SFL membership: The candidates

As Gretna seem to be heading toinevitable liquidation, there are many non-league clubs drawing up their application to take their place in the SFL. Gretna’s future has been in doubt ever since former owner Brooks Mileson withdrew his financial backing and the club were exposed as being an unsustainable business.

Teams from the Highland League, East of Scotland Premier League and the South of Scotland Football League have all been linked to the position. There is a desirability about the SFL from prospective clubs, with higher profile matches – including promotion deciders and play-offs to be played if they have a successful season. They will also be entered into the Challenge Cup and the League Cup and the first round of the Scottish Cup which offers increased revenues for clubs. Every match is also covered by the national media which raises the profile of the club and may increase attendances with larger home and away supports.

Spartans FC is an Edinburgh based club and was founded in 1951 as a club for university and college students. The East of Scotland Premier League side will be moving to a new floodlit 4,000 capacity stadium next season. They have been one of the most successful clubs in the league since the 1970s and their Scottish Cup runs have proved they can compete with SFL sides. The most notable run in 2003/2004 saw them defeat second division sides Alloa and Arbroath as they reached the fourth round against then SPL side Livingston but eventually succumbed to a 4-0 defeat.

Huntly FC is another contender for the SFL. The Aberdeenshire club was accepted into the Highland League in 1928 but it wasn’t until the 1990s that Huntly were a real force, winning five Highland League titles in a row. A title has followed in 2005, but since form has proved poor with finishes of no higher than 5th place. A Scottish Cup run to the fourth round this season may bode well for them, defeating Fraserburgh, Annan Athletic and Culter on the way, before they went out 3-1 to first division side Dundee.

Whitehill Welfare, based in Rosewell, Midlothian will be looking to make the step up to league football. Formed in 1953, Whitehill Welfare, like Huntly, became a force in their league in the 1990s. They won 6 East of Scotland Premier League titles in 7 years. However their success has not been replicated in the 2000s, with only two titles, most recently in 2008. One thing that may not represent the Midlothian side well is the state of their ground with poor facilities and only 400 capacity under shelter. They have also not set the heather on fire in the Scottish Cup defeating only one league side (Albion Rovers) in their history.

Annan Athletic will a front-runner to replace Gretna FC in the SFL, having just missed out on the two spaces available in 2000 (ironically one of them was to Gretna). With a respectable ground and a location in the South of Scotland, the SFL will look approvingly on the East of Scotland Premier League side. With only Berwick, Stranraer and Queen of the South representing Southern Scotland, the SFL may want their leagues associated across the length and breadth of Scotland. Also, since entering the East of Scotland Premier League in 1987, they have won the title 4 times, most recently in 2007.

Shedden Continues Title Chase

Gordon Shedden will continue his British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) title challenge at Thruxton this weekend after a promising start to his campaign. Rounds 10, 11 and 12 will take place at the Hampshire cuircit on Sunday, May 18th which is also live on ITV 4.

Shedden started his senior racing career in 2001 where he raced at Knockhill in the BTCC Production Class. He was the Production Class winner in Round 14 of the championship, which was a big achievement as he only raced in rounds 13 and 14 of the championship.

He then moved to SEAT Cupra Championship in 2003 and 2004 and finished a successful 2nd and 4th over the two seasons. He moved on in 2005 and raced in a one-off in the Porsche Carrera Cup at Knockhill. He has also had a spell of working as Business Development Manager for his home track at Knockhill.

This is Shedden’s third season in the BTCC, and he is still with the Halfords Team as he aims to improve on his previous seasons. On his debut season in 2006 he managed a 4th placed finish in the championship thanks to wins at Oulten Park, Thruxton and two wins at Donington Park.

In 2007 Shedden kept his seat on the Halfords team and repaid their trust by clinching 3rd place in the championship. Wins at Oulten Park, Donington Park, Snetterton and Knockhill helped the Scot recover from a poor start which prevented him launching a title challenge.

This year, the 29-year-old has managed a win at Rockingham and is currently sitting in 4th place in the championship. However he still has his favourite circuits to race so he will be confident in making up ground to Matt Neal, Jason Plato and Frabrizio Giovanardi. He still needs 29 points to catch championship leader Giovanardi, but with seven racing weekends still to go Shedden will be looking to close the gap and improve on his 3rd place finish of last season.

Are We Ready for A 16-Team SPL?

There have been many proposals put forward by Scottish football fans as to how to help Scottish football attract larger crowds. Each proposal put forward aims to make leagues more competitive and exciting. One of the most frequent ideas put forward is a 16-team SPL.

There are only a few national leagues across Europe which currently have 16-teams in their top league including  Portugal, Russia, Greece, Sweden and the Czech Republic. Most Football Associations prefer to have 18 or 20 teams in their top league.

With a sixteen team league structure, it would mean that teams would only play 30 games per season. This situation may mean the SPL would not have the current problem of extending the season and a winter break could also be incorporated into the season so there wouldn’t be situations like the debacle at Fir Park and its pitch. Domestic cup competitions should also be given more importance, as they could be played at weekends rather than midweek nights to give them a higher profile.

On the footballing side of things, an added freshness would also be introduced and most argue that the league would be more competitive. Most claim the league would be less boring, as teams will only have to play each other twice.  Pitches should be in better condition promoting a more exciting brand of football due to less games played.

However, it is the chairmen of the SPL who vote on changes and proposals, so the best interests for their respective clubs are key to every decision made. Decisions taken are usually income based so on this basis most chairmen would be against a 16-team SPL due to less matches and TV revenue shared around more clubs.

There have been suggestions on fans messageboards that the split could still be in operation in a 16-team SPL. It is their view that it would provide the league with a similar amount of games as is currently in operation. It is also seen as a way of avoiding meaningless games in the middle of the table. The split, however, could pose problems, with an uneven amount of home and away ties for all 16 teams (i.e. 37 games). It has also been widely condemned due to the simple fact that at the end of the season 7th place in the current SPL can have more points than the team finishing in 6th.

The debate will rage on for years until something is changed. SFA Chief Executive Gordon Smith has not yet made any moves to restructure the league but stated his own preference of two 12 team leagues which split into three 8 team leagues at the halfway point. Theories will continue to come from fans, pundits and officials alike, but one thing is certain – the appetite for change is across the board.