Huntly and Clachnacuddin will vote against proposals to introduce a Conference League in Scottish football.
Scottish FA member clubs will vote on proposals at next month’s AGM to introduce a new fifth tier of Scottish football.
The proposed new league would feature four Premiership colts teams, four Lowland League sides and two clubs from the Highland League.
The proposals have proven controversial among many fans. If approved the new league would effectively relegate hundreds of clubs down a level.
Turriff United and Nairn County are against the move while Brora Rangers have come out in favour of the suggestion.
Huntly and Clach have become the latest clubs in the Highland League to make their position public after announcing they will also vote against the proposals.
In a statement to supporters Huntly chairman Gordon Carter said: “Most of you will have seen articles in the press about the proposals to create a Conference League that would slot into tier five of the pyramid with the resultant displacement down a tier of all teams currently in tier five or below.
“This amounts to over 200 teams. This is fundamentally wrong and against the core principles of fair competition in sport.
“Huntly Football Club are 100% against these proposals.
“Upward progress within the SFA Pyramid should be hard won not be at the gift of the SFA.”
Clach have echoed Carter’s sentiments after releasing a statement of their own but will make a final decision once they have seen the proposals in full.
It read: “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 benefits to the proposed changes for either our club nor the wider Highland League.
“We are not against the principle of “B” teams and we ourselves enter our younger players in to 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.
“We are yet to receive any formal documentation outlining the proposal in detail but once we are in possession of this , the board will be in a better position to review things in more detail and look to liaise with our supporters at this time before making a more informed decision ahead of the vote at this years AGM.”
— Inverness Clachnacuddin FC (@clachfc) May 7, 2023
League will be hit hard if proposals are approved
Carter believes the introduction of a new fifth tier would present a serious threat to several clubs in the Highland League.
He said: “Losing a number of the teams who currently are at the top end of the table will inevitably make the subsequent league less attractive to fans and sponsors alike at a time when we can least afford this to happen.
“The committees and boards already have to work hard to form sponsorship relationships with local businesses to generate the income needed to run a team in the Highland League because that is where they want to be and in most cases have been for decades.
“Most of the current teams play a vital role in their communities with generations of fans who have grown up with the product that is ‘The Highland League.’
“Each club has its own team of dedicated volunteers who put in a huge amount of work to keep their clubs going, whether it be by fundraising, ground maintenance or matchday duties.
“These people are the lifeblood of the clubs and deserve to have an opportunity to have their voice heard now rather than when it is too late.”
‘Long-term viability of clubs at risk’
The Highland League has had to adapt to promotion and relegation being introduced to the division in recent years.
But Carter insists the proposals would devalue the Highland League if introduced.
He said: “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 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.
“The Highland League has grown from humble beginnings in 1893 to the vibrant competitive league we all enjoy now.
“It has adapted to many challenges in the intervening 130 years.
“Currently the Highland League has 18 teams and the likelihood of a number of the clubs leaving our league to join the new league will have a hugely detrimental effect on the long-term viability of the remaining teams and the league itself.”
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