Scottish Premiership 'has too much power' - former Ayr United owner Lachlan Cameron
- Published
Lachlan Cameron thinks club like Ayr do not have enough influence in the corridors of power at Hampden Park
Top-flight clubs have too much power and "it's not good for the Scottish game", former Ayr United owner Lachlan Cameron has suggested.
Cameron, who ended his 16-year Somerset Park tenure last week, says "self-preservation" becomes the motivation for any club reaching the Premiership.
He suggests the voting structure means lower-league clubs are "hamstrung".
"We've unfortunately taken away our own power to change things - we have no way to ever change it," Cameron said.
An 11-1 majority of Premiership clubs is needed for major changes such as the financial distribution model or league restructuring.
Speaking to BBC Scotland Sportsound, Cameron added: "We are a members' organisation and it should be run by and for the membership.
"We've let ourselves get to the point where those of us lower down the table have given too much power to those at the top and that is not good for us in the Championship and further down. And I don't think it's good for the game overall.
"I think there's an appetite for change from those of us in the Championship on down. But the problem is that, once you get past that iron gate and you're in the Premiership, there becomes this almost self-preservation mentality and it's about shutting out everyone below you."
United States-based Cameron believes that handing over the reins as owner and chairman this month to Ayr resident David Smith, managing director and majority shareholder of Ashleigh Building, gives his club the best chance of winning promotion to the Premiership.
"It comes down to the fact I live 5,000 miles away and I've always said that it's basically impossible to run a club the way it should be run from this far away," he said.
"Over the past few years, I've been looking for someone as a successor and I wanted to make sure it was someone who had the same idea that we had in running it for the benefit of the community and not someone who just wanted to use the assets and strip them because we have the potential development deal.
"I found David and thought that was the right direction to go and it seemed the right time to step down. The next 5-10 years will be a great time to be an Ayr United supporter."
Cameron admits that he and his father before him have been accused of only being interested in "asset stripping" the club but claims to have lost about £1m while in charge of the Championship outfit.
"I look back at the last 33 years that my family have been involved and the 16 when I have been in charge and I can walk away with my head held high," he added.