Reconstruction Plans

Looks like this is definitely going to happen, extremely disappointed with the format chosen although can understand why they've not went with a bigger league although I'm disappointed with the reasons, if they wanted a bigger league we could have had one if we were creative and progressive in our thinking

Looks like we'll have a 12-12-18 set up with the top two divisions splitting into 3 tiers of 8 after each team plays one another twice (22 games)

For the clubs regularly at the top then nothing will change in the top section, same teams playing the same teams with more or less the same format, this time instead of the top 6 teams playing each other 4 times a season the top 8 teams will play each other 4 times a season

The middle section of 8 will probably be more interesting, the bottom 4 clubs in the top 12 will go into a Play-Off League with the top 4 clubs from the second league of twelve, all points will be set at zero and every club will play each other twice (home & away) and the top 4 clubs will gain entry into the top 12 for the start of the following season.

The bottom 8 clubs will be fighting for survival against Relegation, with potentially 4 clubs facing relegation thanks to Automatic Promotion and Play-Off's

The bottom league of 18 looks a better option than what a small minority prefer, they would rather have two leagues of 10 which would include either inviting a Celtic and The Rangers colt teams or invite two other clubs into the Professional League set-up


Right, I should say I'm not a fan of this set-up at all, I do want change though within Scottish Football, we need to do something to encourage fans to go to games but is this really the right course of action?

How can clubs realistically sell Season tickets for a 36 game league season when two leagues of 12 split into 3 leagues of 8 after only 22 games, fans unless they're fans of constant top of the league clubs (which is really only Celtic and Motherwell) will know what they're buying,

There's a fear that if this format is passed then clubs who are historically bottom of the league clubs will choose to keep their money in the summer, take finishing in the bottom 4 then use all their money to strengthen in January when all points are re-set and the bottom 4 SPL and top 4 First Division clubs battle it out for the top four positions to gain access to the top tier the following seasonl

The notion of 12-12-10-10 is just ridiculous, Scotland doesn't need 4 tiers, 3 is plenty, staying with 4 tiers would only to suit one club, I also have huge sympathy with clubs who say every club should know what they're playing for before the start of the season and changing it with immediate effect would challenge the integrity of that, however considering we'd be moving from 4 tiers to 3 tiers then every club whether they're successful or not would be at the very least at the same level they would be at already while the rest would be one step closer than they where, no club would be held back, that is important.

I'm struggling with these plans, I want change and want to support these plans, I want these plans to rejuvenate our game but I just can't help but think it won't work, I can see the middle 8 being relatively exciting but I also feel that splitting the leagues after only 22 games then its less likely we'll see clubs want to give youth a chance as every point will be a prisoner.

I do like the fact it would see our league bodies merge, there's no need to have as many different voices as we have and I like the fact so much money will be syphoned down through the top 24 clubs, its vital to bridge the gap between the top clubs in Division One and the bottom of the SPL.

There is a lot of good plans in motion but its the structure that worries me and doesn't fill me with the excitement you'd hope a new league format would.

So the idea for Colt tweams has been veto'd

I can kinda understand why but I also can't, I think its win win, the only problem I could say is that Celtic would be the only team capable of doing it at the present moment

The good thing about them knocking this idea on the head is it kinda kills the notion of the 12-12-10-10 set up, it looks like 12-12-18 which isn't a great deal better but 3 tiers instead of 4 is a must for me

Hasn't gone through, which in my opinion is good for Scottish Football.

I see after nearly destroying Norwich, Neil Doncaster is doing his upmost to do the same to Scottish Football

I'm not sure what to make of it.

It's obvious the change is needed, everything is so stale.

I know people give reasons why a bigger league wouldn't work but I really think we need something like that, simply put ever club is playing each other a minimum of 3 times every season, that is dull!!! It says a lot when two up, two down in the SPL has made things seem vibrant.

A league body merger is so nessecary it's stupid that it hasn't happened yet.

I also think playoffs would be a good idea, I know sporting purists don't like it, but it does create drama, say what you want about the top 6 split, but United's game against Aberdeen was the most excited I've been for a while, that idea that one game defines a season, drama can be created by these playoffs and regardless of the percieved quality of the football, drama is what people are looking for.

In my ideal world, I'd have an 18 team top tier with title playoffs for the top 4 (similar to the system in our rugby leagues) and a 3 up 3 down system, possibly with a playoff between 15 & 16 to decide the final place, below that I'd have a 16 team second tier with promotion playoffs and multiple relagation places to regionalised leagues below.

Obviously this is massivly simplistic and there are probably many reasons why this cannot happen, but I think you see my views, create variety, create drama and hopefully that will revive interest in our national game.

This might sound crazy but......

How about 2 divisions - Div 1 has 18 teams and Div 2 has 24 teams. Play each other twice, straight 3 up, 3 down with 1 team promoted from non-league to Div 2 each season.

No stupid splits, No mixing up divisons half way through the season, No Playoffs!

Simples!

So reconstruction was finally passed through yesterday then and what we got was the exact same as what we had in terms of league structure.

At least we got SPL Play-Off's with second bottom of the SPL (11th) going into the Play-Off's with 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed teams in the First Division, however, in only a way Scotland could do, they've made the Play-Off so convoluted its unreal....4th vs 3rd will Play-Off over two legs for the right to face 2nd place, then who ever wins that 2 leg Play-Off will face the team finishing second bottom of the SPL over two legs for the right to play SPL football

Why they felt the need to do this rather than just have a straight up two 2 legged semis followed by a final is beyond me

Glad we're getting one govering body although the SFL are in my opinion a shambles and the SPL aren't much better so I hardly hold this group up as something to be celebrated, glad we're seeing a redistribution of wealth filetering down to the SFL1 clubs, they really need it


All in all I'm disappointed but not to downbeat, I'm hopeful that this is just the first step in the direction of a bigger league, giving teams under the top tier more finance will hopefully help them in achieving their ambition of getting to the top tier

Ok that's the most retarded playoff system ever

It's retards who run Scottish football.

Why do they have to make things so stupid - its tried and tested in 100's of leagues around the world, higher meets lower in the playoffs (11th SPL vs 4th) and the 2 middle fights it out!

Has there been any mention of any relegation from Div 3? That could be done with a playoff aswell with the bottom of Div 3 meeting the champions of East of Scotland League, South of Scotland League and Highland Leagues.

From what I heard they where looking at reshaping non league in Scotland with an East of Scotland, West of Scotland and Highland League, all 3 winners would then go into a Play-Off with the club finishing bottom of SFL3

So we've finally got "reconstruction" in Scotland then and like only Scotland can do, to the naked eye no reconstruction has taken place.

We had four tiers of 12-10-10-10 and now we have four tiers of 12-10-10-10... So from a marketing prespective they don't have much visual difference from what they already had.

What we decided to do though was possibly the smarter idea if not the creative one, we decided to keep the format as it is and just add to it.

• Play-Off's
This was a biggie for me, the 1 up 1 down from the top tier was boring and border line depressing, also meant that if a team had a bad start to SFL1 they could basically write off the season as they'd known they wouldn't be able to win promotion, with 2nd, 3rd & 4th place joining 11th from the SPL it opens up the bottom of the SPL and throws SFL1 wide open, its been proven that fans will go to games if there is something at stake, Play-Offs give fans a sense of opportunity.


• Fairer Distribution of Finance
This is an absolutely vital part of the reconstruction, there is many teams in SFL1 who have lost so much money through the last few years that it looked like it wasn't going to be sustainable to maintain Full Time Football, it'll also help re-establish these clubs and make them stronger if and when the Top League is expanded to 16 clubs

• One Governing Body
For the first time since 1998 Scottish Football is under the same banner, SFA/SPL/SFL have a far better and bigger commercial value as a whole than as 3 separate entities

• Introduction of a Pyramid System
There will be initially two Leagues under SFL3, the Highland League that's been in existance since the 1890s and the newly formed Lowland League, the winners of each League will have a Play-Off and the winner of that match will go on to have a Play-Off with the club that finished bottom of SFL3, there is plans to have at least 5 levels of of this Pyramid structure on due course

Since when was Neil Doncaster in charge of all this?

Talk about a guaranteed plan that will fail

Hes not in charge, hes been up here since 2009, he has no power though, all he is isba glorified spokesman, he cant make decisions and anything he does do is only done after the board vote on it and tell him the outcome