Whoa that was like reading an income tax form phew, I get the jist of it though, sounds complicated but good
Format
Sort:
it makes more sense now thanks alex
May 29, 2009
0
#5
Very impressive - let's give it a try. It will take ages of course, but so what? Thanks for the hard work, Alex.
My idea is this:
Three sections: Open, Under X, Under Y
Any county can enter 1 team in any of the three sections. Players can enter multiple sections, so if your best players are rated < X, they can still take part in the Open. I.e. anyone can take part in the Open.
The actual format of the competition will be a Davis Cup-style competition, but with groups rather than knockout matches. Here's a basic explanation assuming that all 39 counties enter the Open.
Preliminary Round: 8 groups, 7 of 5, 1 of 4, drawn randomly.
From Preliminary Round:
Seeded 1 - 1st in Group
Seeded 2 - 2nd & 3rd in Group
Seeded 3 - 4th & 5th in Group
Tournament Proper:
Round 1:
Tier 1: 8 counties drawn randomly into two groups of 4. Winners -> Final, Losers -> Relegated to Tier 2
Tier 2: 16 counties drawn randomly into four groups of 4. Winners -> Promotion Playoffs, Losers -> Relegation Playoffs
Tier 3: 15 counties drawn randomly into three groups of 4 and one group of 3. Winners -> Promotion Playoffs
Round 2:
Tier 1 - Final, Winners -> Champions, Losers -> Tier 1
Tier 2 - Promotion Playoffs, Winners -> Tier 1, Losers -> Tier 2. Relegation Playoffs, Winners -> Tier 2, Losers -> Tier 3.
Tier 3 - Promotion Playoffs, Winners -> Tier 2, Losers -> Tier 3.
Back to Round 1 (Season 2).
Each round will be drip-fed, i.e. 2 concurrent games in one match start on the 1st and 16th of each month. So if 4 games, all games are started by the 16th of the next month.
This format should reduce the number of matches to be played, and give equal competition. This format will work with a severely reduced Tier 3 should there not be 39 counties entering in one section.
It's also possible to arrange a KO Cup sort of format allied to his if there is demand, but that would be strictly Open. The Tier 1 teams would be seeded in the draw, but Tier 2 also get a bye in Round 1. One Tier 3 team also qualifies (luck of the draw), the other 14 would playoff to find the other 7 spots. A new Cup competition can start with each League cycle.
The reason for Promotion/Relegation Playoffs was purely to give more games while we wait for the Final in Tier 1 to be played. If there is a Cup competition running alongside it, then that should still be in progress while the League has finished.
Any thoughts on this? Also, I would need help in gathering what you think X and Y should be.