EDFL 2020: Clubs give verdict on promotion-relegation debate
Should there be promotion and relegation if a reduced 2020 season is given the green light? We asked several EDFL club figures.
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The coaches of two EDFL Premier Division aspirants have spoken out against scrapping promotion and relegation if a truncated season goes ahead in 2020.
Tullamarine coach David Connell and East Keilor boss Pat Christofi said while the prospect of competing at a higher level was not the sole motivator for players, it was important they had something to aim for.
The two Division 1 outfits will be among the contenders for promotion if the season is given the green light, but Premier Division clubs have declared there should be a freeze given the uncertainty amid the coronavirus crisis.
“I’m pretty strong that there should be promotion and relegation,” Connell said.
“If you’re not having promotion and relegation and players aren’t getting paid to play, they’re essentially glorified practice matches.
“I think there has to be that carrot and a reason to play.”
Connell said the protection of no relegation could result in clubs who have a slow start to the campaign going “through the motions”.
He said there was a risk some players could become “demotivated” and turn their attention to weekend work commitments.
Hopes a half-season will be staged remain, and Christofi said that should mean the normal rules are in place.
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“If it’s a fair fixture, where everyone plays each other once, I think there’s no reason not to have promotion and relegation,” he said.
“I can’t justify why it wouldn’t happen, but there are arguments either way.”
Burnside Heights president Justin Peagram said the status quo should apply.
The Bears contested Division 2 finals for the first time in 2019, advancing to the preliminary final after defeating Coburg Districts in the opening week.
“I think there has to be a relegation and promotion because at the end of the day we’re playing a competitive sport,” Peagram said.
“Why are we going to play four quarters and bust a gut if there’s no reward at the end of it?
“If we worked our backsides off and got all the way through to the end, we’d expect to be promoted next year.”
West Coburg president David Gloury acknowledged clubs faced a compromised season, adding “a club that wins a Division 1 and Division 2 premiership has every right to go to the next level in theory.”
Greenvale president Bruce Kent said the potential complications attached to the virus meant there should be no movement between the three divisions for 2021.
“I think most people are agreeing you can hardly have promotion and relegation at a senior level in an environment like the present,” he said.
“You could be relegated because one person in your group gets (the virus), and the whole team has to go out for a few weeks and you get relegated.”
EDFL chief executive Ian Kyte said any potential changes would be considered once a decision was made on the viability of the season.
“We’ll consider everything once we know what the season looks like,” Kyte said.
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