SPFL request more details on plans for new 22-game season

THE Scottish Professional Football League will only approve plans for a 22-game lower-league season once clubs explain how they plan to respond if a member is forced to drop out.

Clubs in League One and League Two have been given the green light to emerge from lockdown on March 20 and have drawn up a blueprint for a revamped structure that will see teams play four matches following a Premiership-style split after round 18.

But, after an emergency meeting was called to discuss the plans, league bosses remain sceptical about the proposals – with fears a Covid outbreak could wreak fresh havoc if one of the competing clubs is forced to cancel fixtures.

Under the plans put forward by the 20 lowerleague outfits, the end of the season – originally scheduled for 27 matches – would be extended by a fortnight to May 15.

That would also mean the club finishing ninth in the Championship would face a two-week delay before entering the League One play-offs.

But SPFL – led by chief executive Neil Doncaster – are “concerned” about the possibility of further disruption to the calendar and the risk that part-time clubs would end up having to squeeze four games into a week to make up for postponed matches.

Now they have told the members to go away and come up with a suitable contingency plan.

The league body said in a statement: “The board remains concerned regarding the realistic ability of League One and League Two clubs to complete a 22-match season, including the introduction of a new split in each division.

“Such a fixture schedule would mean one club in each half of the split sitting out one round of fixtures post-split, including the final day of the season.

“It would also severely constrain the flexibility of the SPFL to schedule fixtures in the event of future disruption from Covid-19 and risks parttime clubs being required to play Saturday-TuesdayThursday-Saturday.

“It is also guaranteed that a minimum of one League One or Two club will reach round four of the Scottish Cup, creating further fixturing challenges.

“However, the SPFL board respects the right of League One and League Two clubs to determine how many league matches they wish to play this season.

“The SPFL board has therefore asked the League One and League Two representatives to consider how they would wish the board to deal with any club unable to complete a 22-match programme in the time available.

“Only then will the board be able to consider the requests to push back the dates of the play-offs.”

The lower league clubs earlier released their own statement insisting that 20 clubs had reached a “consensus” on a 22-game season and called on the SPFL “to do everything in their power to work with us to overcome the perceived obstacles”.

The statement added: “It allows a competitive end to the season that our fans are keen to see and we want to participate in.

“We received money to test and to allow us to keep playing and that is what we want to do.”

SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster.