Planned Scottish Lowland Football League rejig now set to go ahead in 2026

Club representatives voted in favour of expanding the fifth-tier league from 18 teams to 32 or 34 and splitting it into two tables of 16, one for the east of the country and the other for the west, at their annual general meeting last week, with that change due to come into effect ahead of the 2025/26 season, rather than next term as first planned.

Fairydean and 13 of the 15 other clubs eligible to vote backed that reorganisation proposal 14-1 at their AGM at Glasgow’s Celtic Park, with Falkirk’s East Stirlingshire abstaining and only Motherwell’s Caledonian Braves voting against, so it will now go to the Scottish Football Association for rubber-stamping by their board later this month.

That turns the coming season into a transition period without fear of relegation to the East of Scotland Football League or West of Scotland Football League’s premier divisions, as faced by Fairydean and Broomhill right up until the end of last term, with the latter, since disbanded, eventually going down by virtue of a goal difference eight worse after ending up tied on 31 points from 34 fixtures.

The top end of the table will remain competitive, however, with the Lowland League’s champions, or highest-placed non-Scottish Premiership colts in the event of Celtic B or Heart of Midlothian B ending up on top, still going on to face their Scottish Highland Football League opposite numbers in a play-off in a bid to follow East Kilbride up to the Scottish Professional Football League’s league two.

The season after is set to see the Lowland League split into two parts each made up of 16 full member clubs, plus Celtic B in the west and Hearts B in the east if they decide to continue as guest participants.

Assuming that they miss out on promotion, Fairydean would be joined in the new east league by fellow current Lowland League clubs Berwick Rangers, Bonnyrigg Rose, Bo’ness United, East Stirlingshire, Linlithgow Rose, Broxburn Athletic, Edinburgh’s Civil Service Strollers, Cowdenbeath, Tranent and Stirling University, plus Hearts B, and five or six teams from the EoSFL premier division and Scottish Junior Football Association East Region Premiership, depending on whether Brechin City are able to make it back up to league two from the Scottish Highland Football League next term.

That rejig gives last season’s EoSFL premier division champions, Musselburgh Athletic, another chance of going up after losing out to Clydebank, their WoSFL opposite numbers, in this year’s sixth-tier promotion play-off.

Other clubs likely to be in the mix include Hill of Beath Hawthorn, Jeanfield Swifts, Dunipace and Haddington Athletic.

Elevation to one of the two new Lowland Leagues would be dependent on possession of an SFA entry licence and compliance with financial fair play rules.

Fairydean’s most recent competitive meeting with one of their possible new rivals was a 5-2 second-round South Region Challenge Cup knockout at Musselburgh in October 2022, with Lewis Grant and Marc Berry netting for Rovers and Jackson Barker at the double, Matty Knox and Aaron Murrell, assisted by an own goal, scoring for their hosts.

They’ve played the East Lothian outfit again since, losing a pre-season friendly at home to them at Netherdale Stadium last July by 4-1, with Jordan Smith, a trialist, Barker and ex-Rovers striker Nicky Reid scoring for the visitors and Kieran Dolan on target for Rovers.

The forthcoming east and west leagues are to be overseen by Lowland League officials, currently chaired by Thomas Brown, also Fairydean’s vice-chairman.

Next year’s expansion and two-way split will be the biggest shake-up in the 12-year history of the league, created in 2013 in a dozen-team format with Vale of Leithen, Fairydean and Selkirk among its founder members.

Vale joined from the EoSFL’s premier division and the other two sets of Borderers from its first division, the former following a reversal of their 1907 split into Gala Fairydean and Gala Rovers.

It expanded to 14 teams the year after, to 15 in 2015, 16 in 2016, 17 in 2020, 18 in 2021 and 19 in 2022 before going back to 18 in 2023.

See also …

https://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/sport/football/gala-fairydean-rovers-midfielder-keaghan-jacobs-facing-betting-scam-allegation-5155455

and …

https://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/sport/football/gala-fairydean-rovers-up-against-new-faces-and-old-acquaintances-next-football-season-5152176