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Elizabeth Beer Wow it’s pretty mean that so many get relegated in this division and div 5, when only three get relegated from the top two divisions…

Dave Robjohns Yep, it's a one-off to prepare for Div 6 to be added back in

Elizabeth Beer Well why is there not a bigger trickle down, then?

Eoin Jackson It's not mean.
It's exciting! 😁

Division 6 is being added to S34, and it ain't gonna populate itself...

Dave Robjohns There is to an extent! The top two divisions normally relegate two, to even up the sizes a little it's 3.

These two divisions are smaller in S33 anyway, and with the current relegations into S34 we'll have divisions of sizes 13, 14, 14, 14, 10 and 8, which feels about right, especially given more new joiners are typically in the bottom two divisions. I can't relegate people by 2 or 3 divisions so naturally D6 players have to all drop down from D5.

Sure, I could have added more relegation slots, but then I'd have to add more promotion slots to compensate and it would all get a bit chaotic!

Elizabeth Beer So the top divisions have always been treated preferentially, making it easier to stay there once you get there and this isn’t going to change, okey dokey. I wish I was excited

Elizabeth Beer Perhaps the whole promotions and relegations should have just been abandoned under the understanding that restructuring was going to happen based on performance this season in order to incorporate an extra division.

Dave Robjohns I'm not sure that would be any different, and at least this way, people know their outcomes and aren't surprised to be relegated?

The top divisions are such designed to feel prestigious rather than preferential, and the lower divisions are designed to allow quicker ascents as that's historically been where some players can have dramatic improvements over a few seasons. They're also far more turbulent in terms of players leaving through inactivity, so need more flexibility in numbers

Elizabeth Beer I don’t see how the lower divisions allow quicker ascents when the number of promotion places has always been less than the relegation places, often only half as many. Never mind, I already know my place, been pretty loyal to div4/5 since the start.

Dave Robjohns It's almost never half as many, I'm not sure where you get this perception from.

Unless I'm having to shift the numbers a tad, the default has been the same for a long time:
PL: 2 down
D2: 2 up, 2 down
D3: 2 up, 3 down
D4: 3 up, 3 down
D5: 3 up, 3 down
D6: 3 up.

As said, the lower divisions are a bit more turbulent in terms of joiners and leavers so there is a bit of variation from the default, but to say it's "often only half as many" is a huge exaggeration. And I leave scope for gaps to be filled by bonus promotions, as in three instances in S32.

Elizabeth Beer It is always more going down than up, I have been in this forever.

Elizabeth Beer I mean, there are sometimes “bonus promotions”, but they aren’t known about and just even out the divs or whatever

Fiona T I don't think there's a perfect system, especially when people don't play all their games. Our div 2 this time was pretty good in terms of games played, but the two players who were demoted from d1 were those who had only played a few games. If they are able to play all their games, they'll almost certainly both be promoted again. Dunno what the answer is - especially with new players joining. If you always stick them in bottom division, then no-one else gets promoted.