Post by ForeverBlue on May 7, 2019 11:27:25 GMT 1
I know it's been controversial this season, but I produced an article which was in many of our home programmes this season and is repeated below.
It's rather long but it does explain the rules which were put in place before the season started. As our League always states "the rules are the rules" - even if they are stupid ones dreamed up by the FA!
WANT TO KNOW ABOUT PROMOTION AND RELEGATION FOR 2018-19?
BY GLYN JARVIS
We've had questions from supporters during the season asking about the regulations governing promotion and relegation for 2018-19.
The changes have been put in place following the addition of an extra league at Steps 3 and 4 of the non-league pyramid. I thought it might be helpful to reproduce the relevant excerpt from the FA Document outlining the changes below:
Step 2 (Vanarama North and South) and Step 3 (Bostik Premier and other Leagues at this level)
The clubs in the bottom three places in each of the two divisions at Step 2 at the end of the regular season will be relegated to a feeder pool and placed in the most geographically appropriate division at Step 3 for the following playing season. They will be replaced by the clubs finishing in 1st position in each of the four divisions at Step 3 together with a further two clubs determined by a series of play off matches.
In each division at Step 3, the play off matches shall be played so that the highest placed of the eligible clubs plays against the lowest placed and the other two clubs play each other (the “Step 3 initial play off matches”): The winners of each of the Step 3 initial play off matches will play each other resulting in one winner in each of the Step 3 divisions (the “Step 3 divisional play-off winners”). The four Step 3 divisional play-off winners will play a further match against each other. The ties will be played on a single match basis with the home club being the club with the best points per match ratio in the regular season. If there are only three eligible clubs then the highest placed shall receive a bye to a second match where it will play the winner of the other play-off match and the winner of that match will play in the further play-off match described above. Clubs finishing below position 7 will not be considered for play off matches. The promoted clubs will be placed in a feeder pool and placed in the most geographically appropriate division at Step 2.
Step 3 and Step 4 (Bostik Premier and Bostik North and other divisions and Leagues at these levels)
The clubs finishing in the bottom three places in each of the four divisions at Step 3 at the end of the regular season will be relegated to a feeder pool and placed in the most geographically appropriate division at Step 4 for the following playing season. They will be replaced by the clubs finishing in 1st position in each of the seven divisions at Step 4 together with a further five clubs determined by a series of play off matches.
In each division at Step 4 the play off matches shall be played so that the highest placed of the eligible clubs plays against the lowest placed and the other two clubs play each other (the “Step 4 initial play off matches”). The winners of each of the Step 4 initial play-off matches will play each other and the winner of those matches shall result in seven teams eligible for promotion. The five clubs to be promoted shall be the five clubs out of the seven divisional play-off winners with the best points per match ratio in the regular season. If there are only three eligible clubs then the highest placed shall receive a bye to the second match where it will play the winner of the other play-off match and the winner of that match will be promoted. Clubs finishing below position 7 will not be considered for play-off matches. The promoted clubs will be placed in a feeder pool and placed in the most geographically appropriate division at Step 3.
Step 4 and Step 5 (Bostik North and Essex Senior League and other divisions and Leagues at these levels)
The Clubs finishing in the bottom two places in each of the seven divisions at Step 4 at the end of the regular Season will be relegated and placed in the most geographically appropriate division at Step 5. These Clubs will be replaced by the fourteen Clubs finishing in first position in each of the fourteen divisions at Step 5 at the end of the regular season.
So now we know! I hope it all makes sense and you can all follow it through, although the prospects for a few teams in Step 4 who make the play-off final, but who have inferior points per game ratios than other teams, seems to make some games irrelevant, since only five of the seven play-off winners will be promoted. This has been commented on in non-league circles throughout the season and it was thought that changes may be considered before that stage of this season was reached. Well, we have now reached that nail-biting final run-in and it seems that the rules I describe in this article will be applied.
It's rather long but it does explain the rules which were put in place before the season started. As our League always states "the rules are the rules" - even if they are stupid ones dreamed up by the FA!
WANT TO KNOW ABOUT PROMOTION AND RELEGATION FOR 2018-19?
BY GLYN JARVIS
We've had questions from supporters during the season asking about the regulations governing promotion and relegation for 2018-19.
The changes have been put in place following the addition of an extra league at Steps 3 and 4 of the non-league pyramid. I thought it might be helpful to reproduce the relevant excerpt from the FA Document outlining the changes below:
Step 2 (Vanarama North and South) and Step 3 (Bostik Premier and other Leagues at this level)
The clubs in the bottom three places in each of the two divisions at Step 2 at the end of the regular season will be relegated to a feeder pool and placed in the most geographically appropriate division at Step 3 for the following playing season. They will be replaced by the clubs finishing in 1st position in each of the four divisions at Step 3 together with a further two clubs determined by a series of play off matches.
In each division at Step 3, the play off matches shall be played so that the highest placed of the eligible clubs plays against the lowest placed and the other two clubs play each other (the “Step 3 initial play off matches”): The winners of each of the Step 3 initial play off matches will play each other resulting in one winner in each of the Step 3 divisions (the “Step 3 divisional play-off winners”). The four Step 3 divisional play-off winners will play a further match against each other. The ties will be played on a single match basis with the home club being the club with the best points per match ratio in the regular season. If there are only three eligible clubs then the highest placed shall receive a bye to a second match where it will play the winner of the other play-off match and the winner of that match will play in the further play-off match described above. Clubs finishing below position 7 will not be considered for play off matches. The promoted clubs will be placed in a feeder pool and placed in the most geographically appropriate division at Step 2.
Step 3 and Step 4 (Bostik Premier and Bostik North and other divisions and Leagues at these levels)
The clubs finishing in the bottom three places in each of the four divisions at Step 3 at the end of the regular season will be relegated to a feeder pool and placed in the most geographically appropriate division at Step 4 for the following playing season. They will be replaced by the clubs finishing in 1st position in each of the seven divisions at Step 4 together with a further five clubs determined by a series of play off matches.
In each division at Step 4 the play off matches shall be played so that the highest placed of the eligible clubs plays against the lowest placed and the other two clubs play each other (the “Step 4 initial play off matches”). The winners of each of the Step 4 initial play-off matches will play each other and the winner of those matches shall result in seven teams eligible for promotion. The five clubs to be promoted shall be the five clubs out of the seven divisional play-off winners with the best points per match ratio in the regular season. If there are only three eligible clubs then the highest placed shall receive a bye to the second match where it will play the winner of the other play-off match and the winner of that match will be promoted. Clubs finishing below position 7 will not be considered for play-off matches. The promoted clubs will be placed in a feeder pool and placed in the most geographically appropriate division at Step 3.
Step 4 and Step 5 (Bostik North and Essex Senior League and other divisions and Leagues at these levels)
The Clubs finishing in the bottom two places in each of the seven divisions at Step 4 at the end of the regular Season will be relegated and placed in the most geographically appropriate division at Step 5. These Clubs will be replaced by the fourteen Clubs finishing in first position in each of the fourteen divisions at Step 5 at the end of the regular season.
So now we know! I hope it all makes sense and you can all follow it through, although the prospects for a few teams in Step 4 who make the play-off final, but who have inferior points per game ratios than other teams, seems to make some games irrelevant, since only five of the seven play-off winners will be promoted. This has been commented on in non-league circles throughout the season and it was thought that changes may be considered before that stage of this season was reached. Well, we have now reached that nail-biting final run-in and it seems that the rules I describe in this article will be applied.
