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https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/football/hearts/hearts-join-celtic-and-rangers-in-19-team-lowland-league-as-restructure-talks-begin-on-b-teams-3722415 https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/football/civil-service-strollers-president-reveals-how-his-club-voted-on-19-team-lowland-league-b-team-proposal-3722915 https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/football/tranent-reveal-how-they-voted-after-lowland-league-accepts-celtic-hearts-and-rangers-b-teams-3723404

Another contentious vote coming up [emoji51] https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/football/hearts/lowland-league-hearts-interest-raises-prospect-of-another-controversial-vote-3643160

Here’s a simple proposal. It’s a straight repeat of this null and void season, removing Eyemouth and adding in the 11 new clubs in the ‘Third Division’. The Third Division champions get a ‘double promotion´ to the First Division for 2022/23 as an extra incentive for the newcomers. But no team is unfairly treated. Plenty to play for for everyone. (*Obviously detailed additional scenarios would need to be added in case numbers in the Premier go up or down as a consequence of promotion to and relegation from LL but this will always be needed in the pyramid). 2021/22 (playing it again) 18 Prem Division 16 First Div Con A + 14 First Div Con B (Eyemouth resigned) 11 Third Division (the new clubs) 2022/23 (aiming for) 16 Premier Division 16 First Division 16 Second Division 11 Third Division (leaves room for new members to join or an extra club coming down the from LL which would have a knock-on effect) 2021/22 how it works 18 Premier Division (34 matches) *Assuming one up to and one down from LL *bottom 4 relegated to First Div 16 First Division Con A (30 matches) *champions promoted to Premier Div *P2-P7 to First Division *P8-P13 to Second Division *P14-P16 relegated to Third Division 14 First Division Con B (26 matches) *champions promoted to Premier Division *P2-P6 to First Division *P7 to P12 to Second Division *P13-P14 relegated to Third Division 11 Third Division (26 matches) [20 matches then split into top 4 and bottom 7. Top four play each other home and away again to equal 26 matches. Bottom 7 play each other else once more, thus 3 home and 3 away games, to also equal 26 matches] *champions promoted to First Division *P2 to P4 promoted to Second Division *P5 (ie top of bottom 7 after split) promoted to Second Division *P6 to P11 remain in Third Division

That is my point. Whether you sign a pro contact or not is irrelevant when the whole country is trying to stop people coming into contact with each other. By ‘interpreting´ professional in this way the SFA has allowed hundreds of matches to be played. If they had drawn the line at, say Prem and Championship only, far fewer players would be mixing. The Camelon-Stenhousemuir-pro contract thing is a complete red herring. This is a health crisis

The SFA class tiers 1 to 5 as professional (there’s a professional game board) but seemed to extend the definition it to include lower tiers like EoS in October, thus allowing our level to play. After today, it makes no sense to continue playing below tiers 1 and 2 if you ask me

Game on June 23 is between Coldstream Amateurs and Coldstream Over-35s

Knew you'd have it sorted

Hawick Waverley currently the best am team in Hawick (and the Borders).

So, BBC would either choose a tie involving a home team with lights or a Saturday lunchtime / Sunday afternoon kick-off time. That doesn't justify the SFA's decision or Maxwell's explanation. I actually think adding lights as a licensing criteria is a good thing. But totally unfair to move the goalposts and add it after clubs had already applied and then use BBC live games as a justification for rejecting the application

They could have asked to ground-share at Whitehill's licensed ground to get their own license (like a few other LL clubs do)

Exactly. "Live on the BBC from floodlit Dundas Park in Bonnyrigg this Friday, it's full members Whitehill Welfare at home to qualifiers Bonnyrigg Rose in the first round of the Scottish Cup” Maxwell making a fool of himself. Let's be honest, how many Scottish Cup ties from the early rounds do the BBC want to broadcast live? Using that to justify his argument is a nonsense. Other than Auchinleck v Ayr last year (and remember Auchinleck were qualifiers, not full members so floodlights were not needed under the current rules), can anyone remember a cup tie involving any non-SPFL full-member club being broadcast live by the BBC? Even in the unlikely event that they did want to broadcast a tie involving one of the these non-SPFL full-member clubs who don't have lights, it could be a Saturday lunchtime or Sunday afternoon kick-off. If had to be a Friday or Monday night then they wouldn't chose to broadcast a tie at a venue without lights.

The 15-team league meant 28 league fixtures. We're now talking about 34 league fixtures in the First Division and with far more teams there are obviously more rounds to play in the cup too. I have every faith the in fixture secretary but he can't control the weather. If we have a bad winter it could be tough getting it all in. I can foresee a few teams ending the season with a Saturday-Monday-Thursday schedule.

It should be more straightforward this time round, hopefully. There are already lights on the neighbouring full-size training pitch and some of them have been removed because they were actually too close to the touchline on the main pitch. Overall, there will be fewer pylons but in a different location if this goes ahead

Although I would have preferred regional rather than seeded conferences, I think the new structure is fair, and playing cross-conference games is innovative and progressive. The EoS should be applauded for this set up. The vote to restrict the King Cup to First Division clubs only is sensible, reducing fixture congestion and giving these clubs a realsistic shot at silverware. But... I can't help thinking that it will be a real struggle to fit all the fictures in. I know league matches will start on July 27 after the scrapping of the Qualifying League (another good decision), but 30 (Premier Division) and 34 (First Division) league games is a lot to get in over a season when you consider that teams will also be participating in 4 or 5 cups. Scottish Cup/Alex Jack Cup South Challenge Cup EoS Qualifying Cup League Cup King Cup (probably Conference teams only) There are 44 Saturdays from July 27 to May 23. If there's a one-week break at Christmas, that makes 43 Saturdays. For First Division teams, there are 34 league games and 5 cup ties to play at a minumum. That's 39 fixtures to squeeze into 43 Saturdays even if you lost in the opening round of every cup competiton. Or a minumum 34 fixtures (30 league plus 4 cup) in 43 Saturdays for Prem Division sides. Some teams could easily play a lot more than ten cup ties, maybe even as many as 15 if they have a good season. And there's play-offs to consider too. And inevitably games will be hit by the weather in winter. I know midweek games can be played at grounds with floodlights and I know the fixture secretary is first-class, but it looks tight to me. I wonder how HibeeJibee sees it working. For some reason, he always seems to have a good idea about how it will all work (insert wink emoji here) It ain't going to be easy. Edit: And will the cross conference games be kept to the end of the season )robably too difficult to plan for) or will they be interspersed with the 'same conference' fixtures?

Presumably this is unchanged. But after Berwick's relegation, next season only the EoS Qualifying Cup winner would advance to the City Cup ... playing Edinburgh City in the final. Can HibeeJibee confirm?

Is it definitely three up and three down? Or is there a scenario whereby only two up? What happens this time next year if... Albion Rovers/Cowdenbeath are relegated to LL; Brora/Fraserburgh get promoted to SFL2; A non licensed club wins the EoS Premier and SoS; Vale/Gala/Ed Uni finish bottom of LL. That would leave a 17-team LL unless Vale/Gala/Ed Uni are relegated to EoS Prem. Sorry for being pedantic ... overall it's a great set-up IMO (only using these clubs as examples of course)

The strategy must be to make the most of the £40K parachute payment and money from Irn Bru Challenge Cup and Betfred Lfe Cup access... and challenge for the LL title next season. From what I saw today, the current squad would be nowhere near good enough to challenge for the LL title. I expect they’ll all leave anyway, apart from the 8 under contract. It will be tough, competing for players with Edinburgh City, Spartans, CSS, Kelty and the big EoS Premier teams. Berwick have always had an Edinburgh-area squad but without the lure of playing in the SPFL attracting players will be tough. The first step, though, is appointing a manager. Will it be Brownlie-Little for next season?

I was level with it and thought it was over the line. Correct decision. Also agreed with the red card. Overall, it was disappointing to see Berwick go down with a whimper. They sat off from the start and let Cove dictate. I thought Ouzy See up front put in a decent shift but he was isolated for most of the game. The rest were pretty poor and if anything 3-0 flattered Berwick. It should have been more.

Of course. But we are where are. the LL/EoS is the most advanced area of the pyramid so far. At the moment it only goes down to tier 6 (EoS and SoS). Next season the EoS conferences under the EoS Prom will be the first tier 7 league. All I'm proposing is how that bit could work. Hopefully the west will join in soon

when's the AGM?

Seeded conferences below the EoS Prem next season could look like this: EoS Conference A (12 teams, tier 7) Leith Coldstream Heriot-Watt Dalkeith Oakley Stirling Uni EoS Tynecastle Peebles Edinburgh Utd Dunipace Tweedmouth Ormiston EoS Conference B (12 teams, tier 7) Preston LTHV Easthouses St Andrews Haddington Arniston Craigroyston Burntisland Hawick Inverkeithing Eyemouth Glenrothes Juniors Regional (but flexible) conferences below the EoS Prem next season could look like this: EoS North Conference (12 teams, tier 7) Oakley LTHV Burntisland Tynecastle Dunipace Heriot-Watt St Andrews Stirling Uni EoS Craigroyston Edinburgh Utd Inverkeithing Glenrothes Juniors EoS South Conference (12 teams, tier 7) Leith Coldstream Easthouses Arniston Peebles Hawick Tweedmouth Dalkeith Haddington Eyemouth Preston Ormiston

You could be right. I just think the pyramid should widen as we go down into tier 7. A North and South league would give more teams something to play for in terms of a promotion chase and it would also avoid (just for example) Coldstream ending up in a league which involves lots of trips to Fife and West Lothian but none to the Borders or East Lothian. Or you could have Inverkeithing having lots of trips to the Borders and East Lothian but no opponents in Fife. That should not be an issue at tier 6 because it is a high level but just think tier 7 should be regional (but flexible) with parallel conferences to support the smaller clubs. What do you think about the King Cup idea? And byes for the tier 6 clubs in the later rounds onf the Football Nation EoS Qualifying Cup?

And then for 2020/21 we might be able to introduce tier 8 underneath if the ERJFA clubs eventually decide to jump ship or amalgamate. EoS North Conference Second Division EoS South Conference Second Division

For 2019/20 I'd like to see... EoS Premier (16 teams, tier 6) Bonnyrigg/Whitehill Bo'ness Tranent Dundonald Crossgates Penicuik Hill of Beath Musselburgh Newtongrange Dunbar Broxburn Linlithgow Camelon Jeanfield Blackburn Sauchie 16th and 15th place 'definitely' relegated; 14th place 'probably' relagated in order to maintain 16 teams; 13th place would be 100% safe. North Conference and South Conference underneath. Both Conference champions would go up and the two runners-up would play-off for the third 'probable' promotion spot (this spot would be unavailable only if two LL teams drop to the EoS Prem and no-one is promoted). It is also possible that 4 teams (the Conference North and South champions and runners-up) are all promoted in order to maintain 16 teams in the EoS Premier. North Conference and South Conference would be flexible in terms of numbers and geography. In other words no border line like the Tay Bridge for LL/HL. Because of the geography of the current teams, it would predominently be the Edinburgh teams (LTHV/Tynecastle/Heriot-Watt/Craigroyston/Edinburgh Utd/Leith) who could be moved North or South at start of a new seasons to balance up numbers. Like they do in the English pyramid. Clearly that would mean St Andrews and Stirling Uni EoS would always be North Conferance; Tweedmouth and Eyemouth would always be in the South Conference. For 2019/20... EoS North Conference (12 teams, tier 7) Oakley LTHV Burntisland Tynecastle Dunipace Heriot-Watt St Andrews Stirling Uni EoS Craigroyston Edinburgh Utd Inverkeithing Glenrothes Juniors EoS South Conference (12 teams, tier 7) Leith Coldstream Easthouses Arniston Peebles Hawick Tweedmouth Dalkeith Haddington Eyemouth Preston Ormiston Like this year, I'd ensure that each League Cup qualifying group at the start of the season would have one EoS Premier team, one EoS North team, one EoS South team and then one other at random... to avoid playing the same teams too many times. The King Cup would be dropped by the EoS Premier teams and would be contested only by the 24 Conference North and South clubs (to give the smaller clubs a chance to win something and to reduce fixture congestion for EoS Premier clubs who will already be competing in 4 cups (League Cup, Football Nation EoS Qualifying Cup, South Challenge Cup and Scottish Cup/Alex Jack Cup). The EoS Premier and LL clubs would enter the Football Nation EoS Qualifying Cup at a later round (because they have more league fixtures and are likely to go further in the cups than the North and South sides). The South Challenge Cup would remain all in. Alex Jack Cup (and Scottish Cup) format would be unchanged.