With the league meeting just around the corner, if you haven’t made your hotel reservations for January 17th, NOW is the time. For the $75.00 room rate, call (208) 238-4800 and tell them you’re with the RMFL. If they ask, the booking ID for the discount is #893. Please get your room reserved as soon as possible—thanks!
In preparation for the league meeting, I also wanted to update you on a couple of topics. First, the new teams that have applied to the RMFL for 2014 are: Logan Stampede, Missoula Thunder, & Laurel Locos. We have given the Flathead Monsters (previously Glacier Knights) a list of requirements and a deadline of Jan. 1st to meet those criteria.
The other topic of discussion is the AA/AAA split. This is always a hot topic for discussion and has been every year since I’ve been involved with the league administration. My goal is to present two options at the league meeting for voting. After what happened last year with the re-vote, the last thing I want is to spend 3 hours Friday night as everyone presents their idea of how the league should be structured. While neither option is perfect for all teams, I believe the options outlined below are fair. As you look through these options, if you have suggestions, please contact me over the next couple of weeks. I will preface those discussions by saying that I believe we have as much information as possible on the whole league; I’m not interested in trying to satisfy individual teams’ needs if it doesn’t better the league as a whole. If there is one lesson I’ve learned in the last twelve months, it’s that I can’t make everyone happy.
Proposal 1: We add at least 3 of the final four AA playoff teams from last year (Generals, Matadors, Bulldawgs, Gladiators). We need three of these teams to move up to satisfy the motion of having at least 8 teams in AAA; we could require all four. Obviously, the Generals are a given. If we went strictly by 2013 results, the Gladiators would be the next candidate. If we want to take travel into account, we could consider excluding the Gladiators from this list and take the other three. Regardless of which teams move up, we will try and make their schedule as accommodating as possible (like we tried to do for the Gladiators in 2012).
Proposal 2: The second option is certainly a more substantial change to the league structure, but frankly would be my personal choice (if I had a vote). This proposal would move all of the AA playoff teams from last year up to the AAA (Cobras, Sting, Generals, Matadors, Bulldawgs, Arco, Gladiators, & Bullets). In addition to these teams, we would also include the new teams (Stampede, Thunder, & Locos) to give us a 16 team AAA. This would leave us a AA of Vipers, Oilers, Vikings, Mustangs, Lancers, Guardians, Warriors, Diggers, and maybe the Snow Devils (we don’t know for sure if the Snow Devils will be back) and the Monsters.
In the AAA, we would have four four-team divisions including two in Utah, one in Idaho, and one in Montana. Teams in each division would be ranked 1-4 based on how they finished last year. Teams would play each team in their division once and their division “rival” (#1 vs. #2 and #3 vs. #4) twice. Then each team would play the other same ranked seeds from each division (Rebels would play the Stealth, Generals, Gladiators). For the final game, the teams would play their “rival” (#1 vs. #2 and #3 vs. #4) from the next closest division (Utah vs. Utah, Idaho vs. Montana).
For playoffs, we would take the top ranked 6 teams (one from each division and two wildcards) and they would form the AAA playoffs. The next 6 teams would form the 2nd tier of playoffs. What I like best about this format is that almost everyone has the opportunity for one or two games vs. teams from last year’s AAA, but 1) none of the new teams are forced to play all 8 games vs. those teams, and 2) the new teams moving up still have a chance at a Championship.
In the AA, depending on what happens with the Snow Devils and Monsters , teams would have two games against their closest geographic rivals , and then one game vs. the other teams in AA. For playoffs, we could take the top 4 or 6 teams—depending on what these teams decided.
After 2014, the AA Champions would move up and the bottom AAA team could move down. I believe this proposal best outlines the fact that we really have three levels of teams in the RMFL. Except for the Oilers beating the Sting last year, not one of the AA teams in this format beat one of the AAA teams. This proposal gives more teams the ability to play for a Championship and helps bridge the competition between the current AA/AAA structure.
I realize this option involves more travel. Frankly, I think what separates us from a “rec league” or a “city league” is the ability to travel to other states. I know this puts additional financial stress on you; but, I believe it’s a fundamental part of what makes the RMFL unique and attractive to players and adds legitimacy to our league. We will incorporate the Stars & Stripes Academy (SASA) again this year and they have promised us more money for league games, so that will help some to 1) offset field & officials costs for the Utah teams, and 2) pay for some of the travel for those teams coming to SLC to play in those games.
PLEASE give me a call with your thoughts before we get to the league meeting. I look forward to seeing you all in a couple of weeks.
It makes AAA the better league and gives motivation for teams to want to play up.
The scheduling makes for everyone to have a good opportunity to win games. I don't think anyone will end up undefeated or with zero wins with that format which will help in parity and it also gives most everyone a chance to play the top teams.
Hopefully the GM's can see the advantages of this proposal and not worry as much over if they can go undefeated and beat teams by 6 or 7 scores most weeks.
