So, I was a bit bored and I got to thinking about a radical change to our league structures.
What if we jettisoned the traditional premier league, championship league etc structure and went down a Champions League style approach where we draw all the teams into pots at the start of the season and then they move forward to vie for a place in a major domestic final?
By creating smaller groups at the start of the season, we give a wider range of clubs the chance to get into the top league every single season.
What if we were to use this structure to also overhaul the prize money on offer? Undoubtedly, the English Champions League final should be a big money affair, but by spreading prize money and TV money according to final placings you could see a club like Brentford pick up £13million in prize money one season and then £2.5m the next.
The FA Cup would continue for all English Clubs at all levels and remain an automatic knockout. Prize money would be increased by the FA to keep it attractive.
The League Cup would only be open to teams in League One, Two and from the Conference. However, the winners of the League Cups in England and Scotland would be granted a place in pool 4.
So, I did a draw.
I picked 48 clubs and placed them into pools according to their finish last season. I picked all the teams from the Premier League and the Championship. I threw in Celtic and Motherwell as the top two teams from last year’s Scottish Premier League, and I picked Brentford and St Johnstone as nominal winners of their respective League Cups.
THE POOLS
Pool 1 -
Manchester United
Manchester City
Chelsea
Arsenal
Tottenham Hotspur
Everton
Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion
Swansea City
West Ham United
Norwich City
Fulham
Pool 2 -
Stoke City
Southampton
Aston Villa
Newcastle United
Sunderland
Wigan Athletic
Reading
Queens Park Rangers
Cardiff City
Hull City
Watford
Brighton & Hove Albion
Pool 3 -
Crystal Palace (P)
Leicester City
Bolton Wanderers
Nottingham Forest
Charlton Athletic
Derby County
Burnley
Birmingham City
Leeds United
Ipswich Town
Celtic
Motherwell
Pool 4 -
Blackpool
Middlesbrough
Blackburn Rovers
Sheffield Wednesday
Huddersfield Town
Millwall
Barnsley
Peterborough United (R)
Wolverhampton Wanderers (R)
Bristol City (R)
Brentford
St Johnstone
THE DRAW
This is how the draw went. Teams were drawn into groups of 4 teams.
The first 2 in each group qualify for the next round, where they are drawn into two groups of 12. The top 2 play one another in the English Champions League final.
The third placed clubs in each group are drawn into a further league and the 4th placed into a further league.
The bottom 3 teams in 4th league are relegated to be replaced by the top two teams from League 1 and the top team from the Scottish Premier League.
Group 1
WBA
QPR
Motherwell
Millwall
Group 2
Swansea
Stoke
Leicester
Bristol City
Group 3
Manchester United
Brighton & Hove Albion
Bolton
Peterborough United
Group 4
Liverpool
Cardiff City
Celtic
Wolves
Group 5
Arsenal
Watford
Nottingham Forest
St Johnstone
Group 6
Fulham
Villa
Burnley
Brentford
Group 7
Man City
Reading
Derby
Blackpool
Group 8
West Ham
Southampton
Ipswich
Middlesbrough
Group 9
Chelsea
Wigan
Birmingham
Sheffield Wednesday
Group 10
Tottenham Hotspur
Sunderland
Charlton
Blackburn
Group 11
Everton
Newcastle
Leeds
Huddersfield
Group 12
Norwich City
Hull City
Crystal Palace
Barnsley
PRIZE FUND
Prize fund total is circa £1billion and incorporates a spread of existing prize money and all TV revenues.
Clubs that finished in the top 2 in the original groups will be awarded prize money according to their final placing when measured against peers. Placings are calculated according to points and then goals scored (not goal difference).
Prize money for first two leagues:
1st place - £50m (finalist winners)
2nd place - £30m (runners up)
3 – £15m
4 – 14.5
5 – 14.4
6 – 14.3
7 – 14.2
8 – 14
9 – 13.9
10 – 13.8
11 – 13.7
12 – 13.6
13 – 13.5
14 – 13.4
15 – 13.3
16 – 13.2
17 – 13.1
18 – 13.2
19 – 13.1
20 – 13
21 – 12.9
22 – 12.8
23 – 12.7
24 – 12.6
Prize money for league 3:
25 – 12.5
26 – 12
27 – 11.5
28 – 11
29 – 10.5
30 – 10
31 – 9.5
32 – 9
33 – 8.5
34 – 8
35 – 7.5
36 – 7
Prize money for league 4:
37 – 6.5
38 – 6
39 – 5.5
40 – 5
41 – 4.5
42 – 4
43 – 3.5
44 – 3
45 – 2.5
46 – 2
47 – 1.5
48 – £1m
What if we jettisoned the traditional premier league, championship league etc structure and went down a Champions League style approach where we draw all the teams into pots at the start of the season and then they move forward to vie for a place in a major domestic final?
By creating smaller groups at the start of the season, we give a wider range of clubs the chance to get into the top league every single season.
What if we were to use this structure to also overhaul the prize money on offer? Undoubtedly, the English Champions League final should be a big money affair, but by spreading prize money and TV money according to final placings you could see a club like Brentford pick up £13million in prize money one season and then £2.5m the next.
The FA Cup would continue for all English Clubs at all levels and remain an automatic knockout. Prize money would be increased by the FA to keep it attractive.
The League Cup would only be open to teams in League One, Two and from the Conference. However, the winners of the League Cups in England and Scotland would be granted a place in pool 4.
So, I did a draw.
I picked 48 clubs and placed them into pools according to their finish last season. I picked all the teams from the Premier League and the Championship. I threw in Celtic and Motherwell as the top two teams from last year’s Scottish Premier League, and I picked Brentford and St Johnstone as nominal winners of their respective League Cups.
THE POOLS
Pool 1 -
Manchester United
Manchester City
Chelsea
Arsenal
Tottenham Hotspur
Everton
Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion
Swansea City
West Ham United
Norwich City
Fulham
Pool 2 -
Stoke City
Southampton
Aston Villa
Newcastle United
Sunderland
Wigan Athletic
Reading
Queens Park Rangers
Cardiff City
Hull City
Watford
Brighton & Hove Albion
Pool 3 -
Crystal Palace (P)
Leicester City
Bolton Wanderers
Nottingham Forest
Charlton Athletic
Derby County
Burnley
Birmingham City
Leeds United
Ipswich Town
Celtic
Motherwell
Pool 4 -
Blackpool
Middlesbrough
Blackburn Rovers
Sheffield Wednesday
Huddersfield Town
Millwall
Barnsley
Peterborough United (R)
Wolverhampton Wanderers (R)
Bristol City (R)
Brentford
St Johnstone
THE DRAW
This is how the draw went. Teams were drawn into groups of 4 teams.
The first 2 in each group qualify for the next round, where they are drawn into two groups of 12. The top 2 play one another in the English Champions League final.
The third placed clubs in each group are drawn into a further league and the 4th placed into a further league.
The bottom 3 teams in 4th league are relegated to be replaced by the top two teams from League 1 and the top team from the Scottish Premier League.
Group 1
WBA
QPR
Motherwell
Millwall
Group 2
Swansea
Stoke
Leicester
Bristol City
Group 3
Manchester United
Brighton & Hove Albion
Bolton
Peterborough United
Group 4
Liverpool
Cardiff City
Celtic
Wolves
Group 5
Arsenal
Watford
Nottingham Forest
St Johnstone
Group 6
Fulham
Villa
Burnley
Brentford
Group 7
Man City
Reading
Derby
Blackpool
Group 8
West Ham
Southampton
Ipswich
Middlesbrough
Group 9
Chelsea
Wigan
Birmingham
Sheffield Wednesday
Group 10
Tottenham Hotspur
Sunderland
Charlton
Blackburn
Group 11
Everton
Newcastle
Leeds
Huddersfield
Group 12
Norwich City
Hull City
Crystal Palace
Barnsley
PRIZE FUND
Prize fund total is circa £1billion and incorporates a spread of existing prize money and all TV revenues.
Clubs that finished in the top 2 in the original groups will be awarded prize money according to their final placing when measured against peers. Placings are calculated according to points and then goals scored (not goal difference).
Prize money for first two leagues:
1st place - £50m (finalist winners)
2nd place - £30m (runners up)
3 – £15m
4 – 14.5
5 – 14.4
6 – 14.3
7 – 14.2
8 – 14
9 – 13.9
10 – 13.8
11 – 13.7
12 – 13.6
13 – 13.5
14 – 13.4
15 – 13.3
16 – 13.2
17 – 13.1
18 – 13.2
19 – 13.1
20 – 13
21 – 12.9
22 – 12.8
23 – 12.7
24 – 12.6
Prize money for league 3:
25 – 12.5
26 – 12
27 – 11.5
28 – 11
29 – 10.5
30 – 10
31 – 9.5
32 – 9
33 – 8.5
34 – 8
35 – 7.5
36 – 7
Prize money for league 4:
37 – 6.5
38 – 6
39 – 5.5
40 – 5
41 – 4.5
42 – 4
43 – 3.5
44 – 3
45 – 2.5
46 – 2
47 – 1.5
48 – £1m