In the summer of 2023, following secret discussions between the SFA, SPFL, FIFA, Premier League & the FA; it was announced that Celtic and Rangers would both be leaving the Scottish game and join the English league system with immediate effect.
It was also ruled that due to Sheffield United's owners being deemed unfit and unproper and Luton's lack of stadium infrastructure, these teams were ineligible for the promotion they recently earned and the Old Firm would instead be offered these promotion spots. This caused weeks of unrest and a power struggle within the English game with a lot of debate about the legality and sporting integrity. Ultimately, the broadcasting and ownership cabal (who now had some of their closest friends trying to pick up a bargain with new undervalued Premier League clubs) won the day.
The move caused a lot of uncertainty in Scotland as broadcasting and sponsorship deals were voided. As part of the deal, it was agreed that on an ongoing basis 2.5% of the departing clubs revenue would be returned to the SPFL. With an average of nearly £400 million in anticipated revenue for each of these clubs simply participating in the Premier League and better-than-expected renegotiated terms with sponsors who did not want to leave the league outright (anticipating renewed interest with an open field title race and the prospect of more European money to the remaining clubs), the prize pot for the remaining clubs actually rose from £35 to £55m.
It was unclear whether the league structure would remain as is and a special assembly of the remaining pyramid clubs was called. With less dependency on guaranteeing 4 OF fixtures in the broadcast schedule, an expanded structure based on the principle of 16 team national divisions was agreed upon along with a much more re-distributable financial model which would prioritise the sustainability of Scottish Football as a whole and promote the sport at lower levels. Where 42nd Albion Rovers only obtained £63k from the league last season, an equivalent finish would now see over £250k.
It was also anticipated that top flight revenues would be increased with enhanced access to Europe (given that 5 clubs now benefited from the Old Firm being ineligible for this seasons competition) and better gate revenues in a new more competitive set-up.
As the cross border rules had been relaxed, it was speculated that some sides in the North of England or further afield may see the Scottish game as more lucrative and provide an accessible route to accessing continental football or sustain themselves consistently within the full-time game. After discussions, it was announced during the assembly that Carlisle United had been admitted to the Premiership and Workington A.F.C. would join the the new third tier Scottish League 1 division. Both moves were also viewed controversially but with the momentum of the chaos, the moves were ratified within hours.
(I've not fleshed the pyramid out beyond the Highland/Lowland set-up but if anyone has any particular interest in this editor data then I might work on this, for now it's a very simple structure with only the top 3 tiers and three cup competitions configured. I've tried to adjust expectations and simulated a couple of seasons but please do let me know if anything obvious I've missed)
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WeeDaibhidh
Where do Celtic & Rangers U21 and U18 teams play? Have they also been moved to the English set up?
moussawillkillyou
Apologies all, I mistakenly did not copy over my transfer window changes. I've fixed that now.
moussawillkillyou
I simplified the reserve set-up, there are no longer colt sides participating in the Lowland League (so Hearts B, Celtic B & Rangers B are no more). All the teams in the SPFL begin with a parallel reserve and under 18s division (including the new sides participating, Carlisle and Workington).
Celtic & Rangers have Under 23 and Under 18 sides who now operate in the equivalent level with corresponding English Premier League sides although in year 1, this might be a bit buggy as it looks like some of this behaviour is hardcoded in and would mean I'd need to rebuild all the English rules to have working perfectly straight out of the box - it looks like they join the correct cup competitions and group stages but might struggle to join the full divisions.
WeeDaibhidh
Many thanks for your speedy reply and clarifying this information! I think this will be very much worth a download for my next save! 🙂
Greg Whyte
Are you or can you do this league structure ( 16 team Leagues) but with Old firm in the SPL ?
Greg Whyte
or 16, 12, 12, 12
Ralok
there seem to be an issue with qualifying for the UCL as Celtic
Stuart Baird
European qualification for Rangers and Celtic is a problem and needs fixed please.
adamcoyle8
Its an easy fix, just jump into the editor and change continental cup nation from Scotland to England
Stuart Baird
Thanks Adam - can this be done during a save using editor?
adamcoyle8
hmm not sure, i only use the pre game editor never used the in game one.
06adamson
hi there, where do you find the pre game editor?
update - found it
06adamson
Hello again,
I've tried updating the continental cup from Scotland to England but when i do that i cant get the file to verify and then work in game. Any suggestions on where im going wrong?
I've tried running the test but i cant figure out whats going wrong.
Cheers
moussawillkillyou
Sorry I haven't monitored this for a wee while.
What exactly is the problem? Are Celtic & Rangers failing to qualify for Europe after season 1?