Buckie Thistle manager Graeme Stewart says Highland League should go for summer football, a regionalised split and title play-off when it resumes from coronavirus shutdown
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
BUCKIE Thistle boss Graeme Stewart has called for the Highland League to split into two regionalised divisions when it returns to action.
Stewart has drawn up a proposal for consideration by league bosses, which includes a geographical divide, a title play-off and a possible move towards summer football.
He says the long break has given league bosses an ideal opportunity to make sweeping changes that would benefit the north game, both in the short and long-term.
“I think they should do something completely different, a bit radical, because you’ll never have this opportunity again,” said Stewart.
“I don’t see the point in doing anything boring or safe, I would do something that would get people’s imagination, get more fans in and get more excitement into football.
“My idea was to regionalise the leagues. You make it north and south, you play each other twice then you play a play-off system with the top versus second over two legs and the two winners play in a final.
“The whole thing with coming back from coronavirus was less travelling. By regionalising you have less travel and more derbies for the fans. It’s a no-brainer.”
Stewart even suggested putting Highland League football on hold until next year, then restarting with a summer league.
“The Highland League is a unique league and my own thoughts are that it’s absolutely crazy that we’re not playing summer football.
“I really do think it will happen one day because it has to happen and now is the perfect time to do it.
“You look at the fans maybe getting two or three games over December, January, February just now because of the weather. Who wants to watch football in the winter?
“We could have a training situation for teams where you don’t have to have floodlights. And in the summer, more kids and women would be coming to football, which is something we are trying to encourage.
“I actually put in my proposal that, say, we are not going to start until February. It means that you don’t rush back. Let everyone else rush back and we hold off and say everyone is off until February and then maybe your season starts in March or April and you play summer football.
“You are then creating five massive games at the end of the season which will get huge crowds. To me it’s something completely different and we have the opportunity to do it.
“Unfortunately I think we’ll go for something that’s probably not as exciting. I’m not saying my idea is the best idea, but I feel we need to do something.”
Stewart’s ideas will give fans plenty food for thought, though it is understood that the Highland League is looking at other options.
The league could resume in October with the 17 clubs playing each other once, then splitting into a top and bottom half to conclude the campaign, similar to the Scottish Premiership.
