Full Version: Why doesn't USL have promotion/relegation?
Anyone care to explain why USL 1 and 2 don't promote/relegate teams?
As someone who follows USL I can say it does have promotion and relegation. Just not in the way, say, England does it. Promotion and relegation are decided by financial reasons, not position on the table. My local USL club, Cincinnati Kings, played in USL D2 for three year, but money was tight so they relegated themselves to USL PDL.
So, why is this? Simple, promotion or relegation is a death sentence for many clubs. Let's say my Kings got promoted by winning USL D2 to USL D1. Well, now their travel costs just doubled (if not tripled) and player costs also increase. Now, do you think people in the area would go "Oh, we got promoted, we'll all go see them now!" No. The same crowds would show up and maybe less as advertising budget would probably get cut. The club would go deep in the red and fold in a single year.
This is why, time and again, clubs self relegate. Richmond went to the USL D1 Finals, and self-relegated to USL D2. They won more games and actually saw increase in attendance while reducing costs. The interest is simply not there to support promotion and relegation as the benefits for winning promotion do not exist right now.
So, why is this? Simple, promotion or relegation is a death sentence for many clubs. Let's say my Kings got promoted by winning USL D2 to USL D1. Well, now their travel costs just doubled (if not tripled) and player costs also increase. Now, do you think people in the area would go "Oh, we got promoted, we'll all go see them now!" No. The same crowds would show up and maybe less as advertising budget would probably get cut. The club would go deep in the red and fold in a single year.
This is why, time and again, clubs self relegate. Richmond went to the USL D1 Finals, and self-relegated to USL D2. They won more games and actually saw increase in attendance while reducing costs. The interest is simply not there to support promotion and relegation as the benefits for winning promotion do not exist right now.
Alen Marcina is a legend - Come back Alen!
QUOTE(CrewKing @ Dec 3 2007, 03:09 PM) 
As someone who follows USL I can say it does have promotion and relegation. Just not in the way, say, England does it. Promotion and relegation are decided by financial reasons, not position on the table. My local USL club, Cincinnati Kings, played in USL D2 for three year, but money was tight so they relegated themselves to USL PDL.
So, why is this? Simple, promotion or relegation is a death sentence for many clubs. Let's say my Kings got promoted by winning USL D2 to USL D1. Well, now their travel costs just doubled (if not tripled) and player costs also increase. Now, do you think people in the area would go "Oh, we got promoted, we'll all go see them now!" No. The same crowds would show up and maybe less as advertising budget would probably get cut. The club would go deep in the red and fold in a single year.
This is why, time and again, clubs self relegate. Richmond went to the USL D1 Finals, and self-relegated to USL D2. They won more games and actually saw increase in attendance while reducing costs. The interest is simply not there to support promotion and relegation as the benefits for winning promotion do not exist right now.
So, why is this? Simple, promotion or relegation is a death sentence for many clubs. Let's say my Kings got promoted by winning USL D2 to USL D1. Well, now their travel costs just doubled (if not tripled) and player costs also increase. Now, do you think people in the area would go "Oh, we got promoted, we'll all go see them now!" No. The same crowds would show up and maybe less as advertising budget would probably get cut. The club would go deep in the red and fold in a single year.
This is why, time and again, clubs self relegate. Richmond went to the USL D1 Finals, and self-relegated to USL D2. They won more games and actually saw increase in attendance while reducing costs. The interest is simply not there to support promotion and relegation as the benefits for winning promotion do not exist right now.
Conversly if a big USL1 team- like the timbers- were relegated to 2 they would lose a lot of the fickle fanbase and struggle financially.
QUOTE(yax(mbc) @ Dec 3 2007, 08:14 PM)
Conversly if a big USL1 team- like the timbers- were relegated to 2 they would lose a lot of the fickle fanbase and struggle financially.
You have to know your fan base, hardcore fans would be driven away by relegation and casual fans wouln't show up more for promotion. Simple not there yet to support such a system.
So have teams self-promoted before for making a lot of money?
QUOTE(Olympiacos33 @ Dec 5 2007, 06:01 PM)
So have teams self-promoted before for making a lot of money?
Great question.
And the answer is telling, no. Never. Ever. Least I have never heard of or seen it happen.
So, if no club in USL has ever felt capable of making the jump it shows, to me at least, that we are not ready.
QUOTE(Olympiacos33 @ Dec 5 2007, 06:01 PM)
So have teams self-promoted before for making a lot of money?
But the Richmond Kickers did self-relegate becasue they couldn't afford the traveling even though they were one of the best USL1 teams.
QUOTE(BigKahuna @ Dec 6 2007, 08:32 PM)
But the Richmond Kickers did self-relegate becasue they couldn't afford the traveling even though they were one of the best USL1 teams.
In the short time I've closely followed USL I have seen several clubs drop down. Fact is not enough fans care about level or record for that to affect attendance.
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