SPFL Review

[Leith Green]

28 minutes ago, Mr. Alli said:

There are rumours going around that all the teams outside the Old Firm were approached in July. A fair few shat out of upsetting the big two, five never. 

One chairman never replied. His PA said he was taking part in a parade in Belfast over the weekend. 

Who knew there was a direct flight from Perth International to Belfast?

Every day's a school day.

[PauloPerth]

What is it folk are desperate to change about our game?  This vague ‘more income’ that’s floating about…

It’s never going to be of a level which puts us on a par with big leagues, and do folk really think much of it will go towards improving facilities or keeping ticket prices down? Of course it won’t, it’ll go to paying players and agents slightly more as the bigger payers push prices upwards.  Doors anyone really feel increasing income from £27m a year to £50m will help produce ‘better more technically gifted players’ ?!

The biggest issue in our sport is the lack of competition in the top league, with only two clubs that win it. But we’re not going to see play-off style championship deciders so there’s no way round that other than salary caps, which is not going to happen either.

The league should definitely be renamed, it’s still the biggest embarrassment in our league’s history that we copied exactly the names of the English divisions.  I always thought the ‘SPL’ name had a decent identity and was unique to us.

In terms of governance, one of the chairmen pushing this is on the SPFL board.  Neil Doncaster is the pantomime villain who doesn’t actually make decisions, he chairs meetings and oversees the processes. The clubs make the decisions themselves and vote on them.  They voted to accept the current tv deal; if there was a better one around, put it forward to be voted on as an alternative.

Everyone loves to go on about what a shambles the game is here, yet it’s still one of the best supported leagues in Europe per capita.  This ‘strategic and holistic review’ reeks of the 10,000 all seater rule. “If we give the league a fancy new name, produce a nice promo video, and build bigger stadia, crowds will go up massively”.  It’s all fur coat and no knickers, the ‘product’ remains the same.

Which is fine.

[tree house tam]

2 hours ago, johnnydun said:

I'm sorry, is there a cut off date for trophies won?

I'm sorry but read the post I was replying to, thanks.

[ATLIS]

I really do wonder if the outcome will be, 1) make the league bigger, 2) get a better TV deal and 3) something vague about streaming or maximising merchandise income. 

 

[johnnydun]

29 minutes ago, tree house tam said:

I'm sorry but read the post I was replying to, thanks.

Fair doos gadge.

[Insert Amusing Pseudonym]

There's always the chance the review won't be pish, I suppose.

 

[Leith Green]

1 hour ago, PauloPerth said:

What is it folk are desperate to change about our game?  This vague ‘more income’ that’s floating about…

It’s never going to be of a level which puts us on a par with big leagues, and do folk really think much of it will go towards improving facilities or keeping ticket prices down? Of course it won’t, it’ll go to paying players and agents slightly more as the bigger payers push prices upwards.  Doors anyone really feel increasing income from £27m a year to £50m will help produce ‘better more technically gifted players’ ?!

The biggest issue in our sport is the lack of competition in the top league, with only two clubs that win it. But we’re not going to see play-off style championship deciders so there’s no way round that other than salary caps, which is not going to happen either.

The league should definitely be renamed, it’s still the biggest embarrassment in our league’s history that we copied exactly the names of the English divisions.  I always thought the ‘SPL’ name had a decent identity and was unique to us.

In terms of governance, one of the chairmen pushing this is on the SPFL board.  Neil Doncaster is the pantomime villain who doesn’t actually make decisions, he chairs meetings and oversees the processes. The clubs make the decisions themselves and vote on them.  They voted to accept the current tv deal; if there was a better one around, put it forward to be voted on as an alternative.

Everyone loves to go on about what a shambles the game is here, yet it’s still one of the best supported leagues in Europe per capita.  This ‘strategic and holistic review’ reeks of the 10,000 all seater rule. “If we give the league a fancy new name, produce a nice promo video, and build bigger stadia, crowds will go up massively”.  It’s all fur coat and no knickers, the ‘product’ remains the same.

Which is fine.

You are right, we are one of the best supported leagues in Europe, but have dreadful commercial income and hence remain diddy in European terms . Our clubs need to charge some of the highest ticket prices - thats is an indication that things are not right.

This is (partly) about commercial exploitation beyond ticket income.

[mizfit]

Genuinely a sceptic when it comes to these announcements. When was the one where they decided renaming our leagues to copy the English set up was a good idea?

Personally speaking, I’d like to see the following:

Expansion to top flight of 16 clubs with the split removed. Teams play home and away. Bottom 2 automatically down.

Championship becomes a league of 16 sides. Top 2 promoted.

League 1 & 2 merge to create a new league. Promote sides from the HFL & LL to make this a 16 team league. 2 sides down and winners of HFL & LL promoted.

Challenge cup removes the colts and is expanded to include highland and LL sides.

Agreement on set ticket pricing across the board, and a push from all clubs to encourage under 12s free entry (Saints have done this for some time, and Motherwell are offering season tickets to those on low income.)

Beyond that, I’m not entirely sure. However I can see them deciding their colts are joining Rangers & Celtic B’s colts in the lowland and highland league respectively, removal of the promotion/relegation play off and a reduced top flight.

[Insert Amusing Pseudonym]

There are clearly improvements that can be made commercially with more astute folk at the helm.  I have zero issue with looking at that side of things, nor should anyone really.

The football side of things gives me powerful Super League flashbacks.

[Kapowzer]

One solution that doesn't need the intervention of an accountancy firm is, I dunno, sourcing your own sponsorship deal rather than via an intermediary that takes £500k of a £1.6m per year 5 season deal.

Maybe play hardball with the BBC over how they get 228 games and all associated content for less than Lineker's BBC contract.

Saying that, the amount of money that leaves Scotland for Sky and BT subs of the Premiership is no different to the amount of supporters buses that leave Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness and Edinburgh for Glasgow every weekend.

The issue is our league is perceived as a tin pot two horse race. Not really sure how that is remedied. We had a more marketable product 30 years ago where Rangers were on par with the English top flight winners, the rest of the league lower Premiership to upper Championship. Now teams like my own compete with League 1/2 for signings.

If we want to maximise revenue we have to look where we can make money. One option is switching to summer football and therefore every second year (unless Wenger gets his way) you have full exposure to English (and potentially further afield) while their leagues are in hiatus. Sky have gaps in their content in this time which we could be a valid slot filler.

[PauloPerth]

31 minutes ago, Leith Green said:

You are right, we are one of the best supported leagues in Europe, but have dreadful commercial income and hence remain diddy in European terms . Our clubs need to charge some of the highest ticket prices - thats is an indication that things are not right.

This is (partly) about commercial exploitation beyond ticket income.

Who's the comparison with for this though? Do we really have dreadful commercial income compared to leagues in similar sized countries; Bulgaria, Croatia, Norway, Denmark, Slovakia, Republic of Ireland, Finland, Moldova??

I'm asking here as I genuinely don't know.

[mizfit]

One solution that doesn't need the intervention of an accountancy firm is, I dunno, sourcing your own sponsorship deal rather than via an intermediary that takes £500k of a £1.6m per year 5 season deal.
Maybe play hardball with the BBC over how they get 228 games and all associated content for less than Lineker's BBC contract.
Saying that, the amount of money that leaves Scotland for Sky and BT subs of the Premiership is no different to the amount of supporters buses that leave Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness and Edinburgh for Glasgow every weekend.
The issue is our league is perceived as a tin pot two horse race. Not really sure how that is remedied. We had a more marketable product 30 years ago where Rangers were on par with the English top flight winners, the rest of the league lower Premiership to upper Championship. Now teams like my own compete with League 1/2 for signings.
If we want to maximise revenue we have to look where we can make money. One option is switching to summer football and therefore every second year (unless Wenger gets his way) you have full exposure to English (and potentially further afield) while their leagues are in hiatus. Sky have gaps in their content in this time which we could be a valid slot filler.

The most common argument for summer football was always it would aid our sides in European qualifying.

The ROI have summer football. I don’t think it’s made a big difference for them. I don’t see that as the solution, otherwise we’d have taken the option some time ago.

[Kapowzer]

If you think there's not a swathe of people in our game fans and owners who are against it purely on the fact August to May is the way it's always been then you're onto plums.

[East Coast Warrior]

I think Deloitte will suggest bringing back the SPL branding.

[Chefki Kuqi]

I'm fully aware this isn't a particularly good point but I'll say it anyway.

There is a common concern raised in this thread that the hegemony of the OF removes the competitive lustre of the game. I personally don't pay too much mind to it and instead look at the race for the European spots as being the best realistic thing that most clubs can aspire to outside of occasional cup success.

Perhaps if there's an angle that needs to be marketed more, its that race for Europe. The BBC do a reasonable if limited job in that regard, certainly scope for improvement from Sky and whatever other theoretical players are in play here. 

[johnnydun]

I think they should have bars in the concourse, limit the drinks to 3 per ticket until we are trusted again. The prices would no doubt be astronomical but it would bring in a new revenue stream to clubs. Possibly apart from category A games.

[D Angelo Barksdale]

My sources tell me that the main remit of the review is to find a way to bring back the Tennants Sixes.

[gannonball]

1 hour ago, Chefki Kuqi said:

I'm fully aware this isn't a particularly good point but I'll say it anyway.

There is a common concern raised in this thread that the hegemony of the OF removes the competitive lustre of the game. I personally don't pay too much mind to it and instead look at the race for the European spots as being the best realistic thing that most clubs can aspire to outside of occasional cup success.

Perhaps if there's an angle that needs to be marketed more, its that race for Europe. The BBC do a reasonable if limited job in that regard, certainly scope for improvement from Sky and whatever other theoretical players are in play here. 

I think calling it that is a bit fanciful for now considering a non glasgow club has made it to the actual proper competition for what about 15 years now? Although with the third European competition that could change.

[Chefki Kuqi]

1 minute ago, gannonball said:

I think calling it that is a bit fanciful for now considering a non glasgow club has made it to the actual proper competition for what about 15 years now? Although with the third European competition that could change.

I'd agree with that. I suppose part of the appeal of this aspiration is to show European football that there's more to the Scottish game than the OF - albeit by that criteria we've not done, as you point out, very well. But still that aspiration remains, and with three spots up for grabs and a fair range of teams in the mix it's a fairly entertaining race. 

[mizfit]

I think they should have bars in the concourse, limit the drinks to 3 per ticket until we are trusted again. The prices would no doubt be astronomical but it would bring in a new revenue stream to clubs. Possibly apart from category A games.

When we played LASK it was about 20 degree. All I could think as we kicked off was a pint would have been beautiful.

Unfortunately, it’s not happening at any point soon.