SPL has finally woken up

Scheduling the opening day of the league campaign for July 23 ensures all of Scotland's European participants will be better prepared for continental competition than ever before. None more so than Hearts.

The Edinburgh club, assuming they finish third this year, and depending on potential movement within UEFA's access list for European tournaments, are expected to enter the Europa League in either the second or third qualifying round. Those two-legged ties are to be staged over July 14/21 and July 28/August 4 respectively.

Provided they progress, they would then face a play-off tie (effectively a fourth qualifying round) later in August to reach the prestigious group phase.

Had the SPL started in mid-August like this season, Hearts might have been forced to play crucial European fixtures as much as a full month before the start of the league campaign.

Bringing the season forward three weeks forces pre-season training to commence earlier and ensures clubs have less chance of being caught cold on the continent. Conversely, it is conceivable that a team could be eliminated from the Europa League's second qualifying round before kicking a domestic ball.

The hope is that Hearts will miss that stage and enter the third qualifying round on July 28, but that depends on a host of issues including who wins the Champions League, the Europa League and the Scottish Cup. None of that will be known until May. It would be naive to believe SPL chief exec Neil Doncaster and his blazered cohorts are only concerned with the European aspirations at Tynecastle, but scheduling the opening SPL weekend for July 23 will likely benefit Hearts more than anyone.

Certainly, it is a welcome change from their last Europa League venture. In August 2009, they were forced to play their opening SPL match just 72 hours before the vital play-off first-leg with Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia to suit broadcaster ESPN. After losing 2-0 to Dundee United at Tannadice on the Monday evening, they suffered a 4-0 mauling in the seething cauldron of Dinamo's Stadion Maksimir on the Thursday. They eventually exited the competition 4-2 on aggregate.

"For me, it was the most stupid decision ever," said Csaba Laszlo, Hearts manager at the time. "We got no help from the Scottish Football Association. We tried to tell them not to make us play in Dundee, or at least to let us play earlier. They refused. The clubs and the federation must work better.

"The earlier start would have been better for us, so this new start will definitely help the clubs. This is a good step what they are doing so the teams can prepare better for the European competitions. If you have games in your legs it helps you in Europe. But if you don't have quality in your team, you can have 20 weeks preparation and it won't make a difference."

Laszlo is currently conducting a mini-revival at the Belgian club Chareroi, where three victories and a draw have been garnered from the last four matches to regenerate hope that relegation can be avoided. His family home remains in Edinburgh and he will be available for a return to Scotland this summer when his contract in Belgium expires.

The amiable Hungarian is keen for football in this country to change having frequently petitioned for a winter break whilst at Tynecastle. An earlier start to the season is a step in the right direction, but without a proper rest period the risk of burnout is dangerously high.

"To have reform in Scottish football is necessary. What we have now in Scotland is not good," he continued. "Just look back over the last 13 year – the national team has not qualified for a major championship. This is not an accident, something is wrong. To change things is very important.

"There is also the question of the winter break. If you don't have a break in the summer and you don't have a break in the winter, this is not okay. If you begin the season earlier but you don't finish earlier, the recovery time for the players is short. The players need a holiday to take a break. The body needs this.

"If there is no winter break you can go in the wrong direction. I think it is important to have a two-week break in the winter for that reason. I don't say four weeks, I think two is enough but it is definitely necessary.

"You must begin a minimum of four weeks before the first game of the season. Maximum six weeks. Immediately, you see that you finish the season and have one week's break for a holiday and then you must begin again. This can also be dangerous, you can have a lot of injuries and not enough players. It is not only a question of how early you begin preparing for Europe."

At the very least, the custodians of Scottish football now seem willing to embrace some different ideas and approaches. Laszlo believes they could do worse than pluck ideas from Germany's domestic football format, which he believes is one of the world's best from his experience at Borussia Moenchengladbach.

"Sometimes you must go to look at what other people do. Do not be ashamed to go and make a discovery. Two weeks ago I spoke with somebody from the German Football Federation and he was saying Germany could make two national teams and both would be in the top ten in the world.

"There is a reason for this. This person told me that, in the last ten years, he was not ashamed to go to Holland, France, Spain and anywhere else to study what those countries do better than Germany. He didn't want to copy them, just to translate their ideas so they fit in with the German mentality. He said they now have the best infrastructure and one of the best national teams, and this is true.

"The people in Scottish football can always learn and if it helps the clubs and the players then these ideas and changes are useful."