Sport / Football association confident majority of clubs will back three-league structure
Whitedale FC have voiced their opposition to the move ahead of a vote
LOCAL football clubs will vote next month on whether to move to a three-league structure or to keep the existing two league format.
However a proposal to introduce promotions and relegations between the divisions is now “off the table” completely, according to Shetland Football Association (SFA) president Jakob Eunson.
Moves to create a third league have been thrown out several times in recent years, but the SFA is now confident it will find the backing of the majority of clubs.
It comes with a new team looking to join the reserve league, Southside Impact, which would increase the number of clubs in that division to 13.
The SFA is proposing to split that division in two – with one league solely for the reserve clubs of senior teams such as Spurs, Ness and Whalsay.
The other league would be for “single-club” sides, which would be made up of the likes of Banks, Bressay Sharks, Delting and the newly formed Southside Impact.
Eunson said the SFA was in the process of creating a draft proposal, which will go before clubs for a vote on 6 February.
Whitedale are one club who have spoken out against the plans, saying it will not alleviate the strain on referees and pitches – as the SFA has suggested.
And the West Side club have said the move will actually take away from the current reserve league, which is “as good as it can be”.
Eunson, however, believes that most teams support the proposal.
“The consensus is that the majority of folk seem to think that if the single teams want to go and make their own division, it’s completely fine,” he told Shetland News.
“It’s just how it can work out and be made sustainable, so that it’s not going to be hurting football.”
Scalloway, who Eunson plays for, were another club who voiced their opposition to the proposal before a meeting earlier this month.
But the SFA president said they had since softened their position on the plans, having originally come from a place of being worried about a “big reduction in games”.
Eunson said the clubs needed to decide either way on whether to split the reserve league or to keep it as is, with the new season looming.
“We really need to get that nailed down and finally start to draw up fixtures because it’s getting on,” he said.
Promotion and relegations between some or all of the divisions is “off the table”, with Eunson saying he did not think that clubs were at that stage.
However any single-team club can apply to join the A league whenever they want.
Another key consideration is the lack of referees for the new season, with the SFA still on the lookout for more people to sign up.
“We dinna have the referees we need,” Eunson added.
“Three leagues would actually free up referees, but it would mean slightly less games.”
The SFA president said a ‘Future of Football’ strategy group is being organised by the council’s sports development officer Jack Clubb, and will meet next month.
Top of the agenda for Eunson is ensuring referees can be grown locally and brought into the senior picture, to ensure the game can continue in the isles.
Figures from the junior and women’s games will be in attendance too, and Eunson said they “all need to come together with a plan” to introduce more referees.
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