Ideas & Suggested Improvements: Promotion Play-Offs

December 17th, 2007 by SM Dev (ste)

The majority of leagues throughout the world have ‘ Promotion Play-Offs’, to help decide who gains promotion to the next tier of the league pyramid. It can be a one off game or series of games played after the regular season is over with the goal of determining who gains promotion along with the clubs who have secured automatic promotion.

Usually the play-off matches are contested by the teams finishing from 3rd to 6th in the league (although this varies from league to league depending on the number of automatic promotion places). The semi-finals (relevant dependent on how a leagues playoff system works) are usually played over two legs, with 6th playing 3rd and 5th playing 4th, with the return fixtures following. The Final is played at a neutral stadium and is usually one match (althouuh some leagues operate a two legged final), with the winner securing promotionto the next tier of the league pyramid.

Promotion play-offs is a regular suggestion and it is something which SM are looking at introducing in the next few months. Promotion play-offs would be based on the English model and would see the top two teams in leagues outside Division 1 gaining automatic promotion, and teams finishing from 3rd to 6th in the league contesting the promotion play-offs.

The semi-finals would be a one off match, with 6th playing 3rd and 5th playing 4th, and the home team being the higher placed team. The Final would be played at a neutral stadium and again would be a one off match, with the winner securing promotion to the next tier of the league pyramid.

For normal setups the semi-finals would be on Thursday (the day after the season ends on the Wednesday), with the final contested on Friday, and in custom setups the semi-finals would be on Friday (the day after the season ends on the Thursday), with the final contested on Saturday.

SM feels that by adding play-offs it will make the race for promotoin to the next tier of the league pyramid more interesting and open. Instead of a handful of clubs (for example) in and around the (current) top three automatic places, it would bring more clubs (possibly down to mid table) into the promotion race.

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85 Comments Add your own

1. Harry | December 17th, 2007 at 3:32 pm

great!!!
2. kgosser | December 17th, 2007 at 4:24 pm

Great idea!
3. Barnes | December 18th, 2007 at 9:44 pm

I dont think its that great, if you play great through the season and finish third, you could simply slip up in the play off, if your players are injured etc
4. stevie d | December 19th, 2007 at 12:20 pm

i think dat it is great cus u join a club in mid-season it is very difficult to get them promoted so this will give joining a new club a better challange
5. Jamie H | December 20th, 2007 at 5:32 pm

Good Idea Yes It Will Be A Lot More Exciting Than Just 3 Teams Going Up Automatically. Good Idea!!! (Y)
6. adam | December 21st, 2007 at 2:34 pm

gr8 idea it also requires tactics to save your best players 4 the final
7. riley | December 31st, 2007 at 1:53 pm

yeh but when they gonna do it?
8. Jack O'Sullivan | January 13th, 2008 at 3:13 pm

I’m not to sure on having play offs because like Barnes said if you had a great seson and finish 3rd but then if u lose players due to inguries and miss out ona chance to get promoted to division 1, 2 and 3.
9. darrell | January 15th, 2008 at 9:08 pm

i think this is a gr8 idea it gives teams more of a chance to get promoted and in the division higher makes no 1 safe near the bottom brill idea
10. Jordan | January 18th, 2008 at 3:38 pm

That is waht im talking about -da play offs!! it will be far more realistic now. Just try and get it dun asap!
11. Sam | January 19th, 2008 at 10:24 pm

i am complaining about darrels opinion again. in the division higher daryll, no one is safe anyway when they are near the bottom. and they are not going to do playoffs for the relegation aswell as you seem to think.
think things through draryll
12. Grimbo | January 21st, 2008 at 9:11 pm

so what would happen in a custom setup with ten teams,at the mo u can only have 1 team go up could u make 2 go up with the 2 and 3 haveing to play each other
13. Garrett | January 25th, 2008 at 5:29 am

I like the idea, but if my first team is injured or simply fatigued then playing 3 games in 3 days isn’t good for my chances.
14. Niku | January 27th, 2008 at 9:26 pm

I love the idea. It really makes the lower leagues more interesting. Not only does it open up the promotion race for mid table teams but it also creates more tension right at the top. Im not sure about playing 3 games in 3 days but i generally love the idea. THANKS SM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
15. Andrew | January 30th, 2008 at 2:17 pm

Good idea!

I think it will add an even more compettetive feel to the leagues. I also think that it will make the leagues more interesting for the mid-table teams because it will give them chance of promotion aswell.
16. Adam | February 2nd, 2008 at 2:46 pm

Good idea, I can see what people are saying about finishing 3rd but losing out to someone in 6th, but is that not how football works in real life? It’s just part of the game!
17. H | February 2nd, 2008 at 9:09 pm

CM ON GET THESE PLAY OFFS UP AND RUNNING IT WUD BE ALOT BETTA THAN AUTOMATIC 3 GO UP THATS STUPID
18. Salomon | February 6th, 2008 at 12:52 am

I thinks this is an awsome idea because it will be more exciting after the because there will be like 8 teams fighting for the title and not 20 or watever the teams are. so i thinks its an awsome idea
19. Salomon | February 6th, 2008 at 12:54 am

and just not 3 teams goes to play offs. its better if 8 teams goes to the playoffs cuz then u can have quarter finals and semi finals and all that and thast really exciting
20. Salomon | February 6th, 2008 at 12:54 am

and it will be more realistic
21. Malachy | February 12th, 2008 at 7:42 pm

i think it’s a terrible idea people are only saying great because they are not in the top 3. forexample lets say chelsea mess up the last few games and finnish 5th they would easily beat all the other terrible teams and tahts not fair on the other teams who worked hard to get there
22. james rowell | February 13th, 2008 at 3:09 pm

this is a great idea!!!
it will add to the climax nearing the end of the season
23. Leonardo | February 15th, 2008 at 2:59 pm

playoffs is a great idea its way better then just the top 3 going up.
24. Ideas & Suggested Imp&hellip | February 16th, 2008 at 1:45 pm

[…] Cup/Shield place, or you will be in a relegation battle. Also with the future improvement of play-offs you could be battling to secure a play-off place. Obviously with 10 clubs in a division you would […]
25. Daz | February 16th, 2008 at 10:31 pm

Come on then hurry up with!
26. nick | February 16th, 2008 at 11:51 pm

ye cool idea cause then only 2 will defonatly be goin up and then another 4 will have to have like a little cup like 1v1 and the other vs the other then who wins out of them vs each other then the winner get a promotion its a cool idea cause then 4 of the 10 teams can have a chance instead of 3 for defonate
27. mohammed | February 20th, 2008 at 7:31 pm

no i dont think it is a good idea becuase if a team doesnt do well enough they dont deserve relegation.

if a team is low wen u get it it is a challenge to get htem up not just loose matches and w8 for the playoffs .

like barnes sed u cud have injuries
this wud just make the game unfair in ways
28. Harry B | February 23rd, 2008 at 1:35 pm

i do i think u should do it like real life

divsion 2 2 up the 3 - 6 play offs 3 down
divsion 3 2 up 3- 6 play offs 4 down
divison 4 3 up 4- 7 play offs
29. arun | February 23rd, 2008 at 11:20 pm

good idea
30. adam yaziji | February 23rd, 2008 at 11:58 pm

i think this is a gd idea
31. geoff.jennings | February 26th, 2008 at 7:57 am

ok but we should be able to play our own matches
32. nasrulahq | February 29th, 2008 at 7:51 am

i think it is a good idea . let’s say if a team is 7th and 16 poitns adrift of 3rd place with 4 games to go , he could still put up a challenge and fight for the 6th pplacing which makes it ever so competetive .
33. damon | February 29th, 2008 at 9:55 am

i think playoffs is a great idea
34. tofty | March 6th, 2008 at 6:06 am

bring it on the sooner the better it will make it more realistic it should b played like its is in real life
35. lous | March 9th, 2008 at 5:55 pm

brilliant idea luv it an to all them sayin wot if u mess up thats wot footie is all bout. not so sure about 3 gamews in three days tho an wot aboot 2 legged semis get it dun asap!
36. andy | March 14th, 2008 at 3:19 pm

it would be great because it wold make the game more exiting
37. rhys | March 14th, 2008 at 10:26 pm

ye that is much better more competition
38. Ricardo | March 15th, 2008 at 11:20 pm

YES this is great it would make the game even more realistic.
39. dan | March 16th, 2008 at 8:24 pm

i think that this would be excellent and have something for a mid table team to aim for
40. liam | March 17th, 2008 at 4:33 pm

when r they cum in in english championship 519
41. Curtis moore | March 23rd, 2008 at 5:51 pm

I think this is the greatest idea yet, It give’s everyone in the divison a chance for promotion and also make’s the league more tense and exiciting.
This need’s to be introduced In the 576 English championship
for next season please do it i think it is a great idea.
42. Curtis moore | March 23rd, 2008 at 5:57 pm

divsion {2} 2 up the 3 - 6 play offs 3 down
divsion {3} 2 up 3- 6 play offs 4 down
divison {4} 3 up 4- 7 play offs

Do this, this is just like real life and is totally awsome.
Introduce this into the the English 576 Championship’s for next season please it is great and give’s everyone a chance for promotion etc witch make’s more people have SM
and also make’s the season’s more enjoyable.
43. Slawomir Siudowski | March 25th, 2008 at 8:50 pm

Great idea!
44. Joe Lee | March 26th, 2008 at 9:22 am

brill idea

much better then 3rd goin up automaticly!

get it dun asap

and SM will be a whole lot better
45. lewis moore | March 27th, 2008 at 5:42 pm

do it noit will be a quality improvement as it would be harsh if u took over a club and they could only finish up to 4
46. james sadler | March 31st, 2008 at 10:20 am

much better than 3rd going up automatically - gives the others a chance! plus is it where 3rd place play 5th place and 4th place play 6th? because if so theres only going to be 2 games! first your semi then the final! but that sounds good, aslong as there is a few days in between the semi and final.
47. kdot | April 2nd, 2008 at 3:00 pm

thats great 1 problem we want it done fast asap
48. Ruel | April 4th, 2008 at 3:39 pm

This is a really great idea, the first team i took over was Derby County mid-season, and i took them from 16th to 6th in half a season and when it ended i felt like all my hard work had come to nothing, this is a really great idea and it should be done as soon as possible!!!!!
49. kdot | April 8th, 2008 at 7:13 pm

u guys im sorry but everyone will agree with me we want it done asap
50. Oliver Griffiths | April 17th, 2008 at 8:56 pm

I am really excited about this, but when will it be ready by?! great job sm!
51. james r | April 19th, 2008 at 8:41 am

this will be the best ever thing to improve
52. kdot | April 20th, 2008 at 9:26 pm

SOCCERMANAGER ITS ME AGAIN YOU HAVE BEEN TAKING SO LONG TO MAKE THIS PLAY OFFS EVERYONE IS WAITING FOR PLAYOFFS BUT YOU GUYS ARE WAISTING OUR TIME CAN U PLZ HURRY UP
53. numan | April 24th, 2008 at 10:52 am

its gonna b lik da championship
gr8
54. Jacob weeks | April 24th, 2008 at 3:26 pm

I love the idea of promotion play offs….givs more realism to the game…think the games should be a few days apart though so players have the chance to recover…3 games in 3 days aint good….condition will be crucially low and you can’t avoid injuries
55. Ola Dre | April 30th, 2008 at 2:26 pm

I think it would be a gr8 idea, cos this makes the manager to work extra cos sometimes u lose d promotion ticket cos of 1 oint or even goal difference, which is not fair enuf. So i think battling it out man 2 man is beta. Much luv 2 the soccermanager guys.
56. Peter File | May 2nd, 2008 at 8:40 pm

brilliant idea! it’ll give underated teams a chance!
57. Raz Mawson | May 3rd, 2008 at 5:43 pm

Yeah Thats Good To Include.

Once Again, Makes The Leagues More Competetive And All The More Realistic.
58. mohamed | May 4th, 2008 at 11:36 pm

This whole play-off debate is a great scheme because it gives a chance for someone to be promoted and someone to stay in the same division. For all divisions I think their should be another cup to participate in something like in real life UEFA Champion League or UEFA Cup. My plan is that the league cup should move down to the
2nd, 3rd and 4th division. The Finalists should go to the top additional cup and the semi-finalists should go to the 2nd additional cup. Then the winners and the runners-up including 3rd place should go to the top additional cup automatically but the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th placed finishers need to battle it out between them. Anybody who wins will progress to top additional cup and the other to the 2nd additional cup. From 8th to 10th placed will go to the 2nd additional cup too. Winners of the second division and runners-up of the second division will also go to the 2nd additional cup but if any od them are part of the league semi-finalists or finalists then who finished 3rd will progress to 2nd additional cup.

SO LEAGUE CUP MOVED IN TO THE 2ND,3RD AND 4TH DIVISION
SEMI-FINALISTS WILL GO TO THE SECOND CUP LIKE THE UEFA CUP
THE FINALISTS WILL GO TO THE TOP ADDITIONAL CUP LIKE THE CHAMPION LEAGUE

SO I HOPE THIS MAKES SENSE TO EVERYONE AND LETS HOPE THIS CAN HAPPEN ONLY FOR LEAGUE WHICH HAVE 4TIERS IN IT
LIKE THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP.
59. Work In Progress: Promoti&hellip | May 8th, 2008 at 11:15 am

[…] Building’ another feature which has been requested time and time again is ‘Play Offs‘. Some of you will be pleased to know that ‘Promotion Play Offs’ is currently […]
60. scott hurst | May 9th, 2008 at 11:17 am

i think the play-offs will be great i cannot wait
61. Oliver Griffiths | May 9th, 2008 at 7:56 pm

Will play-offs be in Gold Championship 16 when thats realeased tommorrow?
62. Harry B | May 10th, 2008 at 9:31 am

Maybe in division 2 & 3 only i think its a good idea
63. george | May 11th, 2008 at 4:33 pm

i think it is a great idea!!!
i dnt see y people are complaining about how u could have a great season and muck it up at the play-offs because it would make it more realistic because that could actullay happen in real life!!
fantastic idea!!!!
64. Stephen G | May 13th, 2008 at 11:17 am

This is a fantastic idea!!!!!
It would make it alot more exciting playing in the playoffs like it is seeing it in real life.
More fairer taking over a team in 6th and normally missing out on having a chance to go up, but hopefully this will not be the case.
Great idea SM, introduce ASAP!!!!!!!!
65. jon | May 14th, 2008 at 9:20 pm

good they are having a play offs no bover i wiil be the best manager ether
66. jon | May 14th, 2008 at 9:25 pm

if we have a play off they wiil be more people on soccer manager thanks soccer manager pleaes email me with this email jonathanashton@live.com when the play offs are don and when you can manager countres
67. jon | May 15th, 2008 at 8:24 am

good idea the play offs in a fantasic idea iam the best manger efer
68. jon | May 15th, 2008 at 9:01 pm

to socer manger you should be able to watch the game on 3d so you watch the foul 90 minets
69. Mac | May 16th, 2008 at 6:15 pm

This would be a great addition to the game, would definitely make playing in the lower leagues more interesting.
70. jon | May 17th, 2008 at 8:52 pm

oh does eneyone think they are going to beat me in the play offfs
71. jon | May 20th, 2008 at 8:15 am

good they are having a play-offs good i will win the this thing
72. Morphy | May 22nd, 2008 at 10:42 am

Oh, that’s what we need, just like when LEEDS ARE GONNA KICK DONCASTERS BUTT THIS WEEKEND, C’MON LEEDS!!!!!
73. watch watch | May 22nd, 2008 at 2:49 pm

ye let’s have playoffs
74. Vino | May 24th, 2008 at 12:50 am

Best Improvement ever and the only one in ages that’s had much point. I will not say bravo until it is here mind.

Great Work
75. david | May 24th, 2008 at 7:16 pm

the playoffs is a great idea it will make it more realistic
76. jon | May 24th, 2008 at 9:48 pm

this is great when we are having this? please bribg this to 610 please
77. Kenn | May 25th, 2008 at 11:40 am

That’s a great idea in our league 3-6 keep changing every gameweek so a play-off would fit in fantastically, would make the league more interesting and competative and give a lot of added excitement at leagues end.
78. james | May 29th, 2008 at 9:59 am

i think that it will be a great it will definatly be more realistic
79. Neil | May 30th, 2008 at 2:01 pm

Brilliant idea why not Make it like the real game !! playoffs are great
80. Grant | May 31st, 2008 at 10:10 am

i think this wud be a great idea it would be alot more realistic and i think it should be 3rd vs 4th 5th vs 6th and 7th vs 8th coz then lower teams could at least have a chance of getting to the playoffs
and also the teams in the relagation places should have there own playoffs to see who stays upand who goes down if you understand me
81. jon | May 31st, 2008 at 5:06 pm

i am very happey about the play offs some teachers go on soccer manager at my school so do my frineds go on to
82. Chris | June 3rd, 2008 at 8:40 am

Great idea but all i would say is SM would need to look at players fitness levels. The proposed idea in normal setups is for the last league game to be on a wednesday, play off semi on a thursday and the final on a friday. How can you play 3 games in 3 days?!!
83. james hood | June 3rd, 2008 at 12:22 pm

its a good idea because although people might say that its unfair to someone who has played well all season and finished third but when someone joins a league halfway through a season it may be that those 3 places are already out of reach which makes the rest of the season seem pointless, play-offs would increase the competition
84. james hood | June 3rd, 2008 at 12:24 pm

oh and bahahaha to “morphy” better luck next season
85. matt | June 3rd, 2008 at 7:24 pm

good idea, but the playoff games shud not be so close together as players will be not mathc fit and more likely to pick up injuries