Veterans League
Yesterday's meeting of the Veterans League Management Committee finally agreed to introduce a League of five divisions each consisting of 12 teams. With Bradley & Colne withdrawing and Elland WMC replacing them that makes the total of teams in the 10-Man League now 60. The balancing of the divisions exercise long over-due and promised has finally been delivered.
I understand that the Elland WMC team will go into Division 3 replacing Bradley & Colne who have withdrawn after being relegated to Division 3 at the end of last season. That probably, but to be confirmed, means that the format is the same as the one produced on this website last November and you can see it again here along with all the justification presented at that time. The revised divisions are also reproduced at the foot of this posting.
It seems to me that this rebalancing work should be accepted as an annual exercise to ensure that all teams are treated fairly ongoing and the previous protection of certain teams is no longer tolerated. The League don't need to give advanced warning to clubs as it is already covered in the League Rules but for some reason the League Management Committee has been reluctant to enforce it in past seasons.
If it makes everyone feel a little better the League could make a beginning-of-season announcement every year that they intend to use the power of their own rules to balance the number of teams in each division. Only then will clubs be assured that they are being treated fairly and we no longer end up with a topsy-turvey set-up that favours teams in the higher divisions to the detriment of the lower division teams.
The format of the 6-Man League with five new teams to accommodate will no doubt be released in the near future.
The expected (but to be confirmed) format of the divisions for the 2024 season based on the final finishing positions of all teams at the end of the 2023 season. The Bradley & Colne team needs replacing by Elland WMC for the complete picture.
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