Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) just decided to keep the format of the Scottish Premiership exactly as is. After weeks of negotiation on possible alternative arrangements, there was not enough support for a move to change the structure of the top tier of Scottish football. There is a great desire to grow the lower divisions. This change would help reduce the burden of fixture congestion and better support our clubs competing in UEFA competitions.
During recent meetings, notably on April 29, members of the Competitions Working Group explored various restructuring options designed to enhance the league system. They ultimately concluded that there was “no reasonable prospect of achieving consensus around a new format for the William Hill Premiership.”
Current Structure of the Premiership
The Scottish Premiership has no fixed number of teams right now, allowing the league to easily adapt as conditions change. This lack of clarity allows the number of best-in-class team counts to shift as desired over the years. As far as immediate to long term, none are coming. The choice to protect the Premiership in this decision comes against a wider conversation about the leagues beneath it.
In the Championship, League One and League Two, a team plays 36 matches per year. These contests are representative of the second, third and fourth levels of the sport. Leagues are economically incentivized to win, as each league’s winner is automatically promoted, creating an ultra-competitive environment at all levels of play. Currently, each of these leagues is made up of 10 teams.
Potential Growth of Lower Divisions
As the Premiership continues to hold firm, talks of growing the Championship into a 12 or even 14 team division have started to gather steam. Also floating out there are plans to establish a new third tier and for that to include 16 or 18 teams. This possible fixture increase would help better fit fixture scheduling around international breaks and increase competition throughout the clubs.
Fixture congestion considerations might lead to such conversations. This, in particular, is increasingly a challenge with the extra matches now crammed onto the calendar following the new format of UEFA competitions. The new league phase introduced in tournaments such as the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League has created more challenges for clubs at all levels.
“The SPFL’s Competitions Working Group met on 29 April to discuss the possibility of league restructuring.” – SPFL
Future Discussions Scheduled
The SPFL suggests that additional negotiations over possible league enlargement will resume in May. Near unanimous support amongst committee members seems to indicate a willingness to raise the number of teams within divisions beneath the Premiership. This might open up more opportunities to more clubs and improve competition across the board in Scottish football.
Clubs such as Falkirk and Livingston are locked in battle right at the top of the Championship, as this season progresses. Their remarkable battle reveals how much structural reform is still necessary to make the league more consistently compelling.
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