Crikey, that made for some interesting reading!
Whilst I appreciate my comments are going to be somewhat, I imagine, "predictable" as I play for one of, if not the largest team here goes...
Firstly, like others, I absolutely applaud APAT's efforts to shake things up and the constant effort to try and make things work for everyone. I am sure it"s an impossible job to keep everyone happy but the work that goes into trying to achieve this is really appreciated.
I agree with those that have said they like the current format. I was introduced to APAT by a family member and then once I had posted, approached by Waz who asked if I would join the team. From this, I made my first live event....and the rest....
This team "camaraderie" is, for me, one of if not the biggest appeal of APAT. The Luton home game in October was great and to have that "team" feel DOES make a difference.
I know there are teams that have tried endlessly to recruit and just haven"t been able to, but I do feel that the tireless efforts of those who HAVE managed to actively recruit over the past few seasons are somewhat sidelined in favour of teams that have not been able to.
I think the answer has to be a combination of all the suggestions....I like the idea of keeping "regional" teams but capping the number...
What if we went a step further and said a team could have no more than 10 players, before being required to add a Team B to the lowest division. <----this definitely sounds like a winner. And for all those with less than 10 registered/regular players...they could have the option of "teaming up" with another team that could subsequently split.
I think it would be a shame to lose the regional/team feel, however, like most I will play all the league games that I can regardless of the decision made