# Relegation and Promotion in CSL



## focused1 (Dec 29, 2018)

Does CSL notify coaches about whether their team is being relegated or promoted? Or do they just find out when the schedules come out in the new year?
Looks like my DD's team may go in one direction or another...


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## Paul Spacey (Dec 29, 2018)

If I remember rightly, unless you finished first (in which case I believe it is automatic) in the bracket, you have to ‘apply’ for promotion via the application process. I don’t have any experience of the relegation procedure as it’s not something that’s happened to any of our teams, yet.

Can anyone expand on this and clarify when the applications are usually submitted? 

We’ve had teams promoted after finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd in brackets. Of course, if you finish 3rd then you’ve got to argue your case but I’ve always found CSL to be accommodating and understanding.


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## Woodwork (Dec 29, 2018)

On this general topic, can anyone speak from experience as to what happens when CSL goes from only having Silver Elite as the highest bracket for an age group to having Gold for the first time?  Did most of the Silver Elite teams get promoted and the top Silver teams?


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## toucan (Dec 29, 2018)

Historically, CSL promotes the 1st and 2nd teams in a bracket.  In the old days, 3rd place teams had little chance of being promoted, and the bracket "appeal" process usually went nowhere.  In recent years, CSL has shown much more flexibility in promoting teams.  A 3rd or 4th place team requesting promotion has a much higher chance of having that granted, whereas in the old days the request would just go to the round bin.  On the bottom end of the bracket, demotions are much easier to avoid now than before.

CSL can accomodate more promotions (and fewer delegations) simply by manipulating the number of brackets at the higher levels, something it never used to do.  But the other thing that a lot of teams who *could* be promoted are *not* asking for a promotion.  Which also helps CSL find room for teams requesting promotion, even if they did not take 1st or 2nd place.

Now, as to the question of whether an age group where the highest level is silver elite, here is what I expect.  CSL will likely move most of the existing silver elite teams into the gold bracket, plus the three first-place teams from the silver divisions.  Many of the remaining silver teams will be pushed up into the silver elite bracket.  And it might add a second silver elite bracket.

I don't know what age or bracket you are most concerned about, but let's consider the Girls 2008 age group as a whole.  There is no gold bracket.  There is currently one silver elite bracket with 6 teams, then three silver brackets with about 6 or 7 teams each.  Then 7 or 8 bronze brackets.  My best guess is that CSL will make one gold bracket with 8 teams, (most likely 5 teams from the silver elite bracket, and the first place teams from the three silver brackets).  Then I would expect there to be one silver elite bracket next year, with 8 teams.  Probably there will be three or four silver brackets, based on how many teams are signed up at the age group.  The rest will be bronze.  If you want to know which teams I believe will be gold and silver elite, pm me and I will advise.

Finally, you will know whether you have been promoted in about mid-June, when the prospective brackets are put online.


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## Woodwork (Dec 29, 2018)

Super informative, toucan.  Thanks.


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## espola (Dec 29, 2018)

CSL could just follow a method that has been proved to work on a national basis.  Form a new higher-than-Premier group, call it something special (perhaps "Academy"?) and charge higher-than-Premier fees to join, thus allowing any well-funded club to have top-ranked teams.


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## 1dad2boys (Dec 30, 2018)

Another thing that CSL considers is the actual skill level of the team regardless of how long it has been together or how it finished last year. If a brand new team or so-so team last year adds a few great players, the application process allows the team to explain that. CSL wants balanced brackets. No one wants a team killing teams 10-0 just because they did not finish first last year. Same if you lose a player or two. No point getting killed. I have seen both brand new teams start in SE and winners stay or drop a bracket. Just be clear in the application.


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## TangoCity (Dec 30, 2018)

OP said:
			
		

> Does CSL notify coaches about whether their team is being relegated or promoted? Or do they just find out when the schedules come out in the new year?
> Looks like my DD's team may go in one direction or another...


Usually when the brackets are posted for the new season.  Brackets come out before schedules do.  Unless there is some unusual circumstance.  Sometimes CSL will need to dig down past first or second and sometimes even a third place team for promotion to fill an upper division and they will call the coach and ask if they would like to be promoted or stay the same level.



Woodwork said:


> On this general topic, can anyone speak from experience as to what happens when CSL goes from only having Silver Elite as the highest bracket for an age group to having Gold for the first time?  Did most of the Silver Elite teams get promoted and the top Silver teams?


They move the entire top bracket up unless there are new high level teams that formed or high level teams coming in from SCDSL.


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## RedCard (Dec 30, 2018)

I know if you lose a lot of players you can ask to be moved down. After the 2017 CSL League Cup, my son moved from a Silver team which finished 3rd to another Silver team. 6 other players decided to follow us ( I swear we had nothing to do with it) so the coach from the previous team requested and was approved to go back down to Bronze.


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## socalkdg (Dec 30, 2018)

They have an automated system to request promotion.  Only 2nd - 3rd teams can use the system.  We finished 4th last year but a strong winning record and a forfeit that dropped us from 3rd to 4th but were told could not appeal as 4th place team.   We finished 1st this year and will move up.


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## Woodwork (Dec 30, 2018)

I have been able to find last year's silver elite G06 in CSL here and am comparing it to this year's Gold G06 here.  Only three of the 8 teams in Silver Elite last year played in Gold the next year.

1. Socal Academy went to SCDSL the next year.
2. Empire SC returned Gold
3. Oxnard Pal returned Gold
4. FRAM Nunez G06 is gone altogether
5(tie).  South Valley returned Gold
5 (tie). Eagles went Silver Alpha and lost all their games, meaning that team probably lost key players
7. FC Golden State went Silver North and finished lower-middle
8.  FRAM Gidney went to SCDSL

It seems like at least those that were not at the very bottom got promoted to gold.  The only one I question if it was involuntarily relegated was FC Golden State in 2nd to last, but that could have been voluntary because it seems like they should have at least been allowed to stay Silver Elite rather than Silver.

On the other hand, only 3 teams accepted promotion to gold (and there were only 6 teams total in the group!).  One went undefeated in Silver and went far, if not all the way, in playoffs.  Another finished at the top of another Silver Group.  And the last one, no idea where they came from (FC Valencia?) - and they finished the season without any wins.  There were 4 Silver groups, and only two teams appeared to be promoted to gold from them.

Conclusions:

1. Most of the teams in Silver Elite will be promoted to Gold in Gold's first year.
2. Hard to get promoted to Gold directly from Silver.
3. Quitting CSL and going to flight 1 in SCDSL is a thing that exists.
4.  CSL should stop being so stingy with the Gold.  SCDSL's model of giving everyone "Flight 1" status for free seems good for player and team retention.


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