Fractured league system is in need of an overhaul

WITH no game this weekend and lots of comments on last week's column – mostly favourable, thankfully – I wondered what else might stimulate debate.

Kickback gave me a topic – the Scottish Football League system, which now needs massive reform, not just tinkering.

Wikipedia rightly comments that the Scottish system is more complicated than many other national league systems and is "amongst the most fractured and multi-faceted in Europe".

Confusingly, Junior football has nothing to do with the age of the players but is the equivalent of non-league football in England.

As well as the SPL and SFL, we have three regional leagues – Highland, East of Scotland and South of Scotland.

This season has seen a change in the Scottish Cup with 36 non-SPL/SFL sides entitled to enter, starting in the first round along with a small number of Junior sides – which led for example to this season's clash between Linlithgow and Queen of the South.

Beyond this there are over 1,000 clubs with about 35,000 players in 67 Amateur football leagues.

Any form of change has always proved very difficult. Each Association or league has its "blazers" – the office bearers who are very protective of their position and afraid of losing their privileges.

Yet I know from my time in Ayrshire that some Junior football matches attract bigger crowds than almost all games outside the SPL and First Division.

I have been at a Cumnock/Auchinleck clash at which the crowd was well over 3000 and which was as competitive as any Old Firm game. The Junior Cup Final also attracts big crowds and is usually a thrilling spectacle.

At the top end, an SPL with twelve clubs means that we play each club three times before the unpopular split.

Not only can this mean unfairly balanced fixtures but also that the contestants become too familiar with each other's play. In the lower leagues it is even worse and the lack of pressure on clubs for promotion or relegation makes the competition less exciting than in England.

Interesting suggestions for reform have been posted on Kickback.

The one which kicked off the debate involves two national divisions of 20 clubs each and three regional leagues – North, East and West with three, five and four divisions respectively.

This allows all clubs in the Senior and Junior game the opportunity of promotion and threat of relegation, no club would be playing another more than twice a season, and the split would end.

There are other options but this one helps to start the debate.

I am not optimistic, however, that the football authorities will be keen to pick it up.

In Scotland we have been far more reluctant to accept any change than our colleagues south of the Border.

In England there have been many changes already and, with a new full-time Executive Chairman of the Football Association, we could see more.

We need to try to build up a similar head of steam in Scotland for reform.

A reformed league system, as suggested above, two cup competitions, both of which give entry to European competition, full-time referees and the use of modern technology all need to be considered, if football in Scotland is to prosper.


Grounds for enthusiasm over welcoming places for away fans
THE aftermath of the Celtic game and the prospect of our visit to Love Street set me thinking of various merits and demerits of away venues.

Incidentally, both David McLetchie and I have now asked for a meeting with Strathclyde Police following complaints from Hearts supporters about police and stewards at the Celtic match.

We have also been in touch with both clubs who have been very helpful and are looking at the various complaints and working together on them.

Experiences reported to me and my own knowledge of the Glasgow grounds put them low on my list to visit.

Aside from problems with the Police, to be so heavily outnumbered and put into a corner to be shouted at, is not my idea of fun.

Aberdeen and Caley Thistle are not for the fainthearted feather-bedded types – I have felt like Scott of the Antarctic shivering in a bitingly cold wind off the North Sea at Pittodrie – in May.

So which are the grounds where Jambos are both welcome and can stand a fairly good chance of surviving the 90 minutes?

My own favourite is Rugby Park. This results partly from the totally selfish position – when travelling from Ayr it was like a home game.

Tannadice is also an acceptable venue, and when they were in the SPL so were Dens Park and East End Park.

And as for Easter Road, what can I say without upsetting my Hibby friends whose attention may stray to this column?