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Lower league clubs set to discuss restart plans with SFA chief executive

Hampden Park, home of the SFA and SPFL
Hampden Park, home of the SFA and SPFL

League One and Two clubs are set to meet with SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell today to discuss their route to playing document.

The 20 clubs in the third and fourth tiers of the SPFL have joined forces to come up with a blueprint to try to complete the 2020-21 season.

The SFA and Scottish Government decided on January 11 that all football in Scotland below the Championship would be suspended until at least the end of this month.

Since then the clubs in League One and Two have come up with a proposal to return to action.

The document that has been submitted to the SFA proposes for lower league clubs to resume training on February 15 and start playing games again on March 2 with the hope that the 27-game league campaigns and play-offs could be completed by the end of May.

The clubs also propose introducing weekly Covid-19 testing for players and staff, which would be reviewed at the end of March, cutting the number of people attending games with no away directors and scouts allowed.

It is also suggested that clubs would be unable to use buses to travel to games, apart from individuals who have no alternatives, in an attempt to reduce the likelihood of transmission as a result of travel.

Ian Maxwell, SFA chief executive.

An extension to the loan window from the end of February until the end of March has also been suggested.

Clubs in League One and Two have agreed not to comment individually at present, but a spokesman for the 20 said: “We are all aware of the ongoing impact of the pandemic on everyone’s lives.

“We take our responsibilities to our staff and players seriously and that’s why we have complied with all that has been asked of us to date.

“However, we have used the pause in playing to look at what more we can do to create a route to us playing again in a way that reassures the football authorities and the Scottish Government.

Lower league clubs like Cove Rangers and Peterhead have been unable to train or play since January 11.

“We know that football can be a force for good and that our games allow our fans to have one familiar activity available to them at a difficult time.

“But we also recognise that we need to do more if we want to restart and this proposal lays out what that might look like including the introduction of PCR testing.

“We understand the difficult position the SFA found itself in when it suspended our leagues.

“But there will have to be a decision made about when we restart. So we wanted to support and assist in the decision-making process.

“This document shows that, in coming together with common purpose, all 20 clubs are committed to this process and hope that the SFA will treat this proposal with the consideration it deserves.”