Quote: Bulls Boy 2011 "4 out of 16 is hardly half? Plus there are NCL Premier sides that are arguably better than half of the League 1 sides anyway. They are there to promote expansion for the game and are doing a decent job of it, if they become really competitive then that is a bonus. '"
Why would anyone watch that competition? It seems damaging to have a chunk of the league whose competitiveness is just an afterthought and another chunk whose only thought is to get out of that league.
Quote: Bulls Boy 2011 "1. Logistics. If Toronto rise through the leagues as predicted it will get harder and more expensive to take teams over. For now they are taking 7? teams over there (in League 1, teams play each other once). In the Championship they will have to take 11 plus any playoffs. Cheaper to take the likes of Oxford over than say Toulouse or even Bradford (number of staff etc).
Also in terms of logistics this league is pretty much Semi-Pro. So they will have jobs too. If the proposed Thursday-Sunday stay in Toronto works then this can be applied to Championship part-time teams too. And maybe the full-time teams, if there is jet lag issues. The full time clubs may decide to spend an extra few days in Toronto so possibly a week stay. This can be sorted out with sponsors, hotels etc for the package deals Toronto are doing. '"
I just don't see an awful lot they will learn in this respect. You suggest they will learn something about what works for semi-pro teams but then also suggest it as irrelevant as pro side. Why spend two year learning to operate at a level you won't operate at?
Quote: Bulls Boy 2011 "2. Exposure to Lower Standard. The whole point of Toronto is to expand the game into North America. They are the pinnacle, the standard setter if you like? What is the point in putting them in SL, having 100% of their team English/Aussie and doing it that way? At least in League 1 they have the opportunity to blood some North Americans (Burroughs has already made his debut). When they play their home games they will be winning and the crowd can get behind their home stars such as Ngwati, Bain and Jacks. They wouldn't get a sniff in SL and may suffer heavy losses in their first season in existence if they were up against Cas, Wigan etc. '"
But if these players are good enough to be SL players, then wouldn't they be better exposed to SL? The aim/expectation here is that they won't be a league one side next year. Finding league one quality players seems hugely redundant.
Quote: Bulls Boy 2011 "The thing with putting Toronto in SL is it can go two waysWhat happens after two years if Toronto get back to back promotions? The expectation that these two years will be good for developing their NA players isn't just an unrealistically heavy burden but builds in its own obsolescence. Plus, even if there were a necessity to expose these 3 or 4 players to league one and Championship RL, wouldn't that be done far cheaper and in a far more stable manner through a dual reg or loan?