What is the incentive?

This is a great podcast from "The Coaching Journey" and John Pranjic that touches on a lot of great topics... including an Open Pyramid in the United States.

Lets play a game of "What if???"

A few months back Jon Townsend and myself had a nice discussion on twitter about what you could do with $100,000,000 in the US to build a soccer club.

He had written a great hypothetical piece called "The Cost of $100 Million" where he lays out a fictitious plan for a club with a budget that amounts to the cost of just the initial MLS franchise fee outlay for NYCFC.

With the recent discussion about a NASL/NPSL merger I thought today would be a great day to bring this subject back up...

What would you do with $100 million dollars in an alternate pyramid in the United States?

First lets snap our fingers and make up some pyramid ground rules and go from there.

NASL - National 20 team league w/ 10,000 seat stadium requirement
NASL2 - Two 20 team  (East/West) Regions w/ 5,000 seat stadiums
NPSL - Eight 16 team regional Leagues  w/ 2,500 seat stadiums
NPSL2 - 16 Regional Leagues consisting of 16 teams each (USASA Amateur Leagues)

Since today is the first day of this hypothetical pyramid....  you can still get in to NPSL without having to be promoted out of the future amateur NPSL2 division.

So what would you do????


Would you build a stadium first? Bonney Field where the Sacramento Republic plays holds 11,500 and cost $3m to build and $1.5m to expand for a total of $4.5 million. Would you refurbish an older stadium like St Louis FC did with their $1.5m expenditure at 5,500 seat World Wide Technology Park? Maybe even spend $16.5m on a state of the art expandable 8,300 seat stadium like Kennesaw State did? Rent something that already exists and save the money for something else?

Do you go after a big name Coach and/or Technical Director at $5 million + per season?

Big name player signings?

Do you start an Academy straight away?

Build a great front office?


Let us know what you would do in the comments!

NASL and NPSL both talk potential merger that will create an alternate pyramid for US soccer

This conversation has happened on social media a million times... "Why don't the leagues that want it just go ahead and start doing it and let the marketplace decide?"

Well Bill Peterson of the NASL spoke up... 

Bill Peterson is a man on a mission.

The commissioner of the North American Soccer League is determined to bring promotion and relegation to the game in North America and nothing will stop him in his tracks - not even fierce resistance from Major League Soccer.

READ ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE

 and so did NPSL Chairman Joe Barone...

Joe Barone, the chairman of the National Premier Soccer League, has revealed he wants a merger with the NASL to kickstart promotion and relegation in North America.

North American Soccer League commissioner Bill Peterson said earlier this week that he would like to begin discussions between the two leagues to help build a pyramid system.

"Maybe we've got to start to look at aligning with other leagues to start put the pieces in place," Peterson told the Telegraph.
 

"There's different ways to do this but you have to identify existing organizations like the NPSL or other leagues in this country that have an interest [in promotion and relegation] and then start to figure out where you're going to go."

Barone, however, has revealed that he has already had lengthy discussions with Peterson over the matter and plans to speak to him over the next few months to formulate a plan to make promotion and relegation a reality.

READ ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE


A direct promotion from NPSL to NASL is not going to be financially feasible TODAY... the 5 year timeline discussed in the interviews are to allow for the change that is obviously going to be needed by the NPSL to allow for promotion viable clubs to exist.

What do you think the needed changes are going to be?

A new intermediary regional division between the two leagues that directly competes against USL at a "3rd Division" level? One where this NASL/NPSL merged league tries to court existing independent (Non-MLS aligned) clubs to move to and strengthen the new pyramid?

A move for the "4th division" club season structure to a "full season" from the summer long "short season" they currently employ allowing for more market penetration by the clubs? Many clubs find it hard to make ends meet with only 6-8 home games...

Active recruitment of PDL clubs with larger aspirations?

Inclusion of interested USASA "Elite" leagues below the NPSL level as feeders for their regional system?

FIFA lawsuit the day the first Promotion and Relegation eason starts based on the "Sporting Merit" clause in FIFA bylaws?


Obviously there are lots of questions that will need to be worked out before the system could be announced... but I for one am happy the answers are being discussed.