KEEP THE B’S OUT
By Angus MacLeod at http://www.japanfooty.com/comment-2014
A story of some concern which appears to be gathering pace in recent weeks is the speculation that the J.League will expand J3 for next season by introducing several J1 B-Teams into the division.
I cannot imagine why they would feel such a move is necessary, unless there are serious concerns among the top brass over the attendance figures for the inaugural year. Certainly, playing competitive matches on a regular basis would benefit the reserve players of the top-flight clubs, but it would effectively make a mockery of the third tier for genuine fans.
Prior to its creation, I was under the impression that the reasoning behind the push for a third tier of J.League was to create a division comprised exclusively of teams that actually wanted to gain promotion into J2, which was not the case with the JFL.
However, the 11th hour inclusion of a J.League Under 22 side that would be ineligible for promotion appeared to run counter to this, with talk of B-Teams entering the fray leaving me wondering how the resulting composition will be superior to the JFL with its mix of independent professional clubs (or clubs aspiring to be professional) and the office sides that had zero interest in becoming a part of the J.League set up.
Although some casual supporters of J3 sides may enjoy seeing the future stars of the top-flight in action, it would seem detrimental to the integrity of the competition. It certainly does not seem to help the actual J3 sides who are competing for promotion, with the benefit largely being for the established ‘big clubs’ at the top of the J.League pyramid.
If the J.League is concerned that future talent is not getting the game time needed, perhaps it would make a lot more sense to introduce a more flexible loan system for J3 clubs, rather than encouraging the top clubs to stockpile players.
Alternatively, some system could be introduced where J1 clubs have an age cap on the players that they can name on the bench, encouraging the use of up and coming talent rather than the reliance of ‘brand name’ players in their 30s.