FC Halifax Town: Wild says idea of regionalisation of lower leagues should be explored

FC Halifax Town boss Pete Wild says the idea of merging and regionalising League Two and the National League should be explored.
FC Halifax Town v Dover at The MBI Shay Stadium. Town manager Pete Wild.FC Halifax Town v Dover at The MBI Shay Stadium. Town manager Pete Wild.
FC Halifax Town v Dover at The MBI Shay Stadium. Town manager Pete Wild.

According to reports, the two divisions could merge on a regional basis to make League Two North and League Two South.

Lower league chairmen have already held early stage discussions about the proposal, according to the Mail on Sunday.

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More local derbies resulting in bigger attendances and reduced travel costs would be the main benefits in a bid to provide more sustainability for clubs.

Introducing a salary cap for leagues below the top flight has also been suggested.

”There was a big article in one of the national papers on Sunday, and I read through it,” said Wild. “It makes a lot of sense financially.

”If you add up the costs of all our overnight stays, the income from season ticket sales probably doesn’t even cover it.

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”So it’s a costly business, and for the teams in the league above, which is quite southern.

”It would be a break from the norm. People don’t like change, so would people embrace it, I don’t know.

”But in these times, and thinking differently and logically about what goes on, I think it’s got legs.

”I don’t think there’s any harm in putting it on the table, seeing what people think and gathering opinion.

”If there was ever a time to lobby it, it’s probably now.”

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Wild says the lower leagues will be impacted significantly by the coronavirus pandemic.

”You’re now looking at sponsorship deals for next season, season ticket sales, but hardly any of that money’s coming in,” he said.

”So there’s no money coming into football clubs, but they still need to run. Even if they have a skeleton staff, they still have to be paid.

”It’ll impact on budgets, on what players demand, chuck agents into that as well. I think it’s going to be a really interesting time for clubs at our level, and the couple of levels above.

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”But it might help for a more level-playing field in terms of budgets and what people can offer.

”When you look at the top seven or eight clubs at our level, in terms of budgets, are paying, it shocks me.

”Some of the salaries players are on, it gobsmacks me.

”Those top eight teams all had bigger budgets than I had at Oldham last year.

”Money’s not everything, but it means you can entice players you wouldn’t otherwise be able to get.”