SCOTTISH football is set to undergo a major shake-up after junior clubs voted in favour of setting up a pathway to the senior ranks.

After years of resisting any proposal to join the SPFL, a majority of members of the Scottish Junior Football Association (SJFA) voted in favour of joining the pyramid system.

With just four clubs failing to take part in the ballot, 99 voted yes with 55 against in a move which will surely result in one of the bigger junior teams achieving promotion to League Two sometime in the near future.

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The clubs could join the pyramid scheme at the end of the next season.

The SJFA association secretary Tom Johnston said: “A questionnaire was posted out to the clubs at the end of January/the beginning of February following a series of discussions with the leagues and with the SFA.

It asked the clubs if they wished to join the pyramid system and we now have the results.

“I have written to Andrew McKinlay to make him aware of the vote and expect to meet with him when he comes back from Hungary. The next step will be for us to have an EGM and to seek the SFA’s views.

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“The clubs have considered the option and some clearly see the opportunities that may become available to them in the pyramid.”

Two options were offered to clubs in the questionnaire, either to seek entry at tier five, at the same level as the Highland League and Lowland League, or at the bottom, tier six, on the same layer as the East of Scotland and South of Scotland Leagues.

Much will depend on the number of clubs meeting the SFA’s licensing standards, with only 15 respondents indicating they meet “entry level” criteria and 139 admitting they fall short.