The academy system is worthless anyway for the most part.
This system would be great but footy doesn't care for the small fish and just wants uber clubs competing while the rest make up the numbers, its a dreadful set up currently in truth but most fans won't care as they are just glory hunting spineless cants.
Really cannot see how a draft system would work.
Who are the players in the draft?
Sounds like you are talking about PL teams only. So if I was the top player in the draft pool why wouldn't I just sign for a foreign club rather than go to Southampton?
The only way a draft would work in football is if you had a Super League or franchise league where players make themselves available from the traditional domestic leagues and go into a draft.
Not really sure on Cinci's points. The English league alone supports far more professional clubs than most sports have in total.
My point is fairly clear, English footy is effectively a closed shop. 92 pro clubs but only 5 that can actually win anything 90% of the time. Siphoning some money down doesn't change that fact.
Yeah, I guess when you see PL teams cheat their way to victory over little Blackburn in the FA Cup it does make you sick to the stomach.
Trades wouldn’t work. In the U.S. player contracts are with the league not with the team (or franchise). This is why they can be traded at will to any other team and most of the time there’s nothing the player can do about it.
In football player contracts are with the club which means they will only leave if they are in agreement. This makes trading so much more complicated than individual purchase and sale transactions.
Drafts obviously wouldn’t work for a whole raft of reasons.
We don’t need to turn football into an American sport, it works fine the way it is.
“Most other sports in the world use this system”
No they don’t. Apart from a few, localised exceptions in cricket, draft systems are barely used outside North America.
Not entirely sure how the draft system works but wouldn't this ruin youth academies in football and therefore decrease the quality of players and the pool of top players?
Unless of course you then adopt this college system the US have.
After that we could adopt the American flag and have Trump as president.
Then change the rules so we can use our hands and wear body armour.
Yep, sounds like a great idea.
Who would be responsible (and pay for) player development up until draft age?
What would the draft age be, and how would players under that age work with clubs (or would we never again see a sub-18 year-old player play a professional match) ?
Which clubs would be involved in the draft system?
What about players who wanted to shift between countries? Why would younger English players want to stay in the country and why would young foreign talent want to develop their games in England?
Why would the players agree to collective bargaining agreements which would provide a legal basis for a draft?
Why would English clubs, or the FA for that matter, even consider the idea when it would knacker development in the English game and make it, first from a sporting perspective and in time from an economic perspective, uncompetitive with its European counterparts?
comment by Cinciwolf-----JA606 NFL fantasy champ 2023 (U11551)
posted 7 hours, 16 minutes ago
The academy system is worthless anyway for the most part.
This system would be great but footy doesn't care for the small fish and just wants uber clubs competing while the rest make up the numbers, its a dreadful set up currently in truth but most fans won't care as they are just glory hunting spineless cants.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Say's the Woloves supporting Real Madrid fan???
comment by RRRU-ben a-moo-REENG (U17054)
posted 1 hour, 27 minutes ago
“Most other sports in the world use this system”
No they don’t. Apart from a few, localised exceptions in cricket, draft systems are barely used outside North America.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s done in AFL which is one of the best sporting examples of fairness in how it’s all ran
comment by Robb #456 (U22716)
posted 3 minutes ago
comment by RRRU-ben a-moo-REENG (U17054)
posted 1 hour, 27 minutes ago
“Most other sports in the world use this system”
No they don’t. Apart from a few, localised exceptions in cricket, draft systems are barely used outside North America.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s done in AFL which is one of the best sporting examples of fairness in how it’s all ran
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes it's works great for these smaller one country sports but football is a massive global sport and has prospered for 150 years.
comment by Robb #456 (U22716)
posted 5 minutes ago
comment by RRRU-ben a-moo-REENG (U17054)
posted 1 hour, 27 minutes ago
“Most other sports in the world use this system”
No they don’t. Apart from a few, localised exceptions in cricket, draft systems are barely used outside North America.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s done in AFL which is one of the best sporting examples of fairness in how it’s all ran
----------------------------------------------------------------------
One of that very small handful of localised exceptions, and obviously relatively easily implemented when AFL is a closed shop which doesn’t have any international competition.
How would salaries and contracts work in a draft instance?
Say Mbappe got his draft from PSG to Madrid, but doesn't agree personal terms, what then?
Could players still run down contracts under a Bosman type ruling?
comment by RRRU-ben a-moo-REENG (U17054)
posted 1 hour, 38 minutes ago
comment by Robb #456 (U22716)
posted 5 minutes ago
comment by RRRU-ben a-moo-REENG (U17054)
posted 1 hour, 27 minutes ago
“Most other sports in the world use this system”
No they don’t. Apart from a few, localised exceptions in cricket, draft systems are barely used outside North America.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s done in AFL which is one of the best sporting examples of fairness in how it’s all ran
----------------------------------------------------------------------
One of that very small handful of localised exceptions, and obviously relatively easily implemented when AFL is a closed shop which doesn’t have any international competition.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh I agree and don’t doubt doubt for a second how hard it would be to do in something like soccer. It’s just done so well in AFL that it would be great in theory if it could somehow be done in pro soccer. But probably impossible unless there was some super league dedicated to ripping things up and starting again.
It’s a terrible idea. I don’t know why people think it would be remotely feasible either. The draft trade system only works in unique circumstances, one that football doesn’t live in, and why so few sports use it. Not sure where the OP got most from.
comment by Cinciwolf-----JA606 NFL fantasy champ 2023 (U11551)
posted 10 hours, 1 minute ago
The academy system is worthless anyway for the most part.
This system would be great but footy doesn't care for the small fish and just wants uber clubs competing while the rest make up the numbers, its a dreadful set up currently in truth but most fans won't care as they are just glory hunting spineless cants.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Not wrong
Bad & unworkable idea.
As for the solution to the debt issue: deploy rigorous systems and highly qualified specialists to maximise return on investment, and don't spend far more than you can afford. As for lower down the pyramid, the solution is structural reform that diverts more of the obscene wealth generated by football to the grassroots. There would be no place for smaller clubs in a draft system, other than perhaps as nurseries for youth players to supply the closed shop of big teams.
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Should football adopt a draft/trade system?
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posted on 11/2/25
The academy system is worthless anyway for the most part.
This system would be great but footy doesn't care for the small fish and just wants uber clubs competing while the rest make up the numbers, its a dreadful set up currently in truth but most fans won't care as they are just glory hunting spineless cants.
posted on 11/2/25
Really cannot see how a draft system would work.
Who are the players in the draft?
Sounds like you are talking about PL teams only. So if I was the top player in the draft pool why wouldn't I just sign for a foreign club rather than go to Southampton?
The only way a draft would work in football is if you had a Super League or franchise league where players make themselves available from the traditional domestic leagues and go into a draft.
Not really sure on Cinci's points. The English league alone supports far more professional clubs than most sports have in total.
posted on 11/2/25
My point is fairly clear, English footy is effectively a closed shop. 92 pro clubs but only 5 that can actually win anything 90% of the time. Siphoning some money down doesn't change that fact.
posted on 11/2/25
Yeah, I guess when you see PL teams cheat their way to victory over little Blackburn in the FA Cup it does make you sick to the stomach.
posted on 11/2/25
Trades wouldn’t work. In the U.S. player contracts are with the league not with the team (or franchise). This is why they can be traded at will to any other team and most of the time there’s nothing the player can do about it.
In football player contracts are with the club which means they will only leave if they are in agreement. This makes trading so much more complicated than individual purchase and sale transactions.
Drafts obviously wouldn’t work for a whole raft of reasons.
We don’t need to turn football into an American sport, it works fine the way it is.
posted on 11/2/25
“Most other sports in the world use this system”
No they don’t. Apart from a few, localised exceptions in cricket, draft systems are barely used outside North America.
posted on 11/2/25
Not entirely sure how the draft system works but wouldn't this ruin youth academies in football and therefore decrease the quality of players and the pool of top players?
Unless of course you then adopt this college system the US have.
After that we could adopt the American flag and have Trump as president.
Then change the rules so we can use our hands and wear body armour.
Yep, sounds like a great idea.
posted on 11/2/25
Who would be responsible (and pay for) player development up until draft age?
What would the draft age be, and how would players under that age work with clubs (or would we never again see a sub-18 year-old player play a professional match) ?
Which clubs would be involved in the draft system?
What about players who wanted to shift between countries? Why would younger English players want to stay in the country and why would young foreign talent want to develop their games in England?
Why would the players agree to collective bargaining agreements which would provide a legal basis for a draft?
Why would English clubs, or the FA for that matter, even consider the idea when it would knacker development in the English game and make it, first from a sporting perspective and in time from an economic perspective, uncompetitive with its European counterparts?
posted on 11/2/25
comment by Cinciwolf-----JA606 NFL fantasy champ 2023 (U11551)
posted 7 hours, 16 minutes ago
The academy system is worthless anyway for the most part.
This system would be great but footy doesn't care for the small fish and just wants uber clubs competing while the rest make up the numbers, its a dreadful set up currently in truth but most fans won't care as they are just glory hunting spineless cants.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Say's the Woloves supporting Real Madrid fan???
posted on 11/2/25
comment by RRRU-ben a-moo-REENG (U17054)
posted 1 hour, 27 minutes ago
“Most other sports in the world use this system”
No they don’t. Apart from a few, localised exceptions in cricket, draft systems are barely used outside North America.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s done in AFL which is one of the best sporting examples of fairness in how it’s all ran
posted on 11/2/25
*run
posted on 11/2/25
comment by Robb #456 (U22716)
posted 3 minutes ago
comment by RRRU-ben a-moo-REENG (U17054)
posted 1 hour, 27 minutes ago
“Most other sports in the world use this system”
No they don’t. Apart from a few, localised exceptions in cricket, draft systems are barely used outside North America.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s done in AFL which is one of the best sporting examples of fairness in how it’s all ran
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes it's works great for these smaller one country sports but football is a massive global sport and has prospered for 150 years.
posted on 11/2/25
comment by Robb #456 (U22716)
posted 5 minutes ago
comment by RRRU-ben a-moo-REENG (U17054)
posted 1 hour, 27 minutes ago
“Most other sports in the world use this system”
No they don’t. Apart from a few, localised exceptions in cricket, draft systems are barely used outside North America.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s done in AFL which is one of the best sporting examples of fairness in how it’s all ran
----------------------------------------------------------------------
One of that very small handful of localised exceptions, and obviously relatively easily implemented when AFL is a closed shop which doesn’t have any international competition.
posted on 11/2/25
How would salaries and contracts work in a draft instance?
Say Mbappe got his draft from PSG to Madrid, but doesn't agree personal terms, what then?
Could players still run down contracts under a Bosman type ruling?
posted on 11/2/25
comment by RRRU-ben a-moo-REENG (U17054)
posted 1 hour, 38 minutes ago
comment by Robb #456 (U22716)
posted 5 minutes ago
comment by RRRU-ben a-moo-REENG (U17054)
posted 1 hour, 27 minutes ago
“Most other sports in the world use this system”
No they don’t. Apart from a few, localised exceptions in cricket, draft systems are barely used outside North America.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s done in AFL which is one of the best sporting examples of fairness in how it’s all ran
----------------------------------------------------------------------
One of that very small handful of localised exceptions, and obviously relatively easily implemented when AFL is a closed shop which doesn’t have any international competition.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh I agree and don’t doubt doubt for a second how hard it would be to do in something like soccer. It’s just done so well in AFL that it would be great in theory if it could somehow be done in pro soccer. But probably impossible unless there was some super league dedicated to ripping things up and starting again.
posted on 11/2/25
It’s a terrible idea. I don’t know why people think it would be remotely feasible either. The draft trade system only works in unique circumstances, one that football doesn’t live in, and why so few sports use it. Not sure where the OP got most from.
posted on 11/2/25
comment by Cinciwolf-----JA606 NFL fantasy champ 2023 (U11551)
posted 10 hours, 1 minute ago
The academy system is worthless anyway for the most part.
This system would be great but footy doesn't care for the small fish and just wants uber clubs competing while the rest make up the numbers, its a dreadful set up currently in truth but most fans won't care as they are just glory hunting spineless cants.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Not wrong
posted on 11/2/25
Bad & unworkable idea.
As for the solution to the debt issue: deploy rigorous systems and highly qualified specialists to maximise return on investment, and don't spend far more than you can afford. As for lower down the pyramid, the solution is structural reform that diverts more of the obscene wealth generated by football to the grassroots. There would be no place for smaller clubs in a draft system, other than perhaps as nurseries for youth players to supply the closed shop of big teams.
Page 1 of 1