Celtic, Rangers and Hearts will again field B teams in the Lowland League next season after member clubs officially voted for their inclusion last night.
The move gives breathing space for those planning a new Conference League involving reserve sides from the three Premiership clubs plus Aberdeen to be established at tier five of Scottish football in 2024-25. Scottish football’s Pyramid Working Group has been looking at options for the new division which would see the four B teams joined by a mixture of clubs from the Lowland and Highland Leagues - with the Premiership’s second strings barred from winning promotion from the new Conference into League Two.
Although it has still to be formally voted in, it’s expected to get the go ahead in the coming months. To plug the year-long gap before the restructuring comes into play, the Old Firm and Hearts B teams were seeking entry back into the Lowland League. The controversial move has long attracted controversy from ambitious clubs lower down the pyramid who argue their pathway is being blocked to cater for the professional sides.
But a 10-5 vote last night saw them overwhelmingly voted back in. Celtic B currently sit second and Rangers B third in the 19-team Lowland League table behind Spartans who were crowned champions on Saturday.
Hearts B languish in 13th position in their first season in the league. The planned new Conference will be funded by the Premiership sides taking part and established as a separate company meaning there’s no need for the statutory SPFL rule of 75 per cent approval to vote it in.
Run as a separate company to the SPFL it would look to exploit commercial rights for the benefit of its member clubs and, with added financial might, would be able to offer parachute payments to clubs relegated from League 2.
