DECISION day has arrived. After months of missing votes, veiled threats and the odd bit of farce thrown in for good measure, Scottish clubs will finally vote on a reconstruction proposal put forward by Hearts chair Ann Budge.

One way or another, the finishing line of the seemingly never-ending saga will be in sight once teams submit their ballots this morning. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the talks.

What are clubs voting on?

An expanded top flight, essentially. Under Budge’s proposal, an additional two teams would be included in the Premiership from next season and the league would permanently have 14 sides going forward.

That means that the Gorgie club would be spared from relegation, while Championship runners-up Inverness would also find themselves promoted in somewhat unique circumstances. Partick Thistle would retain their second-tier status and would be joined by Falkirk, Stranraer would remain in League One with Edinburgh City moving up a division, while Brora Rangers and Kelty Hearts – respective champions of the Highland and Lowland Leagues – would compete in next season’s League Two.

Why has the proposal been put forward?

The three SPFL clubs that were relegated as a result of the decision to curtail the 2019/20 campaign – Hearts, Partick Thistle and Stranraer – feel that they have been treated unfairly by being demoted without having the chance to save themselves on the pitch. Brora and Kelty, meanwhile, feel aggrieved that they have been denied the opportunity to enter the professional pyramid.

How will the vote work?

Clubs have until 10am this morning to submit their ballots (stop me if you think you’ve heard this one before) and then the results will be published. It’s important to stress that this is only an indicative vote, meaning that clubs are simply giving an impression of how they would vote should a formal resolution be put forward.

In order for the vote to be successful, there are a number of thresholds that must be met. In the Premiership, 11 of the 12 clubs must vote in favour. Between the top two divisions, 17 must back the proposal and overall, 32 of the 42 SPFL members need to support the proposal.

What happens if the vote is successful?

If teams are willing to back Budge’s restructuring, then an Emergency General Meeting will be called where clubs will formally vote on a resolution. Unlike today’s vote, this would be final and if that was successful too, then the 14-10-10-10 set-up would be brought in for the 2020/21 season.

What happens if clubs reject the proposal?

In the event that reconstruction is rejected, then the new campaign will follow the usual 12-10-10-10 template. Hearts, Thistle and Stranraer will stay relegated with only the champions of each division gaining promotion.

That could spark a legal challenge from Hearts, who have previously threatened taking the SPFL to court over their relegation. The Gorgie club argue that the financial implications of demotion would result in a substantial loss of earnings and as the previous season was not played to its completion, they would be due compensation from Scottish football’s governing body.

Partick Thistle have previously stated that they have explored their legal options but decided that an unsuccessful court case could prove too costly for the club and is therefore not worth the risk. Should the proposal fail and Hearts launch a legal challenge, it is estimated that the three relegated clubs could receive around £5 million from the SPFL, with Budge’s side collecting the vast majority of the pay-out.

What way is the vote likely to go?

No one can say for sure but in all likelihood, the proposal will fail. This is primarily due to financial reasons, both within the top flight itself and the entirety of the SPFL pyramid.

Admitting an additional two clubs into the SPFL – Kelty and Brora – would result in every club getting a lesser share of prize money at the end of each season and given the current financial climate in Scottish football, teams would need to vote to make themselves worse off in order for the vote to be successful.

It is possible that some may cast their ballots altruistically, feeling sympathetic towards the plight of the three relegated clubs, but ultimately, teams are being asked to vote against their own financial interests.

In the Premiership, an expanded league would not only dilute the prize money on offer to its participants but would also increase the probability of relegation for clubs in the bottom half of the table. It is understood that a minimum of two teams would be relegated each season under the proposed format, which will likely lead to clubs that believe they will be there or thereabouts next season to reject it, and only two top-flight teams need to knock back the proposal for it to fail.