SPL Chief Executive Neil Doncaster has been much in the news of late; as he trails some of the ideas and information he is accumulating on his journey to improve the Scottish senior game. So far we have been informed that league reconstruction is on the agenda and today we learn that Neil is considering the Bundesliga notion of safe standing as part of his strategic review, to be put before the member clubs of the SPL before the end of the year.
In addition, we await the findings of Henry McLeish, whose Scottish Football Review should see its final form released within months. Cynics may point to previous and repeated surveys and think-tanks and wonder when all this talking will lead to real action.
Whatever one’s allegiance, it is clear that Scottish football is not in a healthy state. We benefit from a remarkable interest in the game, sustaining more senior clubs than can be justified, and attendance figures are among the most impressive per head of population in any major European nation. But it is clear that this cannot be easily sustained, and we see now the small but significant drops in attendance and revenue at our bigger clubs; a levelling off in terms of sponsorship; and a significant increase in the pressure being applied to the very existence of a number of ancient and famous clubs.
Change, revitalisation and new ways of thinking are needed. Agreement on basic issues may prove to be very difficult indeed, but the future of the game requires us to consider some serious and perhaps groundbreaking plans of action.
Scotland continues to lag behind in terms of producing talent; its clubs face greater difficulty in qualifying for the prestigious CL group stages on a regular basis; and it is now a dozen years and counting since the national team graced a major tournament with its presence.
Follow Follow would like to encourage debate on the way forward, and to this end will in the next few weeks be publishing a number of articles on specific areas of concern and suggestions on how to improve and revitalise the national game.
If you would like to contribute, please use the PM Service on our board and contact:
Earl of Leven