Yalay

The last couple years it was initially scheduled for the same season, but each year it was inevitably postponed to the next season.

Aye, which is why they have been almost uniformly eliminated. The real problem is with the arbitrary nature of the penalty shoot-out. When the alternative was a coin toss, PKs were an improvement. But FIFA and the worldwide football community can surely devise a superior replacement, such as extra time with the removal of some players.

Agreed, but replays are on their way out everywhere. The only competition in the whole world I'm aware of which still uses them is the English FA Cup. The FA Trophy and FA Vase abolished replays in the last few years, and even the FA Cup has eliminated them from the fifth round on, with persistent calls to remove from from the third and fourth rounds as well.

Unsurprisingly, replays are now completely abolished. The end of an era.

The EoSFL fixtures have no mention of the 2023-24 cup. Have we finally given up the pretense of the city cup happening in the same season as the qualifying cup?

As others have noted, the problem at this level is not that there are too many fixtures, but rather that certain clubs have too many fixtures. A club participating in the SRCC can play as little as one match or as many as nine. The Junior Cup can go up to eight matches this year (six for licensed clubs). The WoSFL League cup as many as seven. A simple solution is to take cues from higher up in the pyramid and elsewhere in the world and let strong clubs enter later in the competition. For example, a very simple change to the WoSFL League Cup would be to have the first round comprise of those in the third and fourth divisions, rather than the 32 who lose the draw. You could go a step further by having only the second division enter in the second round, then only the first division enter in the third round, until the premier division enters in the fourth round (round of 32). That gives premier division clubs two fewer potential matches than under the current formula. Something similar could happen with the SRCC. Using league placement to determine starting rounds would be tricky given the setup, but one option would be to let clubs who reach the previous year's round of 32 start the next year in the round of 64, with other clubs entering in earlier rounds the worse they did in the previous year's cup.

I will assume you have never put together a fixture list before. Let me assure you that it is far more difficult and tedious than it may appear from the outside. Multiply by five for the WoSFL and it's a mountain of thankless work. Inevitably you cannot satisfy everyone's wishes, and the only feedback you will ever receive is criticism.

Wouldn't that be just 13 byes? I count 14 clubs participating in both the junior and senior cups: Auchinleck Talbot Beith Juniors Benburb Carluke Rovers Carnoustie Panmure Culter Cumnock Juniors Darvel Glenafton Athletic Irvine Meadow XI Lochee United Pollok Rutherglen Glencairn Tayport It seems a preliminary round will be required.

The LL rules don't allow for any possibility of two promotions in a single year. So it would be no relegation, unless the LL receives a relegated club from the SPFL without promoting one in return, in which case one club would be relegated.

I don't fault the WoSFL for not wanting to exceed 80 clubs. But now that the league is in the enviable position of having more qualified applicants than there are positions available, it is time to negotiate a promotion/relegation agreement with the Amateurs.

I’m curious to know what everyone would prefer if you had to choose: 1. This conference league monstrosity 2. No conference league, but B teams are allowed to enter at the bottom of the pyramid and can earn promotion all the way up to SPFL1 If the B teams absolutely cannot be kept out, then I prefer option 2.

If Abbey Vale wins the championship, as seems likely, and Creetown attains SFA membership, the Alba Cup will be very lonely next season with just five participants (six if Glasgow Wellington is approved).

The Lowland League already has automatic relegation. Are you talking about the rare possibility where if the LL has a net loss to the SPFL then no club is relegated? Or did you mean to say increasing promotion to the LL to more than 1 place?

Probably 11, assuming Linlithgow Rose win promotion.

At this point, is it safe to assume that the 2022-23 East of Scotland Cup will once again be postponed to next season?