A comprehensive new proposal to restructure Scottish football has been launched by supporter and former SPFL scout Joe Quinn to modernise the game, improve competitiveness, and strengthen its long-term commercial and sporting future.
The proposal, which has already generated early discussion across sections of the Scottish football community, outlines a long-term vision to improve league structure, financial sustainability, youth development, women’s football, supporter engagement, and broadcast value.
Joe Quinn believes that Scottish football is at a crossroads and must act now to avoid falling behind comparable European leagues. “Scottish football has an incredible history, passionate supporters, and strong community foundations, but the current structure risks holding the game back.
This proposal is about creating a more competitive, modern, and entertaining product that can grow both domestically and internationally.”
Key Proposals Include:
A 14-14-14 League Structure
A redesigned league system aimed at improving competitiveness, reducing repetitive fixtures, and strengthening promotion and relegation pathways across the pyramid.
Enhanced Pyramid and National League System
A stronger link between the SPFL and lower tiers to improve access, sustainability, and long-term development of clubs.
League Cup Reform
The current group stage would be replaced with a knockout format to increase excitement, competitiveness, and fan engagement.
Improved TV Rights and Commercial Strategy
The proposal calls for a more strategic approach to broadcasting, including Friday and Monday night matches and greater visibility for lower divisions. The proposal argues that Scottish football’s current TV deals are undervalued and that a stronger structure would justify increased investment.
Ethical Sponsorship and Long-Term Growth
The plan encourages a shift toward responsible, non-gambling sponsorship that aligns with modern football teams’ values and supports long-term sustainability.
Youth Development Reform
A national Under-18 and Under-21 league structure to strengthen pathways and retain talent in Scotland.
Women’s Football Development
A structured, competitive pyramid designed to grow the women’s game and increase visibility and standards.
Supporter Engagement and Transparency
Creation of a national supporter body, the Fans Collective of Scottish Football (FCSF), to improve communication, fan representation, and collaboration across clubs.
National Team Vision
The proposal also outlines a vision for both the men’s and women’s national teams to play selected matches across Scotland in cities and communities that do not regularly host international football, while keeping Hampden Park as the primary home. This approach is designed to boost local economies, increase grassroots engagement, and inspire the next generation of players and supporters.
Driving National Conversation
“This isn’t about criticism or division. It’s about starting a constructive national conversation. Scottish football belongs to everyone, and meaningful change will only happen if we work together.” The proposal is intended as a discussion platform and roadmap for future reform rather than a fixed solution.
Media Opportunities
Joe Quinn is available for interviews, radio and TV discussions, podcasts, and feature articles.
Contact:
Joe Quinn
Email: joseph.a.quinn@hotmail.co.uk
Mobile: 07967 213586
31 Responses
The biggest hurdle will always be the chairman who are all self interested and lead by the tv companies who have no interest in Listening to fans , they want their 4 old firm home games a year and won’t settle for anything else,every fan I’ve spoken to no matter the team want a bigger league and reconstruction but all we’ve had is a suggestion to reduce the league to 10 from the clubs ,the clubs will have to resign on mass to get away from the unfair voting system
Hey Stuart
The biggest hurdle is yes the chairmen who are lead by TV companies but I will do everything I can to get things out there that Scottish football needs to change and fans want change, whether its my proposal or not I want change and a better voting system.
Got a proposal for you, it goes like this:
1.) 16 team Premiership: 30 games, no split, 15 away and 15 home matches. Top 4 & Scottish Cup winners get European places & bottom 2 automatically relegated!
2.) 16 team Championship: 30 games, 15 away and 15 home matches & no split. 1st place gets automatic promotion, 2nd to 5th place goes into play-offs & bottom 2 automatically relegated!
Then be Non-League downwards
3.) 16 team National League: 30 games, 15 away & 15 home matches & no split, 1st place automatically promoted, 2nd to 5th place does play-offs, bottom 3 automatically relegated to either Highland League or Lowland league east or west pending who it is & where they’re from!!
That’s interesting, and only involved 32 “Senior” clubs in the top two divisions.
A difficulty might be persuading enough Lower League clubs to vote for it – it IS a members’ organisation after all – since 10 of them might be the clubs to drop down to “Non-League”.
It always comes down to the voting, whether it’s SPFL or Lower leagues. worse than voting in a first past the post in a general election.
Hi Scott
I like it honestly but 10 clubs will have to vote for getting demoted the national league or are you talking about promoting more to make the numbers ? 6 more teams 3 from HL 3 from LL/East,West.
Could it work? Yes 100% The reason why i went 14 was to stay within the 42 teams we have.
16 12 10 leagues.
Top flight of 30 games then split into two and all play each other once in the splits with a total of 37 games. 2 teams go down automatically with the 3rd bottom going into a playoff with the 3rd,4th and 5th placed teams of the championship. All 4 teams in the playoff go in a hat and picked out at random to play home and away games with a one of final at Hampden.
European slots.
1st place.
2nd place.
3rd place.
Scottish cup, but go to the top flight should the team that’s wins the cup already be in a European place.
League cup, but go to the top flight should the team that wins the cup already be in a European place.
Hi David
The relegation and playoff idea is a shout btw I like that. but what happens when it goes down the leagues with smaller numbers.
European Slots if we have any left by the time we have a restructure. I agree with the Scottish Cup and League Cup
I think I needs to be more radical than this. Go for a two tier top flight 20 in top flight and 22 in championship. 3 down and 3 up in each league
Utilising the highland league and lowland league. Play off for the final spot decided by the 2-4 places in each of the lowland and highland league play off.
This system would simply make it a home and way tie for each pairing. Making it more exciting, driving engagement and making those derby games excitable as they come around. Tv rights be better, fan engagement be up. Scotlands 4 tier system is pointless and no one wants it.
Hey Michael
You said it yourself radical, it certainly is that. Do I like it ? Of course I do. It highlights that my proposal could be just one of many possibilities for change for Scottish football.
Playoffs spot on, use of highland league and lowland leagues spot on,
A Premier league and Championship reminds of the French and German leagues where they have two main leagues.
Agree with all proposals.
Scottish football has become repetitive and stale, an overhaul is long overdue.
Hey Cairns,
Thank you for your support and kind words.
Until we stop playing Celtic and Rangers four times giving them the advantages it’s to their advantage. Home and away fixtures this will give clubs a the chance to play academy players bringing them on for the better of Scottish football
If you support Scottish football give the Academy player a chance when the clubs are not looking to get relegated
Hi William
Academy players need to play more and play more competitive matches simple has that. The amount of people saying academy players, pathway etc has been eye opening for me. Didn’t think it was as big of an issue. It was and is an issue but so many people are repeating the same thing.
Thanks Joe
Clubs playing each other four times a season with the possibility of even more if they’re drawn together in the cups is awful, especially in the lower leagues. Familiarity breeds contempt. Back to twice a season with a winter break or even summer football would be much better for players and fans alike. A look at pricing too,especially for games in the bottom two leagues. I’m a Clyde supporter and £17 to watch a poor product on AstroTurf is extortionate, when you consider it’s almost half that to watch Bundesliga
Totally agree with the summer football comment,
Hey David.
I like the Summer/Winter football idea, I actually didn’t think about that, would you say that would help our clubs in Europe or not?
Bundesliga have it on point when it comes to fans and fan engagement at matches. So much value for money even if you watch a certain English striker score for fun haha.
What ever solution reached has to ensure we don’t have leagues of 10 playing each other 4 times. It is one big bore. It’s actually possible to play the same opponent NINE TIMES!!! In the championship. My own preference would be to adopt the set-up from down south with 3 Automatic relegation from a league of 16 with two automatic promotions and play-offs for the third spot. It would mean teams playing twice so I don’t think it will happen.
Hey Greig
I think a league of 10 would destroy Scottish football.
I would like a clear relegation and promotion path for all leagues so that team in the championship dont have to play 6 games.
A 14-14-14 setup suggests Joe Quinn has been smoking too many strong substances.
There are too many Scottish clubs taking money from the game without contributing anything substantial. Ever seen Annan Athletics ground? There are amateur teams with better set ups. The recent Livingston v St Mirren clash showed 3 stands empty. Livingston survive based on Celtic, Rangers, Hearts and Hibs fans. They’re not a viable football otherwise.
Go through the list of SPFL teams and you’ll be hard pushed to find 20 teams that are viable with string supports.
I would support a 12-12 setup and after playing each other twice moving to 3 leagues of 8. 24 teams in total, that being the current 20 viable teams plus applications from outside the current setup for the remaining 4 places. There are junior teams with decent supports, maybe even offering Carlisle a place.
Teams that dont make the grade should be cut loose. No pyramid system, no pararachute payments. All money is retained developing the reduced pro setup.
I would also like to see us moving to 5 points for a win, 2 points for a score draw, 1 point for a no score draw, and 0 points for defeat.
Change needs to be radical.
That would, indeed, be radical.
A difficulty might be that in order to institute the change, the members would have to vote for it. The SPFL is a members’ organisation, and 18 of those members would be voting themselves out of the top tiers of Scottish football and, perhaps, into oblivion.
Joe Quinn was not smoking any strong substances or herbs. That I can confirm, alot of caffeine yes.
Your proposal is radical, very radical. There needs to change yes. Under any new proposal it would hopefully see teams get more money via league standings and TV and allowing teams to better compete. Offering 3 stands to bigger teams is not the answer for survival in the premiership.
I do like like the idea of the scoring but I think that would need UEFA and Fifa Approval.
I like the 14-14-14 proposal,my only problem with this would be that most chairmen at teams such as mine(Dundee FC) ,would ruin this good structure with a poor watered down relegation system simply for self preservation.They would probably go for an automatic 1 down 1 up system and 1 team coming up through a play off system that would heavily favour the team in the top division,as they do now.I would have 3 automatic relegation places,and 4th bottom in a 2 legged play off against 4 th top of the league below.I would also go with your idea of the League Cup becoming a knockout competition and would make the semi final a 2 legged game as well.This would give any provisional club a better chance should they go up against one of the bigger teams.Under 18 and 21 leagues would definitely produce more local talent being scouted.I enjoy Scottish football but agree with you that it’s at risk of becoming stale if we don’t try new ways
Hey Maurice.
Thanks for your input. Dundee would be I think would try a 1 up and 1 down. Im all for giving clubs the better chance. Im not saying my proposal is the answer or 2 relegation would make the league more competitive. I just want to show the SPFL there is so many options for league structure and relegation. another new suggestion with the 3 relegated and 4th bottom into a playoff yeah that would totally work.
Thank you for your kind words and support
Over 30 years ago I put forward this proposal to Scottish Football and most of the club managers agreed with it. Hearts and Clydebank being the only two clubs who rubbished it.
*3 x 16 team leagues.
*Play each other once.
*After first 15 games the bottom four clubs drop out of the Premiership and the top four clubs in the Championship move up in to the Premiership.
*They then play each other once.
*At the end of the season the same thing happens.
*Only a team that has remained in the league all season can win the Premiership.
*There is no Championship or 3rd Division champion.
* The big benefit of this is that more teams get the benefit of an ‘Old Firm’ income.
*Other benefits are that 20 teams get Premiership income and experience in the season.
*Also, it is not so costly to move between leagues.
*The Championship would become much more interesting as each half season there will be 8 teams changing leagues, 4 up and 4 down.
*Income would be greater.
*Leagues would not be so boring.
*Younger players will get more experience.
*Fans would become more interested.
*I noted a proposal for both an under 18 and an under 20 league which would be great but, regretfully, very few clubs could afford this.
*My other proposal relates to the Scottish Cup. Stop the farcical draw system.
*Top 24 clubs get a first round away tie allocated in the order that they sit in the league at the time of the ‘draw’.
*Then, again in league position, the lower 24 clubs are given a home tie in which they keep all the takings.
Hi Fraser
Thank you for your comment, Its very different to what I have proposed, do you think after 30 years it would still work?
I love to see your proposal in more detail if you still have it. Reach out to me. Honestly fascinates me. So many questions I would love to ask you, 8 teams changing leagues would that be allowed in today’s game for reasons sporting integrity reasons? what happens to their points etc.
Im not bashing it I just find it very different to what I have seen in recent years and would love to read it more.
what about cutting international friendlys so players can get a break of sorts
I would love to cut international breaks and have players have a break for their welfare. It’s a question for UFEA and FIFA and the PFA and SPFA.
UFEA changed meaningless friendless into the Nations League with winners getting a play off spot for Euros/World Cup and member associations choosing friendlies. I hate international breaks with nations league game and a friendly or a qualifier then a friendly its insulting to the players. I’m all for international representation but players welfare needs to be better.
It’s very difficult to change.
The SPFL is a members’ organisation.
The CEOs of every club (but specifically in this instance, the largest clubs) have a duty of responsibility to do their best for their organisation. It is the duty of every company officer.
And, the easiest way for them to do that at the moment, is to have the status quo.
Hey John
That’s why I kept mine in the 42 SPFL structure with 14/14/14.
CEO’s need to open their eyes and do what is right for the organisation.
Just want to thank everyone for their comments. Means alot. I’m not saying my proposal is the answer for Scottish football but a starting point that is better than what we have now. To get fans talking and pushing for change.
Honestly means alot. nice civil conversations on an internet forum which is hard to see so honestly thank you everyone. Plenty more to come !!!! Watch this space.