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Brora win title.


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Guest Shaun

Brora are Highland league champions after 2-1 win away at Turriff and now play Edinburgh City and then possibly Montrose.

I really hope Brora go up because that is one more Highland team in SPFL.

Not sure when play offs are.

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Saturday 25 April 2015
Brora Rangers v Edinburgh City

Saturday 2 May 2015
Edinburgh City v Brora Rangers

Saturday 9 May 2015
Brora Rangers/Edinburgh City v Montrose

Saturday 16 May 2015
Montrose v Brora Rangers/Edinburgh City

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Brora are Highland league champions after 2-1 win away at Turriff and now play Edinburgh City and then possibly Montrose.

I really hope Brora go up because that is one more Highland team in SPFL.

Not sure when play offs are.

I'm far from convinced that Brora want to go up. They now seem to be saying that they are prepared (reluctantly?) to go into these playoffs but I could imagine that, with the prospect of part time players potentially having to make near 700 mile midweek round trips, they wouldn't be crying their eyes out if they were to fail one or more of the criteria for SPFL 2 which they also need to meet.

I actually now think that, after decades of Central Belt protectionism keeping the Highlands out, demand for National League places has to a large extent been satisfied.... so ironically we are now seeing reluctant clubs press ganged into SPFL membership.

By the way, Montrose and not yet numerically doomed to the play offs although this is looking pretty likely.

Edited by Charles Bannerman
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From todays P & J Brora Rangers sponsor Ben Mackay will continue to support the his club if it earns promotion into senior football. 

SPFL football...as they're already senior. :smile:

(sorry - but it was like an itch that needed scratched)!

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The whole credibility of the pyramid system will be in tatters if the Cattachs don't take part. Personally I think Brora will thrash Edinburgh City & Montrose to take up a spot in SPFL2. The 2nd best HFL team, even further north, could follow the season after.

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The whole credibility of the pyramid system will be in tatters if the Cattachs don't take part. Personally I think Brora will thrash Edinburgh City & Montrose to take up a spot in SPFL2. The 2nd best HFL team, even further north, could follow the season after.

Just because Brora have been battering in the goals in the HL I think it's a bit premature to suggest they will be thrashing either of these clubs. Brora's results against teams from other leagues this season haven't been anything special and I think you're underestimating the LL for one thing. Edinburgh City have won the LL by a fair margin and Spartans, who reached the last 16 of the Scottish, are unlikely even to be in the top three.

Granted, Brora have already won at Meadowbank but 3-2 is hardly a thrashing. Also Spartans beat both Clyde and Morton, that's Clyde who won 3-0 away at Turriff. Meanwhile City knocked out Auchinleck, no mean feat.

I think Brora are favourites to win both playoffs but making rash predictions is a bit daft.

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Going into the Scottish League could bankrupt Brora just like Gretna because their financial base is unsustainable.

 

http://sport.stv.tv/football/scottish-league-two/315575-brora-rangers-chairman-john-young-on-spfl-play-off-despite-finance-fears/

 

The SFA appears to have set up sanctions against clubs if they refuse to come into the league. That is quite interesting under financial fair play rules. I do like the pyramid concept but surely clubs should not be forced to join when the finance risk is high.

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Going into the Scottish League could bankrupt Brora just like Gretna because their financial base is unsustainable.

 

http://sport.stv.tv/football/scottish-league-two/315575-brora-rangers-chairman-john-young-on-spfl-play-off-despite-finance-fears/

 

The SFA appears to have set up sanctions against clubs if they refuse to come into the league. That is quite interesting under financial fair play rules. I do like the pyramid concept but surely clubs should not be forced to join when the finance risk is high.

It wasn't going into the league per se that bankrupted Gretna it was the late Brooks Miles paying full time players ten times as much as their opponents in the then Third Division and continuing the lunacy all the way up the leagues in much the same way as Livingston had before them and with even more devastating consequences.

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Having created the structure the SFA should be supporting teams who take the step up rather than penalising those who decide it is not for them.  I would imagine that if Brora win a place in Division 2 any increase in gate money will be more than offset by additional costs.  For instance, if the SFA were to identify criteria by which you could identify whether or not an overnight stay before a match was required, the SFA could provide a grant to pay that.  This would support the likes of Brora travelling to Berwick or Annan and equally would support existing league clubs doing the journey in the other direction and who will also have higher travel costs if we have greater geographical spread within the national leagues.

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Having created the structure the SFA should be supporting teams who take the step up rather than penalising those who decide it is not for them.  I would imagine that if Brora win a place in Division 2 any increase in gate money will be more than offset by additional costs.  For instance, if the SFA were to identify criteria by which you could identify whether or not an overnight stay before a match was required, the SFA could provide a grant to pay that.  This would support the likes of Brora travelling to Berwick or Annan and equally would support existing league clubs doing the journey in the other direction and who will also have higher travel costs if we have greater geographical spread within the national leagues.

The flaw in that argument is that there is hardly the money in Scottish football for clubs in the top division to maintain full time football far less to fund some 'trickle down'.

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Having created the structure the SFA should be supporting teams who take the step up rather than penalising those who decide it is not for them.  I would imagine that if Brora win a place in Division 2 any increase in gate money will be more than offset by additional costs.  For instance, if the SFA were to identify criteria by which you could identify whether or not an overnight stay before a match was required, the SFA could provide a grant to pay that.  This would support the likes of Brora travelling to Berwick or Annan and equally would support existing league clubs doing the journey in the other direction and who will also have higher travel costs if we have greater geographical spread within the national leagues.

The SFA does make payments to its member clubs based on how much it makes itself through the National team, the Scottish Cup etc. so although there is very little money in the SPFL from TV etc compared to the English Leagues, the SFA is not badly off at all.

I know that my non-League club (Whitehill) got a substantial bonus this year from the SFA due to being licensed so Brora will have got the same. In SPFL2 that bonus will be increased about fivefold from what I've heard.

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Brora will do okay financially in SPFL 2 if they get there.

(disclaimer!) I have no official sources - only my own 'findings' from various internet searches.

The figures being talked about are all relatively small but looked at relatively, Brora's main problem would be simply the distances they have to travel. However, Elgin is closer than many journeys they have to make in the Highland League, so effectively they're looking at a burden of 16 away trips in the season.

 

Currently the Highland League champions get approx. £15,000 for winning it plus £17 per-point = £17,000 in a great season.

The Highland League Cup only offers £2,000 to the winners (Brora, in their entire history have never even been in the final of this!), with the North of Scotland probably being £1,000 plus gate money share. Little over £20k in income for Brora. Their local sponsors will likely stick around for the increased national exposure, especially in the first season - and the novelty factor could draw interested spectators from the Sutherland area, with a catchment area that includes Dornoch, Golspie and possibly even Helmsdale.

 

Brora would also enter the Scottish Cup a round later, automatically be included in the Challenge Cup and obviously be in the League Cup, which I understand pays £10,000 for even first round losers.

The worst they could do would be to finish bottom of League Two and enter next season's play-off! Even then. they'd get £32,000 for finishing last! Plus a 'parachute payment' of £40,000 for their first season back in the Highland League, and £20,000 the following season! 

 

Competing in SPLF 2 would also have, initially, many away fans making 'a weekend of it' by travelling up.

I understand much of the extra finance will go on travelling costs, but it's an adventure they surely must embrace!

 

For me, the 'beauty' of the Pyramid System' is, that should it be a step too-far for Brora, then they won't be left stuck at the bottom of the formerly closed system and a likely 'folding' or administration 'event' would be averted, as now, if/and when a club's not good enough, they'll simply drop down and 'find their level' again. A full pyramid system, correctly managed, should ensure clubs no longer have the face the wall of insolvency - teams would simply operate at their 'correct' level.

 

N.B. This is all presumptuous as Brora have their work-cut-out to get past Edinburgh City!

Edited by Sneckboy
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Saturday 25 April 2015

Brora Rangers v Edinburgh City

Saturday 2 May 2015

Edinburgh City v Brora Rangers

Saturday 9 May 2015

Brora Rangers/Edinburgh City v Montrose

Saturday 16 May 2015

Montrose v Brora Rangers/Edinburgh City

Although those dates are correct, I jumped the gun with order of home team in the HL v LL play-off. I understand that there's to be a draw today to decide who hosts the first leg. Although, it appears that the bottom SPFL 2 side will still have the 'advantage' of playing their home leg last in the final.

Crikey, the SPFL are almost as guilty as me for making stuff up as they go along!

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Brora have basically said they want to

I don't actually think thay have. What they have said is that they really don't want to, but will reluctantly go into the playoffs despite serious reservations about the cost of travel (up to 650 mile round trips potentially midweek) and the danger of losing players, some of whom are ex full time pros who went to Brora because they were no longer in a position to commit to the travelling necessary for national leagues. So the Board doesn't want it and the players don't want it but they are now stuck with it.

This issue is by no means new, by the way. Brora officials were openly expressing reservations as long ago as the beginning of this season about possibly having to do this.

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I think there's an easy solution to the geography problem. Split league 2 into north and south.

It doesn't make any sense to have small, part time clubs like Brora and Berwick in the same league. Especially in todays financial climate. 




 

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The order of legs for Brora v Edinburgh City has been confirmed after an SFA draw today

 - Brora have the 2nd leg at home.

 

Saturday 25 April 2015

Edinburgh City v Brora Rangers

 

Saturday 2 May 2015

Brora Rangers v Edinburgh City

 

Saturday 9 May 2015
Brora Rangers/Edinburgh City v Montrose

Saturday 16 May 2015
Montrose v Brora Rangers/Edinburgh City

Edited by Sneckboy
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