Scottish clubs should take a more proactive role in the future of the game, according to fan group Supporters Direct Scotland (SDS).
Ahead of Tuesday’s vote on a proposed Conference League, the organisation’s chief executive said that while the Scottish pyramid isn’t significantly damaged, there are issues to be addressed.
Clubs will this week vote at the SFA’s AGM on the introduction of a fifth tier inserted below League Two and above the Highland and Lowland Leagues.
SDS chief Alan Russell has welcomed the vocal opposition from clubs up and down the country – but, if rejected, he wants clubs to seize then the initiative.
Holding clubs to account
“You have to hold all of our clubs to account and say: if this mattered to you in May 2023, then this matters to you for the next season when we’re either preparing to start or we’re working out what the other way is of solving the issues with the pyramid,” he told Courier Sport.
“I’m encouraging people I talk to at clubs to actually embrace that, not just sit back and let something else happen to us.
Our take on the Pyramid Review, proposed Conference League and the inclusion of B Teams:https://t.co/IHJnGxSc5D (1/5)
— Supporters Direct Scotland (@SuppDirectScot) May 5, 2023
“Then at the next AGM there will be another set of proposals that are well-founded and well thought through.”
The proposals include plans to have B teams, who cannot be promoted or relegated, in the new division alongside Highland and Lowland teams.
Russell – who is also chair of Raith Supporters Trust and last week welcomed Rovers’ opposition to the plans – said from what he can tell, Old Firms fans are broadly in favour and fans of other clubs are against.
Aberdeen were thought to be one of the clubs intending to register a side for the Conference League but voiced their concerns in a recent statement.
Opposition
Most clubs that have said something have been against the proposals – which would effectively see hundred of clubs relegated overnight – including the Lowland League’s Cowdenbeath.
❌ Cowdenbeath FC can confirm that the proposed Conference League is not something we can support.
A full statement can be found at https://t.co/mDtdx9WgBe pic.twitter.com/sjGamd4lww
— Cowdenbeath FC (@CowdenbeathFC) June 3, 2023
The likes of Bonnyrigg Rose, Cove Rangers and Kelty Hearts have all been relative successes since making their way through the pyramid and, according to Russell, the Conference League would hinder clubs with similar ambitions.
“The pyramid itself isn’t fundamentally broken, it’s simply the big clubs wanting their B teams to play somewhere,” he said. “And they want the whole of Scottish football dance to their tune”.
“You’ve got a lot of really, really good clubs in tiers five and six that can compete at a higher level and they’re in a queueing system that’ll take a long, long time and a lot of money for them to continue to develop and get through it.
“Can we address that rather than address where a few dozen players from a few clubs play?”
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