How to save the FA Cup....

[TightEnd]

like any of these ideas?

http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/sport/the-fa-cup-is-dying-heres-how-to-save-it?utm_content=buffer153a7&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

1. Seeded, no draw
2. Pick your opponent
3. Cap ticket prices for teams in top two divisions
4. Punish clubs for resting players
5. Fix the semis
6. Make the final special

[Nakor]

Heard the pick your opponent idea mooted for the league cup this week.
First time I have ever heard it mentioned in a football context, quite like the idea.

Semi's back to biggest sensible (geographically speaking) available neutral ground, and the final back to 3pm on Saturday (with no other games being played) would help.

[DMorgan]

Whichever option makes the competiton matter more to the biggest clubs I think will be the most effective solution. The FA Cup still matters to the lower league teams in the competition.

Capping ticket prices for the top two divisions seems like the easiest to implement. Would packing out the grounds exert pressure on teams to play a strong side? Probably not but you can't force City to field Sterling, Aguero and De Bruyne on a rainy December evening in Yeovil and tbh the smaller clubs probably don't particularly want to play against full strength sides when they have a much better shot at pinging a replay against a weaker starting eleven.

I don't know ticket prices are for FA Cup games at premiership grounds but if they're charging the same prices as they do for league games and they're fielding a weaker product then it seems fair to cap the ticket prices

[TightEnd]

Admission prices for FA Cup games have to be agreed by both teams

45% of net gate receipts each to home and away teams, 10% to FA for prize pool etc

i know LCFC has charged £10-15 for home ties against lower division opponents

i think, especially for the third round just after Xmas, that the prospect of seeing your reserve team play is a bigger deterrent than most reasonable price points


i found the "pick your opponent" idea fascinating

[AndrewT]

The problem is too many teams who see it as an annoyance, so let them opt out.

Make entering it optional, but if you do then there is the minimum quality of team threshold (must start 6 players from previous league game rule).

Either big teams take it seriously, or they don't play (in which case it shows the thing may not be worth saving).

[Nakor]

Admission prices for FA Cup games have to be agreed by both teams

45% of net gate receipts each to home and away teams, 10% to FA for prize pool etc

i know LCFC has charged £10-15 for home ties against lower division opponents

i think, especially for the third round just after Xmas, that the prospect of seeing your reserve team play is a bigger deterrent than most reasonable price points


i found the "pick your opponent" idea fascinating

How would you do it?  Seems to be two schools of thought.
Lowest ranked team picks first, work up the list until all teams gone or
Random draw for home teams and they select opponent.

Can see TV loving either option - each club has a little war room (bit like NFL draft), working out preferred ties etc.

[TightEnd]

i suppose i would give the 32 lowest ranked sides in the 3rd round draw the choice, lowest picks first. could also give them the choice to play it home or away

interesting to see if Salford would pickaway at Man U or home to Dag and Redbridge (expect the former)

repeat for 4th round

conventional draw 5th round on

--

also include the 6+ players had to have been in the 18 for the last league game as well

--

immediately makes it more interesting

[DaveShoelace]

You have to make the Cup matter to big teams, so I'd tinker with some hybrid of 'win the FA cup and you get to either guarantee you'll escape relegation, or it's a guaranteed champions league place'. If the winner already has gtd he champions league, then runner up gets whatever the perk is. That would not only make everyone have an interest in the cup, but would also pique the interest of clubs fighting relegation/going for champions league who have been eliminated.

[Archer]

Admission prices for FA Cup games have to be agreed by both teams

45% of net gate receipts each to home and away teams, 10% to FA for prize pool etc

i know LCFC has charged £10-15 for home ties against lower division opponents

i think, especially for the third round just after Xmas, that the prospect of seeing your reserve team play is a bigger deterrent than most reasonable price points


i found the "pick your opponent" idea fascinating

In recent times City have adopted a low price for early rounds of the FA Cup. Both home games last season were priced at £15.00 for an adult and peanuts for a kid and drew capacity crowds.  By way of comparison the home game against Barcelona was £50ish depending on seat.

[david3103]

In all seriousness if the FA Cup really needs this sort of gimmickry to make it 'interesting' then it's already beyond saving.

Happily I don't believe it does. The fact that some clubs choose to prioritise other competitions is an issue on occasion (Southampton last season comes to mind)but that is their loss, not the FA Cup's.

Return the Final to it's rightful place as a game played on a distinctly FA Cup Saturday, and return the SemiFinals to provincial grounds and we're all good IMHO

Having a strictly Knockout format European Cup Winner's Cup would be nice too.

[DaveShoelace]

TBH one way to sex up the FA Cup would be to get rid of the League Cup. Most teams have something to play for in the league and one cup competition is a pain, two is a real chore.

[bagel]

In all seriousness if the FA Cup really needs this sort of gimmickry to make it 'interesting' then it's already beyond saving.

Happily I don't believe it does. The fact that some clubs choose to prioritise other competitions is an issue on occasion (Southampton last season comes to mind)but that is their loss, not the FA Cup's.

Return the Final to it's rightful place as a game played on a distinctly FA Cup Saturday, and return the SemiFinals to provincial grounds and we're all good IMHO

Having a strictly Knockout format European Cup Winner's Cup would be nice too.

agree with all of this.

might as well just have a raffle to choose the winner if we are going to start picking teams.

i do like the idea of having to pick 6 players from your  last league match though.

[DungBeetle]

i suppose i would give the 32 lowest ranked sides in the 3rd round draw the choice, lowest picks first. could also give them the choice to play it home or away

interesting to see if Salford would pickaway at Man U or home to Dag and Redbridge (expect the former)

repeat for 4th round

conventional draw 5th round on

--

also include the 6+ players had to have been in the 18 for the last league game as well

--

immediately makes it more interesting

This draw idea would be good for the first year but year on year you'd find the draw would always look the same?  Biggest teams at home to minnows.  Championship teams playing each other or lower ranked premier teams.  And Stoke shall play West Brom.

[Skippy]

You can't force people to try, even if you want to force people to play the same number of players etc.

I think champion's league place to the winner is the best way, but I can't see it happening.

[Graham C]

Champs League spot for the winner is a good idea.  Personally I don't like that you can finish 3rd or 4th and end up in a Champions League, seems illogical to me.    Give the 3rd PL CL spot to the FA Cup winner and the 4th PL CL slot to the League Cup winner.  Make both cups interesting again.