|
The Islandian Times
Monday, March 1, 2007
IPA Commissioner Announces New Playoff System
John Banford, the commissioner of the Islandian Pro Alliance, announced today the league will put into effect this season a new playoff system. Only divisions winners will qualify for the Pro Cup playoffs. Each round will be best-of-seven.
The IPA has had several prior postseason plans. In the first season in 2001 when there were only 24 teams, only the division champion from each division qualified for the playoffs with best-of-seven series. The 8-team system was shelved in 2002 when the league expanded to 64 teams. The top four teams in each division qualified with each series a best-of-three series. In 2004 a new system was adopted whereby the top two clubs in each division would make the postseason with each series a best-of-five series, except for the Pro Cup finals, which be a best-of-seven series.
At the press conference Commissioner Banford told the press, "Many teams have complained over the past three years that it wasn't fair to the pennant winners to play short series. Many times they were beaten by second place teams in short best-of-three or best-of-five series. Many clubs thought that they should get an advantage for winning over the long 154-game season and only the division winners should make the playoffs. They also wanted all series to be best-of-seven. This would give the better team a better chance to win. The best team doesn't always win a short series. The thinking is that the longer a series goes, the advantage will be to the best team. This new playoff method would also mean a team would only have to win three series to win the Pro Cup. In the past there were as many as four and five rounds."
|