SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster believes fans will embrace the 10-12 reconstruction proposals to Scottish football.
A 10-team SPL has been proposed along with a new 12-team Championship with ‘broad’ support already from clubs for the plans.
Early feedback from supporters has been negative as Scotland’s top flight looks set to lose two teams after 10 years of change.
Doncaster believes having an expanded second tier of Scottish football will benefit sides that are relegated from the SPL.
The SPL chief is keen to protect clubs that suffer relegation in the wake of Dundee’s administration issues and wants teams that go down to be protected.
Resources
“I think there was really broad support for ensuring we had a proper second division of Scottish football,” he told Sky Sports News.
“At the moment when teams are relegated they get cast into financial oblivion. The only way of ensuring that they have decent financial resources, bringing more money into the game for them is with a 10-team set-up at the top end.
“I think it was felt by clubs that have been recently in that second tier that a 12-team format for that second tier would be better.
“Ultimately the plan is about delivering more excitement, more drama, making the play-offs a part of it and an earlier season start date, all these are elements of a plan that will regenerate Scottish football.”
The SPL issued a statement believing that had ‘broad support’ from clubs and while Inverness has expressed their disappointment at the plans, Doncaster hopes everyone will be happy once final tweaks are made.
The Scottish supremo believes adding play-offs will only add greater interest, which will attract more fans to the game.
Happy
“I think all 12 clubs were happy with the statement that we put out. There are some details that we need to work through to hopefully ensure all the clubs are happy,” he continued.
“Ultimately we’ll be taking forward a comprehensive plan back to the clubs. We’ll need 10 or 11 votes depending on what’s in it for that to be approved. That’ll be the point at which they give the thumbs up. We hope that it’s progress today and we’ll move it forward.
“I think what we all want is exciting football, drama and passion. Scottish football can certainly provide that.
“We think that the only way that we’re going to be able to put decent resources down into to the second tier, to make those teams stronger so that teams coming up are more competitive, is with a 10-team format with play-offs between them so that we get more teams coming up and there’s better flow through them generally.
“There’s a real goodwill up here to move the game forward. We need play-offs, the excitement and drama that it creates. We need an earlier season start date. We need to have more teams coming up and down the divisions and the plan is on the table to do that.”
