Colts conundrum
Lowland League clubs set to vote on the inclusion of Old Firm B teams in division
APLAN to parachute Celtic and Rangers B teams into the Lowland League will be put to the vote on Monday night. Clubs in Scotland’s fifth tier have been told that admitting Old Firm Colts to their ranks next season will help Scottish football’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
And a crunch meeting of the 17 clubs is set to weigh up the pros and cons before a show of hands.
The Glasgow giants are willing to sweeten the pill by each paying £25,000 to enter B teams in the fifth tier of Scottish football as a one-season pilot scheme. And, if the experiment proves a success, it could be extended.
Previous moves to admit Old Firm youngsters to the senior ranks have met stern resistance.
Last night, however, Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson (pictured) insisted Scottish football had to try something different to avoid being left behind in the field of youth development.
‘We are really pleased and thankful that George Fraser, the chairman of the Lowland League, has reached out with an invitation to us to potentially consider joining the league — initially on a one-season basis,’ said Wilson.
‘That is something we have looked upon favourably and something we would potentially be interested in. ‘If, of course, that was something the members of the Lowland League wanted to embrace as well. ‘We want to test our players in different scenarios and playing in the Lowland League would provide a completely different footballing test for the young players as well as a best-v-best games programme we would continue to operate on top of that against some of the best teams in Europe. ‘There is a real mixed challenge for our young players but we want to aid that transition. ‘We feel Scottish football needs to do something for that and we are thankful the Lowland League has stepped forward when maybe some others haven’t.’ If Celtic or Rangers Colt teams were to win the Lowland League next season, chairmen have been assured that the second or third-best placed team will still play a promotion play-off against the winners of the Highland League. Ibrox academy head Craig Mulholland said: ‘We believe we are the only country in Europe not to have a pathway for our 17 to 21-year-olds.
‘We have an Under-18 team and there is nothing until you get to men’s first team football.
‘That is unacceptable. And what’s happened here is that George Fraser, the Lowland League chairman who was on the football innovation working group, has come up with a solution which is terrific.
‘It will perhaps allow us to go into the Lowland League for one year and fill that gap that exists at the moment between academy football and first-team football and we are excited about the talks that have taken place.
‘First and foremost, the Lowland League is a members’ organisation and what we had to do was make sure there was benefit there for the Lowland League as well.
‘So, yes, it will benefit Rangers and we think it will benefit some of Scotland’s best young talent.
‘But, importantly there has to be benefit there for the Lowland League.’
As well as £50,000 for distribution amongst the clubs, additional gate income of £5,000 per Lowland League club is projected based on an estimate of 500 supporters from each Old Firm club attending matches.
It’s also hoped that the profile of the Celtic and Rangers Colts might increase the chances of attracting a new league sponsor and present an opportunity to sell broadcasting rights.
Insisting the proposal has been designed to protect sporting integrity, the small print suggests squad lists will be submitted by Celtic and Rangers in advance of the season, with adjustments only permitted during designated windows.
A maximum of 22 full-time players would feature in the Colts squads and the maximum age would be Under-20 players with one additional Under-21 outfield player and one additional Under-21 goalkeeper allowed to be added to the squad.
To prevent Celtic and Rangers fielding first-team players in one game and youngsters in the next, which would compromise the integrity of the competition, any player with five first-team appearances could ‘no longer play for the B team until the next window.’
Opposition will come, however, from the East of Scotland League and their newly formed West of Scotland counterparts in the sixth tier.
Concerned that the admission of the Old Firm Colts will damage their right to a promotion play-off under the SFA pyramid, the board of the East of Scotland League were meeting to discuss the issue last night.
Civil Service Strollers became the first Lowland League side to express concerns over the Colts plan last night. In a statement club president Russell Pryde said: ‘The proposal is in effect to increase the size of the league by two places.
‘If this is the case then I would demand these two places were first offered to clubs that have bought into the concept of a pyramid and are currently in the Lowland League feeder leagues.’