The Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League have agreed to merge after a marathon meeting. The league structure will remain a top flight of 12 and three lower divisions of 10. There will be play-offs between the top and second tier league.
The Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League have agreed to merge after a marathon meeting. The league structure will remain a top flight of 12 and three lower divisions of 10. There will be play-offs between the top and second tier league.
Talks at Hampden took around 15 hours, with a number of adjournments as lawyers mulled over financial details. The formation of a new Scottish Professional Football League had looked in doubt when the SFL board requested more facts about the SPFL’s finances. But the SFL appear to have been satisfied with the response when the meeting reconvened in the evening.
The Scottish Professional Football League will introduce a revised financial distribution model. More money will flow into the second tier, enabling clubs to run a full-time operation should they wish to.
Quite how much change this really represents or whether it will solve the fundamental financial problems facing Scottish football remains to be seen.
In an unrelated development, Fox (which has lost its Barclays Premier League coverage to NBC) will be screening Scottish Premier League matches in the US next season. There is unlikely to be much money involved, but the availability of the games will be welcomed by expatriates.