Football commentary: Should YAIAA adopt a European soccer-style system of promotion, relegation?

A couple of weeks before the start of the high school football season, one YAIAA coach threw out an idea that got the GameTimePA York/Adams sports reporters thinking.

This coach, who also happens to be a huge soccer fan, suggested the YAIAA restructure its football divisions every season using a promotion/relegation system similar to the ones used by European soccer leagues.

In simple terms, here's how a promotion/relegation system would work in the YAIAA: At the end of every season, the top two teams from Divisions II and III would move up a division, and the bottom two teams from Divisions I and II would move down a division.

Brandon Stoneburg column: YAIAA football competition would improve under promotion/relegation system

Zach Miller column: Enrollment-based YAIAA football alignment is best method

If the league were restructured after the 2014 season, here is what this year's divisions would look like:

Division I

• Central York

• Dallastown

• Red Lion

• South Western

• William Penn

• Northeastern

• West York (up from Division II)

• Gettysburg (up from Division II)

Division II

• Spring Grove (down from Division I)

• New Oxford (down from Division I)

• Eastern York

• York Suburban

• Dover

• Bermudian Springs (up from Division III)

• York Catholic (up from Division III)

Division III

• Susquehannock (down from Division II)

• Kennard-Dale (down from Division II)

• Delone Catholic

• Biglerville

• Fairfield

• Hanover

• York County Tech

• Littlestown

Our reporters played this system out over a couple years to see how the league landscape would shift. After going through that exercise, Brandon Stoneburg believes the league should adopt this system. But Zach Miller thinks the league should stick with the setup it uses now.

What do you think? Share your thoughts with GameTimePA.com on Facebook or Twitter, or email bstoneburg@GameTimePA.com and zmiller@GameTimePA.com.