Atlantic League: Why is it so hard to push through!?

[Bluepeter9 5,167]

Indeed BP, Govanblue pointed out in the very first reply that FA's may fight to keep hold of their big fish.

But think about this for a second...

The proposed league brings together 20 of the biggest clubs from & european countries with a target audience globally (consider how much interest the BPL has and it has and the bottom half is pretty pish). Now think positvely about how successful a league could like this could be from a commercial perspective.

Now consider this, the SPL pays the SFL £2m a year in compensation in part of the original deal which brokered the SPL away from the SFL.

For me, i can envision an 'everyones a winner' type scenario where-by the 'Atlantic league', potentially a league that can reach or surpass BPL levels of commercial success, is then relaying a % to revenue to the domestic FA's which has licenced or permitted its' members to participate. It could then leave the domestic FA's in Scotland, Portgual, Holland, etc... with a sizeable pot every year to re-invest in the game at domestic level, invest in youth academies, bring through better players, improve their national sides - but ultimately, have a better domestic level product.

There's no doubt in my mind a scenario like the one above would vastly improve the scottish game. With us & the tims gone, the SPL would be wide open, ICT could win it one year, Kilmarnock the next. With the funding relayed from the Atlantic league, the SPL could become a superior product, more fans through the gates, greater investment at grass root level, etc...

But if we were NOT in the league why pay anything ? and using it as a feeder league would be problimatic - BUT I have long thought that an Atlantic League or European league of some sort is the way out for all these smaller countries big clubs - but there are real barriers and a lot of opposition.

[Briton 394]

Yes, and thats why these leagues are fundamentally flawed. What is the point in teams like Reading participating in the BPL again? There's as much point as putting a 3 legged horse in the grand national.

Every league that there ever was has teams in it that had no chance of actually winning it. We have won 54 titles in what is basically a two horse race for the great majority of the time.

Look at the OP, the whole point is that we have 20 clubs of similar size, with the average stadia capacity at 40k & is built on a socialist model with evenly distrubuted wealth & no relegation brings back the integrity to a league competition where every runner has a chance. How can you say that if PSV, Ajax, Rangers, Celtic, Porto, Benfica, Copenhagen are all bringing in very similar revenue, that 1 of those teams is much more likely to win the league than another? That's the whole point, it's a fair competition built on sporting merit.

There will be clubs that have a better chance than others in an Atlantic League but there's no doubt that on the face of it it should be more even.

And promotion/relegation is not essential, it's a dated concept that does more harm than good - it allows bigger fish to mingle with small fish which is how our game got into this state in the first place. But again, relegation/promotion is something that is engrained into the thick skulls of most football fans.

Maybe essential is not the right word but it could get stale very quickly if there's not some turnover. BTW...just saying everyone else has a 'thick skull' because they don't agree with you is the sort of thing someone with a thick skull might come out with.

[Ricky_ 893]

Every league that there ever was has teams in it that had no chance of actually winning it. We have won 54 titles in what is basically a two horse race for the great majority of the time.

There will be clubs that have a better chance than others in an Atlantic League but there's no doubt that on the face of it it should be more even.

Maybe essential is not the right word but it could get stale very quickly if there's not some turnover. BTW...just saying everyone else has a 'thick skull' because they don't agree with you is the sort of thing someone with a thick skull might come out with.

Hence why it's flawed. since t's inception in 1992, 4 clubs have won the BPL, It's been 30 years since a club outside ourselves and the tims have won the top division, Barca & Real Madrid almost dominate La Liga similarly, with the odd team sneaking onto the winners trophy once or twice over the last 20 years - and RM & Barca are likely to dominate for some time. It's the same all over europe.

What i'm saying is, at what point did we all just accept that this is normal & acceptable? There's no sporting integrity or merit. The top 2,3 or 4 clubs with the most resources in a country battle it out and then what? What exactly is the point in a 20 team league where the majority of the clubs have no chance. I can't imagine what it must be like supporting a team like Motherwell - where is the attraction & anticipation of the start of the new season? Do they get excited by the prospect of finishing 4th, maybe 3rd if they have their best season in 20 years? No wonder nobody is fucking interested. The entire model football is built on is flawed. Right now it's just a case of who can get the most money. I can't even begin to imagine how hollow Man City fans must have felt winning the BPL "Hurrah, a rich arab with oil money used it to buy a bunch of players who had never even heard of our club before and those mercenaries won a trophy". The whole set-up fucking stinks.

You say some clubs would have a better chance - well, indeed, it will work in spells, spells where 2 or 3 clubs have assembled better teams, but if the resources of the 20 clubs is kept on an even keel, there will be no predicting who will be the strongest force in the league in 3 years, 6 years, 10 years. It will chop & change all the time and the league would be decided solely on sporting merit, and not business performance like we are currently seeing in Football.

Why does relegation prevent staleness? PS apologies, i wasn't intending to call you thick, i just get angered by many football fans sheep-like menality that the current set-up of the game is what it is. Fans of this sport should demand wholesale changes. Like i said, if you completely scrapped football globally and had to redesign it's set-up & structure from scratch, you'd be mental to come up with it's current format. It's broken.

[docspiderman 1,234]

Indeed BP, Govanblue pointed out in the very first reply that FA's may fight to keep hold of their big fish.

But think about this for a second...

The proposed league brings together 20 of the biggest clubs from & european countries with a target audience globally (consider how much interest the BPL has and it has and the bottom half is pretty pish). Now think positvely about how successful a league could like this could be from a commercial perspective.

Now consider this, the SPL pays the SFL £2m a year in compensation in part of the original deal which brokered the SPL away from the SFL.

For me, i can envision an 'everyones a winner' type scenario where-by the 'Atlantic league', potentially a league that can reach or surpass BPL levels of commercial success, is then relaying a % to revenue to the domestic FA's which has licenced or permitted its' members to participate. It could then leave the domestic FA's in Scotland, Portgual, Holland, etc... with a sizeable pot every year to re-invest in the game at domestic level, invest in youth academies, bring through better players, improve their national sides - but ultimately, have a better domestic level product.

There's no doubt in my mind a scenario like the one above would vastly improve the scottish game. With us & the tims gone, the SPL would be wide open, ICT could win it one year, Kilmarnock the next. With the funding relayed from the Atlantic league, the SPL could become a superior product, more fans through the gates, greater investment at grass root level, etc...

I think more likely the opposite would happen.Just because you want something saying it over and over does not really affect reality.

[Ricky_ 893]

I think more likely the opposite would happen.Just because you want something saying it over and over does not really affect reality.

thanks for that lesson in life, to think ive been wasting hours every night, telling myself over & over i will win the euromillions, tool.

[Thermopylae 15,287]

no it's not, Anderlecht, PSV & Ajax have already agreed in principle to form a Beneliga. The whole point is to create competition between bigger teams thus generating more revenue. Why would they not want to therefore involve other big clubs only a short distance away? We're only a ferry ride away from Holland & Belgium - Copenhagen of Denmark is also a similarly short distance but bring a 42k seater stadium to the party. They're also a club stuck in a league of minnows which they win pretty much every season.

The Benelige + ourselves and 1 or 2 nearby scandinavian league teams that have outgrown their leagues isn't far fetched at all. Including the Portugese is probably the least likely aspect, but even without those teams it still makes for a strong league - certainly a much better option than whats currently on offer for teams like Rangers, Ajax, PSV, Anderlecht, Copenhagen, AIK.

I think it may happen for a few years but it's probably only a stepping stone to a future European league and that is what everyone is waiting on

[nachothelegend 1,932]

We can go anywhere to any League if Invited as we dont need to give any notice to any Association as we are not full members remember.

The Taigs have to stay as they need to give 2 years notice ha ha ha.

Looks like we will be leaving sometime in the not so distant future.

Love to get out of this Bigoted cesspit that is Scottish Football.

[govanblue 16,847]

We can go anywhere to any League if Invited as we dont need to give any notice to any Association as we are not full members remember.

Has anyone clearly shown this with reference to the SFA constitution yet?

Just because we don't get to vote, doesn't mean we aren't bound by any other rules.

[Thermopylae 15,287]

We can go anywhere to any League if Invited as we dont need to give any notice to any Association as we are not full members remember.

The Taigs have to stay as they need to give 2 years notice ha ha ha.

Looks like we will be leaving sometime in the not so distant future.

Love to get out of this Bigoted cesspit that is Scottish Football.

Would be so good to kick bitter wee Scotland to the kerb

[weshallnotbemoved! 714]

it would be difficult to agree on what day to play fixtures so as to maximise crowds.

[RikkiMiller 87]

Thanks to the OP for that, was a really good read. Great Idea on paper, difficult to push through.

[Ricky_ 893]

it would be difficult to agree on what day to play fixtures so as to maximise crowds.

thats the least of our worries at this point, its difficult enough to even get round the table with the clubs interested.

[govanblue 16,847]

Thanks to the OP for that, was a really good read. Great Idea on paper, difficult to push through.

Not if you have the right paper-pushers

[allcinaye 336]

Is this the real Ricky?

[Ricky_ 893]

Is this the real Ricky?

nah, it's a pie on ear.

[miksu101 0]

Assuming this actually went ahead, can anyone realistically see us winning this league?

[Phil 1,150]

Assuming this actually went ahead, can anyone realistically see us winning this league?

After a few years yes, without a doubt. And once we get one the rest will follow as we would go from strength to strength.

Expecting anything less is the wrong attitude IMO.

[Ricky_ 893]

Assuming this actually went ahead, can anyone realistically see us winning this league?

why not?

the idea is that everyone has similar resources.

let's say for example the "atlantic league association" governs the game, is also responsible for securing TV deals in the 7 represented countries + any other countries interested + an american TV deal.

It then equaly splits the TV revenue between every club & attendances are split so that every home team keeps 70% and hands over 30% to the away team. Ticket prices are kept uniform, or perhaps a little higher for lower capacity stadiums in order to keep gate-income rather even across the board.

if all 20 clubs are roughly the same size, and gaining very similar levels of income, it ill be a case of who can assemble the best teams with those resources, who can get the best manager & play the best football. Ultimately the league is decided purely on sporting merit, unlike say, the La Liga where it's simply a 2-horse race between the 2 biggest, wealthiest clubs.