Good points guys, as Dean says the possibility of duplicating sounds interesting…
I gave this some thought while driving North tonight and I always come to the same conclusion. I mentioned it some time back however it seemed unpopular at the time, perhaps with some players now looking for an in it might seem more reasonable, so here goes…
We have a fantastic LM in Noel and we already have a great bunch of guys that in my mind form the core of the league, with those facets in place I see no real reason why Noel/we don’t take it to the next level… A 24 to 32 team league!
Please hear me out… This year or next we raise the teams to 24, an obvious 8 additional teams but also an additional £800 in the prize pot. That could break down many ways but one such idea would be 4 divisions of 6 teams with the first 2 teams in each automatically qualifying for the playoff’s.
With squads that deep & with two qualifying spots available most players would feel that they have a good shot at sneaking a berth for the majority of the season and with an additional £800 in the pot LM could afford to pay £££ to each div winner as well as top up the already existing prizes!
If demand continues for a well run league the following season Noel could decide to raise it again to 32. I can honestly only see benefits, yes we would need a slightly bigger draft venue and yes we would need two draft boards or a larger single version but these are both moo points if Noel and we are serious about creating and being part of a league that stands above all others. A 24 or 32 team, live/public draft league would really be unlike anything else in the country and really would be something to market. With Noel at the helm it is possible.
Some may not like the depth that the draft would go to but I followed the white rabbit, I recently took part in a 16 team, 50 round dynasty league draft which lasted almost 2 weeks, I know how far the rabbit hole goes and I can assure you there is enough to go around. In fact drafting deep does 2 things, it initially levels the playing fields with studs being stretched but it also adds more meaning to the game and increases the need to manage your team and opportunities well.
The prize fund for a 32 team league would be immense with a possible £1.5k to the winner, £700 to 2nd, £200 to each div winner and the same again for the season high score (just an example of whats possible). However and I really mean this, despite the fact that I see this as a great competition the real sweetener for me would be the increased social group. Noel created something really very cool here with the public draft and high entry, it means that mostly only serious FF and NFL people get involved and its that element that made this league so great last year. Can you imagine expanding that to 24 or 32 teams, I like nothing better than socializing with people who know the game and are passionate about it. You wont get the same effect with 2 leagues of 16!
Noel, you created this league and its really fantastic, you alone decide where it goes from here fella and I am only offering up thoughts. If I had the drive & gumption to start this league or anything like it I would consider taking it in the above direction. After all why have 2 good leagues when you could have one amazing league and accompanied social network.
Ooops… I got all excited again
