Scottish Premiership 10-team plan will not receive sufficent backing as SPFL Competitions Working Group discuss various options
As well as moving to a 10-club Premiership format, retaining the current 12-team model, or adopting a larger 14 or 16-side set-up are also under consideration; Discussions ongoing due to fixture congestion as a result of UEFA competitions; Meeting to discuss changes takes place on April 29
Friday 4 April 2025 15:23, UK
Sky Sports News understands plans for a smaller 10-team Scottish Premiership would not receive sufficient backing from clubs.
On Tuesday, it was revealed that the SPFL's Competitions Working Group (CWG) was drafting up a proposal that would cut the number of sides in the top-flight, reduce the amount of fixtures from 38 to 36, and scrap the top-six split.
Any motion would need the support of 11 of the 12 Premiership clubs, 75 per cent of the Premiership and Championship teams, plus 75 per cent of all 42 SPFL sides. However, Sky Sports News has learned the 10-team plan would fall short of at least one of those measures.
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It is understood that retaining the current 12-club Premiership format, plus larger 14 or 16-team models also remain under consideration by the CWG.
Why is league reconstruction on the agenda?
Changes are being discussed by the CWG in a bid to manage fixture congestion issues and help those playing in UEFA club competitions - with extra matches added to the calendar due to the new league phase in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.
While a 14-team option may maintain the prospect of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee derbies remaining at their current frequency, it could cause issues around those in the bottom-half playing more matches than those in the top six following a split.
What happens next?
Formal discussions over the 10, 12, 14 and 16-club models will take place on April 29.
If a proposal is passed, any changes could be introduced for the 2026/27 season.
What has the reaction been?
St Johnstone owner Adam Webb was the first top-flight chief to publicly criticise the 10-team model, telling Sky Sports that cutting the number of Premiership clubs would be "a huge mistake".
Webb - whose club is currently bottom of the Premiership - believes a larger 14-team model should be implemented, growing to 16 sides in the future.
"That would be a huge mistake [cutting the top flight to 10 teams]," Webb told Sky Sports.
"I think the bar for good or bad when it comes to football, UK football and world football, is the English Premier League.
"They've got 20 clubs and while we're not the same size as England, obviously, and we're not going to have 20 clubs in our Premiership - what you want to do is edge closer to that.
"From looking at the quality in the Championship this season, I can tell you we have two, three, four clubs for sure that would do just fine in the Premiership, and that's where we should be headed. We should be growing the Premiership.
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"We should be going to a 14-team league very soon, and then five years later - as long as the quality in the Championship is sufficient - projecting to go to a 16-team league, and if you keep growing it on a gradual, very deliberate way, we can make sure that the quality is there."
A number of managers and coaches have also had their say, with all in favour of a larger top-flight.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers said: "Certainly I wouldn't want it to be smaller.
"Ideally for me, if you could increase the league it would be better.
"There's maybe ramifications in terms of financially, what you can get and the number of games that you would play and that sort of thing.
"But I think from a football perspective, I've always felt that the increase in the league would help."
Rangers coach Neil McCann added: "I've always liked the idea of a wee bit bigger league. How that's configured is everybody's guess, but I think we've got teams that would enhance the top league.
"I know a lot of people say there's dead rubbers, but I believe that you can always get something from that, whether it's the introduction of young boys, whether it's more places up for grabs, a couple of relegation places and a play-off position.
"There's ways of trying to find the middle ground, but the most important thing if it was bigger, I see it being more opportunity for young boys to be cut in, because maybe it would take away a lot of the fear factor that exists right now."
Hibernian head coach David Gray said: "One thing I would say is I would want to make sure we protect the product up here because I think you look at this season, there are 12 teams, it's very competitive, it's as close as I've seen it probably for a number of years which is great.
"I wouldn't be a fan of reducing the number of teams that's for sure because I think it's healthy as it is just now but I would never be against change as well if we think it's going to move the product forward."
Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes added: "I thought it was on the agenda to extend the league, not to make it smaller and I think there's more of a feeling from clubs to try and find a solution to extend the league.
"I like the split, I think it's brought something, so I don't know whether we can still maintain that but still maybe give encouragement to one or two other clubs who have been out of the top flight for a long time."
Dundee head coach Tony Docherty said: "I was a wee bit surprised by the timing of it, that it came out on April 1, because to go to a 10-team league, I think that's almost impossible with the voting procedure that goes on.
"John Nelms and Tim Keyes, the owners of the football club, have said that they're much more for expansion because that might allow the promotion of young footballers. It doesn't hamper us here at all, we've always been about promoting young players so I think an expansion of the league would be better for me."
Recently-appointed Motherwell manager Michael Wimmer felt colleagues with more experience of Scottish football would be better placed to comment but the former Austria Vienna boss favours an expansion.
The German said: "The bigger the league, the better, because you play against many other teams."
