SPL leaning towards 14-team set up with June kick-off

League reconstruction returned to the agenda yesterday at Hampden Park in the latest meeting of the Scottish Premier League board and members of the SPL working group involved in plotting the way forward for Scottish football's top tier.

It is hoped that change, inspired partly by Henry McLeish's ongoing review of the game, will be implemented in time for the start of next season. Leading the list of proposals is an expansion to a 14-team league, with the season kicking off in June and play-offs introduced.

A 14-team league would retain a split - with the top six sides battling it out for the title and European places and the bottom eight battling to avoid relegation.

"Today was just one of seven or eight meetings involving the board and selected other clubs," said Neil Doncaster, SPL chief executive.

"Progress is good. There were a number of working areas where agreement was reached, and a number of areas where we are still to reach agreement."

Also present at the meeting were Aberdeen chairman Stewart Milne, Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell and Rangers chief executive Martin Bain.

The timescale by which a decision on whether league reconstruction will take place at the end of this season or not remains the end of this year. If it goes to the vote then 11 of the 12 SPL clubs will have to agree the same path forward.

Motherwell last night issued a lengthy statement "having reviewed the draft strategies and ideas being put forward from both the SPL and the McLeish review process".

The Fir Park club added that it will "listen to the views of the fans" before reaching a final decision, but came out in favour of an earlier start to the season and also the re-introduction of a winter break.

"We believe that everyone with the future of the game at heart has to conclude that 'no change' is no option," it said.

"Our number one priority would be the introduction of a substantial 'winter-break' and a Spring/early Summer start to the football calendar. The commercial, practical and cultural advantages of this we believe are compelling.

"We also support innovations around the timing of games throughout the week to secure maximum attendance, new audiences and commercial advantage.

"Our priority for reforms will be behind those fundamental and substantial measures that stand a chance of arresting the decline in average attendances, commercial performance and sporting achievement at a club and national team level."