Monday 15 February 2010

Change the Rules! (No. 4) - Sweet FA (Cup)

Lots of talk this past weekend about the Football Association needing to revamp the FA Cup. The solution to reviving interest in the competition is simple: when the draw is made, the team which is lowest in the football pyramid at that moment should automatically be designated the home side. This would increase the potential for upsets - which, after all, is where the main interest in the competition really lies. A non-league or lower-league team at home to, say, Chelsea, is always going to be of far greater interest than if the fixture was at Stamford Bridge (where the outcome is usually pretty much pre-determined - no non-league side has ever knocked out a top flight club away from home, and it's pretty rare for a lower league side to achieve this feat). Plus, it would be a far greater achievement for a team like Chelsea to win the competition, having to play most if not all of their fixtures on the road. And we certainly wouldn't have to wait another 30 (or more) years for a team from outside the top division to win the trophy.