Hearts: What's required for league reconstruction to happen?
- Published
Ann Budge is seeking support to expand the top flight and save Hearts from relegation
Hearts' proposal to re-organise Scottish football into three leagues of 14 has been sent to all other clubs and is being discussed by the SPFL board.
The new 14-14-14 structure - with an option for 14-14-16 - has been discussed, and rejected, before. With that in mind, Hearts owner Ann Budge has urged clubs to discuss any issues with her regarding the latest draft.
Each respective SPFL division will meet in the coming days, so what happens next?
Reaction to latest proposal
So far, Aberdeen have said they support it in principle, with chairman Dave Cormack urging other clubs to follow suit.
But will they do so in significant enough numbers? Dissenting voices have already been heard.
Stenhousemuir chairman Iain McMenemy told BBC Scotland it was a 'Budge fudge', while Elgin City counterpart Graham Tatters confirmed he would vote against the proposal, that discussing reconstruction is "a waste of time", and he can't see why teams in the lower leagues would back the plan.
That sentiment has also been expressed, albeit more quietly, in other divisions.
What about the vote?
Hearts' proposal might not even reach a vote if it's clear there is insufficient support for it, and the threshold for success is very high.
Eleven Scottish Premiership clubs would have to back it, with just two dissenting voices in a top-flight meeting on Monday enough to defeat the plan before Budge could even canvass the support of her own division, the Championship. At least one second-tier chairman has made the point to BBC Scotland himself.
Even if there is enough backing in the top-flight, the obstacles don't end there. At least three Championship clubs contacted by BBC Scotland indicated they would oppose the proposed reconstruction model.
That would be enough to defeat it, as at least eight clubs in the second tier must vote in favour for the proposal to proceed. In Leagues One and Two combined, 15 of the 20 clubs is the threshold Hearts must reach for success.
Would reconstruction be permanent?
Budge is very keen to stress her proposal is a short-term measure and reconstruction is only temporary. Unless enough clubs vote otherwise, the structure would return to 12-10-10-10 in the summer of 2022.
This idea is not popular with several clubs contacted by BBC Scotland, who point out that it could mean three clubs being relegated from the Premiership that season, and six demoted from the Championship. Are those who that would endanger going to support that?
One senior club official said that he was "sad" about the proposals, adding: "We had a real chance for change - but a two-year deal?"
League viability
How might a recast Championship look?
Under the plan, Hearts and Inverness Caledonian Thistle would join an expanded top-flight, while Falkirk, Partick Thistle, Airdrie, Montrose, East Fife and Dumbarton would boost the numbers in the second tier.
Budge concedes there is great uncertainty over which clubs will be able to afford to play behind closed doors when the game is finally allowed to resume later this year.
And Championship clubs contacted by BBC Scotland voiced concerns that their league would be weakened by Hearts' proposal, given the limited budgets of clubs in the lower two leagues.
The Hearts owner's biggest challenge could well be persuading six of her Championship colleagues to vote with her and Inverness in favour of reconstruction.
If she can't get the numbers in her own division, her proposal fails. And if at least two Premiership clubs don't share her vision for the future, we may not even see this put to a vote.