Martin Ritchie, the Falkirk chairman, has indicated that his club are prepared to help push for the formation of an SPL2 should the Scottish Football League choose to reject proposals for reconstruction.
Ritchie was left deeply concerned by last week's SFL meeting, which indicated that support for a 12-12-18 league set-up had slipped from 28-1 majority in January to a 14-14 split, and is adamant he will not allow the "now or never" opportunity for change to "slip through our fingers". He has since held discussions with Stewart Regan, the Scottish Football Association chief executive, and president Campbell Ogilvie to urge the governing body to "take a role in getting the proposed changes over the line".
Some SFL clubs are keen to delay implementation of the plans until next year, but Ritchie firmly believes there will be no second chances if the 75% majority required to ratify the plans is not achieved. Ritchie – whose club sit fourth in the Irn-Bru First Division – also admitted he was part of a breakaway meeting with Neil Doncaster, chief executive of the Scottish Premier League following Thursday's SFL confab.
He believes Falkirk "owe it to our supporters" to pursue any other alternatives that in the event of a rejection of the tabled blueprint. "At [last week's] meeting, Doncaster addressed all of the listed outstanding issues and it was apparent that all parties were very close to a final agreement and that there were no 'show-stoppers'," said Ritchie.
"He also reaffirmed that there is a desire for change now within the SPL and that if this moment is lost there may not be another. From my experience with the SPL, I believe this is the one chance for change.
"Following the meeting, I was one of a number of the first division chairmen who arranged an ad hoc meeting of the nine first division clubs present and, later, a meeting with these clubs and Neil Doncaster. We were agreed that the state of the full-time clubs in the first division is deteriorating and that we need change now.
"I have been involved in league reconstruction discussions since the day we escaped relegation at Inverness in 2009 and this is the closest we have ever come to actually achieving change.
"Falkirk cannot stand back and allow this opportunity to slip through our fingers. What we now need is to build trust in the proposed new league organisation, build bridges between the SFL and the SPL management and gain acceptance from the 42 clubs. If this cannot be achieved, the board owes it to our supporters that we pursue other options."
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