Italian football league pyramid changes (circa 2017/18)

Discussion in 'Italy' started by shizzle787, May 27, 2017.

  1. shizzle787

    shizzle787 Member

    Apr 27, 2015
    Connecticut
    Club:
    Juventus FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It's time to discuss this. With 4 Italian clubs now qualifying automatically for the Champions League every year, Serie A will need to shrink in order to give these clubs the best chance to make noise. On top of that, shrinking Serie A will result in a tighter championship race, concentrated talent, and fewer poor teams.

    I propose shrinking Serie A to a 16-team, 30-match model as was prevalent between 1967-1988. I believe that the massive reduction in travel costs will more than cover having 4 less home match day ticket sales as well as slightly less TV money. Yes, I say slightly because there will be no more weekday match days. 4-5 match days are on weeknights currently when people are less likely to have time to watch and actually attend matches. With the talent being concentrated considerably and the championship race being tighter, the average match will be worth more to broadcasters. Yes, the clubs will get less in TV revenue, but I believe they will make more net when factoring in traveling for four less road matches.

    As far as the league pyramid is concerned, I would relegate three clubs from Serie A and replace them with the top three clubs (no playoffs) from Serie B. The 3rd place team in Serie B shouldn't be punished for finishing third over a long season. Serie B, by the way, would also be reduced to a 20-team, 38-match model.

    The bottom three clubs in Serie B would be relegated and replaced by the champion of each of Serie C's (yes rename it Serie C) three regional champions. Again, no playoffs. It massively reduces costs and rewards teams for performance over a long season. I would keep Serie C as 3 regional divisions with 20-team, 38-match models.

    As far as the Coppa Italia, it needs some tweaking. The two-legged semifinals need to go. The guaranteed bye to the Round of 16 plus home game plus protection from meeting other top teams until quarterfinals needs to go. Here is my proposal and team access list:

    Serie A (all 16 clubs)
    Serie B (all 20 clubs)
    Serie C (21 clubs- top seven from each region)
    Serie D (9 clubs- nine regional league winners)

    That is 66 clubs in total.

    In the first round, 24 clubs contest 12 matches for 12 spots in the second round. The nine Serie D clubs and fifteen Serie C clubs (those finishing third to seventh) start in this round. 54 clubs remain after this round.

    In the second round, 44 clubs contest 22 matches for 22 spots in the Round of 32. The 12 winners from the previous round join the remaining 6 Serie C sides, all 20 Serie B sides, and the Serie A sides finishing 11th to 16th. 32 clubs remain after this round.

    In the Round of 32, 32 clubs contest 16 matches for 16 spots in the Round of 16. The 22 winners from the previous round join the sides that finished 1st to 10th in Serie A. The winners advance to the Round of 16.

    The entire tournament comprises seven rounds. Each round is played over one leg, and the entire tournament is single elimination. The home team is drawn at random, and only the final is played at a neutral location. The entire tournament is unseeded. The cup final will be played every year on a Sunday the weekend after the Serie A season is completed.

    Of note, Serie A will not contest matches on the Easter weekend at all as opposed to having them on Saturdays. This will allow players to spend time with their families and rest.

    What do you think?
     
  2. Dante

    Dante Moderator
    Staff Member

    Nov 19, 1998
    Upstate NY
    Club:
    Juventus FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Serie A will never shrink to 16 teams. Ever.
     
  3. Il Ciuccio

    Il Ciuccio Member+

    Feb 17, 2010
    Club:
    SSC Napoli
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    if the european super league ever gets made then it will....
     
  4. shizzle787

    shizzle787 Member

    Apr 27, 2015
    Connecticut
    Club:
    Juventus FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I would agree that Serie A is unlikely to go to 16 clubs, but I think an 18-team league would be a great compromise that would decrease fixture congestion by hopefully getting rid of all midweek fixtures.

    I would go with a 2 up, 2 down relegation model with Serie B. No playoffs. Serie B would also have 18 clubs to reduce fixture congestion, reduce costs, and increase competitiveness.
    I would relegate the bottom three and replace them with the three regional Lega Pro winners. No playoffs.

    Lega Pro would also be reduced to 18 clubs in each regional league to reduce costs and increase competitiveness.
    The bottom three in each league would be relegated and replaced by each of the nine Serie D champs. No playoffs.

    As far as the Coppa Italia, I would actually shrink it some more but still allow select clubs from each of the top four divisions to participate.
    I would have 54 clubs in the competition:
    The 36 between Serie A and B, the top three from each of the Lega Pro leagues, and the nine Serie D champs.

    The top 10 Serie A sides would get a bye to the Round of 32 (Second Round), and the remainder would start in the First Round. The entire tournament would be unseeded and random as far as home field advantage. Each round would be played over one leg, and the final would always be the Sunday after the Serie A season concludes.
     
  5. indestructible

    indestructible Member+

    SSC Napoli
    Jan 14, 2007
    Mercato Professor
    Club:
    SSC Napoli
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    It's a question of TV money $$$
     
  6. shizzle787

    shizzle787 Member

    Apr 27, 2015
    Connecticut
    Club:
    Juventus FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Which is very true. But the real question is is the reduction in TV + gate money less than the reduction in travel costs. The Bundesliga did a study a few years ago to see if they wanted to expand back to 20. The study found that they would make more revenue but that it would be more than wiped out by additional costs.
     

Share This Page