That is generally agreed, but here and there you run into club organisers with a "win at all costs" attitude. If you have a relaxed league rule set, the problem comes that they exploit the goodwill of league organisers and other captains. For example fielding players graded well above 150 in a lower team/ division when the average team doesn't exceed 125. That can be compounded by a previous refusal to accept promotion. For a top division, it can be accepted that clubs can recruit who they wish, it's below that level that it distorts the competition.John Cox wrote: Well, yeah, either that or everyone could get a grip and recognise that local leagues are just for fun.
So I think it's right that internal matches should be scheduled first, but you allow a little latitude if fixture congestion causes them to be played second.