Duncan Fraser interview now on RedTV

Dons Chief Executive Duncan Fraser outlined details on league reconstruction in an interview with RedTV.

“I think [a reduction in the number of governing bodies] will be welcomed 100% across the board. I think at the end of the day, to bring Scottish football forward, we did need a reduction in the organisations that take Scottish football forward.

“What was essential towards [the reconstruction] was that we had to, at the SPL level, agree the league structure that we thought was appropriate going forward. The McLeish report had recommended a smaller amount in the top two flights but that was just not deliverable.

“Where I would like to praise every single member club within the SPL was that, in effect, the easy solution for clubs in many ways was to increase the size of the league in order, if you like, to give more protection. I think to get us to where we are today, what ended up happening was that the larger, bigger SPL clubs who tend to be towards the top or at the top of the league every year have given away a substantial contribution financially to this but equally, and in many more so, those that perhaps tend to be towards the bottom of the SPL were prepared to open up the likelihood that they may not be in the top flight always in order to ensure that we created the pot that was going to bring the SFL clubs in and give them a fairer distribution and one that allows them to progress going forward.

“What is important to point out here is where I think the SFL Executive and their clubs that have been present deserve a lot of praise for this is that they right from day 1 said that their hang up was less about league structures but more about a single body, how it was to be governed, how it was to be financially driven and where that money was going to end up to make sure everybody received funds and finally the criteria that clubs had to have in order to progress through the leagues.

“What needs to happen is that clubs get together, go out there and explain what is going to happen and why it’s going to happen to supporters. Get the clubs to buy in first, then get out there and start fully engaging with the supporters to get them behind what we’re going to try and do here.”

RedTV subscribers can view the interview by clicking here:
Duncan Fraser Interview