How Scottish lower leagues could look if new SPFL reconstruction proposals go through – with one less division

Scottish Sun

30-04-2025

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THE immediate prospect of returning to a 10-team Premiership has been defeated - as has the notion of expanding the top league.
That much became clear yesterday when the SPFL revealed that their controversial move to remove two teams from the top flight would understandably FAIL to get the 11-1 majority it would require to pass.
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Neil Doncaster and the Competitions Working Group have come up with new proposals
Credit: Kenny Ramsay
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The league's top brass say there is 'broad agreement' around potential changes
Credit: The Sun
It was at the beginning of this month when it was revealed that league reconstruction was back on the table.
SunSport told how SPFL chiefs wanted Scotland's top 42 clubs to consider various different forms of reshaping the leagues.
But while that idea has been dismissed for now, it's being claimed there is 'broad agreement' around potential changes to the William Hill Championship, League 1 and League 2.
That in itself is quite an interesting claim considering how difficult it has proven at all levels to get agreement about restructuring in the SPFL boardroom.
The SPFL statement read: "The SPFL's Competitions Working Group met on 29 April to discuss the possibility of league restructuring.
"It was agreed that there was no reasonable prospect of achieving consensus around a new format for the William Hill Premiership.
"There was, however, broad agreement around potential changes to the William Hill Championship, League 1 and League 2.
"These will be worked up with a view to conducting a consultation with clubs and other stakeholders."
So what could these reshaped leagues look like, and when could they come on board?
Well, it's believe that the discussions when they reconvene on May 7 will centre on the SPFL Championship expanding to 12 or 14 teams.
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And assuming there are no new teams being admitted into the current senior set up of 42 senior teams, that would leave a third tier of either 16 or 18 teams.
It's thought the earliest these plans could come into place would be the start of the 2026-27 season.
It would put an end to the current ten-team format of the Championship, which has generally provided one of the most evenly-contested divisions in UK football.
But one spin off COULD be greater leeway for Championship clubs to field younger players - IF the percentage chance of relegation drops given the presence of two more teams in there.
Also, should relegation out of the senior leagues occur at the bottom of tier THREE rather than tier four it remains unclear exactly what the fourth tier would be.
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Moves are afoot to split the Lowland League into West and East as well as the Highland League.
But would that mean there's a place for the winners of all THREE leagues to go up to this 18-team third tier each season - something which would at least open up the pyramid at long least.
That would be a surprise, considering that the club's rank and file teams will have to assent to any such proposal and the bottom placed team in the SPFL each year currently only has to submit to a playoff.
One thing is clear: the devil will be in the detail if these plans are to fare any better than the hundreds of other ones which have been left on Scottish football's cutting room floor.
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