Scottish Footballs Costly Gatekeeping: The 10,000 Seater Rule 

The bit about Falkirk being unable to build a fourth stand because of a "disaster zone" is an urban myth. It's down to finance (and demand).

I remember when Aberdeen were bottom that season, and was relieved there was a rule they could not go down, and did not feel guilty as the rule was already known, but ironically Aberdeen helped allow Inverness up. But I feel sorry for Falkirk there, so hope they win promotion again. As they are a big club.

Clubs prefer to sell out 3,000 than have a half-empty 8,000. In general, the larger the stadium the more expensive it is to maintain. It isn't always a case of "build it and they will come".

Nothing about Partick Thistle? Had to build an extra stand and then got relegated even though Inverness didn't meet the criteria set at the start of that season.

Brockville was way better a match day experience than the new stadium, even though the ultras have transformed the atmosphere this season. The 2002/03 Falkirk team was probably the best side we have had in my lifetime. But in a vote of pure self interest they kept Motherwell up after a meeting at Hampden. I was the only Falkirk fan there that night and I gave them a piece of my mind as they crawled out like the weasels they were.

Setting up clubs to fail by having them overspend on their stadia isn't a productive way to operate a football pyramid. The Premiership cabal and the SFA ought to be ashamed of their deleterious policies. The fact is that Rangers and Celtic skew income in their own favour just by existing. Not that it makes much difference when it comes to the European Cup. Making everyone construct larger grounds just for four visits per season by the old firm is financially non sustainable. But then, the more videos of yours that I watch, the more convinced I am that everything is run purely for Celtic and Rangers. 😊❤❤❤😊

You miss out entirely my team Partick Thistle who did build the 10,000 seats at Firhill so we could be promoted. Of course this left the club completely skint so they could not afford a team worthy of the top division. The SPL (aka the Self Preservation League) then changed the rules part way through season 2003-04 so Inverness could be promoted with a ground share at Aberdeen and Partick Thistle could be relegated. You would think that changing the rules part way through a competition should be against any kind of serious governance or reasonable standard of treatment of participating clubs - not in Scottish football! Partick Thistle went down through two relegations as the club had to be financially bailed out by the fans and took a decade to recover from this debacle.

Nit-picking - in 1994, it would have been the Scottish Office, rather than the Scottish Government.

It does make sense for there to be some minimum capacity, but this should be set at a level where the club has a realistic chance of selling out the stadium. Think of derby matches or when Rangers or Celtic come and bring large away fans. So if a team only gets a regular attendance of 2,000 fans perhaps requiring them to have a capacity of 4 or 5 thousand would be appropriate rather than 10,000. I would also review allowing terrace standing again. Terracing works well across the lower leagues across Britain. Just make sure there's enough crush barriers and a really safe capacity level so a club couldn't over pack stands like in the old days.

I've really enjoyed all of your videos so far bro

When Inverness Caledonian Thistle won the title they were forced to share grounds with Aberdeen meanwhile Partick Thistle went down and failed appeal

Your videos are brilliant mate, You’re definitely one of my favourite creators. Keep up the great work 😊

Great channel 👌🏻 keep up the good work

Just like the Rugby Union Premiership. Caused the demise of London Welsh, London Irish and Jersey.

Rugby union in England has the same 10,000 capacity. The rule was because if the stadium is over 10,000 the local council is in charge of the match day security and not the league. It’s a cost and liable decision.

Good vid Callum, I hope Ur channel goes FM strength 2 strength

Great videos maté really enjoy them

Fyi ibrox was turned into modern ibrox after the disaster in 71....the old east and west enclosures, remained standing to 94 when seats were added. It already held 45k till then...a 3rd of what it did in the past

Ibrox Stadium wasn't all seater until 1994 when the East and West Enclosure was converted to seating (Bottom tier of the main stand)

The 10k rule was ridiculous but the 6k rule is almost as bad. Most clubs below the top flight, and even some in it, struggle to get 5,000 unless the visitors are Rangers or Celtic. The rule is a restriction that should not be in place in a sport where teams should be allowed to achieve top flight status on merit. Which it is… unless they don’t meet certain criteria of course, which is tantamount to a “closed shop” - the same can be said about the plans to prevent clubs with artificial grass surfaces getting into the top flight. Most if nit all the top flight clubs train on artificial grass so why should they try to block it? I don’t like artificial grass but if having such a surface helps a club survive long term then THAT should be the reason to allow it.

We have a different legal system so the Taylor report and subsequent legislation were only in relation to England and Wales and we have never had a legal requirement for all seater stadiums in the top flight in Scotland.

Wondering why the video ever described the story of how The SPL changed the rules to allow ground sharing at the end of the season when Falkirk wasn't allowed then went to a SPL clubs votung on the mater, they voted first in favour of not ground sharing and then said they didn't count the vote correctly its onlt 12 votes, then the next hugely swung it towards ground sharing, Partick Thistle lost out and got demoted by the Thistle board at the time said they couldn't afford the legal fees to take it to court at the time

Falkirk got done. All decent football fans know this.

Deffo get rid of the plastic pitch merchants, dont need that in our game.

Unfortunately some Scottish clubs are also hampered by having the worst playing surfaces known to mankind. Ban the plastic pitches.

I never thought about cause I watched Celtic at Hampden in 1994 obviously their only stand held less than 10 k

Maybe it is time for smaller clubs to be allowed to have safe standing areas. It is far cheaper to introduce than all seater stands as old terraces could be easily converted. It should not be allowed in stadia with capacities in excess of 20,000 as a couple of big clubs could well be tempted to convert modern seated stands in safe standing areas as a cheap way of squashing in more paying customers.

No such thing as the scottish government in 1994 it was the scotland office. All seaters are a good thing the 10k min was a joke however...more clubs need to ground share if they are close together...looking at dundee here...plastic pitches need to be banned

If you still think Hillsborough was an accident...

If meadowbank does not have a bronze licence how is it allowed to be used by Edinburgh City?

Completely fucking idiotic when the rule was in place. Airdrie have a 10k seater stadium - LOLLLLLL. When on earth will they come close to filling it?? Should be a in a 5,000 seat set-up at most. Add other small clubs to the list who never come close - Raith, St J, Killie etc.

4:05 the rangers have also never been relegated

3:24 - There was NO such thing as a "Scottish Government" in 1994. Ergo the rest of your opinion on show here is null and void. Check the basics, son.

There are a load of clubs with just Entry licences, not just Edinburgh City. C'mon man, this is all on the SFA website.

If they can't fill a 10,000 stadium then they shouldn't be in the top flight. Too many have no support, Livingston, Ross County etc they are dragging the standards down.

Plastic pitches should be banned

There are far too many teams in Scotland

I think a minimum stadium capacity rule should be around 5-6k, which most Championship and a few League 1 teams should manage. If terracing can be managed safely then it should be allowed (although I imagine the police and council politics might make it tough), and most teams should be looking to add safe standing

Hiya Callum, when you were talking about the lowest crowd in SPL Gretna V Inverness, what I thought was the game between Arbroath V Cowdenbeath on the 18th December 2000, I think its the lowest crowd ever, the grand total of 44 attended that game, I thought it was a misprint I thought it was 440, but I looked in another newspaper and that paper said 44, I enjoy your content Callum, this is Choppy in Whitehaven, Cumbria, England

Quite a few "facts" wrong in this video. Scottish Government was not formed until 1999 so had no part to play in 10000 seater rule.

Great video, as an English football fan I love finding out about the Scottish game, feel a bit embarrassed not to know it already

Aberdeen weren't saved from relegation because of Falkirks stadium because they would of likely beaten Falkirk in the playoffs anyway

No Scottish Government in '94. Not sure who made the rule, but it wouldn't be until '99 that the scottish parliament opened.

Aberdeen, and their fans, are probably the only club that think this rule was fine and dandy 😐

That old Ibrox seating color looks weird. Luckily they changed to all blue

In 1994 it was the Uk government, the Scottish government didn't happen until 1999

The more gatekeeping the better, this is blaming the wrong thing for a bad thing.

The hysel stadium disaster was not all down to hooliganism the stadium had been neglected for years and was already crumbling both teams Liverpool and juventus wanted the game played at a different stadium

Good video, apart from several inaccuracies... including, but not exclusive to... - Ibrox becoming "an all-seater stadium in 1988" (it was redeveloped from 1978-1981 with three new all-seated stands, but with a standing terrace under the main stand that remained until the early 1990s) - There being a "Scottish Government" in 1994 (the devolved Scottish Executive wasn't formed until 1999, and although it had been renamed to the "Scottish Government" in 2007, the term wasn't recognised in law until 2012) - "Two clubs have never been relegated from Scottish football's top-flight, Celtic and Aberdeen" is also incorrect. (other clubs have went bust without being relegated, with some clubs with a previously used name having later been promoted to the top-flight) I didn't know about Bronze-status stadia though, so that was another interesting tidbit