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Post by Rob Scott on Jan 18, 2017 0:13:10 GMT
The EIHL have confirmed that Guildford have applied to join for the 17/18 season.
They will make a presentation to the EIHL board at the next meeting t and their application will be approved or rejected after that.
Would keep an even number of teams in the league with MK joining.
Belfast to switch conference?
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iginla
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Post by iginla on Jan 18, 2017 0:24:43 GMT
Good news.
Can't see Guildford being happy with their travelling if they got placed in the Scottish conference though.
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Post by wgray on Jan 18, 2017 0:56:48 GMT
The EIHL have confirmed that Guildford have applied to join for the 17/18 season. They will make a presentation to the EIHL board at the next meeting t and their application will be approved or rejected after that. Would keep an even number of teams in the league with MK joining. Belfast to switch conference? logical move would be putting Belfast in the northern conference meaning Gardiner - Belfast, Braehead, Dundee, Edinburgh, Fife, Manchester Erhardt - Cardiff, Coventry, Guildford, MK, Nottingham, Sheffield Looks a lot less one sided and equally competitive |
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Post by kievthegreat on Jan 18, 2017 1:06:09 GMT
I'd be in favour of 3 4 team conferences. Play your own conference 6 times and other conferences 4 times which makes for a total of 50 games. Makes the Conferences less significant to the final league tally, but keeps extra games against rivals.
Scotland
Panthers, Steelers, Storm & Blaze
Giants, Devils, Flames and Lightning.
Potentially swap Giants with Blaze if you want to help out the newbies and reduce travel expenses.
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Yotes
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Post by Yotes on Jan 18, 2017 1:18:01 GMT
Good news if/when confirmed, seem to be a big fish in that pond, so hopefully would make the transition well.
If the conferences stay I quite like Kiev's idea above, seems a decent balance to me, although Giants would maybe take a hit travelling down south so much.
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Post by PantherB on Jan 18, 2017 1:32:57 GMT
Good news for us (EIHL), terrible for the EPL.
3 Conferences of 4 would be ideal;
Stars, Clan, Caps, Flyers
Steelers, Giants, Panthers & Storm
Milton Keynes, Guildford, Cardiff & Coventry
It'd be criminal to split Blaze and Milton Keynes up, and Milton Keynes and Guildford.
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Post by kievthegreat on Jan 18, 2017 1:34:49 GMT
Good news for us (EIHL), terrible for the EPL. 3 Conferences of 4 would be ideal; Stars, Clan, Caps, Flyers Steelers, Giants, Panthers & Storm Milton Keynes, Guildford, Cardiff & Coventry It'd be criminal to split Blaze and Milton Keynes up, and Milton Keynes and Guildford. Thinking about it, it wouldn't surprise me if they swapped Devils and Storm in your scenario. |
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pens
Jade Galbraith
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Post by pens on Jan 18, 2017 2:08:16 GMT
Good news for us (EIHL), terrible for the EPL. 3 Conferences of 4 would be ideal; Stars, Clan, Caps, Flyers Steelers, Giants, Panthers & Storm Milton Keynes, Guildford, Cardiff & Coventry It'd be criminal to split Blaze and Milton Keynes up, and Milton Keynes and Guildford. Thinking about it, it wouldn't surprise me if they swapped Devils and Storm in your scenario. Agreed That is the most logical solution for fairness and travel expenses, otherwise Manchester are in a conference slighty too hard and devils too easy. Creating a situation that we seem to have with blaze and braehead over previous years. Only playing conference teams 3 times (home and away) means if there is a slight imbalance it won't be noticeable anyway |
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Pies
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Reluctant Chief of ITK
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Post by Pies on Jan 18, 2017 7:44:34 GMT
This will be the nail in the coffin of the EPL in my opinion. It's great for the elite league that we can expand to 12 teams and expand the league down to the South a lot more. It gives the fans slot more variance in opponents, away trips and 12 teams at the playoffs will be great fun!
A few questions that come to mind are the import limits going forward and as already discussed, the conferencing. It's got to be sorted ASAP so we can ensure all teams are competitive next season.
This maybe an unpopular opinion but I would want to see the import limit increased. this is purely down to teams being competitive. There aren't a great deal of Brits playing in the EPL that I have seen that can step up to Elite league level and are in a par with what we already have. You'll be asking part time players to give up their jobs to train full time in what is becoming a higher standard of league. I am aware that the Scottish teams have part time players but there aren't any Brits from those teams that people are screaming out for us to sign
Im in no way suggesting we go back to the extravagance we had pre elite league. I feel we now have owners in place who are more financially astute to make it sustainable in the future.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2017 7:44:41 GMT
I can't see 3 conferences but 2 instead. Unless you shorten the league season and extend the playoffs
The import level simply has to increase as they ll be even less half decent brits to go round. I want to see quality not turn up and see 2 teams half a bunch of brits each night!
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Post by pingchowchi on Jan 18, 2017 7:46:29 GMT
I prefer the 3 conferences of 4, though for the CC you could still split them into two which would put us in the southern section.
3 conf would equal
3 home and away games with in the conference and 2 home and away for the other two confs, which would equal 50 games in total.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2017 8:37:08 GMT
Any chance this maybe leads to the end of the conference system if it's approved?
Make the Challenge Cup a pre-season tournament and then play a 66 game regular season (3 home & 3 away vs everybody).
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Post by pingchowchi on Jan 18, 2017 9:06:17 GMT
I cant see them getting rid of the conference system if they have an even number of teams and I think it would be too challenging to arrange all the challenge cup games in pre-season (teams not having players in, ice not avaliable etc)
At least the challenge cup will be a bit more exciting now, with 'only' 2 thirds of the teams going through to the quater finals.
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Post by fishman on Jan 18, 2017 9:18:18 GMT
For me it would be the Challenge cup around Xmas and new year 2 league system top in each league play in a final, in the league 2 home and 2 away and make the playoffs 3 game matchup and not a finals weekend
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2017 9:28:18 GMT
I cant see them getting rid of the conference system if they have an even number of teams and I think it would be too challenging to arrange all the challenge cup games in pre-season (teams not having players in, ice not avaliable etc) At least the challenge cup will be a bit more exciting now, with 'only' 2 thirds of the teams going through to the quater finals. I don't think getting the players in early would be a problem (33 home games + pre-season cup = more £ to cover the expenses), ice availability wasn't something I gave consideration to though. There's always the option of scrapping the cup aswell but that won't happen because of lost revenue of the non-season ticket games (revenue that would be made up by 33 home games but I doubt the owners would see it that way). |
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Yotes
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Post by Yotes on Jan 18, 2017 10:53:16 GMT
12 teams at the playoffs will be great fun! 7000ish tickets to 12 fanbases means fewer seats for us too of course, the non ST fans are already a bit unhappy with the whole thing. Bigger venue required? |
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Pies
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Reluctant Chief of ITK
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Post by Pies on Jan 18, 2017 11:20:31 GMT
12 teams at the playoffs will be great fun! 7000ish tickets to 12 fanbases means fewer seats for us too of course, the non ST fans are already a bit unhappy with the whole thing. Bigger venue required? Absolutely and let's go neutral! Either that or they'll have to add extra seating in. It's proven that Panthers fans will travel to go to watch the team play so moving away from Nottingham isn't a bad thing. The issue is always going to be that the NIC is a funded Centre for ice sports to take away arguably the biggest weekend in U.K. on ice sport night not be popular. I could be wrong! |
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Post by fishman on Jan 18, 2017 11:41:57 GMT
Was it Tod Kelman saying in a interview that the playoff weekend is a big money spinner for the Elite league?
So don't think the playoff weekend will be axed any time soon
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Post by kezypanther on Jan 18, 2017 12:09:15 GMT
Very happy with the this news. The more teams in the league the better I say.
As for playoffs I would hate them to take away the weekend. It's one of my favourite parts of ice hockey in the UK. Yes it might not be the Ice Hockey way of doing playoffs but you can't argue it's a great event for fans from all teams to enjoy. Would like a neautral venue and think it could happen. what about Birmingham, Manchester or London?
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Post by Rob Scott on Jan 18, 2017 12:24:54 GMT
Very happy with the this news. The more teams in the league the better I say. As for playoffs I would hate them to take away the weekend. It's one of my favourite parts of ice hockey in the UK. Yes it might not be the Ice Hockey way of doing playoffs but you can't argue it's a great event for fans from all teams to enjoy. Would like a neautral venue and think it could happen. what about Birmingham, Manchester or London? I don't know if it has an ice plant but POFW at the ECHO in Liverpool could be great. For what it's worth I think the league will stick with the 2 conferences, something like. Belfast, Braehead, Fife, Dundee, Caps, Storm Panthers, Steelers, Devils, Blaze, Guildford, MK |
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Post by The Flying Shirt on Jan 18, 2017 12:53:30 GMT
Great news and I think this will be the start of the rest of the stable teams from the EPL wanting to move up now too. The EPL has a lot of problem teams and I think the more viable teams will see this as a big problem now unless they take the step up.
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Post by tootootrain on Jan 18, 2017 15:00:57 GMT
...I think this will be the start of the rest of the stable teams from the EPL... What other stable teams? |
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Post by Bagheera on Jan 18, 2017 15:50:17 GMT
Great news and I think this will be the start of the rest of the stable teams from the EPL wanting to move up now too. The EPL has a lot of problem teams and I think the more viable teams will see this as a big problem now unless they take the step up. Certainly raises more questions about further expansion. If Guilford get the green light does it mean Wembeley being dead in the water(I know it was already pushed back/put on hold), or does it mean 1 or 2 more as you say. MK Guilford Wembeley +2 more in 1 conference and the others to stay the same. MK Guilford Wembeley Cardiff and/or Coventry +1 more maybe With 1 or 2 team coming in from further north. Hull/Newcastle/Durham. And a reshuffle of all conferences. As it stands it looks positive for EIHL and some of those other teams will need to find or form a new league. |
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Post by The Flying Shirt on Jan 18, 2017 17:40:10 GMT
...I think this will be the start of the rest of the stable teams from the EPL... What other stable teams? That's really the problem. The EPL is looking about as stable as a drunk camel now. |
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Post by The Flying Shirt on Jan 18, 2017 17:41:12 GMT
Great news and I think this will be the start of the rest of the stable teams from the EPL wanting to move up now too. The EPL has a lot of problem teams and I think the more viable teams will see this as a big problem now unless they take the step up. Certainly raises more questions about further expansion. If Guilford get the green light does it mean Wembeley being dead in the water(I know it was already pushed back/put on hold), or does it mean 1 or 2 more as you say. MK Guilford Wembeley +2 more in 1 conference and the others to stay the same. MK Guilford Wembeley Cardiff and/or Coventry +1 more maybe With 1 or 2 team coming in from further north. Hull/Newcastle/Durham. And a reshuffle of all conferences. As it stands it looks positive for EIHL and some of those other teams will need to find or form a new league. Pretty much looks like the London team idea is now dead in the water and it's a lot simpler to get existing teams up from the EPL |
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