Longmuir scores og with Colts 'idea'

Scottish Football League chief executive David Longmuir is coming under fire for his proposal to introduce Colt teams into the SFL.

The suggestion has been somewhere on the agenda for over 40 years but has never been championed outside of Glasgow.

With reconstruction talks in the balance floating the idea again has complicated the issue and drawn attention to Longmuir’s skills as a football administrator.

Last summer’s Rangers pantomime saw Longmuir emerge with some credibility but that was mainly based on the fact that he wasn’t Neil Armageddon Doncaster or Stuart Civil Unrest Regan.

Without warning and with many SFL clubs wary of an 18 team bottom division with relegation into a football pyramid Longmuir launched the idea of Colt teams although the current quality of a second string Sevco side must be questionable with half a dozen SPL sides clearly stronger than a possible Murray Park XI.

Yesterday’s email from the SFL chief said: “I know there are many variables to consider but I think the time is now right to add another one- I’d like to put forward a strategic option which could have a positive impact on our game.

“The Colt team issue has been discussed over many years. The basic premise is that the largest clubs have the ability, and fan base, to create a second team which would compete as an independent entity in the lower leagues.

“The Colt team would be unable to be promoted to a division above if its parent team were in that division, nor could they play in any cup competition where the parent club were participating.

“Only two teams in Scotland could, I would argue, at this time be able to support and fund such a Colt team – Celtic and Rangers.

“If Scottish football wishes to move forward as a commercially interesting proposition then we have to look at what European football may be like in the future.

“Already trials are taking place, supported by UEFA, within the ladies game across the Benelux countries whereby top clubs are coming together in a Supra National League. We therefore need to look at our values and continue to promote and foster the concept of ‘freedom to succeed’.

“Celtic and Rangers are our only clubs with global reach and they have said they will explore all cross-border opportunities.

“Scottish football should be thinking longer term and putting in place now a strategy which potentially future-proofs our game to the loss of these global brands.”

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