Dev Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 Good to see that this Conference proposal is attracting "interesting comments" from the media. Here's an example from Wednesday: www.scotsman.com/sport/football/how-scottish-footballs-conference-league-plans-are-starting-to-unravel-votes-against-fan-power-and-d-day-4164912 The Scotsman Football How Scottish football's Conference League plans are starting to unravel - votes against, fan power and D-Day Tuesday, June 6. A quick glance at the football calendar and there are no fixtures taking place within the Scottish football pyramid. For a football fix you will have to venture to the Copa Libertadores, South Korea’s K-League 1 or a play-off final in the Netherlands. Yet, it will be a big day in Scotland. By Joel Sked Published 31st May 2023, 19:30 BST It is the day when the Scottish FA AGM is scheduled to take place. Within it will be the vote for the controversial Conference League. A league which has been speculated about, talked about in different guises but it essentially boils down to the SFA and SPFL attempting to shoehorn a whole new league into the pyramid, becoming Tier 5 and sitting between League Two and the Lowland and Highland Leagues. From the 2024/25 season, four B teams will be joined by the top four Lowland League sides from next season and the top two from the Highland League. These B teams cannot win promotion and cannot be relegated and will pay a participation fee each season with a commitment of five campaigns. The highest placed non-B team will enter a play-off to win promotion to League Two, while the lowest placed non-B team will be relegated and the next lowest placed non-B team will enter a play-off. That’s it in a nutshell. ‘Took the next step’ Dr Ian Malcolm's iconic monologue in Jurassic Park comes to mind when making sense of these haphazard plans. Of the governing bodies “wielding” these plans as if they have uncovered their “dad’s gun”. They have “read what others have done", namely Croatia as mentioned by SFA chief Ian Maxwell, and “took the next step”. The next step being this nonsensical and unseemly league where a team finishing fifth in a ten-team division could be promoted. Or, on the flipside relegated. Oh, there is also the small matter of the introduction of a Conference League relegating hundreds of clubs in the pyramid. Before they even knew what they had they had “patented it and packaged it and slapped it on a plastic lunchbox”. What they have in the Conference League is this ugly monstrosity of a division which is hugely disrespectful to so many clubs up and down the country. Clubs that have spent relative fortunes on resources and infrastructure which would allow them to gain an SFA licence and progress through the pyramid on sporting merit. With sporting integrity. This league is the antithesis to both of those. ‘Softer landing’ SFA chief Ian Maxwell said the league would provide “a softer landing for clubs on the way down from League Two, and it means there is an earlier opportunity for clubs on their way up the pyramid”. So teams in the SPFL are more important to those below them? A novel idea would be a look at reconstruction which would open up the pathway between leagues and could B teams be part of that discussion? As soon as the Lowland League allowed Celtic and Rangers to wedge their foot in the door and get their B teams in the fifth tier, it seemed inevitable more was to follow. Hearts arrived the next season and when the idea of a Conference League was floated it appeared it was going to be unavoidable. What the big teams want, namely the Old Firm, the big teams get. Yet, fans have stood at the ‘B team’ marked door and pushed against it and, remarkably, the clubs have followed. Current state of affairs A ‘No To B Teams' Twitter account was set up in April and it gained traction quickly. “Positions in the Scottish football pyramid should be earned on the pitch, not purchased,” a petition against the plans read. “If this goes through, the footballing structure of Scotland will be damaged - with a clear message that fairness doesn't matter.” As the vote nears, more and more clubs are coming out against it. Currently, as per ‘No To B Teams’, four SPFL clubs have confirmed they are against it, as are 11 Highland League and five Lowland League clubs, plus four tier 6 sides. A number of West of Scotland and East of Scotland teams, who don’t have a vote, have also expressed their view against the Conference League. Bonnyrigg Rose have confirtmed they will vote against the Conference League proposals Brora Rangers were one of the latest clubs to reveal they will vote against it. The Highland League club's confirmation was one of the more intriguing ones having initially suggested they would vote in favour but due to changes to the proposals they then sought the input from fans. And therein lies one of the most encouraging aspects of the whole episode, the number of clubs which have reached out to fans. League Two Stenhousemuir are holding a fans forum to garner views. ‘Never going to bridge the gap’ Aberdeen, one of the country’s wealthiest clubs, believe it is not worth investing in. Kilmarnock boss Derek McInnes would prefer more attention was paid to the Reserve League. Queen's Park have ended their interest, as per a report from the Daily Mail. The discussion has moved on from ‘should B teams be part of Scottish football’ to ‘should these B teams skip the queue in front of hundreds of others’. Their presence within the Scottish football pyramid would be much more palatable should they start at the bottom and be able to work their way up to an agreed level. Yet, respectability is lost when even Rangers boss Michael Beale admitted "B-Team football is never going to bridge the gap to the Ibrox first-team". It is the hope the Conference League and B teams will aid with player pathway and development. A desire everyone can get behind but the current state of the national team can be used as a counterpoint and would its introduction be worth it for the message it sends out. Tuesday, June 6 could be a pivotal day for fan power and all those Davids often forgotten by the Goliaths. Ominously, it could well be kicking the B-team can further down the road. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowden Cowboy Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 3 hours ago, Dev said: The list of voters included Linlithgow Rose who didn't have a licence pre 2019 and are not members of the LL until the AGM. Is this correct? If it is then, presumably, they would not have a vote on the matter. Also presumably the three clubs directly affected by the outcome of the vote i.e. Celtic, Hearts and Rangers, cannot vote either because they are in a conflict of interest position. Anyone know what the official situation is? That could reduce voting numbers down to 106. 54 votes needed to win the vote. Doubt conflict of interest applies - league has no confirmed members as yet 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikingTON Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 https://www.gmfc.net/scottish-conference-league-proposal/ The Famous are (unsurprisingly given it's a fan-owned enterprise) a no. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoddyisabino Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 Apologies if I’ve missed this through this thread, but what is minimum percentage of votes required for this to go through? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blootoon87 Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 Surely there's no chance of this shite going through now? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 8 minutes ago, Snoddyisabino said: Apologies if I’ve missed this through this thread, but what is minimum percentage of votes required for this to go through? Needs 55 votes out of a possible 109 among the full member clubs (92), regional FAs (10), and affiliated national associations (7). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparticus Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 (edited) Maxwell should resign The old firm need looked at here. surely the energy that they have given to this could have been used to work out a better fairer pyramid for all. Edited June 2, 2023 by Sparticus 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Starko Rover Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 11 minutes ago, Blootoon87 said: Surely there's no chance of this shite going through now? I’d say it’s extremely unlikely as I’d expect every team with any fan ownership to be a resounding no to add to the teams who’ve already declared themselves as voting no. I honestly don’t see any appeal for most clubs to even vote yes outside of a brown paper bag incentive. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 Not a time to be complacent because past experience with the LL has shown how the brown paper bag incentive factor can work for the powers that be but the momentum for a resounding NO is building. The key is getting a big enough majority so the SFA board finally take the hint and do not keep trying to bring this issue back to the AGM until they finally receive the answer they want. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 2 hours ago, Dev said: An extract from the Elgin City Chairman's UPDATE on the club web-site: www.elgincity.net/news/latest-news/chairman-update CHAIRMAN UPDATE "The proposed conference league is not going to commence this upcoming season but there is a driving force from the B teams and the SFA to make it happen. There is no input from the SPFL it is the SFA, Lowland and Highland Leagues who are being affected. I just hope we never have to be involved with it. One item that was consistent over the season was the tremendous support we received over the piece. It was not always pretty or entertaining but you all came out rain or shine to cheer us on. The Club never take that support for granted and I assure you all it is greatly appreciated .Graham Tatters" That was before it was clear to everyone that a vote would be required at the SFA AGM. I'm confident that Elgin City along with ICT will join Aberdeen, Ross County and Peterhead in expressing their appreciation for their Highland League brothers, and vote NO. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dev Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 (edited) There's been quite a lot of mentions for the need to restructure the pyramid and or the SPFL from SPFL clubs. Maybe something good can come out of this eventually? 1 hour ago, LongTimeLurker said: Not a time to be complacent because past experience with the LL has shown how the brown paper bag incentive factor can work for the powers that be but the momentum for a resounding NO is building. The key is getting a big enough majority so the SFA board finally take the hint and do not keep trying to bring this issue back to the AGM until they finally receive the answer they want. Maybe the real key is sacking the Board and getting decent straight forward people as replacements. They must exist somewhere, surely. Edited June 2, 2023 by Dev . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Am Featha Taigh Nan Clach Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 Stenhousemuir FC - Good guys 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marten Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 So the SFA claimed that League 2 clubs support this, yet Stenhousemuir, Bonnyrigg, Dumbarton and Peterhead are all confirmed NO. Hopefully more to follow! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Am Featha Taigh Nan Clach Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 Remember when Cowdenbeath voted for B teams because some blazer told told them the Conference was inevitable and their fans clapped like seals at the flawless logic. Yikes! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowden Cowboy Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 4 minutes ago, Am Featha *****h Nan Clach said: Remember when Cowdenbeath voted for B teams because some blazer told told them the Conference was inevitable and their fans clapped like seals at the flawless logic. Yikes! No I don’t -2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 34 minutes ago, Am Featha *****h Nan Clach said: Stenhousemuir FC - Good guys Stenny's official tweet: https://twitter.com/StenhousemuirFC/status/1664722014861504512?s=20 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigkillie Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 3 hours ago, Dev said: An extract from the Elgin City Chairman's UPDATE on the club web-site: www.elgincity.net/news/latest-news/chairman-update CHAIRMAN UPDATE "The proposed conference league is not going to commence this upcoming season but there is a driving force from the B teams and the SFA to make it happen. There is no input from the SPFL it is the SFA, Lowland and Highland Leagues who are being affected. I just hope we never have to be involved with it. One item that was consistent over the season was the tremendous support we received over the piece. It was not always pretty or entertaining but you all came out rain or shine to cheer us on. The Club never take that support for granted and I assure you all it is greatly appreciated .Graham Tatters" I would read this as them voting in favour. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lithgierose Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 2 minutes ago, craigkillie said: I would read this as them voting in favour. Abstaining? -1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dundee Hibernian Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 4 hours ago, Dev said: An extract from the Elgin City Chairman's UPDATE on the club web-site: www.elgincity.net/news/latest-news/chairman-update CHAIRMAN UPDATE "The proposed conference league is not going to commence this upcoming season but there is a driving force from the B teams and the SFA to make it happen. There is no input from the SPFL it is the SFA, Lowland and Highland Leagues who are being affected. I just hope we never have to be involved with it. One item that was consistent over the season was the tremendous support we received over the piece. It was not always pretty or entertaining but you all came out rain or shine to cheer us on. The Club never take that support for granted and I assure you all it is greatly appreciated .Graham Tatters" "There is no input from the SPFL" None at all, apart from the only two listed officials of the proposed new 'Scottish Conference League Limited' as registered as company number SC768587 are Calum Beattie of the SPFL and Neil Doncaster of the SPFL. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invergowrie arab Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 It will reach critical mass soon enough where even those in support or wavering don't want to be seen on the wrong side. Maxwells position must be untenable 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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