South Wales Premier League
Qualifying event 2005
From previous conversations I understand
that Abergavenny and Barry are considering joining the SWPL for the 2005-2006
season.
There will probably be some sort of "qualifying event" in July. How
many teams are involved, and how many places will be available, will depend on
(a) whether the SWPL expands to eight teams for next season, (b) whether White
Knights (who finished in 6th place) decide to defend their place in the SWPL,
and (c) whether another team (Morriston, or one from Dyfed) decides that they
want to enter. It is even possible, under certain circumstances, that a
qualifying event will be totally unnecessary.
All of the teams who played in the SWPL last season have been sent a
questionnaire so that I can gauge opinion on several possible rule changes, so
we won't know exactly what next season's rules will be for a month or so. I
would like to ask your opinions too but (1) it's not certain as yet that any of
you will actually be playing in the SWPL next season, and (2) those who have
already played in the SWPL will probably better understand the problems.
Continuing the tradition of my inventing SWPL rules, as the situation demands, I
have been worrying about who is "eligible" to play for teams, either
trying to get in or trying to stay in the SWPL, in the SWPL qualifying
competition to be held later in the summer.
In order to avoid my being prematurely lynched, let me point out now that these
rules will not apply to the 2004-2005 season and the 2005 qualifying
event.
I feel that there might be a few objections if, for example, Mark Adams and
Richard Miles ...
a) played in every Monmouth SWPL match in the 2004-2005 season, then
b) played in every match for Abergavenny in the 2005 qualifying event, then
c) played in every Monmouth SWPL match in the 2005-2006 season.
... and continued to do so every year.
On the other hand, I think it would be totally unfair to prevent Robert Taylor
from playing for Newport, in such a qualifying event, just because he had played
once for Monmouth in the previous season. I have nothing against people playing
as much chess as possible but I feel that they should, to a certain extent, nail
their colours to one mast or the other.
The most sensible compromise that I can produce is ...
No
player who plays in half, or more, of the available matches in any SWPL season
can represent a different club in the qualifying event which follows.
Similarly, no player who represents a club in a qualifying event may represent a
different club, in the following SWPL season, in more than half of the matches.
I have already said that these rules do not apply to this past season and
this summer's qualifying event but, for sake of an example, let's suppose that
they did.
The 2004-2005 SWPL consisted of 5 rounds, so the maximum number of matches, for
any player intending to play for a different team in the qualifying event, would
be two. This would mean that Mark Adams (3 games for Monmouth) could not play
for Abergavenny in the qualifying event, but Richard Miles (2 games for
Monmouth) could do so. Robert Taylor (1 game for Monmouth) could play also for
Newport (or for Abergavenny!) in the qualifying event.
Note that this rule will apply to the 2005 qualifying event and the next
(2005-2006) SWPL season so: anybody who plays for any team in the 2005
qualifying event will be restricted, if he plays for a different team, to two
games (or 3 games if we expand to eight teams) in the 2005-2006 season.