Pyramid answer to game with mountain to climb

SFA chief hails proposal for Scottish Professional Football Leagues providing incentive for ambitious clubs, writes Stuart Bathgate

THE long-awaited unification of Scottish football has come a step nearer – in principle at least – with the publication of a paper by the Scottish Football Association which recommends radical reform. Produced by the SFA’s Professional Game Board, it advocates the creation of one governing body for the senior domestic game, with a pyramid structure which would allow ambitious clubs to ascend through the divisions more quickly.

The new body would be in charge of a league with 12 teams in the top division and ten in each of the three below, as at present. There would be automatic promotion and relegation between the divisions for the top and bottom clubs, with play-offs between the second-bottom Scottish Premier League team and the clubs placed second, third and fourth in the Scottish Football League First Division.

Below SFL3 would be two divisions of ten, one in the Lowlands and one in the Highlands. The winners of those two leagues would play off for the right to face the bottom side in SFL3, with the winner of that play-off gaining or retaining a place in the senior set-up.

Below those new regional divisions would come what the document calls the “non-professional game”. The Highland, South of Scotland and East of Scotland Leagues, as well as the Junior clubs, whose interaction with the senior game is at present restricted to the Scottish Cup. Those feeder divisions could also be involved in play-offs for entry to the Highland or Lowland Divisions, although many junior clubs in particular are unlikely to seek elevation into the “professional” game.

In the document’s introduction, it is noted that the creation of so-called Lowland and Highland Super Leagues is already the subject of debate by junior clubs and the other three regional associations. It is envisaged, however, that, at the end of season 2013-14, “suitably licensed clubs” will be invited to join those two Super Leagues. The new structure would then go live for season 2014-15.

While the formation of the bottom of the pyramid therefore appears some way off, it is hoped that the unification of the SPL and the SFL will take place next summer, with the new body being named the Scottish Professional Football Leagues. Its board would be in charge of the League Cup and League Challenge Cup from next season,but it is accepted that an integrated rule book to cover all four new divisions would not be in place until the following season, 20-13-14.

The paper has been circulated to all 42 league clubs, who have been asked to respond via a questionnaire so that the SFA can assess their feedback towards the end of next month. The hope is that key proposals can be implemented in time for next season, with others to follow in the summer of 2013.

In a covering letter to clubs, SFA chief executive Stewart Regan suggests that the recommended reforms are of far greater importance than the debate over the size of the SPL which dominated the early months of this year. The paper works on the presumption that the top flight of what would be renamed the Scottish Professional Football League will remain at 12 clubs.

“There has been a great deal of debate on the size of the SPL, but what is of greater long-term importance is providing a structure that will ensure a higher standard of indigenous talent at the top level of the game and a broader pool of developing talent throughout the senior game in general,” Regan says. “In addition, we need to see healthy competition between clubs and a realistic opportunity for clubs to survive and thrive even when relegated out of the top flight. This requires both a vision and greater funding for the Scottish game but, in order to deliver a product which can attract greater investment from our partners, we need to take a giant step forward ourselves first.”

The document is largely based on the recommendations of former First Minister Henry McLeish in his Review of Scottish Football, commissioned by the SFA. Yesterday McLeish warmly welcomed the document, saying it was an important step forward for the game.

“This is a very positive development for Scottish football and I’m delighted with the proposals,” he said. “My report contained virtually all the recommendations in this draft paper, and I know the SFA and the SPL have been doing a lot of work to try to make progress on reform.

“It’s absolutely vital that we improve the standard of football on the pitch, and this will go some way to doing that. The general view was that there is not enough competition in the game. The fans have been demanding a greater competitive edge, and I think the final product of these reforms will add more excitement to the game.

“The pyramid system would mean a better flow of clubs both upwards and downwards, and the suggestions for promotion and relegation have to be a good thing. And, as there was no consensus last season on how many clubs should be in the top division, it seems best that we should try to carry out the reforms as it is at present, with 12 teams in the top flight.”

However, Aberdeen chairman Stewart Milne has already stated his disagreement with that analysis. He still wants a ten-team top flight, with a new 12-team championship, and has proposed that all clubs below those two divisions should drop down into regional leagues.

“We must do something to generate more interest, and, having looked at all options, I have no doubt the best one is a top ten and a 12-team championship below that,” Milne said. “That delivers on a football front as it would make us stronger in a European context and deliver for the supporters as it brings meaningful games for the whole season.

“We would only have 22 top clubs. The rest would go into regional leagues where some would be community-based. That is the only way forward.

“What could be better than an SPL where you have teams playing for the title, others going for Europe or to avoid a play-off or to prevent being relegated? Below that set-up you would get a properly-funded new Championship, branded effectively over a five-year period, and I would hope we could find a way to invest £5million into that league.”

The proposals do not discuss how extra money might be generated, but they do suggest how to distribute revenue between member clubs. Of the first £19m raised in any year, 90 per cent would go to clubs in the top flight, five per cent to the next tier, and the remaining five per cent to the rest. The two highest leagues would again share 95 per cent of the next £4m, with the top division’s share this time being cut to 70 per cent.

There would also be an increase in parachute payments for clubs relegated from the SPL. In the first season down the sum would be £400,000 (up from the present £250,000) and, in the second, it would be £200,000 (compared to £125,000).