NHL - the best format

[On the Fly]

Hi
With all the talk re NHL format - Offaly in Div 2 etc, how would the following work ?

Div 1 A - 6 teams
Teams finishing 2 & 3 play in league semi final
1 vs WInners in League Final
Team 6 relegated to Div 1 B
Team 5 - Play Off with Div 1B 2nd / 3rd place (Depending on Play Off result) (in the first year)
In the 2 nd and susequent years the team that is automatically promoted from Div 1B cannot be relegated in the following year, in which case team in position 4 could be in a relegation Play Off.

Suggested Teams
Kilkenn, Cork, Tipp, Galway, Waterford, Limerick

Div 1 B
Top team promoted and guaranteed 2 years in Div 1.A
Team 2 & 3 Play Off at home venue of Team 2
Team 6 relegated to Div 2 A
Team 5 - Play Off with Div 2A 2nd / 3rd place (Depending on Play Off result) (in the first year)
In the 2 nd and subsequent years the team that is automatically promoted from Div 2A cannot be relegated in the following year, in which case team in position 4 could be in a relegation Play Off.
Suggested teams : Clare, Offaly, Wexford, Dublin, Laois, Antrim

Div 2A
Top team promoted and guaranteed 2 years in Div 1.B - Also Div 2. Champion - No Div. 2 League Final
Team 2 & 3 Play Off at home venue of Team 2
Team 6 relegated to Div 2 B
Team 5 - Play Off with Div 2B 2nd / 3rd place (Depending on Play Off result) (in the first year)
In the 2 nd and subsequent years the team that is automatically promoted from Div 2B cannot be relegated in the following year, in which case team in position 4 could be in a relegation Play Off.
Suggested teams :
Down, Kerry, Meath, Westmeath, Kildare, Carlow

Div 2B
Top team promoted and guaranteed 2 years in Div 2A
Team 2 & 3 Play Off at home venue of Team 2
Team 6 relegated to Div 3
Team 5 - Play Off with Div 3 2nd / 3rd place winner (Depending on Play Off result) (in the first year)
In the 2 nd and subsequent years the team that is automatically promoted from Div 3 cannot be relegated in the following year, in which case team in position 4 could be in a relegation Play Off.
Suggested teams : Wicklow, Mayo, London, Roscommon, Derry, Armagh,

Div 3
Top team promoted and guaranteed 2 years in Div 2B
Team 2 & 3 Play Off at home venue of Team 2

Suggested Teams : Donegal, Tyrone, Sligo, Louth, Monaghan, Cavan, Longfort, Leitrim, Fermanagh

8 teams in Div 3., but the more games these teams get, the better, they could be excluded from Kehoe Cup or other preseasontournaments and start Div. 3 2 weeks before the rest of the league.

Reasoning for 2 yeas up as a prize is that it would give the promoted team a better chance of adjusting to the ace and would also ensure a higher turnover of teams in the leaue divisions so that they would not be monotonus. i.e every game would be vital as 3rd place team comes into reckoning for promotion & 4th could get relegated. No messing in any game.

PS - Any hope of this happening?

[Onlooker]

No.

[johnneycool]

No.

succinct and correct.

There's no way, Clare or any of the likes would vote for that.

[Punxsutawney Fergal]

Why Galway ahead of Wexford or even Clare? Wexford beat Galway in the League Quarter final and Clare beat them in the championship

[Lone Shark]

I don't like the idea of customising the league to fit the amount of teams you think belong in the top flight - you end up with a situation like this year, where Offaly end up getting fecked over for the next two years just because things didn't go as planned. I'm not trying to say that it's particularly unfair on us - our delegates were out for a wizz when it was being voted in, we knew the structure at the start and we didn't close out that match against Clare - that was the one that made all the difference.

What would be wrong with the same as the football - divisions 1 through 4, 8 to a division or nine in division four? Two up, two down, meaning that division 2 wouldn't be the wasteland that it is now, and that at least if a big team was down there they'd still get a few decent games because in all likelihood they'd have some company.

It'd also give a little bit of variety. Ring and Rackard teams would be split acorss the divisions, meaning that teams like Down and Derry wouldn't be playing each other three times a year and the like.

[fearglasmor]

The GAA seem to be saying they can only manage the fixture list based on divisions of six teams, so why not just Div 1 to whatever, six teams each with straightforward promotion and relegation.