what you've signed up for", but really I sign up to watch my team, not others - and if my team isn't good enough to make the 8 then thems the breaks kid, it's mid-8 for you...

Main issue I have is about the first 11 games as the deciding factor for making the 8 is based on playing teams once and home advantage can often play a large part.

Next season the bottom 2 in SL and top 10 in the Championship would be put together to form SL 2 in 2015.



In 2015, the 12 remaining SL1 teams play each other once. 11 games, presumably including a magic fixture.

Same for sl2. Then, mid-season, top 8 in SL2 breakaway to compete for the title - home and away, 14 more games. The bottom 4 from that division and the top 4 from sl2 form the intermediateship, an extended P&R play-off tournament for 4 places in the 2016 sl1 and the bottom 8 sl2 play for... pride, and that.