How about a Celtic League Cup played between all the top division clubs sides of Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Wales, plus representative sides from Cornwall and the Isle of Man?
Justification for trophy-
This would allow Scottish teams the chance to help the smaller Celtic nations to develop their football leagues and allow Scottish football to grow. Ireland is a sleeping giant in football. And Scotland would be helping their leagues which would be generous of us and we would have a very strong chance of winning a cross border trophy.
Reform of domestic leagues:
Scottish League
Scottish clubs need to look outward to play teams from other countries.
In Scotland, I would like a 16 team domestic league simply to free up weeks in the calendar to have a cross border tournament. All this talk of 16, team, 12 team, 10 team leagues is meaningless, if we just play inward looking games, of reorganising the same teams. We are limited to two massive clubs in Scotland, and no amount of internal reorganisation will alter that.
Structure of trophy:
Organisation of trophy.
I would have preliminary rounds, group stages then the knockout stages, leading to a final. This is how I would organise it.
The trophy would consist of 16 Scottish sides, 12 Welsh Premier sides, 1 side from Cornwall, 1 side from the Isle of Man, 12 Northern Ireland top division sides, 12 League of Ireland sides. Plus two teams invited in from England or the lower divisions of the Celtic Leagues. Creating a 56 team trophy.
Group Stages
There would be 8 groups of 4 in the group stages, for 32 teams, consisting of all 16 Scottish Premier sides, plus the top 2 sides each from Wales, Northern Ireland and the top 4 from the Republic of Ireland, qualify automatically for the group stages. Equaling 24 teams automatically in the group stages.
This leaves 8 places left to qualify for group stages from the other 32 Cornish, Isle of Man, Welsh, Ulster and Irish league sides left in the trophy. For mathematical reasons 2 teams would be invited from the lower divisions of the Celtic Leagues or England to take up the preliminary round numbers to 32. Meaning a 56 team trophy.
The object of the preliminary round is to get from 32 teams not in the group stages down to 8 teams, who qualify for the group stages.
Preliminary rounds.
There would be two preliminary rounds, where the winning 8 teams qualify for the group stages.
Group stage 8 groups of 4. 32 teams. Play each other home, and away, equaling 6 games in each group.
Knockout Stages.
Top two teams from each group qualify for the final 16 knockout stages.
The next f rounds lead to the final, each tie is one leg with the first team drawn out of the hat given home advantage.
32 teams
no amount of internal reorganization will alter that.
A group stage trophy of 16 Scottish sides, 12 Welsh Premier sides, 1 side from Cornwall, 1 side from the Isle of Man, 12 Northern Ireland top division sides, 12 League of Ireland sides. Creating a 54 team group stage trophy.
Domestic TV rights are negotiated by the leagues of each nation with national rights shared between the four domestic teams. International rights are shared equally among the 16 clubs.
Populations
4.7 million Republic of Ireland
1.8 million Northern Ireland
3 million Wales
5 million Scotland
84,000 Isle of Man
540,000 Cornwall
Over 13 million total population of participating nations.
Criticisms of Idea
Travel is tough.
I disagree, look at the trips taken up by teams in Australia, Russia, and China. A trip to a Western European nation is relatively easy.
Would UEFA Allow it?
UEFA have allowed other countries to have cross border cups such as the Royal League, and the cup played by teams from the League of Ireland and the Irish League. There is a club from Liechtenstein in the Swiss League. There are clubs from Wakes in the English league and a club from England in the Scottish League.
UEFA refused permission for a North Atlantic League but they did not refuse permission for North Atlantic League Cup.
UEFA do not want to destroy the national league system. But this idea works in tandem with the national league.
UEFA have allowed Welsh and Ulster sides to play in the Scottish Irn Bru Cup.
Loss of two Old Firm Games
What I would say is that the Old Firm games would be replaced by playing teams from other countries, and helping other countries leagues grow, with a chance for the Old Firm to market themselves to other nations and to win cross border trophies.
Scheduling of tournament.
I have been told by a very good journalist in Scottish football, that to plan such a trophy, and change to Scottish football. I need to add my plan for the dates of the trophy. I will do so using the calendar of Glasgow Celtic as an example. Remember I would play the Celtic League Cup group stages on the same day as the domestic Scottish League Cup group stages in the place where 6 league games of the league season were previously played. As the Scottish League will have been reduced to 30 games a season in 16 team divisions, it is possible to replace what would be league games in the present system with games in group stages of the Celtic League Cup, and Domestic League Cups.
Here is the Glasgow Celtic example.
Tue, 12th Jul Lincoln Red Imps UEFA Champions League
Wed, 20th Jul Lincoln Red Imps UEFA Champions League H
Wed, 27th Jul Astana UEFA Champions League A
August 2016
Wed, 3rd Aug Astana UEFA Champions League H
Sun, 7th Aug Heart of Midlothian Ladbrokes Premiership A
Replacement Week 1 Game Replaced by Celtic League Cup Game Replaced by Celtic League Cup
Wed, 10th Aug
Midweek game Motherwell
Scottish League Cup Scottish League Cup H
Sat, 13th Aug
Replacement Week 2 Inter Milan
Game Replaced by Celtic League Cup Game Replaced by Celtic League Cup N
Wed, 17th Aug Hapoel Beer Sheva UEFA Champions League H
Sat, 20th Aug St Johnstone Ladbrokes Premiership A
Tue, 23rd Aug Hapoel Beer Sheva UEFA Champions League A
Sat, 27th Aug
Replacement Week 3 Aberdeen
Game Replaced by Celtic League Cup Game Replaced by Celtic League Cup H
September 2016
Sat, 10th Sep
Replacement Week 4 Rangers
Game Replaced by Celtic League Cup Game Replaced by Celtic League Cup H
Tue, 13th Sep Barcelona UEFA Champions League A
Sun, 18th Sep
Replacement Week 5 Inverness CT
Game Replaced by Celtic League Cup Game Replaced by Celtic League Cup A
Wed, 21st Sep
Game removed from calendar. Alloa Athletic Scottish Betfred Cup
League Cup H
Sat, 24th Sep Kilmarnock Ladbrokes Premiership H
Wed, 28th Sep Manchester City UEFA Champions League H
October 2016
Sat, 1st Oct
Replacement Week 6 Dundee
Game Replaced by Celtic League Cup Game Replaced by Celtic League Cup A
Sat, 15th Oct Motherwell Ladbrokes Premiership H
Wed, 19th Oct Borussia Monchengladbach UEFA Champions League H
So the Celtic League Cup groups stages, would have taken place between the 6th of August, and the 1st of October, this season, for this example.
To guarantee old firm games Celtic could be drawn against Rangers in the group stages to satisfy TV audiences.
Also how about a Welsh Gold Cup containing all Welsh Premier first teams, and every under 20 team of every Scottish Premier, and English Premier side? To give young players competitive games and to give Welsh clubs games against big club sides each season.
As I said before for the Celtic Super League idea, use Enya's song THE CELTS as the theme tune to the cup, played before every cup game.
Justification for trophy-
This would allow Scottish teams the chance to help the smaller Celtic nations to develop their football leagues and allow Scottish football to grow. Ireland is a sleeping giant in football. And Scotland would be helping their leagues which would be generous of us and we would have a very strong chance of winning a cross border trophy.
Reform of domestic leagues:
Scottish League
Scottish clubs need to look outward to play teams from other countries.
In Scotland, I would like a 16 team domestic league simply to free up weeks in the calendar to have a cross border tournament. All this talk of 16, team, 12 team, 10 team leagues is meaningless, if we just play inward looking games, of reorganising the same teams. We are limited to two massive clubs in Scotland, and no amount of internal reorganisation will alter that.
Structure of trophy:
Organisation of trophy.
I would have preliminary rounds, group stages then the knockout stages, leading to a final. This is how I would organise it.
The trophy would consist of 16 Scottish sides, 12 Welsh Premier sides, 1 side from Cornwall, 1 side from the Isle of Man, 12 Northern Ireland top division sides, 12 League of Ireland sides. Plus two teams invited in from England or the lower divisions of the Celtic Leagues. Creating a 56 team trophy.
Group Stages
There would be 8 groups of 4 in the group stages, for 32 teams, consisting of all 16 Scottish Premier sides, plus the top 2 sides each from Wales, Northern Ireland and the top 4 from the Republic of Ireland, qualify automatically for the group stages. Equaling 24 teams automatically in the group stages.
This leaves 8 places left to qualify for group stages from the other 32 Cornish, Isle of Man, Welsh, Ulster and Irish league sides left in the trophy. For mathematical reasons 2 teams would be invited from the lower divisions of the Celtic Leagues or England to take up the preliminary round numbers to 32. Meaning a 56 team trophy.
The object of the preliminary round is to get from 32 teams not in the group stages down to 8 teams, who qualify for the group stages.
Preliminary rounds.
There would be two preliminary rounds, where the winning 8 teams qualify for the group stages.
Group stage 8 groups of 4. 32 teams. Play each other home, and away, equaling 6 games in each group.
Knockout Stages.
Top two teams from each group qualify for the final 16 knockout stages.
The next f rounds lead to the final, each tie is one leg with the first team drawn out of the hat given home advantage.
32 teams
no amount of internal reorganization will alter that.
A group stage trophy of 16 Scottish sides, 12 Welsh Premier sides, 1 side from Cornwall, 1 side from the Isle of Man, 12 Northern Ireland top division sides, 12 League of Ireland sides. Creating a 54 team group stage trophy.
Domestic TV rights are negotiated by the leagues of each nation with national rights shared between the four domestic teams. International rights are shared equally among the 16 clubs.
Populations
4.7 million Republic of Ireland
1.8 million Northern Ireland
3 million Wales
5 million Scotland
84,000 Isle of Man
540,000 Cornwall
Over 13 million total population of participating nations.
Criticisms of Idea
Travel is tough.
I disagree, look at the trips taken up by teams in Australia, Russia, and China. A trip to a Western European nation is relatively easy.
Would UEFA Allow it?
UEFA have allowed other countries to have cross border cups such as the Royal League, and the cup played by teams from the League of Ireland and the Irish League. There is a club from Liechtenstein in the Swiss League. There are clubs from Wakes in the English league and a club from England in the Scottish League.
UEFA refused permission for a North Atlantic League but they did not refuse permission for North Atlantic League Cup.
UEFA do not want to destroy the national league system. But this idea works in tandem with the national league.
UEFA have allowed Welsh and Ulster sides to play in the Scottish Irn Bru Cup.
Loss of two Old Firm Games
What I would say is that the Old Firm games would be replaced by playing teams from other countries, and helping other countries leagues grow, with a chance for the Old Firm to market themselves to other nations and to win cross border trophies.
Scheduling of tournament.
I have been told by a very good journalist in Scottish football, that to plan such a trophy, and change to Scottish football. I need to add my plan for the dates of the trophy. I will do so using the calendar of Glasgow Celtic as an example. Remember I would play the Celtic League Cup group stages on the same day as the domestic Scottish League Cup group stages in the place where 6 league games of the league season were previously played. As the Scottish League will have been reduced to 30 games a season in 16 team divisions, it is possible to replace what would be league games in the present system with games in group stages of the Celtic League Cup, and Domestic League Cups.
Here is the Glasgow Celtic example.
Tue, 12th Jul Lincoln Red Imps UEFA Champions League
Wed, 20th Jul Lincoln Red Imps UEFA Champions League H
Wed, 27th Jul Astana UEFA Champions League A
August 2016
Wed, 3rd Aug Astana UEFA Champions League H
Sun, 7th Aug Heart of Midlothian Ladbrokes Premiership A
Replacement Week 1 Game Replaced by Celtic League Cup Game Replaced by Celtic League Cup
Wed, 10th Aug
Midweek game Motherwell
Scottish League Cup Scottish League Cup H
Sat, 13th Aug
Replacement Week 2 Inter Milan
Game Replaced by Celtic League Cup Game Replaced by Celtic League Cup N
Wed, 17th Aug Hapoel Beer Sheva UEFA Champions League H
Sat, 20th Aug St Johnstone Ladbrokes Premiership A
Tue, 23rd Aug Hapoel Beer Sheva UEFA Champions League A
Sat, 27th Aug
Replacement Week 3 Aberdeen
Game Replaced by Celtic League Cup Game Replaced by Celtic League Cup H
September 2016
Sat, 10th Sep
Replacement Week 4 Rangers
Game Replaced by Celtic League Cup Game Replaced by Celtic League Cup H
Tue, 13th Sep Barcelona UEFA Champions League A
Sun, 18th Sep
Replacement Week 5 Inverness CT
Game Replaced by Celtic League Cup Game Replaced by Celtic League Cup A
Wed, 21st Sep
Game removed from calendar. Alloa Athletic Scottish Betfred Cup
League Cup H
Sat, 24th Sep Kilmarnock Ladbrokes Premiership H
Wed, 28th Sep Manchester City UEFA Champions League H
October 2016
Sat, 1st Oct
Replacement Week 6 Dundee
Game Replaced by Celtic League Cup Game Replaced by Celtic League Cup A
Sat, 15th Oct Motherwell Ladbrokes Premiership H
Wed, 19th Oct Borussia Monchengladbach UEFA Champions League H
So the Celtic League Cup groups stages, would have taken place between the 6th of August, and the 1st of October, this season, for this example.
To guarantee old firm games Celtic could be drawn against Rangers in the group stages to satisfy TV audiences.
Also how about a Welsh Gold Cup containing all Welsh Premier first teams, and every under 20 team of every Scottish Premier, and English Premier side? To give young players competitive games and to give Welsh clubs games against big club sides each season.
As I said before for the Celtic Super League idea, use Enya's song THE CELTS as the theme tune to the cup, played before every cup game.
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