Dear Members,
At the end of March 2011 a formal meeting was held in the SVA Offices to look at the way the SVA calendar is structured and managed. The issue is that there has been a significant increase in Scottish Volleyball activities across a range of programmes, which in turn puts a great deal of pressure on the calendar dates that are available. The increased pressure is a positive sign of the health of Scottish Volleyball, and the success of the ‘Bigger, Better Stronger’ strategic plan.
One of the measures that was proposed to release the pressure on the very full calendar, was to contain the Division I Championship play off series within a tighter time frame. At present the DI Championship is decided over a ‘best of three match’ play off series. The relegation/promotion issues for the bottom of DI and the other divisions is decided over an aggregate score of the ‘home and away’ matches. A previous attempt to change the DI series and make the sequence the same for all Divisions was not generally supported, as the ‘high drama’ of the third match was thought to be more appropriate for the finals of the Championship.
One solution that was proposed at the March meeting was to introduce the ‘Golden Set’. The Golden Set is a tie-breaker devise introduced to all European competitions this season by the CEV. It means that where a two match series is tied at one game each, another 15 point set (a Golden Set) would be played to decide the outcome. High drama? The highest!
There are clearly both advantages and disadvantages with this proposal, and the point of this consultation exercise is to invite you to participate in the discussions by contributing your opinion. The value of ‘being at home’ for the second tie of the series, and therefore the subsequent Golden Set if required, would mean that the team that finishes in the higher place in the regular season would be given this option. So your thoughts are requested on the following;
· Should we introduce the Golden Set to the DI championship?
· Should we introduce the Golden Set in all divisions?
· Would the introduction help to develop the performance standards?
· If not the Golden Set then what other format to relieve the pressure on the calendar would you suggest?
· Do you want to continue with the “status quo?”
If adopted the Golden Set rule would free up an additional two weekends in the SVA calendar, which is a significant step. If adopted the Golden Set rule would produce a guaranteed ‘Championship Winning’ date, which opens up several other possibilities for the participating teams and the SVA.
You can send your feedback to me here at the SVA Office, or consult within your own Club and then be part of a Club response. Either way I would thank you for your involvement in this process. Please ensure however that any responses you wish to make are received by Thursday 30th June 2011.
Kind regards
Margaret Ann Fleming
CEO Scottish Volleyball Association
June 14th 2011