SK and Tournament Structure

There isn’t so much to report from our match against SK. Generally, their setter had to run too much and couldn’t really run an effective offense. We knew they would use their middles as much as possible and just tried to get as many touches as possible in the block. In the end, our passing and serving was sharper and that was the difference in the match – nothing new or particularly revolutionary.

For me, it is always an interesting experience to come back to Aarhus and play. But this time, being injured and not playing very much, it didn’t feel very much different than any other match. More information in the match report on the Marienlyst website.

I also wanted to add my thoughts on what has been a hot debate topic in the last couple of weeks – league structure.

In my mind, the most important thing to address is the number of teams. Ten is too many for two reasons. One, as has been said elsewhere, there are not enough good teams to have ten in the elite. Two, in my mind, it is vital that there is a strong and thriving first division. I can’t stress enough how much I think a strong first division is important for a strong elite.

A strong first division gives a good proving ground for elite level teams. It also ensures that when those teams come into the elite they will be ready to play at a decent level. It also makes it impossible for lower level elite teams to sit back and be happy with being in the elite. As it stands now in Denmark, there are very few teams in the first division that can realistically say they have a chance to come up into the elite. The first division is simply too weak. After Christmas when the top first division teams have to meet the bottom four elite level teams they are just not prepared for the tempo of play. And the tempo isn’t even that high. If these teams were playing against each other all season, they would be a lot stronger once it came time to play elite qualification. That would also mean that the elite teams who had to re-qualify for the elite would not be able to automatically expect that they would be back in the elite. Strong first division = stronger elite.

I think that the right amount for an elite division in Denmark is eight. Six is too few, there still has to be a certain amount of variety and flexibility in the schedule. Six, and you risk playing too many games against the same teams. Even a match between two top teams can get stale and boring if you play it too many times. Ten, as has been said is too many. I also wonder though, does the number have to be even? What about seven? Just a thought.

As far as the system goes, I would like to see a larger playoff. I think eight teams in the playoffs would be better than just four. Therefore I would advocate a system where eight teams in the elite play each other home and away. The top six move on and the bottom two play elite re-qualification. The top six play each other again home and away and are seeded one through six for the playoffs. The top two from elite-qualification fill in the last two seeds. Those eight play in the playoffs, home and away first round (like CEV cup) and then a best of three semifinals and another best of three finals. That’s around 30-32 (Possibly 35-37 if you add the Pokal) matches in the year which I think is a pretty decent amount.

From what everyone has suggested this seems like the most legitimate. But, in any case, the most important things are to cut down the number of teams in the elite, encourage more competition in the first division and to add more quality matches to the schedule.

Some other random thoughts:

I personally could care less who it is who has access to the first and elite divisions. I think that the teams that win the most matches should have the right to come up to the elite. If that means a second team from Holte with all the old stars then that is fine with me. I don’t really care how much they train or what kind of ambitions they have. If they win, let them in. I guess there is a reason why second teams aren’t allowed to move up but I don’t really know why.

I also used to like that the finals were played in pre-decided arenas with both the men and the women playing together. To me, it gave more of a feeling of an event instead of just a match. Of course it is nice to be able to play at home, but it is also fun to be a part of a bigger volleyball showcase. I also think that more could be done with a setup like that but I will perhaps write about that another day. I think the setup from two years ago was optimal, two pre-decided places: KB hallen and Viby Risskov hallen and if it was necessary to go to a third and deciding match then the team with the best record played at home.