SPL clubs vote to approve league reconstruction plan

Scottish Premier League chief executive Neil Doncaster (left) revealed consensus had been achieved at a meeting of the 12 clubs at Hampden.

Scottish Football League clubs will meet to discuss the proposals, which include a merger of the two bodies, on Thursday.

Doncaster said: “We got unanimous backing of the way forward today so it now goes to Thursday and the Scottish Football League clubs will have their views.

“But today, the Scottish Premier League clubs were united in their view that this is the way forward.”

The plans, if approved by the SFL clubs, would see both leagues merge and a fairer distribution of income, along with a pyramid system that would allow clubs to move into the professional league.

The controversial aspect of the new structure is a plan to split the top two leagues into three groups of eight after 22 games to create an extended play-off system.

The middle eight clubs would all have their points reset to zero and the top four at the end of the season would start the next campaign in the “Premiership.”

The SFL needs 22 of its clubs to back the plans with Rangers not allowed to vote as they are only associate members.