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This blog is for everything soccer in Tasmania, feel free to post whatever comes to mind! It must be stated that this is not an official FFT site.
13 comments:
What is the old state league system?
How would it work?
wHO would play in it?
I think the old State League system consisted of 10 teams, a combination of north, north-west and south.
A recent article that Walter Pless wrote in the paper indicated that Football Tasmania are considering re-assembling the old State League, however only a limited number of teams would be allowed to compete. It was suggested that due to only a limited number from each region being able to apply that, for example, in the south some clubs would have to amalgamate.
This maybe be combated by having a second overall reserve league, such as the equivalent to Div 1, to back up the new State League.
Overall though a lot of work would need to be done to assure that it worked. For not only can it be a costly and draining issue for some clubs, but not many, if any sports are state-wide these days!
Pretty sure Walter hinted to having a seperate state-wide league in addition to the current format, running in summer.
The article hinted that teams would come from a group of clubs rather than a single club. I guess an atempt at best of the best from those clubs. There fore existing clubs would remain the same but also 'sponsor' a joint team.
I'm not really sure it will work. I don't think these joint teams will evoke any passion from players or fans.
I think there should be more emphasis on the Northern Premierleague/Southern Premier league playoff.-
Whatever the opinions of our Southern friends, a state league at the moment would deimate the current Northern League, which is the most competitive it has been in years. lets expand our State Cup comps etc, however lets keep things as they are for least the next 5 years.
A summer comp would be a mitigated failure, with too many currents players participating in other activities at this time of year..
No need to rush is how i see it!
About the State League, We have had three goes at this concept. The original State league was formed some 30 years ago. The makeup was of senior teams only. The year after formation South Hobart and Burnie were entitled to gain entry however the administrators of the time, a vacillating group of men reneged on their promise and formed a State League reserves competition. Eventually the league was extended to include Burnie and South Hobart only the following year to be dissolved at the insistence of some Southern clubs who said the prize money didn’t cover costs.
The second, In 1994 The Tasmanian Soccer Federation decided to conduct the State League during the summer months, membership was by application. This competition lasted two years. The competition in itself was successful with gate numbers up and bar and BBQ facilities showing a profit. However the administrators of the day failed to recognize some fundamental factors. Firstly the publicity received through the press did not achieve the forecast results. The media did not respond as anticipated. Secondly the administrators did not realize that players given the opportunity would try and play 2 seasons per year and Club Committeemen would suffer burnout through being on duty 12 months of the year.
The competition then reverted to a winter tournament, in due course the 3rd attempt was dissolved by the Board in 1997 because it thought it could do better by running a Super pyjama league concept based at Grove Road. The other recurring problem was that promotion and relegation worked correctly. Unfortunately only Northern Clubs were relegated so we ended up with an imbalance of 6 South 2 North.
However people forget that after the Pyjama league fell over, in fact it was rejected out of hand. Efforts were made to revive a statewide concept. These were defeated at the Board table however Launceston City asked if they could enter a team in the Southern Premier league. They saw that competition as the Premier competition in the state. These overtures were rejected at Board level.
So lets leave history behind and see what an elite Tasmanian competition would involve.
If we run the conventional winter format of say 5/5 or 6/4 or 6/2 what happens to the leftovers. Lets assume we start with 5 and 5. That leaves 4 teams over in the North and 5 in the South. It wouldn’t work. Three and three would be just as bad and 2 and 6 would bankrupt the two.
Another aspect that has changed is that there are fewer clubs statewide than in yesteryear and the gap between Premier and Division 1 South has widened over the past few years. So I can’t see any point in putting the Southern Leftovers in an imbalanced league. It’s the old story insufficient numbers.
Chris Hudson’s book A Century of Soccer pages 207 to 211 gives an idea of the range of Clubs the organizers had to choose from in 1978.
My views on a Summer Licence holder competition are set out above. Non-stop work for the Club Staff.
I’ve left the most important factor till last. I write above of a vacillating Board. I believe the current board is the complete opposite their predecessors. If they decide a summer league is the way to go then that’s the path Tasmanian Soccer will follow. Old Soccer Tas Boards were made up of former Club Officials or players. The current Board are Company Directors with no former Club allegiances. They make decisions that they believe are for the benefit of Tasmanian Association Football notwithstanding the unpopularity of the determination in the eyes of the masses.
That is the factor Club administrators have to bear in mind when reviewing the Chairman’s letter on the subject.
I’ll give you my compromise solution after I read some of yours.
Good points, however there are a couple of other things that need to be taken into, before we even cometmplate whether to even contemplate a summer league:
1. Mitusubishi Park (Lton City) is not available afer Sept Touch Football.
2. Harley Parade (Western Knights) ditto the above.
3. NTCA (Northern Rangers) Cricket
4. Birch Avenue (Lton SC) not sure, but facilities would need improving.
5. Riverside may be available???
6. This matter has been discussed amongst a number of nothern club presidents, with the majority being against the idea, it would send us broke.
7. There has been little to NO communication on this matter from teh FFT, surely if the majority of the northern clubs are against this then the matter is dead. How about asking us!!!
Look forward to your comprmise.
Ps the fact that the current board are company directors is irrelevamt, my intel tells me, they all have some club allegiances.
We must first look at what we are trying to achieve .If we are just trying to copy the A league for the sake of being in the swim then its a waste of time and energy . However who knows what goes on behind the scenes . We are the only State not to have a " State League " . Are we being pressed into falling into line . Does subsidy or untold benefits from the ivory tower people depend on us being obedient to their wishes or ist it a genuine approach to provide 110 young fit men and women with opponents of equal or better calibre .
Once we decide on what we are endeavouring to achieve then we can structure a plan.
Concerning the allegiance of Co Directors . When Soccer Tas started all commissioners were ex Presidents of clubs and it showed in a big way. Of the current Board 4 have never run a club and their interest comes from having sons playing the game . They may sit in the grandstand but are scrupulous in their non involvement at club level .
Hence they are at the Board Table able to have a detached view of any pain they may cause for the ultimate good of the game .
The Trogdolyte
I don't think a summer league would be workable.
Not withstanding the increase in workload for administrators...the current premier league clubs would undoubtably apply and hold the liscences for the 'new' teams individually, creating a very strange situation between teams who are and aren't playing in both summer and winter rosters.
As a player, if you're any good, you'd play in both summer and winter comps, this would lead to a concentration of talent in those clubs in both competitions...which is boring long term, whatever way you look at it.
When it boils down to it:
Who wouldn't want to travel to another city or town and play away? everyone
Who wants to travel four hours each way to play regulary? no one
Stick with North-South playoff, and pit North-South teams against each other in the Statewide club
hooray
The last comments make sense!!! Lets concentrate on The state championship/state cup. The North V South games were a success, apart from the fact that the 2nd leg was played on AFL grand final day (yes i know its not our game, but its a national day eg like Melb cup/Xmas what ever). We maybe could expand the state cup format, as I saw put forward somewhere, in one of Brian Robert's letters.
Lets keep the North/South Premier League as is!! Would be good to have an extra team in the North, however cant see this eventuating in the near future.
Further to the above comments I have given the State or Elite League some additional thought. Firstly do the participants want such a thing, secondly of whom do the Board take notice.
Lets take the second point first, the FFT Board only take note of the views presented at their meetings with Presidents. Gone are the days were you could have a quiet word with Smithy who would discreetly advance your case. That sort of thing is a no no these days. Why because all is achieved through the “ correct channels”. So notwithstanding the views on this page unless they are presented by the Club Presidents at the appropriate time they wont make the grade.
Strategy one. If you are or are not a member of a Club make sure a President presents your point of view at the Presidential convocation.
Strategy two. What do we or more importantly those at the coalface want?
I think we all agree for the reasons set out above that a conventional winter elite comp is a non-starter.
So do we want a summer comp? From a personal perspective I am not troubled. I would not be organizing it and may go if I’ve nothing better to do. However if I was at the coal face I am not sure if I would want to organize or play 12 months of the year so for the sake of argument lets surmise it doesn’t get off the ground.
That means we have to hatch something that appeals but can still be played in the winter. The North South Club challenge was a bit of a fizzer, no decent prize money and expensive from a club point of view. Did anyone take it seriously?
Would something like the European cup work? The top, middle, lower and bottom fours play a home and away then it moves to a KO stage. I am sure I read something by Rohan Pooley on the subject but must have erased it from my PC.
Whatever we come up with it will involve traveling and that equals expense, which most clubs can ill afford.
In days gone by there was little prize money as most of the sponsors money went into a traveling allowance based on the individual clubs location.
The Trogdolyte
is the only way to furter the playing skills of the best players by playing against the best every week or our good players will not get any better in tasmania or will leave the state
Even if our leagues were up to scratch, the competition on the mainland would always be better so it would be a logical step for them to move there. I cant ever see players heading back to Tassie to pursue better playing fields.
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