Duncan McKay has read through the Colt Teams pilot project proposal (which you can read yourself here) and there are a number of things which need to be addressed (and probably won’t be). Starting with…
1. Is this proposal a part of Project Brave?
2. If so, why were Celtic and Rangers representatives sent to the clubs, not the SFA?
3. If Malky Mackay gives the proposal its full backing, why isn’t he the public face of the plan?
4. Where’s the guarantee that the Colt teams will have Scottish players in them?
5. What now for the fabled pyramid system?
6. Do we really want a league competition where there is a possibility that the team finishing third is automatically promoted? Or a scenario where the team finishing ninth faces relegation playoffs but the team finishing tenth doesn’t?
7. How does Celtic and Rangers Colts playing home games in Greenock and Stirling respectively do anything for fans in those local communities?
8. What is the “potential league reconstruction” that’s scheduled to take place at the end of the two-year pilot?
9. What is the evidence that B teams have produced more talent? Or have countries managed to produce talent whilst also having B teams?
10. Why should League Two be responsible for giving young players game time when Celtic and Rangers won’t do it themselves?
11. Why does the document give figures for Spain and Germany but not the other countries such as Norway and Holland which are far more comparable?
12. How much additional income do Celtic and Rangers think League Two clubs expect to make from “match day walk ups, hospitality, additional sponsor income via increased TV and media coverage, catering”?
13. What do Celtic and Rangers mean by increase TV and media coverage? On what basis?
14. What evidence do Celtic and Rangers have that there will be “increased media coverage” that will “inject exciting new life into SPFL League Two football”?
15. Will the Colt teams have their own board of directors?
16. What are the governance arrangements for the Colts teams?
17. Why should League 2 clubs lose three games a season with an uneven fixture list?
18. Why?
Written by Duncan McKay