Elgin City chairman Graham Tatters feels his club have suffered from a lack of communication over proposals to introduce colt teams into the SPFL.
A report last weekend indicated proposals were being finalised to expand League Two to 16 teams, allowing Rangers and Celtic’s colts teams to enter as well as two teams from the Highland and Lowland League.
It also stated there was hope a vote could be held next month, after a working group was set up last summer to look at ways to improve Scottish football.
The idea was presented to Highland League clubs at a recent management committee meeting, however Elgin yesterday issued a statement expressing their disappointment at hearing of the proposed change through the press, having received no proposal from the SPFL.
With Elgin among the clubs who will vote on the resolution, Tatters has taken issue with the lack of consultation from the SPFL.
Tatters said: “I don’t see how they can discuss it without talking to us first, it’s ridiculous.
“They have put something together and the Highland League have had a complete brief on it.
“They have put it out there now. If the clubs don’t want it when it comes to voting, if they had discussed it in the first place to see what the feelings were we could have seen whether it would pass or not before it got into the public domain.
“It’s just a continuation of the way we have been treated in the last couple of months. The lack of ability to communicate is the biggest problem.”
Elgin have pledged to liaise with Black and Whites supporters before making a decision, with Tatters revealing some fans have already contacted the club to outline their opposition to the plans.
Tatters added: “We’ve have already had three or four people who have got in touch with the club to say if we accept it they will not be renewing their season tickets.
“It’s not a done deal. We knew it was going on, there was always going to be a proposal. To get to the level where the Highland League thinks it’s going to happen, there’s a lot of water to get under the bridge before it gets ratified.”
Last year’s Highland League champions Brora Rangers would be in line to be elevated to the SPFL as part of the proposal, with the remainder of the current season in doubt.
Brora chairman William Powrie knows the Cattachs will be at the mercy of the SPFL clubs’ vote, but he would welcome the opportunity of promotion after being denied a tilt at the pyramid play-offs last term.
Powrie said: “If we were fortunate enough to be nominated by the Highland League in the event of the season not being played to conclusion, that could well benefit us in the short-term by seeing us uplifted into a higher division.
“In the long-term, if we were to ascend into the SPFL it would give that division a little bit more beef and more interest to a wider population. I think that would only benefit Scottish football in the round.
“We have been here before and failed to get going, but I think there’s a bit more momentum in it, and a few things which have been thought through a bit more since the proposal last year which might have been a bit rushed.
“It’s not really in our gift, it’s in the gift of the SPFL. If they vote it through, presumably it’s then up to the Highland League to have some seriously meaningful discussions about it.
“There are SFA and SPFL meetings next week, so once they take place and there are some outputs, the Highland League will be in a better position to look at what could happen for this season and take stock of any proposal.”
