A Championship

**Schumi** · 04/11/2007, 9:41 PM

Originally Posted by Kildare Lad

Just a question, say for example Bray get relegated next season and Dundalk get promoted, will Brays B Team be taken out and Dundalk forced to put one in?

First division teams can enter a reserve team in the A division but don't have to. Relegated teams could decide to remove their team if they wanted but I'd imagine most teams would enter a team. A promoted team would have to enter a team.

**gustavo** · 04/11/2007, 9:44 PM

Originally Posted by osarusan

So if Ronaldinho, for example, was working his way back from an injury, he could play a game or two for the reserves an the Spanish 3rd division? Interesting.

Dont think it would work like that as you have to register with one of the teams at the start of the season

**osarusan** · 05/11/2007, 5:00 AM

Originally Posted by gustavo

Dont think it would work like that as you have to register with one of the teams at the start of the season

But I'm guessing teams don't usually register players on a reserve team, as very often it will have "first team" players recovering from injury. I may be wrong though, but it would seem to nullify one of the reasons for having a reserve team.

**holidaysong** · 05/11/2007, 8:38 AM

As far as I remember from Football Manager once you are registered for the first team you are automatically registered for the reserve team too...

Edit - Also in the new FM is the First divison relegation playoff between bottom in the first and winner of the A Championship. I think this is a good idea as it will make things at the bottom of the first more interesting.

**Dodge** · 05/11/2007, 9:13 AM

Originally Posted by osarusan

So if Ronaldinho, for example, was working his way back from an injury, he could play a game or two for the reserves an the Spanish 3rd division? Interesting.

As a point of interest, whereabouts do the reserve teams usually finish in the table?

Originally Posted by osarusan

But I'm guessing teams don't usually register players on a reserve team, as very often it will have "first team" players recovering from injury. I may be wrong though, but it would seem to nullify one of the reasons for having a reserve team.

In Spain they're not reserve teams, they're B and C teams. Players can move up, but can't move down if they've played a certain amount of games for the First team. So Ronaldinho can't play for Barca B but the star of barca B can play for the first team in emergencies. I think there might be a rule about under 23s too

In terms of results they don't really excel as they're usually made up of kids playing in mans league. Real Madrid's B team (now called Real Madrid Castilla) lost the Spanish Cup final in 1980 to their first team. As Real had won the league their reserves went into the Cup Winners Cup. They're no longer allowed in the Cup

**Titan** · 05/11/2007, 9:40 AM

Real Madrids B team were relegated to the 3rd division at the end of last season hvaing played in the Segunda(?) division that year. I saw a few games on Realmadrid TV (STOP SNIGGERING I have a life honest I do) and there were 1 or 2 first teamers playing so not sure about the no first team regulars playing

Of course maybe they were bangers!

**galwayhoop** · 05/11/2007, 10:08 AM

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

On the downside - this benefit to the A League is contingent upon existing senior clubs either dropping out, or being consistently very poor and finishing bottom regularly. Neither of which we should want to see in the league.

Wrong. Each season the winner of the A league will have a play-off against the bottom team in Div 1 (Similar to Prem/1st Div Play-off). In theory an A division team could be in the Premier Division in 2 seasons!!

It should make the first division much more competitive with the threat of relegation looming for the division bottom feeders!

**dcfcsteve** · 05/11/2007, 10:24 AM

Originally Posted by galwayhoop

Wrong. Each season the winner of the A league will have a play-off against the bottom team in Div 1 (Similar to Prem/1st Div Play-off). In theory an A division team could be in the Premier Division in 2 seasons!!

It should make the first division much more competitive with the threat of relegation looming for the division bottom feeders!

Is it confirmed that the winners of A League will be in a play-off ?

Would the A-League winners of that play-off automatically be promoted ? What if they don't want to be - as many won't from a financial etc point of view ?

What if, say, first place in the A League goes to a Reserve team - what would be the point in them playing for promotion ? Would it then go to 2nd place team instead - in which point it would become daft. Or would there just not be a play-off in any year that a Reserve team won - making a bit of a lottery/mockery of the whole relegation playoff thing ? And if a Reserve team did win it, and the play-off place then went to the second placed team - what if they were also a Reserve team ? All of this is highly feasable at some point.

So it seems very far from clear what the actual plan is regarding any proposed promotion/relegation re the A League.

**Danny** · 05/11/2007, 10:41 AM

read page 9 & 10 of this http://www.fai.ie/merger/pdf/eircomLeague-proposals.pdf

should answer your questions (that is once the fai havent changed the idea)

**Mr A** · 05/11/2007, 10:43 AM

As I remember it to qualify for a playoff a non-reserve team would have to come in the top four as well as finishing ahead of other non-reserve teams. If the league is split they would have to play off against any team in a similar scenario in the other half before earning the right to challenge the D1 bottom team. I assume they would have to fulfil licensing to actually enter the league though.

**galwayhoop** · 05/11/2007, 10:53 AM

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

Is it confirmed that the winners of A League will be in a play-off ?

yes, well insofar as that is the proposal.

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

Would the A-League winners of that play-off automatically be promoted ? What if they don't want to be - as many won't from a financial etc point of view ?

it will come down to licensing if they are awarded a 1st division license they will go up. afaik the participation agreement will require them to make themselves available for promotion, if they don't want to then don't enter the A league in the first place, or don't reach the promotion places!!!

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

What if, say, first place in the A League goes to a Reserve team - what would be the point in them playing for promotion ? Would it then go to 2nd place team instead - in which point it would become daft.

if the winner is a reserve team then it goes to the highest placed non-reserve team (provided they finish in the top 4 of the section).

i understand the format is as follows:

either 2, 3 or 4 regionalised divisions in the A league (depending on the number of accepted teams). apparently all premier division teams are obliged to enter a (reserve) team, first division teams are encouraged and then some outside teams, like those listed earlier, will be invited also.
supposedly the winners of each section (or highest placed non-reserve team if in the top 4) play off against each other.
the winner of this/these play-offs then plays a 2 legged play-off against the bottom team in the first division.
whoever wins this then plays in the first division provided they meet licensing requirements.

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

So it seems very far from clear what the actual plan is regarding any proposed promotion/relegation re the A League.

unclear if you are going on hearsay, however if you read the eircom league proposals document (pages 9&10 in particular) it is quite straight forward - again insofar as this is the framework of what is proposed, it may alter slightly on implementation

**Dodge** · 05/11/2007, 10:54 AM

Originally Posted by Mr A

As I remember it to qualify for a playoff a non-reserve team would have to come in the top four as well as finishing ahead of other non-reserve teams. If the league is split they would have to play off against any team in a similar scenario in the other half before earning the right to challenge the D1 bottom team. I assume they would have to fulfil licensing to actually enter the league though.

Very good of you to sponsor it too Mr A

**dcfcsteve** · 05/11/2007, 11:42 AM

Originally Posted by galwayhoop

yes, well insofar as that is the proposal.

it will come down to licensing if they are awarded a 1st division license they will go up. afaik the participation agreement will require them to make themselves available for promotion, if they don't want to then don't enter the A league in the first place, or don't reach the promotion places!!!

if the winner is a reserve team then it goes to the highest placed non-reserve team (provided they finish in the top 4 of the section).

i understand the format is as follows:

either 2, 3 or 4 regionalised divisions in the A league (depending on the number of accepted teams). apparently all premier division teams are obliged to enter a (reserve) team, first division teams are encouraged and then some outside teams, like those listed earlier, will be invited also.
supposedly the winners of each section (or highest placed non-reserve team if in the top 4) play off against each other.
the winner of this/these play-offs then plays a 2 legged play-off against the bottom team in the first division.
whoever wins this then plays in the first division provided they meet licensing requirements.

unclear if you are going on hearsay, however if you read the eircom league proposals document (pages 9&10 in particular) it is quite straight forward - again insofar as this is the framework of what is proposed, it may alter slightly on implementation

Thanks for clarifying GalwayHoop. I think my natural scepticism of the FAI was getting in the way here, as it does look like they've actually thought something through properly for once...!

Thanks again.

**Mr A** · 05/11/2007, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by Dodge

Very good of you to sponsor it too Mr A

You know how it is, you go out for a quiet pint and the next thing you wake up with a raging hangover and discover you've sponsored a reasonably major football competition.

You'd think I'd have learned my lesson from that time in Australia, but no, history repeats itself once more.

**L37Ultra** · 05/11/2007, 9:55 PM

Originally Posted by Titan

Real Madrids B team were relegated to the 3rd division at the end of last season hvaing played in the Segunda(?) division that year. I saw a few games on Realmadrid TV (STOP SNIGGERING I have a life honest I do) and there were 1 or 2 first teamers playing so not sure about the no first team regulars playing

Of course maybe they were bangers!

So is it possible for Real Madraid B's to get promoted twice to the La Liga and end up playing against the first team or is there a rule to stop this occuring.

**jebus** · 05/11/2007, 10:05 PM

Originally Posted by L37Ultra

So is it possible for Real Madraid B's to get promoted twice to the La Liga and end up playing against the first team or is there a rule to stop this occuring.

There's a rule to stop it

**Bray Head** · 06/11/2007, 10:24 AM

Does this mean that the new A league will replace the current under 21 league. Most LOI clubs have a team in the under 21 league so the A league would be a combination of their current under 21 team and first teamers who are not playing. Since the current league teams can't get promoted you might have a situation of a club finishing in 5th or 6th place been promoted to the First division. Would promotion be optional then if they felt they were not up to First division standard or did not have a ground suitable ?