Scottish Football Pyramid System - On its way!

[TheFarmer 260]

So it looks likely they will be implementing a southern version of the highland league for next season, the Lowland Football League (Stupid name imo as most of the HFL teams are actually from the lowlands as well).

This lowland league will be made up from teams from the current EOSFL and SOSFL with junior teams with acceptable facilities also allowed to apply (not likely as few of the juniors have anywhere near acceptable facilities, it would be better if they could relax their facility standards for a few years to get the juniors on board). The Lowland and Highland league winners will play off for a place in SFL3 as far as I'm aware at the end of next season if its all up and running.

I think this is a great step for Scottish football and hopefully the pyramid can be expanded further in the future to get rid of more glass ceilings.In a few years it would be good if we could put all the Division three teams into these two feeder leagues and only have three 'national' leagues, 42 clubs in the national leagues is far too many, we could end up with two pretty competitive feeder leagues into our national system of 32 clubs, something like:

SPFL Premiership - 12 teams

SPFL Championship - 10 teams

SPFL League One - 10 teams

(Also hate the name SPFL, what's wrong with just calling it the Football League or the Scottish Football League?)

Lowland League:

Spartans FC |

Whitehill Welfare FC |

Bonnyrigg Rose FC | Edinburgh Area

Linlithgow Rose FC |

Bo'ness United FC |

Dalbeattie Star FC |

Annan Athletic FC | Borders Area

Berwick Rangers FC |

EK Clyde FC |

Queens Park FC |

Albion Rovers FC | Glasgow Area

Pollock FC |

Clydebank FC |

Stirling Albion FC |

Kelty Hearts FC | Stirlingshire/Fife

East Stirlingshire FC |

Cambuslang Rangers FC |

Auchinleck Talbot FC | Ayrshire

Lots of good local derbies in there

Highland League:

Elgin City FC |

Forres Mechanics FC | Moray

Buckie Thistle FC |

Montrose FC |

Lochee United FC | Dundee Area

Carnoustie Panmure FC |

Peterhead FC |

Formartine United FC |

Cove Rangers FC |

Deveronvale FC | Aberdeenshire

Turriff United FC |

Huntly FC |

Inverurie Loco Works FC |

Fraserbrough FC |

Nairn County FC |

Wick Academy FC | Highlands

Clachnacuddin FC |

Brora Rangers FC |

Also lots of good local derbies in there

And a rough map of what the 'Highland' and 'Lowland' regions could be, with teams in the intermediate region (Yellow) being able to be swapped leagues to keep the numbers even after relegations/promotions (as they have in England):

Yellow region teams in the example above are:

'Highland' League: Montrose, Lochee United, Carnoustie

'Lowland' League: Stirling Albion, Kelty Hearts

[Raligt 2,541]

I like it,

[Coops 5]

What was quite interesting was Dumfries and Galloway council finding £1.5M funding for local football.

Queen of the South, Newton Stewart and St Cuthbert Wanderers all to get new 3G Pitches, and the latter two to have new facilities installed along with updated floodlights. A possible push for both to be included.

There is also East Kilbride Thistle who are apparently moving to the SoS FL for the 2013/14 season.

[Iandoc1975 1,265]

I like it when folk research stuff before posting. Good idea mate. Hunners more proddy teams

[DarcheVinny 1,003]

If something like this comes to fruition, it will be good. Still need a supply for the lowland/highland leagus though.

Although that above gives more teams, and some fresh life access to the senior system, it will go stale again after a few years.

When you have a goldfish, you can't just change the water once and hope for the best. You have to change it all the time.

[TheFarmer 260]

What was quite interesting was Dumfries and Galloway council finding £1.5M funding for local football.

Yeah, the non-league senior teams all seem to be getting lots of SFA/Council/Government funding to upgrade facilities.

The problem is that in the 'lowlands' the juniors league are imo quite a bit stronger than the senior leagues, but none of the juniors have facilities to be accepted into this setup unless then spend a lot of money. The 8 junior teams I listed should definitely be in there but few will meet the standards as they currently stand.

If this is to work well they'll need to somehow get the juniors on board (A number of juniors have already signalled their intention to join)

[TheFarmer 260]

By the way there has been a lot of work done behind the scenes to get a Lowlands League up and running for next season. So it should happen.

[StewGer 606]

It's about fucking time, ridiculous that Albion Rovers and East Stirling could finish bottom in recent history with no consequences as many times as they did. Some of the Junior and highland clubs attract much larger crowds than the dross in the league as well, lets face it said dross may even get bigger crowds if they are fighting relegation rather than just trudging along.

[AlCapone 7,678]

I never really get this argument that we have too many teams, what a lazy argument that is! In what way would it improve the game by taking clubs out. Never seen anyone explain that with a relevant reason, be interesting to see one. Many of the Junior sides also don't want to join the pyramid as they are quite happy being a big fish in the current set up

[trueblue68 2,497]

I like this idea, the likes of Petershill would probably be in there though as they have the facilities in place already.

[TheFarmer 260]

I like this idea, the likes of Petershill would probably be in there though as they have the facilities in place already.

Yeah, When I made the tables up I just added 8 junior teams based on league position into the lowland league. In reality it would be based on facilities.

[TheFarmer 260]

I never really get this argument that we have too many teams, what a lazy argument that is! In what way would it improve the game by taking clubs out. Never seen anyone explain that with a relevant reason, be interesting to see one.

Take my league tables for example.

Most current division 3 teams with <500 home crowds would benefit in my opinion from playing more local derbies. Rather than Berwick travelling to Peterhead twice a season and Elgin twice a season, they would be playing teams like Linlithgow Rose, Auchinleck Talbot, Spartans and Dalbeattie Star once a season.

There is absolutely no reason that most of the current division three teams with less than 400 or 500 home attendances deserve to be in a national league other than the history of being there.

If we set up Scottish football from scratch now, all these teams would be in feeder leagues, and it would be beneficial to most of them being there, with them playing more local games and derbies, with less travelling costs.

What reasons are there to keep them in the national system, other than the fact they are already there?

[TheFarmer 260]

Added a rough map of what the 'Highland' and 'Lowland' regions could be to the OP.

[TheFarmer 260]

There is also East Kilbride Thistle who are apparently moving to the SoS FL for the 2013/14 season.

Its EKFC that want to move to the SOSFL. EK Thistle are a junior team.

[Iandoc1975 1,265]

Send it to the SFA. If it makes sense and is logical, well drafted and thought out it has no chance

[Stoorie 1,088]

"So it looks likely they will be implementing a southern version of the highland league for next season, the Lowland Football League (Stupid name imo as most of the HFL teams are actually from the lowlands as well)."

How are most of the HFL teams from the lowlands, unless you live in Thurso?

[TheFarmer 260]

"So it looks likely they will be implementing a southern version of the highland league for next season, the Lowland Football League (Stupid name imo as most of the HFL teams are actually from the lowlands as well)."

How are most of the HFL teams from the lowlands, unless you live in Thurso?

Most of the Highland league teams are based in the North-East Lowlands (Aberdeenshire and Moray)

The only teams in the Highland League from the Scottish Highlands are: Wick Academy, Brora Rangers, Clachnacuddin, Fort William and Nairn County (5 out of 18).

[Raligt 2,541]

I thought anywhere north of Perth was the highlands.

[TheFarmer 260]

I thought anywhere north of Perth was the highlands.

Its not an official geographical or administrative area, but it is generally defined as in the map above. Generally speaking before 200 year ago those in the lowlands spoke Lowland Scots (Including the Aberdeenshire dialect of Lowland Scots, Doric) and those in the Highlands spoke Scottish Gaelic.

[there'sonlyoneamoruso 1,724]

Just out of interest, do any of the islands have decent teams?

Would be interesting if teams and fans had to get ferries out to some remote island for a game.

[TheFarmer 260]

Just out of interest, do any of the islands have decent teams?

Would be interesting if teams and fans had to get ferries out to some remote island for a game.

There are none in the HFL, EosFL or SoSFL

Don't know about all the juniors, but none of the 'bigger' junior clubs are.

[Johnstone Burgh 1,644]

There's a Lewis and Harris football league.

[trueblue68 2,497]

Shetland etc have a non recognised International team i think, but no league.

[Iandoc1975 1,265]

I want the Campbeltown Pupils to play. Just about to win the league as well. All season unbeaten

[docspiderman 1,248]

I never really get this argument that we have too many teams, what a lazy argument that is! In what way would it improve the game by taking clubs out. Never seen anyone explain that with a relevant reason, be interesting to see one. Many of the Junior sides also don't want to join the pyramid as they are quite happy being a big fish in the current set up

There is the argument that when 2 teams cannot attract a "crowd" of 300 between them should they really be in a professional league?

.I think we have too many teams in our senior leagues considering the population and more relevant the number of active fans.Also there are junior teams which attract far more paying fans than those remaining in division three and most of division 2.

On league reconstruction; I fail to see the great leap forward where football is returning to the structure which was in place before the introduction of the spl where there was and will be 2 bodies running Scottish football; Still 1 body too many.