Trying to figure out how this works, WTF Options

[Thryleon]

Okay, so I have been trying to grasp an understanding of this system, and how it is workable, and I have a feeling that the structure of the lower divisions are somewhat stunting our ability to progress nationally.

So, why is it, that there are ten groups in D division?

How does promotion and relegation work from C to D and vice versa?

Are any of the groups deemed to be a superior competition? I support a team in group 6 (Panaigialios FC) and aside from knowing that they are leading group 6 by about ten points, and I don't know what their fate holds from here going forward. There are too many clubs to win promotion outright by finishing on top, so how does this function?

[londrezos]

What have you done?.... Ignorance was better, but nay, you just HAD to stick your nose in, didn't you? The truth about promotion in Greece in the lowly depths of the leagues is much sought after but since your thirst for knowledge cannot be quenched I shall tell you of its meaning. But truly, ignorance was better. This is an age-old mystic secretno-one should know of...only a chosen few have been trusted with this dark information....

The captain of each of the ten teams goes to their respective club headquarters on the last day of the season; he is accompanied by the team staff, but otherwise he is alone. No fellow players must know of the secret mystic rituals which doth entail promotion and relegation from division the fourth to division the third, in Greece....Have you noticed how your team captain of Panaigialios has been looking nervous these last few games? Slightly hasty in his decisions? Distracted? Of course you have. He is no fool. He has heard of the whispering intentions of the higher ups, he knows his fate as captain of his team. He is fully aware that he must do battle soon, and he is nervous about it!! Not yet, but soon....

At the secret meet, each captain upon advise of his coaches, his trusted mentors, his advisors on the field of battle, must pick ONE AND ONLY ONE choice of weapon. This is his only means of promotion. Whether he picks axe, trident, sword or spear, he may only choose one weapon.

The 10 captains are awoken early one surprise morning in May., no time to eat, sleep, they are hastily and rudely interrupted from sleep. Their manager will break into their home to do this; there is no rest for the fateful chosen who seek enlightenment through promotion. Amongst screaming, slaps, a daze of confusion and pain, and anxiety, he is thrown into a car and taken off to his destiny, either pride, or fall, promotion or relegation.

Inside the car he is given his last pep talk, and placed with his trusty weapon of choice. There are 10 captains and so 10 cars; they meet in a secret location, NOBODY knows where they meet and nobody ever will know. Some say it is somewhere in the wild hills of Mani, outlaw's country; others say they meet on the most deadly ridge of great Olympus; pah!, wives tales! Personally my grandfather entrusted it upon me to never tell anyone where they doth meet, for he had heard many a great rumour, and he told me to swear never to tell. But I shall tell you; he told me they meet in the tomb of Alexander, the location known ONLY to the sacred few of promotion/relegation from D to C division....

Once there, the captains are cast out from their steel cases and thrust upon each other!! Ten men, one winner!! One fateful man to lead his team to the next division. Only one can survive now!! He will receive the blessing of the Great Gods of Greek football to lead his team to greatness the next year. This brutal last fight, is a massacre. Nine dead men, but it must be this way!! This is the only way it can be. Curse those who decided that 10 groups of division the fourth must contest for promotion to division the third!! Curse them!!!!!!

After a bloody battle, hours of sweat, blood tears, many tears, the winner triumphantly raises his hand; he hath been the chosen one. He leads his team unto battle the following year, in the glorious division of Greece the third. Glory be upon him.

This post has been edited by londrezos: Apr 3 2012, 02:12 AM

[Thryleon]

Very creative! Top marks, and a good story, and makes me wonder if this was worth asking the question about as it seems to be a bit of a piss take.

So I decided to go searching for the answer, and this is what I have discovered:
Promotion and relegation

Super League Greece: Bottom three clubs relegated to Football League.
Football League: Top three clubs promoted to Super League Greece. Bottom three relegated to Football League 2 to either North or South group based on location. There may be an uneven number in the North and South groups.
Football League 2: The champions of each group, plus the winner of a play-off round between the runner up, are promoted to Beta Ethniki. The bottom five teams of each group are relegated to the semi-professional Delta Ethniki.
Delta Ethniki: The top team in each group is promoted to Football League 2. Groups 1-5 promote to the North group of the division, and groups 6-10 promote to the South group. The five/six last place team in each group is relegated to the local championships.
Local championships: The top team in each regional league is entered into the promotional playoffs with other regions that would promote to the same Delta Ethniki group as they would. The winner of each knockout competition is promoted to the respective group in Delta Ethniki.

This post has been edited by Thryleon: Apr 3 2012, 06:19 PM

[Thryleon]

This seems to be a rather messy system if you ask me. The Delta division actually has quite a few reputable teams in it and it seems to be a herculean task to get out of the D division and stay up as 10 teams are relegated across both divisions of Football League 2 (the old C division).

[Ziaka]

I believe only the winner of Football League qualifies directly to Superleague. The other two teams qualify through play-offs.

As for FB2, there is a proposal to create a single division. No more North and South divisions.

[Thryleon]

^^ I think this is a good idea. We may have 4 teams in South that are better than the champion of North is or vice versa, and end up having to miss out because they are in a different group. If you catch my meaning.

To go with this, DELTA should become a solely amateur comp given it has ten groups in it.

In Australia, what is hindering the games progress is that under the national comp the country is too large to have a second tier national competition so there is no promotion relegation system and consequently all the amateur level competitions mean that there are too many clubs, too many divisions, the talented footballers are all able to pick and choose where they play and the standard at each team is pretty low. Is this a factor in Greece? Is there pressure on the lowly clubs to fold, merge and change the way they do things? This position seems to be unsustainable in the medium to long term.

To give you an idea of how it works here, each state (7 in total) have their own state premier league that sit under the A league as the next level down. In each Premier league, there are 10 - 14 teams that do get promoted and relegated, and underneath these competitions there are another 3 divisions (split into north and south). Too many competitions that are too close to the top as far as Im concerned and something needs to be done about the model to make it a better competition and then breed better talent. Im hoping that Greece are looking at these Delta groups and thinking the same thing. Compeition and proffesionalism starts at the top and filters down, but in Greece it looks as though we need to encourage the opposite to happen.

This post has been edited by Thryleon: Apr 3 2012, 08:30 PM

[NISSIOTIS-7]

What have you done?.... Ignorance was better, but nay, you just HAD to stick your nose in, didn't you? The truth about promotion in Greece in the lowly depths of the leagues is much sought after but since your thirst for knowledge cannot be quenched I shall tell you of its meaning. But truly, ignorance was better. This is an age-old mystic secretno-one should know of...only a chosen few have been trusted with this dark information....

The captain of each of the ten teams goes to their respective club headquarters on the last day of the season; he is accompanied by the team staff, but otherwise he is alone. No fellow players must know of the secret mystic rituals which doth entail promotion and relegation from division the fourth to division the third, in Greece....Have you noticed how your team captain of Panaigialios has been looking nervous these last few games? Slightly hasty in his decisions? Distracted? Of course you have. He is no fool. He has heard of the whispering intentions of the higher ups, he knows his fate as captain of his team. He is fully aware that he must do battle soon, and he is nervous about it!! Not yet, but soon....

At the secret meet, each captain upon advise of his coaches, his trusted mentors, his advisors on the field of battle, must pick ONE AND ONLY ONE choice of weapon. This is his only means of promotion. Whether he picks axe, trident, sword or spear, he may only choose one weapon.

The 10 captains are awoken early one surprise morning in May., no time to eat, sleep, they are hastily and rudely interrupted from sleep. Their manager will break into their home to do this; there is no rest for the fateful chosen who seek enlightenment through promotion. Amongst screaming, slaps, a daze of confusion and pain, and anxiety, he is thrown into a car and taken off to his destiny, either pride, or fall, promotion or relegation.

Inside the car he is given his last pep talk, and placed with his trusty weapon of choice. There are 10 captains and so 10 cars; they meet in a secret location, NOBODY knows where they meet and nobody ever will know. Some say it is somewhere in the wild hills of Mani, outlaw's country; others say they meet on the most deadly ridge of great Olympus; pah!, wives tales! Personally my grandfather entrusted it upon me to never tell anyone where they doth meet, for he had heard many a great rumour, and he told me to swear never to tell. But I shall tell you; he told me they meet in the tomb of Alexander, the location known ONLY to the sacred few of promotion/relegation from D to C division....

Once there, the captains are cast out from their steel cases and thrust upon each other!! Ten men, one winner!! One fateful man to lead his team to the next division. Only one can survive now!! He will receive the blessing of the Great Gods of Greek football to lead his team to greatness the next year. This brutal last fight, is a massacre. Nine dead men, but it must be this way!! This is the only way it can be. Curse those who decided that 10 groups of division the fourth must contest for promotion to division the third!! Curse them!!!!!!

After a bloody battle, hours of sweat, blood tears, many tears, the winner triumphantly raises his hand; he hath been the chosen one. He leads his team unto battle the following year, in the glorious division of Greece the third. Glory be upon him.