Morecambe chief backs the return of regionalised football

Morecambe's trips to clubs such as Northampton Town could be less frequent if regionalised football was reintroduced

Clubs in League Two voted to end their season last Friday, pending ratification from the FA and EFL.

The belief now is that the sport’s shutdown can offer the chance of a rethink in terms of how it operates in future.

With clubs, especially those in the lower leagues, trying to ward off financial difficulties, the Shrimps’ chief wouldn’t be averse to regionalised football in the bottom two tiers.

He isn’t on his own. Fleetwood Town chairman Andy Pilley, in response to a fan’s question last month, admitted he thought it was an idea worth considering.

“I first raised this about eight years ago when I was having a discussion with some people,” Taylor said.

“It didn’t find much favour then but, if you look at it, there’d be less travel, a reduced carbon footprint, less money spent on overnight trips – not just for the teams but fans as well – and there’d be more local games.

“Every angle you look at, I think it makes sense for the sides in Leagues One and Two.”

The old Third Division North and South ran parallel to each other from 1921 to 1958.

The two divisions were then merged to create the old Third and Fourth Divisions, giving rise to the current footballing pyramid.

While regionalising football could make sense financially, there is the counter-argument that clubs including Morecambe and Fleetwood had spent most of their history trying to win promotion from regional football into the national divisions.

Nevertheless, in the current climate, Taylor maintains regionalising football makes sense.

“It’s true that we have a National League below us and they have a North and South division below that,” he said.

“However, it’s still the same argument for that competition and why can’t they do the same?

“I don’t think it’s beyond the wit and wisdom of someone to sort that out.

“If clubs are in trouble and money is a major issue, then let’s look at the economics sensibly and change it.

“The FA Cup and League Cup could still be national but the games you play in that are a fraction of your league season – and it’d be a fraction of the travelling for clubs and fans.

“Whether people would buy into it, I don’t know, but I think it’s the way to go.”