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SFSA STATEMENT: SFA Conference League Proposals
- Scotland’s Independent National Fans Organisation, The SFSA Rejects the New SFA Conference League Proposal on behalf of 80,000 members, and the good of the game.
- Fans want and support the call for change and changes but see the current plans as an unnecessarily confusing conflation of three key issues rather than a balanced and thought through solution.
We would also ask why again there has been limited club and no fan input to significant planned strategic changes to Scottish Football?
- SFSA fan research confirms that the pyramid and league structures need a root and branch review to recognise the positive change since the junior clubs entered senior football.
- The vast majority of fans do not approve of larger clubs in Scotland thinking buying access to leagues is acceptable.
It isn’t.
Fans want a one club, one team policy.
We also note the Conference League plan raises environmental issues through extra unnecessary travel for both teams and supporters.
- Fans agree that the development of young talent is a priority and support a full review of the current under 20s policy and structure.
We ask for and expect some imagination and commitment to find a better solution and offer to work with the SFA and the clubs.
- Football in Scotland is “Everybody’s Business”.
When fans come together, we see the bigger picture and decisions are best when taken for the common good of the game and communities as whole above the self-interest of those wielding power.
These proposals have not found support around the country.
After taking time to listen to fan voices, The Scottish Football Supporters Association confirm a clear majority rejection of the proposals.
SFSA Chairman Andy Smith says:
“Our pyramid needs a proper review and to become fully integrated upwards and downwards and less of a barrier to ambitious clubs. It also needs to respect that clubs like Brechin should have a proper route back.
Scotland also needs to deal with the very real gap between our current under 20s structure and the demands of first team football.
We find it disturbing that the biggest clubs think they can buy their way past sporting integrity and that should be a total No No in Scottish football’s future.
These problems we face are not unique to Scotland and we ask the SFA for vision, imagination and a common good approach, not the age old self interest that cripples our game.”
We at the SFSA believe proper time, care and thought is crucial for any big changes implemented to our game. We actively call on those attending the upcoming SFA Annual Conference to listen to their fans and vote against this proposal.
Together, we can do this better.
We know other organisations are also active in opposing the plans and support them.
ENDS
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4 minutes ago, Big Davy Boy said:

👏 although you wonder why they were included if they hadnt shown any interedst in the first place

If you go by their statement everyone in the SPFL were asked if they were interested.

All 42 SPFL clubs were invited to express an interest in enrolling a B Team in a newly created Conference League, proposed to sit at the fifth tier of the Scottish football pyramid.

Weeks ago when they were included as the 4th team in the early press around the Conference League idea, they made sure to say they hadn't signed up for it.

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/sport/football/aberdeen-fc/5667916/exclusive-aberdeen-colts-team-entry-into-sfas-new-conference-league-not-a-done-deal-yet-as-dons-weigh-up-fifth-tier-pros-and-cons/

Edited by FairWeatherFan
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4 hours ago, lokforever said:

Aberdeen gave rejected conference league invitation

Is that the same as voting against it or am I being pessimistic.

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42 minutes ago, peasy23 said:

Thing is, even if they don't get 4 SPFL teams to sign up, this isn't going away anytime soon.

You’re right there!

They are desperate to shoehorn B teams in.I’m sure the SFA will going round clubs trying to bully them into voting for the conference in the next few weeks.

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If the proposed Conference Division is there to help the 3 or so B teams why should any other SPFL club support it? If it is so good then it will increase the gap between the three and the rest of the clubs in the league. Don't support that - vote against it!

Any pressure from the SFA on the other clubs could give them just the nudge they might need in order to vote NO. Next would be Maxwell & the Board to go. This shake-up needs a prod to start it and SFA "bullying" of the other SPFL / SFA member clubs could just be what's needed.

Edited by Dev
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1 hour ago, Shanner said:

Beale talking sense. 

Brilliant, Shanner.

 I post the article as that is easier for me.

www.scotsman.com/sport/football/rangers/michael-beale-outlines-better-rangers-alternative-to-restrictive-and-repetitive-b-team-lowland-league-plan-4151089

Rangers  

Michael Beale outlines better Rangers alternative to 'restrictive and repetitive' B team Lowland League plan

Michael Beale believes a return to a Reserve league with no age restrictions would serve Rangers far better than fielding a B team in either the Lowland League or the proposed Conference League.

By Graeme Macpherson                  Published 21st May 2023, 08:30 BST

The Ibrox club, Celtic and Hearts all currently field a Colts side in the fifth tier of the pyramid system ahead of the planned introduction of the contentious Conference division just below League Two from season 2024/25. That proposal is set to be voted on at the Scottish FA’s annual meeting, although Aberdeen have already ruled out entering a team. Beale feels that neither the Lowland League nor the Conference League meet Rangers’ needs and says the club’s younger players – and those recovering from long-term injuries - get more benefit from playing friendlies against other leading clubs. And he called upon Scottish football’s administrators to take inspiration from overseas when it comes to finding solutions on how best to improve young talent.

The manager said: “I don’t think the Lowland League is a good bridge so we need to look at other games. In the last month or so the B Team have played Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Celtic a few times as well as Sunderland. It is important to give those boys a bridge and create an almost old fashioned reserve team where the boys who aren’t playing for me play with the young boys. The Lowland League is too restrictive as it is Under-21. So what do you do with Ianis Hagi, John Souttar, Robby McCrorie or Rabbi Matondo when they come back from injury?

“Our B team play as many games as the first team so when do they mix with the first team and train with them? I understand why it has been put in but I think it is restrictive and repetitive for the players in terms of style and the stadiums they play in. For me, I would like a programme that is more creative and bespoke and can do. The club are really pushing, with other clubs, to get the teams in the pyramid like in Portugal, Holland and Germany. We have pushed and it is important the people making the decisions enable us some oxygen and light at the end of the tunnel.

“We have that with the Conference League vote coming up. Will that prepare my young players to be involved in the Europa League and Champions League? Not so much. But if we can play Chelsea, Liverpool etc then I think you can somehow bridge the gap. If an academy and B team is there to support the first team, I don’t like a programme stopping the likes of Hagi and McCrorie playing games. I think it should be open age.”

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1 hour ago, Dev said:

Brilliant, Shanner.

 I post the article as that is easier for me.

www.scotsman.com/sport/football/rangers/michael-beale-outlines-better-rangers-alternative-to-restrictive-and-repetitive-b-team-lowland-league-plan-4151089

Rangers  

Michael Beale outlines better Rangers alternative to 'restrictive and repetitive' B team Lowland League plan

Michael Beale believes a return to a Reserve league with no age restrictions would serve Rangers far better than fielding a B team in either the Lowland League or the proposed Conference League.

By Graeme Macpherson                  Published 21st May 2023, 08:30 BST

The Ibrox club, Celtic and Hearts all currently field a Colts side in the fifth tier of the pyramid system ahead of the planned introduction of the contentious Conference division just below League Two from season 2024/25. That proposal is set to be voted on at the Scottish FA’s annual meeting, although Aberdeen have already ruled out entering a team. Beale feels that neither the Lowland League nor the Conference League meet Rangers’ needs and says the club’s younger players – and those recovering from long-term injuries - get more benefit from playing friendlies against other leading clubs. And he called upon Scottish football’s administrators to take inspiration from overseas when it comes to finding solutions on how best to improve young talent.

The manager said: “I don’t think the Lowland League is a good bridge so we need to look at other games. In the last month or so the B Team have played Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Celtic a few times as well as Sunderland. It is important to give those boys a bridge and create an almost old fashioned reserve team where the boys who aren’t playing for me play with the young boys. The Lowland League is too restrictive as it is Under-21. So what do you do with Ianis Hagi, John Souttar, Robby McCrorie or Rabbi Matondo when they come back from injury?

“Our B team play as many games as the first team so when do they mix with the first team and train with them? I understand why it has been put in but I think it is restrictive and repetitive for the players in terms of style and the stadiums they play in. For me, I would like a programme that is more creative and bespoke and can do. The club are really pushing, with other clubs, to get the teams in the pyramid like in Portugal, Holland and Germany. We have pushed and it is important the people making the decisions enable us some oxygen and light at the end of the tunnel.

“We have that with the Conference League vote coming up. Will that prepare my young players to be involved in the Europa League and Champions League? Not so much. But if we can play Chelsea, Liverpool etc then I think you can somehow bridge the gap. If an academy and B team is there to support the first team, I don’t like a programme stopping the likes of Hagi and McCrorie playing games. I think it should be open age.”

Its sounds like he is not against it, he's just against it in it current form as he wants his top players to play who are coming back from injury or need game time.   I believe when he makes the statement, about enable us some oxygen meaning he wants flexibility in playing whoever he wants in the B team like the old days in the reserve league.    Even the comment listing the countries who have teams in their pyramid, theses are bigger countries than Scotland and can thrive with B teams in their system, we cant,   It will set a bigger divide, it will evolve more greed and self preservation, can see the SPFL being more of a closed shop, than the current way it is.

Maxwell recently said in a meeting to try and promote the B Teams that this is the solution as we have to find a way why managers are not playing Young players.  Ffs its so obviously why, managers are scared too, there's too much pressure in our small melting pot and they don't want to take chances on younger players as they haven't experience.

 

Its has been stated a few times that ALL clubs in the SPFL were sounded out about this conference and even voted for it but in reality, were they told everything and about the implications before voting or put to them, bet it was sounded out that any team who ended up in the conference will make money as a parachute payment

Edited by Bestsinceslicebread
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FWIW. My take on the article is that clubs such as the OF understand that they are better off organizing matches for non-first team players etc on a one-off basis. This has been done already against a number of English clubs and seems to work.

Why on earth would they persist with the Conference gimmick unless it is to be the back-door way into the SPFL?

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19 minutes ago, Dev said:

FWIW. My take on the article is that clubs such as the OF understand that they are better off organizing matches for non-first team players etc on a one-off basis. This has been done already against a number of English clubs and seems to work.

Why on earth would they persist with the Conference gimmick unless it is to be the back-door way into the SPFL?

Yeah I agree that they want flexibility to do what they want, play who they want and put any player sin that they want but at the end of the day whatever they decide, consideration of tier 5 and below is no existent in their decision making.

We have already had David Martindale, Livingston manager go against the introduction of the Conference league. Aberdeen, (Whom I thought were a dead cert to join), have stated officially that they wont be joining the conference league and that it was not the way to go for the development of their B Team and now Michael Beale kinda saying its not any good.

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2 hours ago, Dev said:

Brilliant, Shanner.

 I post the article as that is easier for me.

www.scotsman.com/sport/football/rangers/michael-beale-outlines-better-rangers-alternative-to-restrictive-and-repetitive-b-team-lowland-league-plan-4151089

Rangers  

Michael Beale outlines better Rangers alternative to 'restrictive and repetitive' B team Lowland League plan

Michael Beale believes a return to a Reserve league with no age restrictions would serve Rangers far better than fielding a B team in either the Lowland League or the proposed Conference League.

By Graeme Macpherson                  Published 21st May 2023, 08:30 BST

The Ibrox club, Celtic and Hearts all currently field a Colts side in the fifth tier of the pyramid system ahead of the planned introduction of the contentious Conference division just below League Two from season 2024/25. That proposal is set to be voted on at the Scottish FA’s annual meeting, although Aberdeen have already ruled out entering a team. Beale feels that neither the Lowland League nor the Conference League meet Rangers’ needs and says the club’s younger players – and those recovering from long-term injuries - get more benefit from playing friendlies against other leading clubs. And he called upon Scottish football’s administrators to take inspiration from overseas when it comes to finding solutions on how best to improve young talent.

The manager said: “I don’t think the Lowland League is a good bridge so we need to look at other games. In the last month or so the B Team have played Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Celtic a few times as well as Sunderland. It is important to give those boys a bridge and create an almost old fashioned reserve team where the boys who aren’t playing for me play with the young boys. The Lowland League is too restrictive as it is Under-21. So what do you do with Ianis Hagi, John Souttar, Robby McCrorie or Rabbi Matondo when they come back from injury?

“Our B team play as many games as the first team so when do they mix with the first team and train with them? I understand why it has been put in but I think it is restrictive and repetitive for the players in terms of style and the stadiums they play in. For me, I would like a programme that is more creative and bespoke and can do. The club are really pushing, with other clubs, to get the teams in the pyramid like in Portugal, Holland and Germany. We have pushed and it is important the people making the decisions enable us some oxygen and light at the end of the tunnel.

“We have that with the Conference League vote coming up. Will that prepare my young players to be involved in the Europa League and Champions League? Not so much. But if we can play Chelsea, Liverpool etc then I think you can somehow bridge the gap. If an academy and B team is there to support the first team, I don’t like a programme stopping the likes of Hagi and McCrorie playing games. I think it should be open age.”

Can't agree more with him, having played senior and started off in the old premier reserves it was a great learning curve for all the young ones who got to play against top players coming back from injury or just not getting first team game time. 
i had the pleasure as a young boy plying my trade against the likes of Andy Walker and Dziekanowski at Parkhead and McSwegan and Spencer at Ibrox to name but a few , and was a far better environment than playing against my own age group. It also benefited my own team playing injured guys back to first team football at the same time as playing at a decent standard . 
I never understood why they stopped the reserve leagues 

Edited by Plantar fasciitis
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4 hours ago, Monalie said:

Totally agree with this and young guys playing with established pros would also bring their game on as well. 

 

Remember speaking to a top class junior player of the 90s who lived in beith and played with pollok, cumnock ,Scotland juniors and then beith at the latter stage of his career , he told me he came through the ranks at St mirren and played rangers reserves at ibrox and their reserve midfield against him was  ian durrant, Alexis mchalitchenko ( pardon the spelling) and bobby Russell.  

 

He couldn't get near them but one things for sure is  he would have learned more in that 90 minutes than this  current B team drivel. 

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2 hours ago, Thejackdaw said:

Totally agree with this and young guys playing with established pros would also bring their game on as well. 

 

Remember speaking to a top class junior player of the 90s who lived in beith and played with pollok, cumnock ,Scotland juniors and then beith at the latter stage of his career , he told me he came through the ranks at St mirren and played rangers reserves at ibrox and their reserve midfield against him was  ian durrant, Alexis mchalitchenko ( pardon the spelling) and bobby Russell.  

 

He couldn't get near them but one things for sure is  he would have learned more in that 90 minutes than this  current B team drivel. 

Not wanting to nit pick against the rightful point you are making but I think the guy must have been confused as Miko signed for rangers in 1991 and Bobby Russell left Rangers in the mid 80s.

But as I said your point is 100% correct imo

Edited by Arthurlie1981
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13 minutes ago, Arthurlie1981 said:

Not wanting to nit pick against the rightful point you are making but I think the guy must have been confused as Miko signed for rangers in 1991 and Bobby Russell left Rangers in the mid 70s.

But as I said your point is 100% correct imo

I actually did think that Russell was well before Miko and durrant but them pair probably gave the guy the run around that much that he's still recovering brain wise even to this day hence the confusion 😆

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2 hours ago, Thejackdaw said:

I actually did think that Russell was well before Miko and durrant but them pair probably gave the guy the run around that much that he's still recovering brain wise even to this day hence the confusion 😆

I'm sure I read that Bobby Russell & Gordon Smith played for Rangers reserves against Clydebank in the mid 90s due to player shortages - it could well be true.

EDIT: Have had a wee google search on it and it appears to have been 11th May 1995

Rangers lined up with Neil Inglis, Eric McAleer, Ally Dawson, Davie Dodds, Terry Butcher, Bobby Russell, Gordon Smith, Martin Campbell, John McDonald, Ross Milligan, Marc Nicoll. Subs Ewan Chester and Peter Macdonald.

Edited by not man of the match
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29 minutes ago, not man of the match said:

I'm sure I read that Bobby Russell & Gordon Smith played for Rangers reserves against Clydebank in the mid 90s due to player shortages - it could well be true.

EDIT: Have had a wee google search on it and it appears to have been 11th May 1995

Rangers lined up with Neil Inglis, Eric McAleer, Ally Dawson, Davie Dodds, Terry Butcher, Bobby Russell, Gordon Smith, Martin Campbell, John McDonald, Ross Milligan, Marc Nicoll. Subs Ewan Chester and Peter Macdonald.

That is some memory you have!! They must have been really struggling that night. Ewan Chester was the head scout (and a Barrhead boy!!)

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