THE final hurdle facing the 10 breakaway clubs was finally cleared yesterday when they officially retired from the Scottish Football League at the body's annual general meeting, held inside Scotland's national stadium, Hampden Park.
The representatives from the nine former premier-division clubs, plus newly promoted Dundee, tendered their resignation from the league and walked out of the meeting, in doing so beginning a new era for Scottish football.
Speaking on behalf of the break-away clubs after the meeting, Rangers director/secretary Campbell Ogilvie, who had for years been vociferously in favour of such a move, insisted that the historic step would prove to be a positive one for Scottish football at all levels promising: ''The new Premier League will bring in initiatives aimed at moving the game ahead. We start now to make progress.
''It is a historic day. The new Premier League is starting now. It has been a long time to get here but this is it. We start now with immediate effect to make progress both on the commercial and the football front.''
Ogilvie was quick to point out, however, that both the SFL and SFA still have important roles to play in the new set-up's formative years. ''We will be working closely with both the League and the SFA for it will be league clubs who will join us and we have already said that in two years time the Premier League will be increased by a minimum of two clubs.
''On the commercial side, our committee is making progress and negotiations are continuing both on titles and television rights. We will be issuing a statement within a few weeks when the fans will be able to see the progress we have made and will be able to judge the innovations we will be making.
''We will be bringing in new ideas to move the game ahead - ideas like the emphasis on youth.''
Not everyone, though, is completely convinced of the new Premier League's intentions, with doubters, even from within the 10 breakaway clubs, raising concern for the future, highlighting the fact that, as yet, there are no concrete offers on a television contract, sponsorship, trackside advertising, or even a registered official body to take over from the Scottish League.
One member of a Premier League side, who preferred not to be identified, said: ''If I have a dispute in the morning who do I turn to. I can't turn to the league now.''
Another added: ''What happens to the registration of players? Presumably we cannot use the Scottish League form, for it could be challenged in the courts as we are not a member of the league. But we don't have our own forms.''
Ogilvie, though, was more positive about the timing of the breakaway, adding: ''The bottom line is that if we had not done this and started this off a year ago there would have been people at this meeting today wanting to talk about change.
''I do emphasise that although money has been most talked about, the football issues will be addressed. We have a committee at this moment looking into all aspects - we are looking at a league of 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and at playing each other four times, three times, twice, at a two-tiered league. Everything that can be thought off will be looked at.
''But in the end it will be up to the clubs themselves to decide on what is accepted - and we have promised that this must be done by December.''
Fresh from their AGM, the Scottish League confirmed that they are ready to battle with the new breakaway league for television coverage, indicating that they are hoping to attract terrestrial stations to show games from the first division in particular next season.
The new president of the SFL, Jim Oliver, of Partick Thistle, who was voted into the job as the premier clubs walked out on the league said: ''Our target from this moment is to get our own television and commercial deals up and running.
''I know that last season there was little first division football, for example, on television, but we have got to look at this. We know the premier clubs are playing hardball with Sky and hoping to get their own deal. We have got to hope they are sufficiently avaricious that they leave the field clear for us to talk to terrestrial television companies.
''We had a deal going with Sky for the League Cup, but the premier clubs stopped that as they thought it was too low a benchmark.
The decimated Scottish League will now run with three divisions of 10 and both Oliver and secretary Peter Donald confirmed that neither Livingston nor Clydebank had been in contact over their proposed merger.
''That means Clydebank remain in the first division and Livingston the second as far as we are concerned,'' said Oliver.
Donald added: ''We are pre-paring our fixture list on the understanding that both clubs will be playing next season, and as time goes on it makes it more difficult for any change.''
Also at the meeting, Ayr owner Bill Barr was voted in as the new league vice-president, with Ber-wick's Tom Davidson treasurer.
The first division representatives are Stuart Gilmour of St Mirren and Rod Petrie of Hibs.
John Smith of Stirling Albion and Bill Hunter of Livingston represent the second, and Terry Bulloch of Stenhousemuir and Tom Davidson the third division.
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