The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Conference can stop fall in youth standards – SFA chief
Scottish Football Association chief executive Ian Maxwell has described plans to introduce a new fifth tier of the game as a positive way of addressing the decline in standards through youth development.
Clubs are set to vote on plans for a new 10-team Conference League next month which would see up to four B teams compete alongside several Lowland and Highland League teams.
Second-string teams from Celtic, Rangers and Hearts currently compete in the Lowland League but cannot get promoted and they would remain in the Conference League under the new plans.
However, the proposals have been criticised for effectively relegating 200 clubs further down the pyramid.
Maxwell pointed out that Scotland Under-17s are currently competing in the European finals but the under-19s have not qualified for at least a decade and the country’s under-21 team dropped from second to fourth seeds.
“How do we address that? Introducing B teams will hopefully do that, we think it will do that, when we look at the evidence from other countries,” he said.
“When you look at Croatia, they have had four B teams in their domestic structure. I think of the top 10 Uefa nations, seven of them have got B teams in their domestic structure. We think this is the right thing to try.
“There has been a lot of feedback from teams lower down the pyramid, they feel they are being relegated.
“It’s obvious that if there is another league implemented in the structure there is another promotion to get through, so I can take that point on board.
“I think the fact this is a funded league is a positive because we have 42 clubs within the SPFL so this means up to club 52 can potentially be funded.
“So that provides a softer landing for clubs on the way down from League Two, and it means there is an earlier opportunity for clubs on their way up the pyramid.
“From a Scottish FA
perspective, we are supportive because we see the benefits in terms of player development and improving that player pathway.”
Aberdeen have turned down the chance to enter a team and Rangers manager Michael Beale recently claimed the Lowland League was not a good bridge for his young players and rules on age and nationality of players in the Conference League plans were too restrictive.
Maxwell said: “I was at Ibrox on Sunday and spoke to one or two and Michael was talking about the older players in his squad.
“They have a B team squad of 17- to 19-year-olds. He also has some 20- and
21-year-olds who he is concerned about from a development perspective and that was more the focus of his comments.
“It wasn’t necessarily about the Conference League, it was more about the players that are slightly too old for the Conference League and not ready for the first team.”
On criticism from further down the leagues, Maxwell noted a desire for more movement through Scotland’s 10 tiers after recently attending a West of Scotland League meeting.
“The reality is, from a Scottish FA perspective, that’s not within our gift,” he said. “Leagues vote for changes within their own structure.
“It’s interesting because the West of Scotland made the point about the B teams not being promoted or relegated, but the winners of the West of Scotland (Beith Juniors) can’t get promoted because they are not licensed.
“There are challenges within the Scottish football pyramid that we want to try and address but they are unfortunately going to take a bit longer.
“But we think the B teams and the Conference League is the right move at this time.”