gooner4life wrote:bench-warmer wrote:Der kaiser wrote:All valid points to an extent, but outweighed by the reality that there will be fewer clubs on Saturday (in the absence of an FFSA SAASL merger), necessitating fewer leagues with more teams per league.
Plenty of solutions that don't necessarily require 12 teams for all.
While almost everyone likes the idea of 'more games' they also appreciate a cup weekend off as a break.
As I said in my original post 12 teams in each Division may not be the answer! This isn't about trying to secure more games per say rather that there is a consistent and transparent process for determining how the leagues are structured, how many in each, who plays in each and the requirements to play in each.
The current system is obviously broken and needs to be fixed. If the SAASL won't move to do this then then clubs need to take action, policy and ideas too the league and make them aware the consequences of not fixing the problems will be the continued loss of clubs to other leagues and their evtual demise.
As you pointed out
bench-warmer wrote: Either way, it's all moot, as no-one knows how many teams will register for next year. Then they will have to do a quick structure at the league that everyone will complain about, and it'll all be thrown out the window when someone folds after week 2.
The question arises is why as clubs to we allow the SAASL to do this? They are supposed to be running the competition for the benefit of all of us.
Why is the registration date for new clubs January? (*Jan 15 was the deadline for new clubs to register this year) Why is the Deadline not the end of September, allowing months more time to sort out any problems. If new clubs can't get the paper work in time then they simply must wait till the next season or go elsewhere.
Not knowing how many teams will be in the competition until March as it is most years is unacceptable and unnecessary with a simple administrative shift. And yes before you start I am aware of the limited office hours and staff the SAASL has.. I am not proposing more work.. simply shifting when it occurs.
It seems however that all to often the reason these things happen is so that the league gains the revenue from the new clubs when they register and so leave the door open till the last minute to accommodate them. Money that they the squirrel away with no obvious returns to the clubs even when promised (As with the cash clubs were going to receive back from the SAASL as part of the 5oth anniversary). While players pay out of their pocket for a full season of games that they are denied when incomplete divisions are formed and teams are allowed to complete contrary to the SASSLs own rules. (I.E. One team clubs in two team divisions.)
If the players don't complain to there own clubs however and the clubs don't complain or better yet help propose some better changes and systems, then things won't change and once more it will be players and clubs who will bear the brunt of the SAASL's seeming inability to administer the completion they oversee on our behalf.
I hear you loud and clear, but you are looking at this from the point of view of your (presumably) relatively rare, stable club, and thinking why isn't everyone else as organised as us.
I don't blame the league on this, they are trying to give everyone a chance to get teams up.
Ultimately quite a few teams have to deal with players coming and going until late in the piece, for whatever reason.
Some examples just from my club (which could probably be considered relatively stable) over the last few years...
We pick a squad and a bunch who miss out on A's leave the club looking for a run elsewhere.
A bunch of players dropped from other teams join/rejoin us late in preseason.
You get a ton of players sign up at o'week.
You get no players signing up at o'week.
Your veterans all decide they will all come out to play together a couple of weeks from the season, when they appear from their christmas slumber.
Your veterans decide to start up an over-35 team and leave.
A bunch of players realise their team has folded because they didn't have enough for a team, so they join our leftovers to make up a full one.
You can't account for any of these, and ultimately it's about participation. Telling people to come back next year defeats the purpose.
What was I thinking! 
