The Lanarkshire club could end up higher up in the Scottish football pyramid
Joe Pryce says it was money well spent for Rutherglen Glencairn to work towards an SFA License while other clubs bought players – because it could lead to promotion to the Lowland League.
A proposal has been put forward to split the Lowland League into East and West divisions, alongside the Highland League, and appears to be based on clubs who have their license, meaning that some in the West of Scotland First Division can leapfrog over those in the Premier League.
Should East Kilbride gain promotion to League Two via the pyramid play-off, it has been mooted that promotion-chasing Glencairn could potentially take their place in Lowland League West.
While Pryce has sympathy for Premier clubs that could miss out, he says Glencairn worked hard to achieve their status.
He also made it clear that Glens are fully focused on promotion from the West of Scotland First Division
Co-boss Pryce said: “We’ve all heard something, but we’re all hearing different things. It’s all just a proposal at the moment, it’s nothing concrete, and it could swing both ways.
“There are teams in the Premier Division who might miss out, because they don’t have a license.
“Everybody has their own hat on from their own club, and is looking on it from their own perspective.
“I understand the teams in the top division who don’t have their license, because I know how hard it is to get the license.
“I know how hard our committee worked, in order to get that, and how much time, effort and finance went in to getting that.
READ MORE: East Kilbride boss Mick Kennedy brands Lowland League proposals ‘farcical’READ MORE: Premiership shake-up as SPFL plans 10-team top flight
“Our club did that, at times it was to the detriment of the playing squad, because we couldn’t have money to spend on Player ‘X’ or ‘Y’, because we had to spend it on the facilities, for the ground.
“That’s what we did, whereas other clubs have just been spending money on players and have not bothered with their license – that’s up to them, to do what they want.
“We made the choice that we were going for the license, and any money that was there would go on upgrading facilities round about the stadium, in order that we could get that.
“We think we did the right thing. But it’s still a proposal
at the moment, we’ve just got to concentrate on trying to get ourselves promoted from this division, and whatever happens after that, happens.”
Pryce says the only question is whether the split comes in season 2025/26 or the one after.
He said: “I think it’s definitely going to come in, but it’s when it’s going to start, and then they’ve got to decide on whether it’s finishing positions in the league, if you like.
“If a team is being promoted, you need to get a boost from it, and get promoted into a top division.
“Does it mean there’s no relegation from the top league, is that the way it’s going to work, now?
“There still has to be some sort of jeopardy, because if there’s no relegation from one league, and no promotion from another, then basically the season has been a waste of time.
“You still have to have relegation and promotion, and then decide on it from there – in my opinion. I think it’s definitely going to come in, I think they’re just deciding ‘when’ and wherever we are, we’ll just get on with it.”