Association proposal: 4 men’s divisions

The men’s night league teams have increased from 36 to 39 teams this year. The ladies league has also grown to 13 teams, requiring extra dates for fixtures.

Adding together the night leagues fixtures, Rayner Shield/Plate, Jean Kelly, and Ladies Plate competitions, this leaves only five contingency dates between April and the end of August, making it impossible to accommodate Junior League, Mixed Team, or Club Team Championship competitions.

Proposed split of the leagues into four divisions

In light of this, Matthew has proposed the idea of splitting the Men’s Night League into Four Divisions. However, as this is a significant decision, he is keen on gathering the thoughts of each club before proceeding.

Three v Four divisions

Below is a summary outlining the considerations of maintaining 3 Leagues versus transitioning to 4 Leagues, including the pros and cons of each option.

Clubs have been asked to review and discuss this internally. At the next meeting (Thurs, 22nd Feb), they will seek a show of hands regarding the preference for 3 Leagues versus 4 Leagues. This is not a formal vote, but rather an opportunity for the executive to gauge club preferences before making a decision for the 2024 season.

Three Leagues:

Structure:

• Three leagues, each comprising 13 teams, resulting in 26 fixture rounds with teams participating in 24 matches. Due to the odd number of teams, one team sits out during each fixture round
• With the three new teams entering the leagues, the following is how the leagues would be balanced for the 2024 season.

Division 1	Division 2	Division 3
South Ramsey A	South Ramsey B	Onchan C
Marown A	Castletown B	Nobles D
Onchan A	Douglas B	South Ramsey D
Peel Sunset A	Port Erin A	Marown D
North Ramsey A	Onchan B	Ballaugh C
Douglas A	Nobles A	Peel Sunset D
Marown B	North Ramsey B	Finch Hill B
Marown C	South Ramsey C	Douglas C
Port St Mary A	Nobles B	Douglas D
Castletown A	Peel Sunset C	Port Erin B
Peel Sunset B	Port St Mary B	Nobles E
Finch Hill A	Nobles C	Castletown C
Ballaugh A	Ballaugh B	North Ramsey C

Pros:

• Continued promotion and relegation from the 2023 season.
• Increased number of league games: 26 fixture rounds with 24 matches.

Cons:

• Without implementing some or all of the following considerations, there are no dates available for the Junior league, Mixed Team, and Club Team Championship.
• Limited contingency dates. Only five free/contingency dates between April & August, with these being ad-hoc single nights and not consecutive.Considerations:
• Possible early start in the last week of March.
• Required use of TT Practice & Race Week.
• Required use of MGP Practice Week.
• Potential use of weekend dates for matches with potential impact on opencompetitions.

Four leagues

All divisions require 18 fixture rounds.

• Division 1-3 will consist of 10 teams playing 18 matches.
• Division 4 will consist of 9 teams playing 16 matches, as one team each week would have a sit-out due to the odd-numbered teams.
• Here is the recommended initial league structure:
• Following promotion and relegation determined by the 2023 positions, teams are grouped and organised into leagues of 10/10/10/9.
• Placement of the three new teams in Division Four.

Division 1
South Ramsey A
Marown A
Onchan A
Peel Sunset A
North Ramsey A
Douglas A
Marown B
Marown C
Port St Mary A
Castletown A

Division 2
Peel Sunset B
South Ramsey B
Finch Hill A
Ballaugh A
Castletown B
Douglas B
Port Erin A
Onchan B
Nobles A
North Ramsey B

Division 3
South Ramsey C
Nobles B
Peel Sunset C
Onchan C
Port St Mary B
Nobles D
Ballaugh B
Nobles C
South Ramsey D
Marown D

Division 4
Ballaugh C
Peel Sunset D
Finch Hill B
Douglas C
Douglas D
Port Erin B
Nobles E
Castletown C
North Ramsey C

Pros:

• Allows for additional growth within the sport, providing room for more teams to join in future seasons.
• Increased competitiveness within the leagues.
• Contingency for all competitions and allows free dates for club events.
• Provides specific dates for Juniors, Mixed, and Club Championship.

Cons:

• Fewer league matches compared to the three-league structure