SFL keep eye on proposed SPL reform

Published on Tuesday 4 January 2011 09:26

Scottish Football League chief executive David Longmuir is looking for more details on the probable implementation of a two-tier Scottish Premier League which would have ramifications for his organisation.

All 12 SPL clubs yesterday met for the first time in the ongoing discussions over league reconstruction after a working party proposed two divisions of ten.

SPL chairman Ralph Topping and chief executive Neil Doncaster emerged from the meeting, which lasted over three hours, confident that all the clubs had been persuaded that a 16 or 18-team league is not financially viable, thus opening the door for a ten-team SPL 1 and 2.

Aberdeen chairman Stewart Milne and his St Johnstone counterpart Geoff Brown claimed to be confident that the new-look leagues would be ratified at the next meeting between the SPL clubs, scheduled for January 17.

The SPL would invite teams from the SFL to help make up SPL 2, which would leave the lower leagues in some disarray.

The future of the SFL is already in danger after former First Minister Henry McLeish, in his review of Scottish football, which in many ways mirrored the ideas formulated by the SPL's strategic review group, called for one league structure in Scotland.

However, until he is made aware of the nuts and bolts of any possible changes, Longmuir will continue with business as normal.

He said: "I need to have a chat with my colleagues in the SPL and as soon I get a chance I will have something further to say.

"But I don't worry. I'm comfortable with the SFL at the moment, we have 84 games to rearrange at the moment and that is occupying most of my time, and the Dundee appeal (against a 25-point deduction for going into administration] which is coming up in the next couple of weeks, are the key issues.

"But I'm happy to see progress is being made.

"Consensus is always a good thing in football and it's possibly something we need to build on to take things forward and if it's for the good of the game and none of the clubs are worse off as a result of any possible changes, then that's good."