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New League Structure for 2013/14

  • 19/10/13
  • By Jon Whittingham
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The League Committee have agreed a new league structure for the 2013/14 season to further the development of blind Futsal.

The National Blind League will re-commence on Saturday 26 October 2013 where the changes will be fully introduced.

The competition format has been altered to consist of a 3 team competitive league with a new, and separate, player development structure sitting underneath. The rationale for the changes has been taken from a consultation process with a number of key partners within the league to facilitate the development of players and competition in the game.

Previously, the league consisted of 6 teams however the competition structure was continually disrupted by sides being unable to field full strength sides due to low player numbers within each squad. The move to a 3 team structure will address this issue by allocating players to a team for the season to form a wider squad base to choose from and ensure players who take part in the competition element of the league are being introduced appropriate to their current development.

A new aspect for this season sees the introduction of a development setup to sit below the competition element. This will see all players involved in both league teams and Blind Player Development Centres' who are not currently ready to take part in the league competition, led on development coaching sessions and games to provide a more appropriate pathway towards the league games.

These sessions will take place alongside the league fixtures and the intention is to move players from the development sessions into the league teams as the season progresses.

These changes represent a significant shift and focus in developing blind Futsal players for the league. The League Committee believe that this will provide a more appropriate and suitable environment for all concerned within the game moving forwards.

Player allocations for the 3 league sides will be announced separately for the season.