A comprehensive new proposal to restructure Scottish football has been launched by supporter and former SPFL scout Joe Quinn, including a restructuring of the league system.

The changes aim to improve competitiveness, increase revenue potential, and provide a clearer development pathway from grassroots to professional football. The system is designed to be fair, sustainable, and better suited to a modern footballing environment, with room for expansion and further reform.

Overview of the New Structure

The existing four-tier system will remain, but with an expansion to three 14- team national divisions: the Premiership, Championship, and League 1. Below League 1, the Lowland League and Highland League will be rebranded as the National League and National League North, respectively, with both becoming officially integrated as part of the SPFL pyramid.

The overall structure would be:

• Premiership (14 teams) – Tier 1
• Championship (14 teams) – Tier 2
• League 1 (14 teams) – Tier 3
• National League (formerly Lowland League) – Tier 4
• National League North (formerly Highland League) – Tier 4
• Tier 6 Feeder Leagues (West, East, South of Scotland)

This expanded system allows for greater movement between divisions, more meaningful competition, and a consistent structure across the professional and semi-professional levels.

Premiership (14 teams)

The top tier of Scottish football would expand from 12 to 14 clubs. Each club would play every other team twice (home and away) in the regular season, for a total of 26 matches. After this, the league would split into two groups of 7 – a Championship Group (top 7) and a Relegation Group (bottom 7). Teams would then play each club in their group twice more (home and away), adding 12 more fixtures, resulting in a total of 38 matches per team. This structure keeps the excitement of the league split, increases competitiveness, and allows more clubs to compete at the top level.

Championship (14 teams)

The second tier would mirror the Premiership in size and structure, also expanding to 14 clubs. The split system would be identical: 26 regular fixtures followed by a split into two groups of 7, each playing 12 more matches post- split. This gives every club 38 matches, balancing fixture congestion while maintaining fan interest.

The Championship would offer 1 automatic promotion spot to the Premiership, and 1 additional promotion via playoffs involving teams placed 2nd to 5th (explained in section 9).

League 1 (14 teams)

League 1 would follow the same format as the Premiership and Championship, featuring 14 teams, 38 matches (26 pre-split and 12 post-split), and a mid- season split. This structure makes the lower tiers more exciting and gives clubs in League 1 a clearer, fairer path to promotion and financial growth. League 1 becomes a more meaningful competitive division, rather than being seen as a transitional tier between full-time and part-time football.

National League (formerly Lowland League)

The current Lowland League will be rebranded as the National League and serve as the SPFL’s Tier 4 division in the southern and central regions of Scotland. Clubs from the East of Scotland League, South of Scotland League, and West of Scotland Premier Division will feed into this league. The aim is to give it formal parity with the National League North (Highland League) and eventually bring both under a professional or semi-professional umbrella with better regulation, licensing, and visibility.

National League North (formerly Highland League)

The Highland League will be rebranded as the National League North and serve as Tier 4 for northern Scotland. The structure will remain largely the same, but it will now sit officially parallel to the National League. Feeder leagues into the National League North will continue to include the North Caledonian League, the Midlands League, and the North Region Juniors, 16 preserving the regional pyramid while integrating the north more clearly into the national structure.

Tier 6 Feeder Leagues

At Tier 6, the West of Scotland Football League Premier Division, East of Scotland Premier Division, and South of Scotland Football League will remain in place. These leagues will continue to operate as feeder leagues into the National League (Lowland) system. Promotion from Tier 6 to Tier 4 will be maintained via licensing criteria and a playoff process (e.g., the top eligible clubs from each Tier 6 league competing for promotion). This ensures upward mobility while enforcing minimum standards for facilities, finances, and governance.

Fixture Breakdown (Pre- and Post-Split)

In the new 14-team leagues (Premiership, Championship, and League 1), each club plays:

• 26 matches (13 home, 13 away) in the regular season, facing each opponent twice
• After 26 matches, the league splits into two groups of 7: o Top 7 (Championship Group) o Bottom 7 (Relegation Group)
• Each team plays the others in their group twice (home and away) = 12 matches
• Total: 38 matches per team

This model is based on the Greek Super League format and keeps the season competitive throughout—ensuring more clubs fight for promotion, survival, or European qualification deep into the campaign.

Promotion and Relegation (All Divisions)

Premiership

• Bottom 2 teams are automatically relegated to the Championship.
• No playoff with Championship teams—promotion is earned directly.

Championship

• 1st place promoted automatically to the Premiership.
• 2nd to 5th enter a promotion playoff: 2nd vs 4th, 3rd vs 5th – two-legged ties
• Winners meet in a one-legged final
• The winner is promoted
• Home advantage in the first leg goes to the team with better head-to-head in the post-split
• Bottom 2 teams are automatically relegated to League 1

League 1

• 1st place promoted automatically to the Championship
• 2nd to 5th enter a promotion playoff:
• 2nd vs 4th, 3rd vs 5th – two-legged ties
• Winners meet in a one-legged final
• The winner is promoted
• Home advantage in the first leg goes to the team with better head-to-head in the post-split
• Bottom team is automatically entered into a play-off with the winner of the National League and the National League North play-off winner.
• Relegation playoff remains similar to the existing SPFL structure, with Tier 4 clubs in the National League & National League North
• Winners of each division may be promoted via a playoff (if agreed by licensing standards)
• Relegation to Tier 6 is determined by league rules and licensing of eligible

What do you think of Joe Quinn’s restructure? Let us know in the comments section. Joe can be contacted for media enquiries with the contact details below.

Contact:
Joe Quinn
Email: joseph.a.quinn@hotmail.co.uk
Mobile: 07967 213586