Post-split fixtures: An interview with SPL Company Secretary, Iain Blair.
scotprem.com: It's that time of year again Iain, can you explain how the fixtures are determined?
Iain Blair: The first step for us is to get agreement on the key parameters for us to work within. We have a Fixtures Working Group involving representatives from Celtic, Kilmarnock, Hearts, Hibernian, Motherwell and Rangers. Across a series of meetings last year, they reviewed the list of things we want to try and achieve and what our priorities are. The SPL Board then signed that off and gave me the authority to determine the fixtures. I receive a lot of assistance from my colleagues when preparing the fixture lists.
We also need to involve the police and our broadcast partners, Sky and ESPN. They will feed in what they want and what they want to avoid and we will try and accommodate them.
Do all clubs play 19 home games and 19 away games this season?
No. The make up of the top six this season has made this impossible. In the top six, four clubs will have played 16 games by the split. So, one of these teams had to end up with 18 home matches and this season that will be Motherwell.
The flipside to this is that in the bottom six, four clubs will have played 17 games by the split, with one of those teams needing to end up with 20 home matches. It will be Aberdeen who will play an extra home game this season.
How do you decide which club will play 20 home games and which club will play 18 home games?
There is no single answer to this one. We have to look at a combination of factors. This will include: whether the club was seeded as top six or bottom six at the beginning of the Season; minimising the number of switches; what has happened in previous seasons and the overall balance of the competition.
Will some clubs play certain opponents three times at home/once away or vice versa?
Yes. The clubs have indicated that the highest priority is to try and ensure 19 home and 19 away matches for each club. Unfortunately, to ensure this, some clubs will need to ‘gain’ one home game and some will need to ‘lose’ one to ensure balance.
What games were switched?
In the top six, Dundee United will host Rangers for a third time, while Celtic will play Motherwell for a third time at Celtic Park. Motherwell will host Hibernian for a third time also. In the bottom six, the Falkirk v St Mirren and Kilmarnock v St Johnstone games will be played for a third time.
How is it determined which games are switched?
We try and minimise the disruption. So we look to switch the fewest number of matches to achieve a 19 home/19 away balance for each club. In working on this we also try to ensure that there is no reversal of any of the derby matches.
Could this all be avoided?
The fixtures for the whole season are determined based on where the clubs finished in the league in the previous campaign. If Aberdeen had finished in the top six, at the expense of Motherwell, like they did last season then we would have had perfect balance of all clubs playing 19 games at home, 19 away, playing each of the teams in their half of the split twice at home and twice away.
Why was the Old Firm game scheduled for midweek?
This one was driven largely by the police. It is well understood that we seek to minimise the likelihood of the Old Firm derby being a title decider. The police were keen to avoid the Bank Holiday on the weekend prior to Tuesday May 4 and were similarly keen to avoid the final day of the Season. Rounds 34 and 35 were deemed to be at high risk of being a title decider and were avoided for that reason.
Why do Hibernian finish with two away games?
Normally the clubs will finish home-away or away-home. We had an unusual situation this year with Hibernian and the stadium redevelopment at Easter Road and the related floodlight issue. Whilst this was certainly not a top priority for us and Hibernian could have made floodlighting arrangements if required we were able to schedule as we have done without disruption elsewhere. We have similarly accommodated other clubs at the beginning of a Season. But an impact of this was that Hibernian finish with two away games.
Is the split worth all the hassle?
In order to accommodate a league of 12 clubs, without forcing them to play too many matches, the split is essential. It also provides additional interest in the run up to the split itself. The final five games then involve teams playing each other to chase a common objective, whether that is European qualification or to retain their SPL status by avoiding relegation. I don't think we would have seen so many final-day dramas in the last six or seven Seasons without it.
Do you see the split ever being scrapped?
It is not really a question of the split being scrapped. The split might disappear as a consequence of a different league structure being adopted. My CEO Neil Doncaster has led debate on this recently and there certainly seems to be a general mood for change and refreshment of the league structure. The challenge now is to identify what change will gain the necessary breadth of support to become reality. In the meantime I expect to be preparing fixtures for a 12-team league next year and that will involve a split after 33 fixtures.
