Wick Academy share concerns over Scottish Conference League proposals
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Wick Academy share the concerns of a number of other clubs in the north and north-east over proposals for a new Scottish Conference League that would include Premiership colts sides.
Vice-chairman Stewart Gunn confirmed that Academy are not in favour of the plans that have been drawn up by the Scottish Pyramid Working Group and they feel more information is needed.
A number of clubs from the Highland League, as well as the Lowland League and below, have criticised the idea.
"We have a few concerns along with other clubs over where this will lead us," Gunn said. "There are so many ifs and buts that really need to be gone over."
The chairman of another Highland League club called the plans “fundamentally wrong”, while some have warned that sporting integrity would be undermined.
A key complaint is that the new structure would automatically relegate those with ambitions to rise up the pyramid system.
The 10-team Conference League would include clubs from the Highland and Lowland leagues along with four colts sides from Premiership clubs, including Celtic and Rangers.
The new league would offer possible promotion to League Two of the Scottish Professional Football League for the highest-placed non-"B" team via a play-off. Colts teams would not be able to be promoted or relegated.
The proposals are set to be voted on at the Scottish FA's annual general meeting on June 6. If given the go-ahead, the Conference League would be introduced for the 2024/25 season.
"We're not in favour of it," Gunn said. "We are in agreement with the likes of Nairn – we have discussed it with them.
"It was mentioned at our annual general meeting that the fans should be consulted. We haven't had anything in writing from the SFA as such.
"The Highland League is very competitive and it's also quite a sociable league. Most of the teams enjoy coming to Wick, we enjoy going to Buckie and Fraserburgh and places like that."
He added: "I don't know if everybody was totally in favour of the pyramid system when it was put in place, but it is in place and we will work with that. But this [the Conference League] has now been thrust upon us."
Distance and travelling commitments would also be factors, he said. "We maybe need to sit down and discuss it a bit more."
Huntly chairman Gordon Carter said: "This is fundamentally wrong and against the core principles of fair competition in sport. Huntly Football Club are 100 per cent against these proposals.
“Upward progress within the pyramid should be hard won and not be at the gift of the SFA.
"Recently the fight to avoid relegation has become a real challenge for many clubs in the Highland League. This challenge was accepted as being an inevitable consequence of being in the pyramid system where Highland League teams could win promotion to the Scottish Professional Football League.
"What is not acceptable to many of our clubs is arbitrarily relegating 200 teams to accommodate ‘B’ teams from the senior echelons of the Scottish football league.”
Clachnacuddin raised concerns over sporting integrity and the negative impact the new set-up could have on the Highland League as a whole.
"Based on the information that we have available thus far, it is not something that we as a club could support, nor do we see any benefit for either our club or the wider Highland League," Clach said in a statement.
"We are not against the principle of 'B' teams, and we ourselves enter our younger players into the North Caledonian League where they are benefiting each week playing in a competitive league against adults.
"However, the format and construction of this new proposed league does not sit right with us at this time and there are also big question marks over sporting integrity amongst other concerns."
Nairn County say they are against reserve teams jumping up several divisions at the expense of other clubs.
In a statement, Nairn said: “We would like to put on record that we do not support the creation of the Conference League.
“It would be hypocritical of us to be against 'B' teams, given the fact we have had a reserve side in the North Caledonian League for the past three seasons.
“What we are against is changing the pyramid model to cater to four clubs so they can parachute their 'B' teams into tier five on a permanent basis and essentially relegate both the Highland and Lowland leagues and all other tiers below.
“There are plenty of ambitious non-league clubs who want to further themselves but are finding that an additional hurdle is forcibly being put in place to prevent clubs at our level and below from being able to progress in a fair manner.
“We might ‘only’ be Nairn County, but we want to ensure that the pyramid delivers for the whole of the game and not just four clubs who already have established teams within the pyramid.”
Turriff United highlighted the work carried out by clubs to gain an SFA club licence "and all the financial implications that entails", adding: "To have that work done, only to be moved down a level through no fault of our own to facilitate an extra league that isn't needed being added in above us, is pretty soul-destroying."
Forres Mechanics said: “Having listened to our supporters, sponsors and the board, we as a club have confirmed we cannot support the SFA proposal as it stands."
Brora Rangers will consult with supporters on the proposals before deciding how they will vote. A meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 30.
Meanwhile, Harmsworth Park is set to benefit from a programme of pitch improvements being carried out over the close season.
Gunn said: "Hopefully it will improve our playing surface."
