morley

Slightly off subject but directly linked. If the wosfl does happen and its run by the LL/EoSFL, you could imagine given the amount of fan and media focus the expanded pyramid is getting and will get especially in the West if it happens, a combined LL/Eosfl/wosfl non league entity could be very attractive proposition to a potential sponsor, willing to pay much more than this level currently get. Interesting to know if the EoSFL and LL are tied in to their current sponsors for 2020/21.

Will we see a number more clubs come out with a position over the weekend as committees and fans meet up for games, or do we think most teams will keep quiet piblically for the next few weeks until more clarity on what the wosfl will look like and it becomes clearer if the Sjfa are bluffing or they do actually have a plan B (or x, y, z) they are exploring?

If flexibility can be offered around where the east/west split is that could have wider repurcussions for the North of tay south of tay question. All be it that is more complicated given its also the LL/HL split. Agree should be flexibility though.

That will be the next debate. Where is the dividing line between the new west league and the EoSFL, and indeed between it and the SOS.

Let's remember given this would be tier 6 there would be nothing to stop a Spfl club applying for their reserve/colt team to join. Difficult to say no given precedence has already been set in the SOS.

And then only after that 1000 the chat then moves on to a solution for the North Juniors and the Tayside/Angus based Juniors.

I wondered that aswell recognising that in theory are the SoSFL already not meant to be cover for the West. Not that it works or they particularly wanted to be.

Interestingly the Lowland League twitter page is very quiet today when normally on a Friday its busy posting about the upcoming Saturday games. I wonder if their media team (which may be 1 person) are busily helping to draft up this long awaited comms on the next pyramid development out West.

Exactly, and that same SFA email also clarified that they see it as a league table and not an organisation which sits at a particulat tier position as you point out.

Worth remembering that email from the SFA last May when the last attempt to reach agreement failed. In particular the guidance from the sfa they only want around 64 clubs across Scotland at tier 6. So with 32 already at tier 6 (EOS premier and SOS), and presuming there needs to be an option left open for a highland league region tier 6, that would suggest there can only be scope for about another 16 teams at tier 6 presumably in the West. So that would suggest the SFA will not support the SJFA option z as that would likely take tier 6 way beyond the 64 the Sfa say they can manage at that level.

Let's say the LL only end up with 7 or 8 teams applying for the West feeder. What happens then as not enough for a competitive league, the LL may actually need spfl B sides to make up the numbers anyway.

True the crowd sizes in the challange Cup have been poor following the old firm colts and its maybe not the level they want to be at. But I could imagine a scenario where the sfa and spfl could say a prerequest of their support for the LL West feeder league being that the LL look again at opening up to old firm colts at tier 5 but with the compromise being that they start at tier 6 in the new west feeder league so meaning they atleast have to go through 1 level of promotion.

Do we think as rumoured over the next few days the junior z plan gets a no, the Lowland League announce their own West feeder at tier 6 and open up for applications, could we see the old firm apply for their colt teams/a version of development team to enter? That could be a curve ball. We know they have tried and failed for tier 5 & above. At tier 6 while not everyone may like the idea of old firm or any spfl colt team being there, you could imagine the attraction of two fully sold out home games a season against the old firm could be in proving a sweetener to encourage most of the big west junior clubs to move over, and could be hard for the proposed LL West feeder league to say no given there is already the precedence of spfl reserve teams at tier 6 all be it capped at that level as per the SOS. We also know the sfa are keen for spfl reserve teams to be in the pyramid.

If true OF looking to set up a West feeder for their colts, why presume as some on here seem to be that the OF would see this being at tier 6 with no ability for their colts to go higher with the LL in the way. It's only a few months since the OF tried to get their Colts in the SPFL, indeed the LL and HL have recently said no to Colt teams. If the rumour is true I reckon the OF strategy will be for their West feeder to come in as high as possible so also at tier 5, alongside the LL and HL. The LL becoming an East Super league with the current west based LL sides like BSC, EK, Cumb Colts encouraged/pushed over to the West feeder with the lure to them of the increased revenue and funding from the OF, some of the larger West based (Pro pyramid) Junior sides joining it, plus handful of others like Glasgow Uni. It's no real risk for the LL with them able to promote a number of arguably larger replacement teams (In terms of fanbase atleast) to LL from the EoS Premier v those going west. Its a solution which doesn't create a conflict of geography for the EoS or HL with an overlap of leagues which the Junior pyramid proposal does. The Sfa were originally supportive of the Juniors coming in alongside the LL and HL at tier 5 so why not a West League also at tier 5. The OF in return for funding and running the West Feeder then look for a commitment they can promote into the SPFL. Question would then be how the Sjfa or West Juniors respond. Could see a counter proposal from the West Junior for their own solution. The SOS Leaugue fits in alongside the EoS still. Anyway all speculation.

The sfa would be aware this email could set in motion far reaching consequences in the short term, (for example already seen a public reaction from Clydebank), and the sfa at least now seem to show recognition of the sensitivities around this subject. So I can't believe the content of the email will not have been carefully considered before it was issued.

This email from the SFA will be pored over but for me gives deliberate guidance to the PWG going forward meaning: 1. By specifically referencing the EoSFL (the top league of it) and not the east region in general, means the EoSFL is recognised by the sfa as the exclusive and only pyramid league there can be in the East at least at tier 6. 2. The sfa want the SoSL to continue to have an exclusive place at tier 6 and equal in size to the East tier 6 or any other regional tier 6. 3. Calling out there can only be 32 more clubs at tier 6, combined with actually spelling out the current split 16 each between EoSFL and SoSL, is a clear invite for the creation of both a West and Highland tier 6 league by someone with 16 in each to fill that remaining 32 places. Otherwise what was the point in that part of the statement as that level of detail wasn't really needed otherwise. 4. Stating only the top division of each regions leaugue is to be considered tier 6, means there can't be overlapping geographical leagues at tier 6. Leaves it open for geographical overlap at tier 7 or below. 5. Same statement as point 4 above, also means an important point of clarity from the sfa that its a specific league table rather than a whole organisation who will be considered to sit at tier 6. 6. Recognition of uncertainty of the highland/lowland boundary invites a possible change to the boundary position.

Surely it's possible everyone is right in what they claim has been agreed. That all the juniors will have a direct route in at tier 6, and that the EoScotland League will remain the only pyramid league covering the East Region at tier 6. So to explain what I mean, the North juniors go in as feeder to the Highland League so tier 6, and the rest of the juniors (combined) will then become the West pyramid league in at tier 6. So the current east juniors will compete with the west juniors to be the "west" champion in the pyramid. So effectively there will be a east division of the new west league in the pyramid. Thats no different to the EoScotland League currently where arguably not all teams sit in the east region like Gretna, and you have examples of this in the non leagues in England, and the amateur leagues in Scotland where teams sit outside of the league catchment area. So the majority of clubs in the west pyramid league would be based in the west region but with some based in the EoScotland league catchment area and some based in the Highland/North junior catchment but competing for the "West" champion title. The junior FA can then claim they have delivered a direct feed into tier 6 for all juniors, the junior FA still run all their current junior leagues, and it doesn't compromise the supremacy of the East of Scotland league covering the East in the pyramid. Then any club who drops down the pyramid from a national level who doesn't have a legacy in a particular regional league goes into the respective geographical pyramid league. That also then means there isn't a debate forcing teams to move at the start from their current geographical leagues if they don't sit in the catchment area and don't want to move.