I know it has been suggested before, and even tried to some extent with the so called Lincoln and Franklin conferences in previous seasons, but I would further suggest that this may be the way forward for the AMNRL, following the apparent inability of the Axemen to travel to Connecticut for their semifinal against the Warriors.
What I propose would be 4 conferences , each with 4 teams.
Each team would play 6 home and away matches, plus 1 cross conference match. The 4 top placed conference teams would then each play a semifinal, with the winner going on to the Championship Final.
Each conference would be based in a "relatively" small geographical area, so that all 4 teams would be in driving distance of each other.
I'm not sure of the best "geographical" names for the conferences, but for example:
New England - Connecticut Wildcats, New Haven Warriors, Northern Raiders, plus a new Connecticut team, perhaps based in Bridgeport, which lies between New Haven and Norwalk. This new team could perhaps be supplemented initially by players who may be "excess" to the Wildcats and Warriors.
Mid-Atlantic - New York Knights, Bucks County Sharks, Philadelphia Fight, Aston Bulls.
Chesapeake - Washington DC Slayers, Fairfax Eagles, ... and now comes some difficulty, 2 new teams, which I would suggest be based in Baltimore MD, and Richmond VA.
South-East - Jacksonvlle Axemen ( I sincerely hope their current difficulties are only a temporary glitch), and again ... more problems with 3 new teams required. I would go for Orlando ( yes Rugby League has been played their, I believe in the so called Sunshine State Challenge. Also I think the Lebanon v USA World Cup qualifier was played there in 2000), Tampa (although this could be Bradenton), and Savannah GA, where if I recall correctly I also believe Rugby League has been played in the past.
The New England and Mid-Atlantic teams would play their cross conference matches at War at the Shore in Sea Isle City NJ, and I would propose a "Jacksonville Magic" ( or should that be Orlando magic :sarcasm: ) cross conference match up between Chesapeake and South-East teams.
Therefore, there would only be "substantial" travel requirements for some teams on the cross conference weekend, and for the semifinals and final.
Perhaps the standard would be lower than it currently is, but it would give a bigger geographical spread to the game, yet without streching the finances of teams too far.
I'd be interested to know what "expansion" plans the AMNRL have for the game in the USA. Please feel at liberty to shoot my ideas down in flames :sarcasm:
What I propose would be 4 conferences , each with 4 teams.
Each team would play 6 home and away matches, plus 1 cross conference match. The 4 top placed conference teams would then each play a semifinal, with the winner going on to the Championship Final.
Each conference would be based in a "relatively" small geographical area, so that all 4 teams would be in driving distance of each other.
I'm not sure of the best "geographical" names for the conferences, but for example:
New England - Connecticut Wildcats, New Haven Warriors, Northern Raiders, plus a new Connecticut team, perhaps based in Bridgeport, which lies between New Haven and Norwalk. This new team could perhaps be supplemented initially by players who may be "excess" to the Wildcats and Warriors.
Mid-Atlantic - New York Knights, Bucks County Sharks, Philadelphia Fight, Aston Bulls.
Chesapeake - Washington DC Slayers, Fairfax Eagles, ... and now comes some difficulty, 2 new teams, which I would suggest be based in Baltimore MD, and Richmond VA.
South-East - Jacksonvlle Axemen ( I sincerely hope their current difficulties are only a temporary glitch), and again ... more problems with 3 new teams required. I would go for Orlando ( yes Rugby League has been played their, I believe in the so called Sunshine State Challenge. Also I think the Lebanon v USA World Cup qualifier was played there in 2000), Tampa (although this could be Bradenton), and Savannah GA, where if I recall correctly I also believe Rugby League has been played in the past.
The New England and Mid-Atlantic teams would play their cross conference matches at War at the Shore in Sea Isle City NJ, and I would propose a "Jacksonville Magic" ( or should that be Orlando magic :sarcasm: ) cross conference match up between Chesapeake and South-East teams.
Therefore, there would only be "substantial" travel requirements for some teams on the cross conference weekend, and for the semifinals and final.
Perhaps the standard would be lower than it currently is, but it would give a bigger geographical spread to the game, yet without streching the finances of teams too far.
I'd be interested to know what "expansion" plans the AMNRL have for the game in the USA. Please feel at liberty to shoot my ideas down in flames :sarcasm:
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