|
In the absence of Scottish football action, countless column inches and Zoom call minutes have been taken up with planning for an eventual return, and the league configurations that could possibly make that happen.
At the heart of this are the objectives of protecting supporter, player and staff welfare; ensuring sporting integrity and fairness; and minimising financial stress on our clubs. Early in this process it was clear that there were no perfect solutions and no easy answers, and that trade-offs and compromises would be needed. Everyone who cared about Scottish football would need to come together to find a way through the crisis, and it was in this spirit that we offered to take part in the league reconstruction task force. Ultimately that offer was not accepted, and it was disappointing to see this challenge undertaken by the SPFL clubs alone.
In the absence of full involvement in the process, we offered input in the form of a high-level survey, asking Scottish football supporters what they liked and disliked about the current league structure, and what changes they wished to see this summer.
Survey Findings
The current structure is viewed positively, but there is clear and strong support for larger divisions – although not at the expense of the current competitiveness. The play-offs are broadly seen as positive, but there is scope for improvement – to ensure fairness, and to remove the current bias in favour of teams from higher divisions. The premiership split is also seen as broadly positive, although the imbalance in home and away fixtures is of great concern. The pyramid has been well received, and there is support for opening this up further.
The financial distribution model is a major concern for fans, relegation can put clubs in crisis and easier transitions between the divisions are needed. We have also seen a lot of criticism towards the SPFL’s voting mechanism and decision-making processes, with suspicion that the current reconstruction discussions are taking place to benefit the few rather than the many.
What do you like most about the current league structure?
- 29% of responses mentioned the play-offs positively, and 20% mentioned the premiership split
- Lots of comments about the current competitiveness of the divisions, with few meaningless games
- Positive comments about the pyramid structure
What do you like least about the current league structure?
- Over 30% of comments described the boring and repetitive nature of the fixture calendar
- The play-off structure is seen to be biased towards teams from the higher divisions
- Lots of negative comments about the premiership split, particularly the imbalance between home and away fixtures that this introduces
- The voting structure and financial distribution model were criticised by a number of respondents
What would you like to see in a new league structure?
- The most common response (36% of comments) was “bigger divisions”, most who proposed a particular size for divisions mentioned 16 or 18 teams in each
- A fairer structure for play-offs would please many
- More promotion and relegation between divisions, and opening up the pyramid to more teams, would lead to more variety in opposition
- Strong support for more regionalised divisions
- Permanent changes are needed, rather than temporary fixes
What Next?
Reconstruction talks rumble on, with the current proposals rumoured to involve a temporary two season expansion of the Premiership to 14 teams. We believe this to be fundamentally unworkable, as a return to 12 teams in two years time would either require fewer promotion spots or more relegation spots - this just kicks the can down the road.
Our offer to provide a supporters' perspective to the reconstruction process remains on the table, and there is clear appetite for change from supporters and clubs at all levels. This has to be done for the right reasons and for the benefit of all though - not just as a way of protecting the few clubs facing relegation this summer.
|
