Hearts Owner Proposes Reconstruction Plan For Scottish Football

Hearts owner Ann Budge has published a new proposal to reconstruct Scottish football for a two-year period in a bid to mitigate the impact caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The proposal would see the league split into three larger leagues of 14 teams, rather than the four smaller divisions that are in place at the moment.

According to Budge’s proposal, published on Hearts’ website, the move would address the ‘unfairness and unjustness’ of relegating clubs upon the termination of the season, and would also ‘implement a more flexible league structure’ which she says would help Scottish football cope with the challenges the pandemic will bring.

The proposals have been circulated to all of the league’s 42 clubs, and would need the support of 11 of the 12 Premiership clubs, eight of the 10 Championship teams, and 15 of the 20 who currently occupy Leagues One and Two.

In her statement, Budge said: “It is not for me to suggest who should and who shouldn’t play football. It is for Clubs themselves to make that decision. For that reason, the suggested format assumes all 42 Clubs, structured in such a way as to allow each division to decide what is best for them.

“This is not about permanent reconstruction. It is about finding a path to deal with the emergency situation, which is likely to impact all member Clubs for the next two seasons. When we are through this emergency we can look then at how best to move forward to start to rebuild Scottish Football.”

Upon the termination of the Scottish Premiership season, Hearts were four points adrift at the bottom of the table and, as a result, face relegation to the Championship.