The SPL Handicap Stakes

[Kingsmills]

We all know, only too well, at the start of each season that our top domestic leauge is going to be won by one of two clubs which rather takes much of the fun out of it for everyone else as well as almost certainly reducing crowds, sponsorship income and TV revenue.

That's unfortunately been the case for twenty years now since the brief dominance of the " New Firm" of Aberden and Dundee United in the early to mid eighties when these north east clubs could still aspire to entice the odd player from the top league in England and when Aberdeen's budget for players was about 70% of Rangers or Celtic's instead of about 25% as it is now.

All in all it's difficult to see how clubs are ever going to compete on anything like a level playing field again. So why not contrive to make the playing field at least a little less uneven ?

American sports try to prevent long term domination by one or two teams by the draft system whereby the poorest team from the season before have first picks on promising new players, Rugby League have the salary cap which was introduced partly to stop Wigan winning everything in sight and has been successful in that regard.

For various reasons it would probably not be possible or even desirable for either of these systems to be applied to the SPL but why not a handicap system effectively giving the poorer or previously less successful clubs a bt of a start ?

Horse racing, golf and a number of other sports have long since operated handicap systems with great success.

One simple, probably too simple, system would be to give the tean promoted from the first division 12 points before a ball was kicked with the team that finished 11th the season before starting on 11 pointa and so on with last sasons runners up stating on 1 and the reigning champions starting out with zero points.

That way teams might just be tempted to have a real go at the Old Firm thus improving their competitive edge and every supporter of every team would have an interest in the league for much longer into the season.

[PullMyFinger]

We all know, only too well, at the start of each season that our top domestic leauge is going to be won by one of two clubs which rather takes much of the fun out of it for everyone else as well as almost certainly reducing crowds, sponsorship income and TV revenue.

That's unfortunately been the case for twenty years now since the brief dominance of the " New Firm" of Aberden and Dundee United in the early to mid eighties when these north east clubs could still aspire to entice the odd player from the top league in England and when Aberdeen's budget for players was about 70% of Rangers or Celtic's instead of about 25% as it is now.

All in all it's difficult to see how clubs are ever going to compete on anything like a level playing field again. So why not contrive to make the playing field at least a little less uneven ?

American sports try to prevent long term domination by one or two teams by the draft system whereby the poorest team from the season before have first picks on promising new players, Rugby League have the salary cap which was introduced partly to stop Wigan winning everything in sight and has been successful in that regard.

For various reasons it would probably not be possible or even desirable for either of these systems to be applied to the SPL but why not a handicap system effectively giving the poorer or previously less successful clubs a bt of a start ?

Horse racing, golf and a number of other sports have long since operated handicap systems with great success.

One simple, probably too simple, system would be to give the tean promoted from the first division 12 points before a ball was kicked with the team that finished 11th the season before starting on 11 pointa and so on with last sasons runners up stating on 1 and the reigning champions starting out with zero points.

That way teams might just be tempted to have a real go at the Old Firm thus improving their competitive edge and every supporter of every team would have an interest in the league for much longer into the season.

Are you saying that the teams in the SPL don't have a go at the OF? We should all aspire to be pushing the OF rather than try to handicap them. If the SPL had got their act together we would have a better TV deal both here, overseas and online with each member club getting an equal split. That would help even the playing field.

[Kingsmills]

Unfortunately the SPL is not an attractive proposition to broadcasters as it has liitle wordwide interest.

An equal split of TV revenue, the net effect of which would leave each of the Old Firm about ?800,000 worse off and everybody else just under ?200,000 better off on average, would certainly help a bit.

[PullMyFinger]

I disagree that there's not much interest. If the SPL was to market a worldwide internet broadcasting website there would be much more income generated for the member clubs than there is now. On the downside of course there would be much more interest in the OF particularly Celtic but I'm sure they wouldn't mind splitting the money 12 ways.  :tic01: