May vote for SPL reforms

Tue 19th Apr 2011 | Football Governance

The long awaited vote on reforms for the Scottish Premier League (SPL) look set to take place in mid-May.

The vote will take place after representatives of all 12 SPL clubs met at Hampden Park yesterday (18th) to discuss proposals for a 10-team league.

Aberdeen chairman Stewart Milne told BBC Scotland progress was made at the meeting and a final vote should be taken by the middle of May.

SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster said: "Clubs can still vote if they want, but we need 11 votes to take it forward."

It’s understood that the lobbying for change will continue with another ballot pencilled in for the summer.

"Ultimately, 18 April is for the clubs to tell us what they are looking for," added Doncaster, speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound programme.

"If clubs don't want our proposals, that's the time for them to put forward alternative plans and new ideas if that's what people want.

"I think there's a real desire for change - a real need for change - and it's up to the clubs what that change looks like.

“It is an 11-1 vote and they are well short of that”

Michael Johnston Kilmarnock chairman, "The plans will be on the table on the 18th and what we do with the proposals is entirely up to the clubs to decide.

"The clubs have the power. We can only put together a plan."

The SPL has been pushing a proposal that would see the league reduced from 12 teams to 10.

Doncaster unveiled The Strategic Plan, developed over the past year, as a comprehensive plan that promotes the interests of all 42 SPL and SFL clubs.

In his blog Doncaster, outlines the five key points which the reforms hope to address; “The Strategic Plan is about improving the long term health of the game in Scotland, for the benefit of all 42 professional clubs and all supporters.  It is not about looking after the elite clubs to the exclusion of all others,”

The Five key points are;
• Supporters:  to create an exciting, dynamic league that delivers entertaining football for fans
• Performance:  to address the declining UEFA and FIFA coefficients
• Player development:  to ensure a more effective production line of players for the Scotland national team and to address the ‘development gap’ between the under19s and the first team
• Structural:  to create the best league structure for Scottish professional football at all levels of the game
• Commercial and financial:  to increase interest in and excitement surrounding the game, to maximise the money coming into the game and to address the financial gap between the bottom of the SPL and the top of the SFL

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