Falkirk chairman Douglas Henderson calls for Scottish football reform
Thursday 19 November 2015 20:00, UK
Falkirk chairman Douglas Henderson has called for a restructuring of Scottish football and the return of a 16-team top division.
Speaking at the club's AGM, Henderson warned the current "out-dated" system needed to be reformed if the slide of Scottish football, which he said included falling attendances and the poor performance of the national side, was to be halted.
Henderson said: "Our league structure is out of kilter with the economics of football in Scotland and I believe that my counterpart chairmen recognise what we have currently is out-dated.
"Playing other clubs four times a season is not attractive to most football supporters - as surveys show - and there is a slippage of attendance for many clubs in the Premier League.
"Our international side does not compete with countries like Ireland, Norway, Iceland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Belgium and others.
"Even with Celtic's unique financial position, it has in recent times been incapable of competing effectively in Europe. Our other clubs which qualify for Europe are very frequently knocked out at the early stages of competition."
Henderson, who said Falkirk are on a solid financial footing, called for those involved at the higher levels of Scottish football to put "vested interests aside" to enable reform to make the game a more attractive proposition in the longer term.
The Scottish Professional Football League's (SPFL) three-year moratorium on league reconstruction, which was set up when the two leagues merged, ends next summer and Henderson wants to see changes made.
He said: "Reflecting economic reality and the need for Premier Division full-time football, I believe that we must put vested interest aside and reform our leagues bringing about a 16-team Premier Division.
"There are suggestions that the League Cup should be restructured. But I don't believe that a sectional League Cup would be attractive to supporters - unless the leagues themselves are restructured.
"Next summer Scottish football concludes its three-year deal linked to the play-offs. This is an opportunity for us all who love the sport to make sensible restructuring changes which can help to lay a strong foundation for the future, protecting the maximum number of full-time clubs and securing a sustainable platform for growth in our national sport."
