‘ North and South Divisions next year ‘

The extreme plan to split Cardiff City, Swansea and West Brom from Leeds United in most radical proposal yet

The latest scheme being hatched would see teams play only 11 home matches per season and greatly reduced travelling times and costs for supporters

By Glen Williams

Monday 20th April 2020



Steve Cooper's Swansea City and Neil Harris' Cardiff City could split from Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds United in a radical new league restructure proposal


Cardiff City and Swansea City could reportedly form part of a southern division in the Championship after a radical proposal to regionalise the English Football League has emerged.

With football's finances being hit hard during the coronavirus pandemic, this latest suggestion would see each of the three divisions below the Premier League — Championship, League One and League Two — next season divided into north and south sections as a means of cutting travel and accommodation costs.

According to a report in the Sun on Sunday, the plans would entail a series of play-off matches between the top teams in the north and the top teams in the south to determine promotion to the divisions above.

“A league revamp would involve the 12 teams in each sub-division clashing home and away before coming together for play-offs to decide promotion and perhaps relegation," the Sun on Sunday report.

“This would, in theory, reduce the risk of the competition having to shut down in the wake of new Covid-19 outbreaks.

“It would also cut travel and accommodation costs.”

The plans would see each team play only 11 home matches, compared to the 23 they currently play, which would represent a massive hit to both South Wales clubs in terms of match-day income.

However, the report cites that some estimates suggest it might be a year until full crowds are allowed to attend games, meaning the match-day revenue argument might be rendered somewhat moot next term as football grapples to stabilise its finances.

The proposal also has an eye on protecting the Carabao Cup, allowing the competition more space in the calendar to play the games because, at present, it looks as if it will be crowbarred into what is likely to be an extremely congested schedule next season.

Of course, this is just the latest of many suggestions pertaining to how the football landscape will be shaped when it eventually returns following the Covid-19 outbreak.

It would not be the first time such a proposal had been implemented in the Football League, from 1921 to 1958, the third tier was regionalised into north and south divisions, however the logistics of implementing such a massive overhaul in the modern climate seem extremely challenging.

In particular, having to adhere to the current broadcasting rights appears to be a particularly prominent hurdle.

However, given there will be fewer games it is thought a greater percentage of them would be made available for TV coverage to appease broadcasters as well as fans, who, as mentioned above, might not be allowed to attend games in full capacity for some time.

This, of course, might not apply to one of Cardiff or Swansea, with both clubs harbouring big ambitions to achieve promotion to the Premier League, to which this plan does not apply.

The Bluebirds sit just two points outside the play-off spots at present, with their South Wales rivals just one point behind them.

With nine games left, both Neil Harris and Steve Cooper will be hoping for a late surge into those top-six places and, of course, winning promotion that way.

Proposed regionalisation of the three divisions (as they currently stand)

2020-21 SEASON:




Proposed regionalisation of the three divisions (as they currently stand)

CHAMPIONSHIP

North : Barnsley, Blackburn, Derby, Huddersfield, Hull, Leeds, Middlesbrough, Nottm Forest, Preston, Sheff Wed, Stoke, Wigan.

South : Birmingham, Brentford, Bristol City, Cardiff, Charlton, Fulham, Luton, Millwall, QPR, Reading, Swansea, West Brom.





LEAGUE ONE

North : Accrington, Blackpool, Bolton, Doncaster, Fleetwood, Lincoln City, Rochdale, Rotherham, Shrewsbury, Sunderland, Tranmere.

South : AFC Wimbledon, Bristol Rovers, Burton Albion, Coventry, Gillingham, Ipswich, MK Dons, Oxford Utd, Peterborough, Portsmouth, Southend, Wycombe.




LEAGUE TWO

North : Bradford, Carlisle, Crewe, Grimsby, Macclesfield, Mansfield, Morecambe, Oldham, Port Vale, Salford, Scunthorpe, Walsall.

South : Cambridge Utd, Cheltenham, Colchester, Crawley, Exeter, Forest Green, Leyton Orient, Newport Co, Northampton, Plymouth, Stevenage, Swindon.

This is all getting a little silly now

Checked it wasn’t April 1st can’t see this happening hopefully not anyway

if there to be no crowds for twelve months then there will be many fewer clubs in existence. The clubs in league one and two cannot survive without fans paying at the turnstiles and via season ticket sales. TV money wont be enough to save them.

The only way would be to go semi-pro for the season. Reduce their wage bill to an absolute minimum by utilising youngsters only. To be honest in that scenario, less games is not the issue. Survival of the lower leagues becomes the aim.

To be honest, if it gets to the point that there are no form of crowds allowed for at least 12 months, the survival of Lower league football clubs will be the least of our countries worries!

Whoever came up with this idea must have rocks in his head

well its original..

suppose as each nutty idea gets used up the next one has to go a step further..