After we lost at least twenty new users in Austria, right after they registered (cannonfodder in DIVII), I made two suggestions that would solve the problem of new teams leaving out of frustration after a short time.
Number 1 - the expansion draft ->
(167576.2) give teams the option to pick their own players (up to a league dependant salary cap), so they wont be killed in every game and maybe win a bunch of games too.
That way old players can be recycled , the database stays small and new teams get a chance to hold their own, thus the user will be more motivated.
Suggestion number two, made even months before, was pretty simple: put new teams in the lowest possible division of their country. For Austria this would mean DIV IV, so team would play two carefree seasons in bot leagues, while slowly develop their first talents and expanding the arena, so they would be financially capable of supporting an expensive roster when finally reaching competitive leagues.