National Conference League

[Spyro]

48 minutes ago, craigkillie said:

I've often thought that the best approach for a national 5th tier to bridge the gap a wee bit between League 2 and the HL/LL would be a 12 team league featuring a "Highland Conference" with 6 teams and a "Lowland Conference" with 6 teams. Play every team in your own conference twice home and away (20 games) and every team in the other conference once home and away (12 games). Team with the most points overall goes up automatically, then some sort of play-off format involving the winners/runners-up of each conference and the second bottom team in League 2.

At the risk of incurring the wrath of the HL posse (again), that's actually not a bad idea. 

IN NO WAY am I condoning removing the HL! But the ones outside the top 6 filter back into their regional leagues... Possibly having a North Superleague with the top NR and ML clubs, with the North Caley teams allowed to decide on where they play due to travel costs

[Burnieman]

4 hours ago, craigkillie said:

I've often thought that the best approach for a national 5th tier to bridge the gap a wee bit between League 2 and the HL/LL would be a 12 team league featuring a "Highland Conference" with 6 teams and a "Lowland Conference" with 6 teams. Play every team in your own conference twice home and away (20 games) and every team in the other conference once home and away (12 games). Team with the most points overall goes up automatically, then some sort of play-off format involving the winners/runners-up of each conference and the second bottom team in League 2.

Is that you Ian?

[vikingTON]

5 hours ago, craigkillie said:

I've often thought that the best approach for a national 5th tier to bridge the gap a wee bit between League 2 and the HL/LL would be a 12 team league featuring a "Highland Conference" with 6 teams and a "Lowland Conference" with 6 teams. Play every team in your own conference twice home and away (20 games) and every team in the other conference once home and away (12 games). Team with the most points overall goes up automatically, then some sort of play-off format involving the winners/runners-up of each conference and the second bottom team in League 2.

A league system in which a team can win by virtue of picking up extra points against garbage opponents twice rather once per season would be ridiculous. 

[craigkillie]

I did wonder about that, you could still have play-offs and maybe just have the side with the most points over the season having home advantage or something like that, the point was to find a sort of halfway house between national and regional football.

[Guest]

2000+ at Spartans and the West Cup final but aye B Teams is exactly what we need...

[Burnieman]

Musselburgh Athletic have their say

[parsforlife]

Very good statement, hopefully more to follow 

[FairWeatherFan]

That does read like this

Which isn't their fault. It's genuninely one of the most convoluted proposals. Something that 99% of people not keeping track would be left confused by. And it doesn't even have a split  

[welshbairn]

Split the Lowland League into East and West and have fluid promotion and demotion, like they have down in Englandshire. And set up a proper reserve league outside the pyramid with all Premiership clubs taking part with no restrictions on age or nationality, and the same down the leagues for those who are able to fund it. Nationalising leagues below tier 4 is silly, even at tier 3 and 4 it could be reconsidered.

[GallowayBlue]

Will it be all licensed clubs that will vote?

Edited April 30, 2023 by GallowayBlue

[Pompey Blue]

Why is the very simple idea of automatic promotion and automatic relegation through all tiers of the pyramid so baffling and toxic to Scottish footballs lords and masters? Why does club 42 get a chance at all of redemption through a play off after finishing rock bottom of the entire football league? They fully deserve to be relegated and when relegated should be able to see a clear and attainable route back into the league. As for all these ambitious non league clubs they resemble the millions of sperm all scrambling to be the one who fertilises the egg. Anyway it’s time to get excited about Rangers v Celtic in the cup final. (Not). 

[kingbob1875]

57 minutes ago, Pompey Blue said:

Why is the very simple idea of automatic promotion and automatic relegation through all tiers of the pyramid so baffling and toxic to Scottish footballs lords and masters? Why does club 42 get a chance at all of redemption through a play off after finishing rock bottom of the entire football league? They fully deserve to be relegated and when relegated should be able to see a clear and attainable route back into the league. As for all these ambitious non league clubs they resemble the millions of sperm all scrambling to be the one who fertilises the egg. Anyway it’s time to get excited about Rangers v Celtic in the cup final. (Not). 

It does seem short sighted on their part. If Spartans go up at the expense of Albion, then 5 of old 42 will be stuck on the wrong side of the very thing they thought would protect them.

[Guest]

Is that just Nairn County and Musselburgh Athletic the only clubs to make a statement so far? 

Really needs a public statement from all clubs, from the Premiership down to the lowest divisions of the feeder leagues, stating their position on the Conference and B teams in general. Preferably after consulting fans.  

If there's a huge backlash then it would be reasonable for those clubs to have discussions about quitting the existing pyramid and setting up an independent league system, even to the extent of forging links with leagues in other countries to set up an (old) European Cup-style tournament for the top sides. 

Quite frankly, I don't see the attraction in striving for SPFL status with its glass ceiling and bottleneck.

 

[Brazilianlex]

36 minutes ago, IncomingExile said:

Is that just Nairn County and Musselburgh Athletic the only clubs to make a statement so far? 

Really needs a public statement from all clubs, from the Premiership down to the lowest divisions of the feeder leagues, stating their position on the Conference and B teams in general. Preferably after consulting fans.  

If there's a huge backlash then it would be reasonable for those clubs to have discussions about quitting the existing pyramid and setting up an independent league system, even to the extent of forging links with leagues in other countries to set up an (old) European Cup-style tournament for the top sides. 

Quite frankly, I don't see the attraction in striving for SPFL status with its glass ceiling and bottleneck.

 

One of the major problems as i see it as that Clubs are left to make individual statements.

Of more weight would be statements from the Lowland League, EoS And WoS Leagues etc as it is these leagues that will be relegated a tier in the pyramid.

Maxwell can just ignore Clubs but a League statement would be more impactful and put pressure on SPFL Clubs at forthcoming AGM vote. 

[Ray Patterson]

1 hour ago, IncomingExile said:

Is that just Nairn County and Musselburgh Athletic the only clubs to make a statement so far? 

Haddington came out and backed Musselburgh Statement.

[O'Kelly Isley III]

4 hours ago, Pompey Blue said:

Why is the very simple idea of automatic promotion and automatic relegation through all tiers of the pyramid so baffling and toxic to Scottish footballs lords and masters? Why does club 42 get a chance at all of redemption through a play off after finishing rock bottom of the entire football league? They fully deserve to be relegated and when relegated should be able to see a clear and attainable route back into the league. As for all these ambitious non league clubs they resemble the millions of sperm all scrambling to be the one who fertilises the egg. Anyway it’s time to get excited about Rangers v Celtic in the cup final. (Not). 

Well the simple answer to that is self-preservation, and especially at the Premier level where not only is there a play-off, but unlike the divisions below where there are mini semi-finals, the club which finishes second bottom in the Premier gets to cool their jets whilst second, third and fourth in Championship knock seven bells out of each other.

[Footballfirst]

The history of the "C" Division of the SFL and it's evolution (and ultimate demise) following WWII may have parallels with what is proposed for the Conference League.  

Scotland had gone into WW11 (1939/40) with two SFL leagues of 20 & 18, featuring clubs including Third Lanark, King's Park, St Bernards, Leith Athletic and Edinburgh City.

When national leagues resumed in 1946/47 there were 3 leagues (A, B, C) of 16, 14 and 10. (King's Park and St Bernards had folded).  However the relevant part to this thread is that there were 3 reserve or "A" teams in Division C, Dundee "A", Dundee United "A" and St Johnstone "A".

In year 2, the C division expanded to 12 teams, 7  of which were "A" teams.

By year 4, 1949/50, Division C had expanded into a regional set up with 34 teams, but 30 were "A" teams, with only Montrose, East Stirlingshire, Leith Athletic and Stranraer as the only recognisable 1st teams.

A further 5 years later, Division C folded, to become (would you believe it?) a Reserve League!

What a prospect for the pyramid if that precedent is repeated.

Edited April 30, 2023 by Footballfirst

[newcastle broon]

https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/football/hibs/why-hibs-have-chosen-not-to-go-down-b-team-route-amid-scottish-conference-league-plans-4124357

[Dev]

Apologies if this angle has already been raised. If the four B teams do get into the SPFL then the reported £100,000 fee to be paid by each one of them also disappears into the sun-set. What happens next to the six current Lowland and Highland League clubs which it is suggested should make up the numbers in the proposed Conference league? Would it make any sense at all to have a fifth nationwide Division?

Similarly, if the B teams fail to get into the SPFL how long will it be before they give up on the proposed new Conference League. In the event of that happening what becomes of the remaining six clubs? Back to the Lowland/Highland leagues?

[FairWeatherFan]

21 minutes ago, Dev said:

Apologies if this angle has already been raised. If the four B teams do get into the SPFL then the reported £100,000 fee to be paid by each one of them also disappears into the sun-set. What happens next to the six current Lowland and Highland League clubs which it is suggested should make up the numbers in the proposed Conference league? Would it make any sense at all to have a fifth nationwide Division?

Similarly, if the B teams fail to get into the SPFL how long will it be before they give up on the proposed new Conference League. In the event of that happening what becomes of the remaining six clubs? Back to the Lowland/Highland leagues?

The simple answer is that this is still scribbled on a napkin with no real thought beyond the initial idea.

They don't officially have a 4th B team. Hoping that Aberdeen sign off on it.

They don't know what happens to the financial model after 5 years. Probably hope that it will become a part of the SPFL either through expansion of existing divisions or rebranding as SPFL3.

They don't know who would fill in vacancies in the HL & LL that would dramatically alter the Lowland League. So many new teams into the Lowland would swing open the trap door. Imagine being relegated after the 1st Conference season. Returning to Talbot, Pollok, Clydebank, Sauchie, Musselburgh, Jeanfield plus anyone left behind with 3 relegation spots.