Welcome to the New and Improved (again) Adult League

2012 embraces a reoccurring theme in Asheville's adult soccer league: change. The double-roster rule last year was abused, to say the least and as a result double rostering has been eliminated in order to protect our new promotion/relegation structure (among other reasons). So is this change significant? Positive? Meddlesome?

First, we have to look at the fact that although some teams did have more than the 2 double-rostered players that the "spirit" of the rule allowed, the overall league play was pretty even. Perhaps some folks did not get the chance to put Watershed to the sword as they had always dreamed or perform a Magua-esque heart surgery on Wizards (Last of the Mohcians?) but that probably wasn't in the cards either way.

The two major issues at play are the amount of soccer that junkies (I'm looking at you) are able to play (and the subsequent $ generated for the league) and weather or not double rostering will negatively impact the ability for teams to promote if they win the league.

My thoughts? Is promotion/relegation that important? Perhaps, but it always seems that the promoted teams don't wanna go. In the EPL teams get millions of dollars when promoted, in Asheville? Look forward to having the Wizards go unmerciful on you a mad down. If we want to keep promotion (do we?) perhaps a registration discount should accompany promotion.

Really, this is all mute until all the open leagues can play on the same day and that won't happen until we are saying words like "JBL 5" or "Buncombe County Turf", but I'll get to that next time.