What's at stake in the SPL's Hampden vote?

All eyes in Scottish football will be focused on Hampden today (15th April), when SPL chairmen vote on changes to the structure, resourcing and governance of the game.

An 11-1 majority is required to go ahead with league reconstruction, on a three division 12-12-18 basis, with a further top-end split into three divisions of eight near the end of the season. The majority of SPL clubs look set to support the scheme, despite the fact that it goes  against the repeated wishes of fans for larger divisions, and  that it has has also divided opinion in the SFL.

However, St Mirren, who are particularly critical about retention of the 11-1 voting system, have said they will vote 'no', and Ross County chairman Roy MacGregor has been reported as maintaining this weekend that he will not go against his fans’ wishes after 97 per cent voted against current reconstruction plans at a meeting in February. On the other hand, he has also apparently said he hopes there can be 'compromise', even though the deal is being presented as an 'all-or-nothing' one. If two clubs hold out, the vote may be lost. The outcome remains hard to predict.

So what happens after Monday? SFL members are due to have their say later in the week at the moment. But many full-time clubs are indicating that they will push for an SPL2 if the changes presently on the table are lost in the vote at the National Stadium.

 Immense pressure is being applied to dissidents, with claims that disaster will follow in the game if there is further delay. But critics say that inadequate financial data has been provided and that the assumptions behind the declared income projections are questionable.

They also point out that previous claims behind the imminent doomsday scenario attached to the attempt to put Rangers FC into the First Division proved misleading, and that other options have been excluded without adequate consideration.  Some are also alleging bullying and saying that the threat of 'vote yes to this, or end up with SPL2' is tantamount to blackmail.

The SFL had earlier put forward a constructive 16-10-16 reconstruction proposal, which largely chimed with the carefully argued 16-16-10 proposition in the alternative fans’ plan first put out through Supporters Direct Scotland and then developed and published by FansFirst Scotland. But the SPL dismissed this.

The Sonstrust Board's position, arrived at after listening to members and discussing the matter at the society's AGM, has been set out in an 'Open Letter on Reconstruction', which is also being shared with other supporters' groups and publicised ahead of Monday's meeting.

The Trust Board argues that "taking a further season to discuss a workable league structure for all (which should also include greater detail of a viable pyramid system) will enable supporters’ organisations to be properly engaged in the process. It will also help put current disagreements between clubs in the context of a larger vision for Scottish football as a whole – not just the largest and most vocal interests."

The Open Letter has also been featured on All Media Scotland ('Football trust says fans being ignored over league reconstruction'), on Newsnet Scotland, and in my own opinion piece, 'Claiming back Scottish football for the people', as well as appearing on a range of social media sites.
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Sonstrust speak out on Scottish league changes

This is a letter that I drafted on behalf of the Board of the Sonstrust, the Dumbarton FC supporters trust provident society, which is being circulated to other trusts and fan organisations in the run-up to next week's official discussions about reform of Scottish football.

It has been published in full on the Sonstrust website, news released on All Media Scotland, and endorsements are starting to come in.  

Next week SPL clubs, initially, vote on key changes in the way Scottish football is run and structured. Fans at all clubs have made their views overwhelmingly and repeatedly clear – they want larger divisions (not the 12-12-18 proposal presently on the table), fairer and more transparent finance, good governance and proper supporter representation and involvement in the running of the game at all levels. 

Yet, once more, there is a danger that the views of those whose passion and money is indispensable to the flourishing of Scottish football will be ignored or sidelined. No other business could hope to survive in a good shape if it so systematically dismissed the wishes of its customer base by elevating short-term interests, narrow financial projections and political posturing above the need for genuine renovation and renewal. Unless this lesson is finally learned, the future looks dim. 

At present there is obvious and deep division among both SPL and SFL clubs over league reconstruction. If 12-12-18 is pushed through, it will only be through arm-twisting and backroom deals, because in reality there is no agreement. The desirable outcome next week would be for Scottish clubs to resolve together to seek a better formula for season 2014/15, rather than risking further conflict and divisiveness by railroading through a flawed plan that will only need to be unravelled and recast a few years hence. 

SFL clubs had earlier put forward a constructive 16-10-16 proposal, which largely chimed with the carefully argued 16-16-10 proposition in the alternative fans’ plan first put out through Supporters Direct Scotland and then developed and published by FansFirst Scotland. There is a sound football and business case for this, which seems to have been dismissed far too readily as a result of fixation on smaller divisions, assumptions based on existing approaches which have not worked, and consequent lack of innovative thinking. 

We understand the frustration that has built up, throughout the game and in the media, over the time it has taken to get reform proposals to table. But taking a bad decision in the name of avoiding more delay, while effectively ignoring key findings of the McLeish Report and the manifest outcomes of the National Football Survey, would be to squander a historic opportunity for deeper change while further imperilling the future of the Scottish game. 

Taking a further season to discuss a workable league structure for all (which should also include greater detail of a viable pyramid system) will enable supporters’ organisations to be properly engaged in the process. It will also help put current disagreements between clubs in the context of a larger vision for Scottish football as a whole – not just the largest and most vocal interests. 

Meanwhile, we hope that plans to unify the game’s governing bodies, together with proposals to ensure a better distribution of resources, financial transparency and good governance might move forward more quickly. This must be done, however, on the basis of proper financial disclosure to all parties for decision-making purposes, and with voting systems and a constitution that does not put power in the hands of the few and too readily act as a brake on future change.

Dumbarton fans vote to keep football national

First published in Sons View, 19 March 2011, Dumbarton -v- East Fife. An edited version of this article also appears on the Sonstrust website as Fans vote for Dumbarton's future.

Dumbarton supporters have voted overwhelmingly against ‘regionalising’ the lower divisions in Scottish football. More than 95% of the 250+ supporters who took part in the match day ballot on 5 March, and in the equivalent online polls, want to maintain a national, professional league below the SPL.

There was also very strong opposition to SPL ‘colt’ teams being admitted to the lower leagues – something which the Scottish Premier League has also put forward as part of its outline proposals for restructuring the game in Scotland.

In response to the third and final question, almost all Sons fans said they believed that supporters should be properly represented on the governing bodies that run Scottish football.

Dumbarton is the first SFL club to directly ask its supporters what they think of some of the major issues raised by the much-publicised SPL proposals, and the similar ideas produced by former first minister Henry McLeish in his report for the SFA on the future of the game.

The poll took place at the match against Livingston last Saturday, as well as on the Sonstrust website (where the full results will be published) and on the three Facebook groups associated with the club.

The Sonstrust Board will be following up the vote by writing to DFC, Supporters Direct and the Scottish Football League over the issues.

The Scottish Premier League has announced that it will unveil and vote on its full plans for SPL1 & 2 “within a few weeks”. But its draft ideas also included proposals – including ‘regionalisation’ and colt-teams in the lower leagues – which would have a dramatic impact on smaller clubs.

At a meeting of 34 Supporters’ Trusts six weeks ago, there was a strong feeling that what has been put forward so far does not offer a sustainable future for the game in Scotland, and a desire that fans should be consulted and involved. The Sonstrust has taken a lead in this regard.
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Sons supporters speak out

First published in Sons View, 19 March 2011, Dumbarton -v- East Fife. An edited version also appears on the Supporters Direct website as Dumbarton Trust gives fans a voice.

The Supporters Trust at Dumbarton FC (called ‘Sonstrust’ after the club’s historic nickname – ‘the Sons of the Rock’) has held an online and stadium ballot to give fans a voice in the current debate over the future of Scottish football.

Full results will be announced next week, but hundreds have taken part and the interim findings suggest overwhelming opposition to the ‘regionalisation’ of the lower leagues and to SPL ‘colt’ teams playing in them – two of the proposals put forward by the SPL and the McLeish report.

Dumbarton supporters also back fan representation on the governing body of Scottish football, and the Sonstrust board is keen to work with others in Supporters Direct to ensure that the voice of fans – including the verdict of the SD survey – resonates at the highest levels within the game.

Sonstrust campaign coordinator Simon Barrow commented: “Football fans are used to being ignored, but at Dumbarton we’ve had a huge response to our online and stadium exercise in ‘direct democracy’. People have also been joining the Trust in record numbers, and are keen for a body like SD to be a really effective vehicle for grassroots-driven change in the game.”

Since the meeting of Scottish Trust representatives at Falkirk a month ago, the Sonstrust, which has over 300 members, has announced the results of a £1000 community bursary scheme (which has given three youth-oriented local projects a boost in funds), and is also holding a major recruitment drive running through to 19 March.

“Given that we already have half our regular home gate in the Sonstrust, we thought we might have ‘peaked’ – but we’ve already picked up a further 5%, said Barrow. “There’s a real appetite for supporter involvement in running clubs and shaping the future of the game. Our message to other Trusts is, ‘get out there, recruit, and get people involved’.”
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Supporting Dumbarton's youth

This article first appeared as Sonstrust backs youth football on the Sonstrust website. 

Kevin Murney from youth side Dumbarton United AFC has written to thank the Sonstrust and DFC for their day out at SHS and for their Community Bursary Grant.

Dumbarton United AFC were founded in 1958 and have been developing local footballing talent for the last 53 years.

“We would like to thank you for your hospitality on Saturday 5 March at Strathclyde Homes Stadium,” he writes. “We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, although the score line [Sons lost to Livingston 3-0] was not to our liking!”

Kevin adds: “We would also like to thank you for choosing our team to receive one of the first bursary grants. It has helped us immensely towards providing tracksuits for our boys.”

“We would like to wish you every success in the future,” he says.
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Making Dumbarton's voice heard

This article first appeared as Have YOUR Say On Saturday on the Sonstrust website.

The Sonstrust's ballot on three key issues to do with the futures of the club and Scottish football will take place at the match against Livingston on Saturday. You will be handed a leaflet / voting paper at the game.

But it’s also possible to vote online. The first question, about ‘regionalisation’ of our leagues and the second one, about ‘colt teams’, have already been getting people talking and voting. Now the third question, about the involvement of fans in the running of the game is linked below.

There has been real anger among supporters that ‘reconstruction’ proposals are being discussed without any direct reference to the people who pay for and watch the game in their thousands.

One way of addressing this is to do what we’re doing here – work with others and get YOUR voice heard. Another is to seek proper representation of supporters at all levels of Scottish football which is what this question is about.

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO VOTE:
Do you want supporters to have representation in Scottish football’s governing bodies?
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Sonstrust vote on SPL 'colt' teams

This article first appeared as Do YOU Want SPL ‘Colts’ In Our League? on the Sonstrust website.

The second of three questions being put to all Dumbarton FC fans by the Sonstrust can now be voted on online – using the link below, and on the Trust and Club Facebook pages.

It concerns the proposal being put forward by the Scottish Premier League that SPL ‘colt’ teams should be permitted to compete in the lower leagues – what are now the SFL Second and Third Divisions. The precise nature of what is being suggested is unclear at present – but the media rumour is that it will apply only to the SPL ‘elite’.

Fans of Scottish League Clubs overwhelmingly rejected the idea in the Supporters Direct survey, which 5,000 people participated in, as did representatives of all but three of 33 Trusts at a meeting in Falkirk on 23 January 2011.

However, the Sonstrust believes the question should be put directly to Dumbarton fans as part of our poll – which will be used to seek action from DFC, the SFL and others in advance of decisions which the SPL is planning to make “within the next few weeks“. We gave some more background on the issue here.

VOTE NOW BY CLICKING THE LINK BELOW
Do you want SPL ‘colt’ teams allowed to play in the lower leagues?
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Keeping the Scottish League national

Adapted from Still a live issue - Vote Now! on the Sonstrust website. 

Dumbarton fans are responding well to the first of our online poll questions – about the proposal to ‘regionalise’ the lower leagues. Some have wondered if this idea is now ‘dead’ – but it isn’t.

In spite of press reports (which I’ve commented on here), the truth is that the SPL, who have said they’ll be moving to a vote on restructuring proposals within weeks, haven’t taken anything off the table.

This despite clear opposition from the majority of smaller clubs (Stirling Albion are the exception), a majority of SFL fans against in the Supporters Direct survey, no indication that the SFL wants it, and no plan as to how it could work.

So why is it still around? Well, many SPL movers-and-shakers seem to want to push ‘regionalisation’ through (even though it’s – literally – not their business) – because it would leave their new setup as the only national football league in Scotland.

Also, some see it as a way of saving money (though the amounts are tiny compared to wages and other costs) and there has been confusion about whether an eventual pyramid depends upon it (there’s no reason why it should).

So the question finally boils down to whether we want a club like Dumbarton to be in a national league, or reduced to a regional side. That’s what we’re inviting Sons fans to vote on now: Do you want DFC to remain in a national, rather than regionalised, Scottish football league?
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Poll position

Adapted from my article Make YOUR Voice Heard on the Sonstrust website.

Starting today, the Sonstrust is launching a fans’ survey about plans for the future of Scottish football – on this site, on the Dumbarton FC and Sonstrust Facebook pages, and in a voting form which will be given to every fan attending the next home game (against Livingston on 5 March 2011).

There will be three questions – about ‘regionalisation’, about SPL colt teams playing in the SFL, and about fan representation on the bodies that run Scottish football.


The web versions will be posted between now and 5 March. They will be open for four weeks each.
What Dumbarton supporters have to say will be used in making Trust representations to the Club, to Supporters Direct, to the SFL and to others. With the SPL now publicly saying that it will be voting on ‘reconstruction’ proposals, pressure is critical – to ensure that reforms benefit the whole game and are based on what fans want.

You can vote on the link below. We are using controls to ensure that people only vote once. But we are also using different media to ensure that as many Sons supporters as possible have the chance to make their voices heard.

Do you want DFC to remain in a national, rather than regionalised, Scottish football league?
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Sonstrust praised by Trusts' group

Adapted from my article Praise for Sonstrust Campaign on the Sonstrust website.

Supporters Direct in Scotland has praised the membership and awareness-raising initiative launched by the Sonstrust at the Airdrie United game on 12 February 2011 – and says it hopes other Trusts will follow suit.

There was particular acknowledgment for the link between recruiting and involving fans in Dumbarton Football Club, and the current debate about the ‘reconstruction’ of Scottish football.

SD development officer James Proctor declared: “Strengthening individual Trusts and building the Trust movement in Scotland is really important at a time when big decisions are being made over the future of the game.

“Henry McLeish’s report into Scottish football recommends the inclusion of fans in the decision making of the SFA and the SPL have recently started to engage with supporters’ trusts and Supporters Direct over their proposals for reorganisation of the leagues. Therefore having a democratic and Scotland-wide fans organisation is an important step in improving the game and ensuring fans are represented.

“The Sonstrust at Dumbarton have set a great example with their recruitment drive, which is emphasising the importance of being part of Supporters Direct, as well as encouraging community ownership and giving fans a bigger say. We hope others will be inspired by their initiative.”
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In the SonsTV frame

This article first appeared as Gary’s SonsTV Eye Is Still On The Ball! on the Sonstrust website.

Gary on duty at Peterhead

SonsTV maestro Gary Black would be crossing his fingers for the home game against Peterhead tomorrow – if they hadn’t been mostly frozen off in the stand at Balmoor. Even so, he’s more than willing to give a warm welcome to new TV assistants!

Since the appeal for help with filming Dumbarton FC matches at the beginning of the month, Gary has had a couple of expressions of interest, which he’s following up. From the beginning of the season, Tommy Crocket has been helping with editing the footage for the SFL, too.

But there’s still a lot of work to be done – especially as the hope is that we can expand the role of TV and new media in the work of the Trust and the Club.

So… if you know senior school pupils, college or university students, or someone looking to get practical experience of the communications and media industry, please put them in touch.

“We’re not saying this will make you famous or get you an instant TV career,” says Gary. “But who knows, it might be a step towards bigger and brighter things – as well as being an interesting way to spend your Saturday afternoon.”

Good computing skills would be a definite advantage. Gloves can be provided!

Anyone offering help, or who knows someone it might be worth approaching, please email secy@sonstrust.net in the first instance.
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Get the message...

Slightly shaky hand-held from the Sonstrust
PowerPoint presentation.
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More members for the Sonstrust

The Sonstrust team launch the promo campaign

A big ‘thank you’ from the Sonstrust Board to everyone who helped with the recruitment / information drive at the game against Airdrie United on Saturday. It was a definite success – but we have more to do.

The bottom line is that we got another 9 members and 2 renewals – adding 3% to our existing record total of around 313. There are almost certainly more people out there who have yet to sign up (including friends and relatives), and our aim is to secure their membership over the next two Saturday home games on 5 and 19 March.

At those games we’ll have info leaflets on what the Sonstrust has achieved and what aspirations we have for the future.

This is about building a bigger Trust, but it’s also about raising awareness of why it’s important, engaging with people, and explaining how being part of the larger Supporters Direct movement is crucial to ensure that fans can make an effective noise about the future of our clubs and the game we love.

Meantime, thanks to membership secretary Tommy Hughes and the team of leaflet-distribution volunteers (remembering that Tommy does the really hard, ongoing work of enrolling and registering people!), to Gary Black for the leaflet design, to Leith Print & Copy, and to Donald Fullarton for the photos.

Over the next week or so there will be more publicity going on. Sons bloggers, like ‘Son of the Rock’ Jack Deighton are getting involved, and we have three Facebook pages on the case.

It was a real pity Sons just missed out on three points against the Diamonds. But what with this recruitment initiative and the hard work of commercial director Alan Findlay and others in making ‘Ladies Day’ a success, it was a pretty good day for the Trust!

Picture: LtoR - David Powell, Tommy Hughes (membership sec), Simon Barrow (campaigns), and Brian Payne (chair). 
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In the fans, we Trust

This article first appeared as Sonstrust thinks big on the official DFC website.

At the game against Airdrie United on 12 February, the Sonstrust will be launching a drive to increase membership, awareness and involvement yet further.

The Trust, which is part of the Supporters Direct movement, already has a record 300+ members - but wants more on board.

"Joining the Sonstrust, and getting more friends and family to do so, is the key way to ensure a positive, forward-looking relationship between supporters and Dumbarton FC," says commercial director (and Trust rep) Alan Findlay.

He adds: "With key decisions coming up about the future of the game in Scotland, it is also vital that the fans have their say - and the Trust movement is the best mechanism for that at the moment. We're thinking big!"

As the initiative moves forward, Sonstrust will be putting out more publicity about their achievements, their ambitions, and the need to encourage genuine community stakeholding in the game.

Pick up a leaflet at the Stadium, or join online, and get others to do so. There's more about the campaign here.
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All on board the Sonstrust!

A number of us have been busy over the past week getting ready for the Sonstrust membership and awareness promotional drive - linked to the obvious need to build the supporters' movement and get the voice of fans much more prominently heard in the current debate about the future of the game in Scotland. At the moment it is TV execs, the Old Firm and a small coterie within the SPL who are driving the agenda.

Anyway, there will be leaflets seeking 'A Tenner To Help Save Scottish Football' at the Dumbarton versus Airdrie United game on Saturday, and then follow-up events at the next two home games. We also plan to generate some publicity, energy and awareness about what the Trust does.

For those who don't know, Sonstrust is a provident (cooperative) society, and a kind of 'fans union'. It has a financial stake in the club, a director (who also runs the commercial side at DFC), puts on social events, has refurbed the Supporters' Bar, sponsored matches and a Youth Development scheme, set up a Dumbarton community initiatives fund ... and much, much more. It's amazing what fans can do when they get together.

Perhaps the biggest challenge, though, is being part of the Supporters Direct campaign over 'league reconstruction'' and other changes currently being mooted in the corridors of power about the future of the Scottish game. Ensuring that smaller clubs, supporters and communities are at the heart of these changes - rather than being "done to" from on high and expected to put up with whatever is foisted on them - is what it's all about. Not an easy call, but SD are getting their act together, and strengthening the Trust movement is vital to ensure the common voice is strong.
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Far more than a 'talking shop'

Scottish football is undoubtedly under threat. Recession, lack of investment at the grassroots, falling attendances, lack of quality and variety in the game, the corrosive effects of massive economic inequality, vested interests, structural debt, mismanagement and poor governance are among the obvious symptoms and causes.

But Scottish football also has significant human resources. Even in these tough times, more fans turn out to watch live games in Scotland than anywhere else in Europe (per head of population). The commitment and sheer hard work demonstrated at every level - from the dressing room to the training ground to the terraces - remains remarkable. The goodwill is there. And most of the money still comes from the turnstiles.

But perhaps the most important development in recent years has been the growth of direct fan involvement and stakeholding in clubs - encouraged, backed and resourced by Supporters Direct in Scotland and elsewhere.

Yesterday I joined three other members of the Sonstrust and some 50 people from 33 clubs, along with SD staff and representatives, at a gathering in Falkirk aimed at enabling Trust and supporters to make an effective response to the McLeish report on the future of the Scottish game and the Scottish Premier League proposals for reconstruction - which in the view of many SFL fans more-or-less cut off smaller professional clubs and threaten to turn them into little more than junior outfits. (A fuller report is on the Sonstrust site here, and more will appear in the issue of Sons View being prepared for the coming Dumbarton game against Brechin City.)

At present all the 'reconstruction' running is being made by the SPL elite and their backers. The SFL seems to have been wrong-footed completely, the wishes of supporters have been disregarded almost completely, the second part of the McLeish review has not shown the independence of mind and willingness to challenge vested interests many were hoping for, and attempts to look at alternatives have been pushed aside with blether, spin and prawn cocktail diplomacy by Neil Doncaster and his cohorts.

But this is far from the end of the story. At Saturday's meeting, Supporters Direct Scotland were encouraged to push for genuine consultation, to press the results of their recent Survey (which said no to a ten-team SPL, and cast massive doubt an opposition towards regionalised lower leagues and to 'B' or 'Colt' SPL interlopers), to get the SFL to be properly proactive, to continue to develop financially workable and sustainable alternative proposals, and to challenge the SPL towards transparency and accountability in its dealings, data and negotiations.

It will be a tough haul. But it's definately worth the effort. Despite the current propaganda, what is on the table from the SPL at the moment is still far from a done deal. The bedrock of the game is with the supporters, and they are clearly dissatisfied. Supporters Direct can and should play a key role in making their voice heard and in galvanising a coherent response.

The meeting at Falkirk was a good start. There was little of the moaning that often accompanies these gatherings. The participants were thoughtful and determined. I did hear one person use that blessed put-down 'talking shop', but I think it was pretty clear to the great majority that (good quality) talking is precisely what we need to ensure that the conversation is enlarged, that those in power are held to account, and that some positive alternatives get onto the decision-making table(s).

There will, of course, be those who say "it can't be done". That's a self-fulfilling prophecy, and it's exactly what those with vested interests at the top of the tree want to hear. Changing fan culture from moaning-on-the-sidelines towards change-making isn't easy. For years supporters have been treated as fodder, and have learned to respond to this with that lethal cocktail of loyalty and passive aggression which the status quo craves - precisely in order to remain the status quo.

Thankfully, SD and the Trust movement gives them (us) a different, positive way of responding. There are no guarantees that the present struggle can be won, and the odds stacked against are considerable. But if you aim at nothing, you are pretty sure to hit it. It's also worth remembering that the numbers (if not the influence at the moment) are clearly with the fans. Add some media savvy, campaigning guile and sheer hard work and you have a recipe well worth trying.
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Straining the meaning of 'consensus'

First published as SPL 'Agreement' Leaves Big Questions on the Sonstrust website.

The ‘broad’ agreement claimed by Scottish Premier League representatives for a 10-team top league and a second tier of 12 teams still leaves a huge amount of work to be done in producing a workable plan and securing the consent of the SFL, the SFA – and even four or five existing SPL members.

Despite claims of consensus, three clubs – Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Hearts and Kilmarnock – made it clear at the meeting that they favoured a 14-team SPL. In addition, two of the six members of the Strategic Review Group and one other large club had expressed concern or uncertainty, with St Mirren hoping for consideration of the 14-team option, Dundee United keeping an ‘open mind’ until the last minute, and Motherwell also hesitating. St Johnstone had preferred a 12:10 (rather than 10:12) split.  Indeed, opposition to the original 10:10 proposal had actually grown since the BBC surveyed SPL clubs on 13 December 2010 and found only two opposed.

Talking to the BBC afterwards, SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster was forced to admit: “Clearly, when clubs haven’t got a detailed, finalised plan in front of them, then we need to understand that clubs want to reserve their final position.”

Meanwhile, “extremely disappointed” Inverness majority shareholder David Sutherland declared: “The fans have been ignored but in sport you have to take your defeats gracefully.  It’s a pity the 14-team wasn’t considered a little more seriously. We’ll get on with it but I think the SPL needs to take a good, long look at themselves and what they are doing to Scottish football.”

The media also remains sceptical, with the Scottish Daily Record mounting a rigorous push for a 14-team league, and The Scotsman reflecting the concerns of Gordon Smith and others about the impact of the current proposal – because, as Barry Anderson put it, “[small] leagues and repetitive fixture lists are not conducive to cultivating young footballing talent.”

However SPL executives are now going into spin mode and are set to continue their charm offensive in an effort to massage away dissent and exert pressure on those who have held out for alternatives, with finance rather than football appearing to be the main driver. (The Express describes their efforts so far as producing  “chaos and confusion”.)

After yesterday’s meeting at Hampden, Neil Doncaster claimed that the 10:12 plan was the “only way forward” – though his own organisation’s press release described it merely as the “preferred option”.
He additionally spoke of the need to benefit “the whole of Scottish football, not just the elite.”  But he did not spell out how his executive and the four main backers of the proposal (Celtic, Rangers, Hibs and Aberdeen) can legitimately claim to speak for Scottish football in its entirety (other bodies are only being “consulted”, says the SPL), or how lower league sides like Dumbarton, threatened with being diminished to regional training leagues for the use of ‘big’ clubs, are supposed to see this as an enhancement.

Doncaster also dismissed the concerns of the 88% of Scottish football fans who recently opposed the ten-team SPL in a Supporters Direct Survey -  which indicates that 93% of supporters feel they have not been properly consulted.

So while SPL executives are heavily implying that the outcome of the strategy meeting on 16 January is a ‘done deal’, the evidence – and the voting system maths -  suggests that the tussle will go on for weeks to come. “Kilmarnock’s position has not altered,” said chair Michael Johnston. “We are still opposed to a ten-team top division. Significant adjustments have to be made to the current proposals.”

Meanwhile, the Scottish Football League offered a cautious response. Chief executive David Longmuir said: “Until such time something is formalised or presented to us, we cannot comment. The SFL’s position hasn’t changed. We are open to change if it is for the good of all clubs in Scotland.”
For the 20 sides outside the top 22, the time for bold thinking about how to keep League football alive and kicking is now on.

Supporters Direct in Scotland is holding a meeting of Trust representatives on 23 January 2010 to consider ‘what next’ from the grassroots perspective. Sonstrust will be there, naturally.
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A plaything of the SPL? No thanks

First published as SPL Colt Plan Under Pressure on the Sonstrust website.

It seems that some SPL coaches are rather less keen than Henry McLeish or Neil Doncaster about the idea of putting top reserve or ‘B’ sides into regionalised lower leagues.

The idea that Old Firm and other ‘big’ clubs might have colt affiliates carrying their name admitted into the Scottish Football League  to play against the likes of Dumbarton has been met with outrage and concern by the great majority of fans in the Second and Third Divisions, especially.

Now Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov has declared (in the Scotsman) that as part of the revival of the game in Scotland “it is obligatory that the tournament of [SPL] reserve teams is resumed. Without such reserves competition, the youths will have no chances to get into the main teams.”  He has also indicated opposition to a 10-team top flight. The number 14 seems to be the new 10 for at least six SPL sides.

The ‘colt’ idea is seen by lower league fans as demeaning, making their clubs mere playthings of the top boys. Questions have been raised about its impact on the meaningfulness of competition below SPL level, the security costs, and the issue as to whether it will really lead to a sustainable increase in attendances as backers of the idea claim. There are also structural questions about the potential relation of such ‘B’ teams to their sponsoring clubs and to a reconstructed SFL set-up.

Now backroom concerns are being expressed about whether a diminished, regionalised Scottish Football League could possibly offer the quality the SPL colts will need to make the plan viable from their viewpoint too. They are not keen on speaking out at this stage. But Romanov has never had such inhibitions.
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Twelve into ten may not go

First published as The Power of Ten Diminishes on the Sonstrust website.

What will emerge from the upcoming Scottish Premier League meeting about reconstruction? A few weeks ago some were talking about a ‘done deal’. But now things look much more uncertain, with the proposal for two ten-team top divisions attracting multiple dissenters.

Yesterday evening, Dundee United manager Peter Houston and ex-Dumbarton player and gaffer Murdo MacLeod (pictured), invited on as pundits by STV’s Sports Centre, both made strong comments about the need for a larger structure which nurtures talent and interest. Similar arguments about the importance of finance being based on football development needs, rather than the other way round, also apply to the Sonstrust‘s central concern: the future of the SFL, lower league football, and Dumbarton Football Club.

There’s a very good article raising these issues on the BBC Football website. Dunfermline defender Jack Ross has posted a thoughtful, articulate blog entitled ‘In Scottish football size does matter’. Jack’s observations are based on his experience of being released as a teenager from the SPL, entering the school of hard knocks in junior and part-time football, and then coming back in the direction of the top flight (with four years at university thrown in).

He doesn’t mince his words. Welcoming signs that the drive towards a top 10 is slowing, the Pars man declares: “I am amazed by the almost steadfast refusal to listen to those who make the game possible: players and, of course, fans. Football supporters are the customers, and would such strong customer-opinion be similarly ignored in other businesses or industries?”

He continues: “My own career in the game has afforded me first hand experience of some of those who run football clubs and who are now charged with choosing the best way forward.
“While many are astute individuals capable of building hugely successful businesses, and whose conversation I have both enjoyed and learned from, there are others who are not the best individuals for our game to place its trust in.”

Amidst sensible comments about stadium-size obsessions and salaries (“perhaps the only way to ensure wages stay within sensible limits is to turn attention back to size again and agree a limit on salaries as a percentage of turnover”), Jack also bemoans the huge gap between boardroom and terrace perceptions of what is at stake in decisions about the game.

What he perhaps hasn’t sufficiently allowed for is that the development of Trusts and bodies like Supporters Direct is turning fans into more than ‘outside complainants’. It is giving them the opportunity (and the responsibility) to challenge the way football is run – and the narrow interests that dominate it – in a much more positive way.

Over the coming weeks and months, that will be a vital factor in shaping the outcome of deliberations about the future of the Scottish game.
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A personal Winter break

Well, happy Christmas and New Year, one and all!  2010 has ended with yet another enforced football Winter break. Dumbarton supporters have not seen their team in action since 20 November, the Boxing Day match is off, and I wouldn't hold my breath over 2 or 8 January, frankly. We'll see. I say 'we', but actually I mean 'you', since part of my beginning to 2011 will be spent in Ghana. A Winter break of my very own - and one that's set to be sweltering.

The Ghanaians gained the hearts of many at the last World Cup, and though it isn't any formal part of my visit I intend to follow up any football leads that present themselves during my brief sojourn in West Africa. See you at the next game thereafter. Whenever that may be. (There will also be much to be done in 2011 as far as the Sonstrust is concerned, and I'm honoured to have been elected to the Trust board to assist with that.)
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