Jump to content

Lowland League football, what is the future?


Pyramidic

Recommended Posts

As I keep saying, each region requires a different solution.

How about the HL indicating they are going to 2 x 12 in two seasons time (ie tier 5 and 6), they therefore have 5 vacancies and ask for applications. Tier 6 doesnt require a licence therefore it may encourage Junior clubs to apply, with priority given to BoD and Golspie as licence holders. It may also interest the likes of Broughty or Lochee.

It may also encourage the NRJFA to link up as they would feed into a tier 6 league, not straight into tier 5 HL requiring a licence. Champion promoted, bottom of tier 6 relegated.

It also opens up the opportunity to sort the Tayside issue.

Someone needs to grasp the nettle and come up with workable suggestions and solutions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, LongTimeLurker said:

ICT are licensed, so not sure that holds up to scrutiny.

Reserve teams can’t play in a league under the “professional game board” within the current rules. To admit ICT would set a precedent and would need the rules changed as Rangers and Celtic would be next to try and force their way into the LL or a west feeder.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said:

Certainly true of the LL, but the HL appear to have neglected to put that into their constitution.

Given that Stranraer weren’t eligible for promotion from the SoSL and Stirling Uni EOS cannot be promoted from the EoSL, I suspect there would have been some issues with the HFL if they had admitted a reserve team, dare I say it could have ended up with the HFL champion not being eligible for the league 2 playoff match.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, pipedreamer said:

Given that Stranraer weren’t eligible for promotion from the SoSL and Stirling Uni EOS cannot be promoted from the EoSL, I suspect there would have been some issues with the HFL if they had admitted a reserve team, dare I say it could have ended up with the HFL champion not being eligible for the league 2 playoff match.

I believe that would have been the case.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, pipedreamer said:

Given that Stranraer weren’t eligible for promotion from the SoSL and Stirling Uni EOS cannot be promoted from the EoSL, I suspect there would have been some issues with the HFL if they had admitted a reserve team, dare I say it could have ended up with the HFL champion not being eligible for the league 2 playoff match.

The Lowland League has a specific rule for their membership that does not allow for more than one team in a league represented by the SFA's Professional Game Board (SPFL, Lowland and Highland).

It's the only league that has something as specific as that. Most just say Full Membership of the SFA and other caveats. So it's murky if you class a 2nd XI as being a Full Member as far as i'm concerned.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

HL is quite happy with the status quo they have now. Don’t think there are any clubs now in HL with any ambition to join the SFL. There is no appetite with member clubs for reconstruction unless forced on them by SFL. I think it will be a number of years before you see another HL club promoted unless by accident!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Thom & Gerry said:

HL is quite happy with the status quo they have now. Don’t think there are any clubs now in HL with any ambition to join the SFL. There is no appetite with member clubs for reconstruction unless forced on them by SFL. I think it will be a number of years before you see another HL club promoted unless by accident!

Winning a league championship and rounds of playoffs is hardly going to be an accident.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, Thom & Gerry said:

They all want to be winning the league but play off games that is the problem. By accident I mean winning play offs when they don’t really want to but also want to avoid allegation that they didn’t try to hard.

A bit like Elgin never getting out of league 2 then !!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

There isn't an obvious Lowland pyramid thread and this is actually more about the past than the future.

Came across this tweet from Heston Rovers back in November 2012 that suggests the SFA were out stumping for a pyramid system of some description.

This is a little earlier than the March 2013 PWG review that said meetings were held in December and January.

image.png.bc5b9b31ea0f499109ce85fb0e9a2d10.png

There's the narrative around the formation of the Lowland League that it was created in the span of 6 weeks or so and rushed through for the 2013-14 season. Yet it seems to have had quite a bit of work in advance of it. When exactly did the idea of a Lowland League gain traction?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There isn't an obvious Lowland pyramid thread and this is actually more about the past than the future.
Came across this tweet from Heston Rovers back in November 2012 that suggests the SFA were out stumping for a pyramid system of some description.
This is a little earlier than the March 2013 PWG review that said meetings were held in December and January.
image.png.bc5b9b31ea0f499109ce85fb0e9a2d10.png
There's the narrative around the formation of the Lowland League that it was created in the span of 6 weeks or so and rushed through for the 2013-14 season. Yet it seems to have had quite a bit of work in advance of it. When exactly did the idea of a Lowland League gain traction?


Think there was talk on here from the September/October 2012.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, FairWeatherFan said:

There isn't an obvious Lowland pyramid thread and this is actually more about the past than the future.

Came across this tweet from Heston Rovers back in November 2012 that suggests the SFA were out stumping for a pyramid system of some description.

This is a little earlier than the March 2013 PWG review that said meetings were held in December and January.

There's the narrative around the formation of the Lowland League that it was created in the span of 6 weeks or so and rushed through for the 2013-14 season. Yet it seems to have had quite a bit of work in advance of it. When exactly did the idea of a Lowland League gain traction?

 

20 hours ago, parsforlife said:

Think there was talk on here from the September/October 2012.


There was serious talk of the pyramid and indeed Lowland League before that. For example in November 2011 it was revealed that SFA was consulting over 10 or 12-team Highland and Lowland Regional Leagues from 2014-15 under which HL, EOSL, SOSL and any new leagues could sit. Broader discussions preceded that. So by late 2011 several key aspects of what would develop were already on the table - including 2 regions below SFL3 (as it was then), termed Highland and Lowland, club licensing as a criteria, and indeed that HRL would extend "from Dundee".

Search shows FitbaNorth first featured word 'Lowland' on 21st November 2011 in a thread called "Has time come for HL to split?" later renamed "New Highland Division in pyramid?": http://www.fitbanorth.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3238

HL then petitioned to be the feeder in their own right (vote for joining pyramid was 16 for/1 against: Buckie opposed and Cove absent IIRC). LL formed in 2013-14 on the basis of a gradual increase from 12 to 16... that occurred same time as SPL & SFL merged. Promotion into SPFL2 went live from 2014-15 which was also when EOSL & SOSL joined pyramid, with promotion to LL similarly going live from 2015-16.

Edited by HibeeJibee
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Think if teams from west jump ship it’s going to have to probably go to a set up like the English national leagues with one premier feeding into football league and regional leagues feeding into premier but who knows ?? 
Happy New year to all when it comes 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, HibeeJibee said:

 


There was serious talk of the pyramid and indeed Lowland League before that. For example in November 2011 it was revealed that SFA was consulting over 10 or 12-team Highland and Lowland Regional Leagues from 2014-15 under which HL, EOSL, SOSL and any new leagues could sit. Broader discussions preceded that. So by late 2011 several key aspects of what would develop were already on the table - including 2 regions below SFL3 (as it was then), termed Highland and Lowland, club licensing as a criteria, and indeed that HRL would extend "from Dundee".

Search shows FitbaNorth first featured word 'Lowland' on 21st November 2011 in a thread called "Has time come for HL to split?" later renamed "New Highland Division in pyramid?": http://www.fitbanorth.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3238

HL then petitioned to be the feeder in their own right (vote for joining pyramid was 16 for/1 against: Buckie opposed and Cove absent IIRC). LL formed in 2013-14 on the basis of a gradual increase from 12 to 16... that occurred same time as SPL & SFL merged. Promotion into SPFL2 went live from 2014-15 which was also when EOSL & SOSL joined pyramid, with promotion to LL similarly going live from 2015-16.

Giving this thread a quick skim.

Something of note considering the past year would be that Floodlights were apparently a part of Entry level licensing originally.

image.thumb.png.1868a4a43df716e079da955c6ca2aaef.png

EDIT: And add that this wasn't just a misunderstanding of the licensing criteria.

image.thumb.png.8af7ae600a4988247f373b6770fbc54a.png

Edited by FairWeatherFan
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...