Next season's league structure?

[JP]

Which direction should British ice hockey go next season, remain the same, combine with the BNL or a more fitting solution (please state)?

I think one big league would benefit British ice hockey at the moment, as the BNL isn't looking too good for next season (with two teams already dropping out) but still keeping the EPL. If the BNL teams can't get into the Elite league, then they should go to the next league down, which would be the EPL (just a thought)

Everyone elses thoughts...

[Steph Cowley]

Combine (cause then i can see Shuggy more often ;D )

[Claret & Blue Army]

Yes it should be combined but only if financially viable and teams won't struggle to fulfill their fixtures.

It would also mean more trips to Scotland yeah!

[Lee Francis]

combine with the BNL, get new rules, new set-up, and a new name that EVERYONE is in favour with.

[Dave]

although I won't be around much to see it...

I think the two league's should merge. Possibly with a different structure however such as the North America structure. I mean 15 teams (including manchester) in one league each playing each other twice home and away during the respective league (plus play-offs), (challenge cup) etc. Is tough and teams often struggle to get the ice time from the rink that they play out off.
So maybe a North and South conference. Then the 2 leagues clash during set competitions etc. You would still get a lot of local derby's.
Then at the end of every month you have a weekend (home and away) double with one team from the other conference.

[Rich]

This will probably never happen but what I would like to see is one big league consisting of all the current Elite League sides (plus Manchester) and all the current BNL sides, it would be good if Milton Keynes and Peterborough came in as well but that would give the league 17 teams, which aint an ideal number so stick with the origional 15 .

Anyway the league structure should be each team plays everybody once home and away, which would mean 28 league games.

The Challenge Cup games should be seperate to the league. Now to make the competition less complicated and to give it a more suitable number one of the teams I mentioned before from the EPL should be invited into it. So there would be 16 teams and they should have 4 groups of 4 again with each team playing everyone else in their group once home and away. That would mean at least 6 Challenge Cup games for each team and at least 34 games all together for each team. The top 2 from each group then go into the quarter finals where it is a straigh knock out tournament. Quarter and Semi Final games should be two legs and then the final should be a one of game. Prefrably at a neutral venue, Nottingham or Sheffield's rinks would be the best rinks to host such a game although it is likley one of them teams would make the final so maybe the Telewest Arena up in Newcastle.

The playoffs should be the top 8 teams in the league going into 2 groups of 4 with the top 2 from each group qualifying for the finals weekend in Nottingham . Then the finals weekend basically has the same format that it has got already.

So if a team was to get to the final of the Challenge Cup and Playoff they would play 47 games in total. The minimum amount of games any one team would play is 34.

[hatman dave]

not quite combine, keep two different leagues but with a promotion/religation between the two, and a cross-league cup such as the FA cup (sorry about having to compare it to football). obviously this will still mean that the bottom clubs in the lower league may struggle against bigger ones, (but look at newcastle against us and cardiff) but like both edinburgh and fife said their gates have been greatly increased by our presence and that can only be good news. Not gonna happen any time soon though i wouldn't of thought, unless BNL clubs follow vipers and caps lead and jump ship...

[Claret & Blue Army]

Well there are noises from Hull and Dundee about following the Vipers.
Most of the BNL teams have had increased attendances when the big guns stroll into town so will have a bearing on the decision
Edinburgh haven't stated their aim but they do have probably the best mainstream sponsor deal so might be able to afford it.

In the event of the above I can't see Bees, Flames & Flyers hanging around or joining EPL/SNL so would most likely apply for Elite League status.
It will be a domino effect

[King Rich]

And that would suit me fine. I'd like to see 16 teams in the top league, to help tournaments.
And I don't want to see it re-named. It's known and established as the Elite League, and it is affiliated with "the show" as the Elite League, and everybody is happy with it. And it sounds good. And I have to quit starting sentences with the word "and".

I wouldn't want to see a north/south divide, I would want everybody to fight it out in one league, then there would be no disputes over who is the better team.

[Andy Martin 88]

I think that the leagues should merge and have north and south tables OR have the 3 leagues and have promotion and relagation , thn teams would so much to look forward to . This could mean more passion in sides.
and what would be really good , is to have a "FA" cup type of cup every team all the way from ENIHL down to ENL would fight to get to the finals , how great would that be . but then again its not very practical.

[naffer]

The elite will expand for sure but i bet it won't be in a structured way, just more teams deciding to jump ship from the Bnl and either go Elite or Epl or something else new altogether. I struggle to see what the three scottish clubs will do , but as long as no clubs go to the wall we can only hope it all pans out.

Merger by convenience.

[Claret & Blue Army]

To be honest I'm against the idea of a North/South divide as we end up in an easier but lower draw situation. I think they should just do twice home and twice away to see how it goes but maybe do four groups geographically for cup groups as follows

Scotland (ish)
Edinburgh
Dundee
Fife
Belfast

North
Sheffield
Manchester
Hull
Newcastle

South
Bracknell
Guildford
Basingstoke
London

Midlands
Coventry
Nottingham
Milton Keynes
Cardiff

Also the cup groups should not double up for league points.

It is difficult to group by Geography in a way that will suit everyone

[Andy Martin 88]

What do people think about the promotion/relagation idea?
i think its a brill idea

[Rich]

I kind of like the promotion/relegation idea but who would get promoted? the league winners or the playoff winners? Also it would be good if at the end of the season the teams that don't make the playoff have to play in a relegation playoff.

[Claret & Blue Army]

RichBlaze said:

I kind of like the promotion/relegation idea but who would get promoted? the league winners or the playoff winners? Also it would be good if at the end of the season the teams that don't make the playoff have to play in a relegation playoff.

This sort of relegation/promotion play off did used to occur many moons ago so I believe.
Problem for the current Elite league sides is how much revenue will be lost with increased fixtures against the BNL sides, after speaking to a high ranking figure in the organisation last night I now understand the fears and resistance to the idea of one big league