Why Scottish football needs a 20–team shake-up

A Rangers supporter argues that Scottish football’s structure is holding back youth development, ambition and investment, and lays out a 20–team model that could breathe life into the whole pyramid.

Scottish football is crying out for change, and nowhere is that clearer than in the way we develop young players. The current league structure, built around small divisions and repetitive fixtures, is not doing enough to help youth or to encourage real ambition across the SPFL.

A 20–team top flight and a proper Championship

The basic idea is simple. Instead of the current setup, move to a 20–team top division where everyone plays each other twice. Mirror that with a 20–team Championship, again playing each other twice. At the end of the season, four clubs would be relegated from the top flight and four promoted from the Championship, with two of those places decided by play-offs.

That kind of structure would immediately change the rhythm of the season. You would have a clearer pyramid, a bigger league and more variety in opponents instead of seeing the same sides four times a year. Crucially, you would also have a proper incentive system at both ends of the table, with more clubs genuinely having something on the line.

Room to develop young players

One of the biggest benefits of a larger top flight is that it should naturally create a wider range of fixtures. Not every game would be a high-stakes six-pointer, and that matters when you are trying to blood academy graduates. Managers are far more likely to throw in a young player when there is a bit of breathing space in the fixture list.

For Rangers, that is a massive point. Supporters constantly talk about giving youth a chance, but in a tight, unforgiving league with the same old opponents and the same pressure points, managers often default to experience. A 20–team division would not magically solve that, but it would offer more opportunities to manage minutes, rotate and actually play youngsters instead of just talking about them.

Helping smaller clubs grow and invest

A bigger league could also help so-called lesser clubs by opening up more fixtures, more gates and potentially more broadcast value spread across a wider set of games. That extra revenue would not turn anyone into instant challengers, but it could be enough to improve infrastructure, facilities and coaching setups.

If more clubs can afford to invest in their academies and training grounds, the whole Scottish game benefits. Rangers and Celtic would still be expected to dominate, but they would be facing better organised, better prepared opposition, and more Scottish youngsters would be getting minutes at a decent level across the country.

Ending fixture stagnation and raising ambition

Playing each team four times every season has bred a real sense of stagnation. Supporters know the pattern, managers know the pattern and it becomes harder to be adventurous when every mistake is amplified over so many head-to-heads. A larger league with fewer meetings per opponent would naturally push sides to be a bit more open and attacking, without the fear of constantly facing the same rival just round the corner.

It also speaks to ambition. Under the current structure, it is easy to see why some investors might ask what the ceiling really is for clubs outside Rangers and Celtic. If the realistic aim is an occasional domestic cup win, how exciting is that in the long term? A broader, more competitive league with more movement between divisions would at least offer the sense that there is something to aspire to, whether that is European football, a serious push up the table or a genuine crack at troubling the duopoly.

None of this is a magic fix, and there would be practical hurdles in moving to a 20–team system. But if Scottish football is serious about youth development, improving standards and giving clubs something bigger to chase, then a bold structural rethink should be on the table. Rangers News Views aims to give supporters honest, thoughtful coverage without the usual rumour mill, and the debate around league reform is exactly where that honesty is needed most.

Written by Kipbear 4 12 2025