expanding a league

[The Juggernaut]

We are currently an 8 team league. We are interested in expanding, but do not know of a way without breaking up our current league which we don't want to do. Is there a way to add teams without completely disbanding our teams to do it?

thanks

[Richman]

Most likely you will have to start over, or everyone can keep only a couple of players each and throw everyone into the free agent pool. The most fair way would be to start over.

[seahawks506]

Have a certain number of players allowed to be protected, and let the rest be fair game for the expanding teams.

[dsallupinyaarea]

1. You won't make everyone happy if you expand. Impossible. You'll be pulling the "good of the league" card a lot.
2. You probably should do a vote and make sure at least 75% are in favor of expanding.
3. I don't know the size of your roster's but I'd have everyone protect 35-40% of their roster. The rest would be fair game. I'd also stipulate that once a franchise loses a player to each new team the rest of their roster is protected. Then I'd offer the expansion teams the 1st 2 picks in your rookie draft. That way the new teams would have 8 players each off of rosters, the top rookie pick, the rookie draft and free agency to fill out the rest of their team. The new teams won't be really good right away but they are expansion teams. They aren't supposed to be championship caliber right away.

Good Luck.

[Scarletglasses]

I wouldn't blow up the league. Allow each owner to protect 10 or 12 players, and then hold a 20+ round expansion draft for the two "newbies".
An expansion team should know that they are going to be at a disadvantage for a bit.

[meineymoe]

3. I don't know the size of your roster's but I'd have everyone protect 35-40% of their roster. The rest would be fair game. I'd also stipulate that once a franchise loses a player to each new team the rest of their roster is protected. Then I'd offer the expansion teams the 1st 2 picks in your rookie draft. That way the new teams would have 8 players each off of rosters, the top rookie pick, the rookie draft and free agency to fill out the rest of their team. The new teams won't be really good right away but they are expansion teams. They aren't supposed to be championship caliber right away.

Good Luck.

this is a good way to do it. I would expand to 12 teams right away so you don't have to do this again in a few seasons.

Scenario: If each team has a 20 man off season roster, I'd say each owner protect 8 players. Start the expansion draft with the four new owners. Each time a player is taken off a roster, that owner gets to pull back 2 more players. This way, each owner will retain 16 of his players, each new team will have 8 players who were previously rostered. Then these four teams can have a FA draft of players that weren't rostered to get up to the 16 players. the new teams also get the first picks in every round of the rookie draft.

You can play with the numbers some more, maybe to get the new teams more players off the current rosters so that they are a little stronger - but there is no need for the four expansion teams to be immediate contenders. Part of the fun of being an expansion team, I think, is the challenge of getting your team up to the level of the established teams.

-oo-

[melish1631]

I don't see a fair way to expand w/out starting over! It's sounds like you are a fair commish and trying to accommodate new teams but I put myself in a new owners shoes...what if you decide to keep 3 keepers? 24 players kept or 5 or 6 keepers would be 40-45 players kept...Ithink that's a distinct disadvantage and that's if you automatically give these owners the 1st pick in a rookie draft! Then you would piss off the 2 teams that previously had the 1 & 2...

Best to start over and discuss the notes you got from us to the teams in your league!

[eaglesfan]

3. I don't know the size of your roster's but I'd have everyone protect 35-40% of their roster. The rest would be fair game. I'd also stipulate that once a franchise loses a player to each new team the rest of their roster is protected. Then I'd offer the expansion teams the 1st 2 picks in your rookie draft. That way the new teams would have 8 players each off of rosters, the top rookie pick, the rookie draft and free agency to fill out the rest of their team. The new teams won't be really good right away but they are expansion teams. They aren't supposed to be championship caliber right away.

Good Luck.

this is a good way to do it. I would expand to 12 teams right away so you don't have to do this again in a few seasons.

Scenario: If each team has a 20 man off season roster, I'd say each owner protect 8 players. Start the expansion draft with the four new owners. Each time a player is taken off a roster, that owner gets to pull back 2 more players. This way, each owner will retain 16 of his players, each new team will have 8 players who were previously rostered. Then these four teams can have a FA draft of players that weren't rostered to get up to the 16 players. the new teams also get the first picks in every round of the rookie draft.

You can play with the numbers some more, maybe to get the new teams more players off the current rosters so that they are a little stronger - but there is no need for the four expansion teams to be immediate contenders. Part of the fun of being an expansion team, I think, is the challenge of getting your team up to the level of the established teams.

-oo-

This is how it's done.

[jordanzs]

If it's a money league, I would give the expansion owners the option of playing for free for a year or 2. Leave it up to them, but if they don't contribute entry fees, they won't win any money that year. Some of them might hit the in season free agency jackpot (2011 equivalents of Vick, Hillis, Steve Johnson, etc) and feel ready to compete for $$$ in their 2nd season.

[meineymoe]

I totally disagree on the starting over thought. It's dynasty, for cripe's sake! You didn't see the NFL start over when they expanded! The new owners coming in would realize they will be at a disadvantage. The current owners will realize certain concessions, like early draft picks, will need to be given.

-oo-

[Jimi Hendrix]

I totally disagree on the starting over thought. It's dynasty, for cripe's sake! You didn't see the NFL start over when they expanded! The new owners coming in would realize they will be at a disadvantage. The current owners will realize certain concessions, like early draft picks, will need to be given.

-oo-

[dlf_ericd]

I totally disagree on the starting over thought. It's dynasty, for cripe's sake! You didn't see the NFL start over when they expanded! The new owners coming in would realize they will be at a disadvantage. The current owners will realize certain concessions, like early draft picks, will need to be given.

-oo-

Yep, agree totally...you shouldn't penalize the teams that have truly built a dynasty. I'd follow a similar path to the one the NFL already has in place for their expansion purposes.

[Madtoker]

I totally disagree on the starting over thought. It's dynasty, for cripe's sake! You didn't see the NFL start over when they expanded! The new owners coming in would realize they will be at a disadvantage. The current owners will realize certain concessions, like early draft picks, will need to be given.

-oo-

100% You want to expand you got to give up something!!

[dabearsfan]

1. You won't make everyone happy if you expand. Impossible. You'll be pulling the "good of the league" card a lot.
2. You probably should do a vote and make sure at least 75% are in favor of expanding.
3. I don't know the size of your roster's but I'd have everyone protect 35-40% of their roster. The rest would be fair game. I'd also stipulate that once a franchise loses a player to each new team the rest of their roster is protected. Then I'd offer the expansion teams the 1st 2 picks in your rookie draft. That way the new teams would have 8 players each off of rosters, the top rookie pick, the rookie draft and free agency to fill out the rest of their team. The new teams won't be really good right away but they are expansion teams. They aren't supposed to be championship caliber right away.

Good Luck.

Great suggestions!