Jeez , when you see it in black and white like that, it does hit home. Guess the primary driver is revenue (as if we didn’t know). More games for the punter and better value season ticket but it’s actually delivered a weaker product. A weaker and meaningless product. Perhaps it’s a COVID hangover and a knee jerk response by the league. Let’s hope it’s better next year.
Love the idea of a proper playoff series like the old days but there’s a millions reasons why that hasn’t happened for a while. Unfair on the clubs that don’t make it I guess but surely financially it’s better for them. Shorter season, less outgoings. No idea really but a rethink is required, in more settled times hopefully.
The format was dire & almost identical when it was 2x 5 team mini-leagues, with only the last place team eliminated. But the league have an extra headache this year with Glasgow opting OUT, meaning they couldn't run a mini-league with 4 teams (as all 4 would automatically qualify).
Unfortunately they've then had to split it 3x3 out of fairness
and also unfortunately while trying to help teams with travel (Coventry-Guildford-Cardiff) (Manchester, Sheffield, Nottingham) the 3rd group is terrible, with both Scottish teams having to lug back and forth to Belfast (Geographically this makes sense, but financially they are the 2 teams that need it least).
Also, Belfast get to play Fife & Dundee for 8 games & no disrespect to either of those teams, but any team in the league would take their CC draw over playing Coventry/Guildford, or worse - being Manchester and having to play Sheffield/Nottingham every other week for the first couple of months of the season.