League reconstruction: Let's hear your view

[SpoonTon]

The part-time and non-league clubs divide more proportionately into north, east and west regions than they do into just highland and lowland, for example; it keeps (admittedly, slightly arbitrary) boundaries to a minimum within a sub-national system that, by its nature, must have them - whereas a four-way split adds complexity; and there's good precedent for a three-way split with the juniors, which could also be useful if you want to try to convince them to sign up to the 'senior' pyramid.

As you well know the Lowland League is essentially South/East Leagues plus a couple of Glasgow area teams. While there is overlap between these East teams and the East Juniors around the Edinburgh area, one then goes north and the other goes south. In the East Juniors you'd be hard pushed to find a distance too much over 80 miles between teams, that would be far greater if it was extended down to Berwick and the south/east teams in the Lowland League. Regional leagues haven't tended to develop over such large distances themselves.

Four regions would be a better solution for this IMO. And because we're dealing with boundaries that are always going to be slightly awkward (East Fife are much closer to Stirling than it is Berwick, Spartans are much closer to Glasgow BSC than they are Montrose), clubs in certain zones could choose which league they are affiliated with.

But lets not get away from the fact that the central belt in Scotland isn't really that big and is pretty well connected. The Highlands and Aberdeenshire account for almost half of Scotland's land-mass, and isn't connected nearly as well. There's not a huge need for those reasons to split the first level below national leagues into more than 2 territories. You'd just need to accept that they weren't exactly equal levels even if they appeared to be at the same level of the pyramid.

[Wilky1878]

I've heard a decision will made for reconstruction next season at the spfl meeting in February. Has anyone else heard anything similar?

[HTG]

As you well know the Lowland League is essentially South/East Leagues plus a couple of Glasgow area teams. While there is overlap between these East teams and the East Juniors around the Edinburgh area, one then goes north and the other goes south. In the East Juniors you'd be hard pushed to find a distance too much over 80 miles between teams, that would be far greater if it was extended down to Berwick and the south/east teams in the Lowland League. Regional leagues haven't tended to develop over such large distances themselves.

Four regions would be a better solution for this IMO. And because we're dealing with boundaries that are always going to be slightly awkward (East Fife are much closer to Stirling than it is Berwick, Spartans are much closer to Glasgow BSC than they are Montrose), clubs in certain zones could choose which league they are affiliated with.

But lets not get away from the fact that the central belt in Scotland isn't really that big and is pretty well connected. The Highlands and Aberdeenshire account for almost half of Scotland's land-mass, and isn't connected nearly as well. There's not a huge need for those reasons to split the first level below national leagues into more than 2 territories. You'd just need to accept that they weren't exactly equal levels even if they appeared to be at the same level of the pyramid.

I'm quite attracted by the continuation of the 2 way split if it recognises the strength and depth of the southern end by allocating more opportunity to progress than its North counterpart.

[TheLip69]

I've heard a decision will made for reconstruction next season at the spfl meeting in February. Has anyone else heard anything similar?

Hopefully the rumour about the Premiership going to 16 next season is true, bringing Hibs, Falkirk and Rangers all back into the top level,as well as saving Dundee Utd, can only be good for the game.

[Sergeant Wilson]

Hopefully the rumour about the Premiership going to 16 next season is true, bringing Hibs, Falkirk and Rangers all back into the top level,as well as saving Dundee Utd, can only be good for the game.

Thank you, Keith Jackson.

[effeffsee_the2nd]

the premiership needs a strong falkirk and clubs cant do without the navy blue pound

[DA Baracus]

Hopefully the rumour about the Premiership going to 16 next season is true, bringing Hibs, Falkirk and Rangers all back into the top level,as well as saving Dundee Utd, can only be good for the game.

Explain

[Wilky1878]

I'm going to hold my hands up and say over the past week or so I've really grown to the idea of the first level of the pyramid being split two ways.

Was dead against it a few weeks ago but my opinion just seems to of all of a sudden changed.

[edinabear]

Hopefully the rumour about the Premiership going to 16 next season is true, bringing Hibs, Falkirk and Rangers all back into the top level,as well as saving Dundee Utd, can only be good for the game.

Would be utterly shameful if Dundee United were saved due to reconstruction. Would need to be top 5 promoted from Championship to bring numbers up.

[Doink]

I've heard a decision will made for reconstruction next season at the spfl meeting in February. Has anyone else heard anything similar?

Being discussed today and Thursday

[EdTheDuck]

Being discussed today and Thursday

Sounds like it's being filed away today at least...

Chris McLaughlin ‏@BBCchrismclaug 15m

15 minutes ago

Bottom line from today's all club meeting at Hampden - little chance of league expansion.

[effeffsee_the2nd]

Now that sevco have a bit of brwathing room at the top of th3 championship they can get their precious 4 old firm games a year. Buisness as fucking usual

[Eednud]

Czech point http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/22051542

[BFTD]

"Fitzel, like many in Europe, has looked on with interest at the Scottish game in the past few years"

So, a 16 team league may or may not have resulted in the Czech national side making a slight recovery from the doldrums they've been in. But then again, it might not, and the Czechs are looking at scrapping it anyway. Pretty desperate article from the Beeb, there.

[sparky88]

Not having Falkirk or Dunfermline or whoever in the top league is killing Scottish football stone dead.

[Gingerboaby]

I'm a fan of splitting the regional leagues into 3. Would save the clubs cash in travelling to away games that are the other side of the country. A bigger league all round I think is needed, don't know about anyone else but I'm bored of playing the same teams 4 times a year.

[EdTheDuck]

"Fitzel, like many in Europe, has looked on with interest at the Scottish game in the past few years"

So, a 16 team league may or may not have resulted in the Czech national side making a slight recovery from the doldrums they've been in. But then again, it might not, and the Czechs are looking at scrapping it anyway. Pretty desperate article from the Beeb, there.

They should have asked the Swiss, Austrians and Croatians who are similarly placed as the Czechs (and are more like our population) but have 10 team leagues...or the Belgians who have the most convoluted system imaginable.

The size of the league is almost meaningless in youth development IF early youth development is done right and finances are spread more evenly

[sparky88]

Plenty of young players get their chance at top flight clubs as it is, even in a 12 team league.

[sparky88]

Czech point http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/22051542

meaningless guff. You could just as easily say that since a 16 team top flight was introduced the national team have never reached a major final, yet at euro 96 they did, prior to their league reconstruction.

[SpoonTon]

I'm a fan of splitting the regional leagues into 3. Would save the clubs cash in travelling to away games that are the other side of the country. A bigger league all round I think is needed, don't know about anyone else but I'm bored of playing the same teams 4 times a year.

It can get boring playing the same teams all the time when there is nothing at stake, but I'd caution against what might be lost with a move to a bigger league. Relegation and promotion are important to Scottish football, in any system it's important to make sure that there is enough opportunity for movement between leagues. It's also important to keep games being as interesting as possible - in my experience it doesn't get boring playing the same team 4 times a year when the two teams are in a fight for promotion or against relegation. Another thing that good about Scottish football is drawing a team in a cup competition who is not in your own league - the chances of that lessen when there are bigger leagues (although you could also argue that the repetition of drawing them in the cup wouldn't matter so much in that case).

in the last 3 seasons (13/14, 14/15, 15/16) Morton have played 31 of the 42 SPFL teams (plus Spartans twice). From my own experience I can't complain about the number of different grounds that I've had the chance to visit, or the number of different teams that have come to Cappielow. I also haven't been bored about playing the same teams over and over, because if nothing else the last 3 or 4 years have been interesting enough for that not to be an issue. I'm not against a shift to a bigger league, but I do think that if it is done purely to relieve repetition then it's the wrong move - it would need to be a part of a much larger package of changes which took into consideration a number of big changes (in terms of distribution of money, cup competitions, tv deals, creating a proper pyramid, a real consideration of what relegation/promotion means, and so on).