WJFL Meets To Discuss Future Divisional Alignments

The West Jersey Football League has begun meeting to discuss the divisional alignment for its next two-year cycle, with future schedules depending on changes that may be made to the playoff system. The West Jersey Football League consists of 94 teams divided into 16 divisions. Fourteen divisions have six teams, and two have five.

Division size is expected to remain the same, administrators told the Courier Post. Meetings began on Tuesday, with administrators studying geography, program strength and school size to determine which teams will be grouped together for the next cycle. Administrators will also provide their thoughts on crossover games between divisions.

A vote by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) concerning the "NJ United Playoff Proposal" will have an impact on scheduling. As part of the proposal, the regular season could be reduced by one game. Less games means teams will rely less on scheduling games outside their division.

A team in a six-team division, for example, would need to schedule just three games outside the division, as five games would be set for them automatically. Teams in five-team divisions would need to schedule four, as opposed to five.

The proposal would take the top 32 teams overall in a group, as opposed to the top eight in each section, the way it is currently handled. A new round would be added matching champions from different sections within the same group, but the regular season may have to be reduced by one game.

West Jersey Football League president Bud Kowal told the newspaper he thinks the proposal will pass.
“If it doesn’t pass, I don’t see a scenario anytime soon where anything passes,” he said.

Patch file photo