Livingston boss David Martindale says he’d love to have a B team playing in the senior system but warns current Conference League plans to parachute four such teams into a new fifth tier is ‘elitism’.
Under proposals currently being discussed by Scottish FA members, a new Conference League could arrive for the 2024/25 season and sit just below League Two.
It would feature four B teams from Premiership clubs - Aberdeen, Celtic, Hearts and Rangers - along with three clubs from both the Highland and Lowland leagues. The Premiership clubs would pay £100,000 each to be involved while the B teams would also be exempt from promotion and relegation.
If the plans are voted through it would effectively relegate all teams below the new fifth tier, which currently includes 12 West Lothian sides.
The Livi boss admitted he has no issues with the idea of B teams being in the senior pyramid system but believes they should start at the bottom and work their way up.
Speaking to the West Lothian Courier, he said: “I think we need to be very careful about elitism in this game. So if you’ve got money you can play in the Conference League? First and foremost for me, that’s wrong.
“I think it’s to the detriment of the teams currently in tiers five and below just now. It seems unfair.”
He added: “I understand the rationale behind it and I’d love a B team playing senior men’s football but I’d put them in the lowest division in the East of Scotland and they can work their way up.
“For me, that’s the way the pathway should work. I think B teams are a good idea but the pathway is there and already in place. It's getting 16+ years of age kids playing in men's football which has got to be good for their development but there's a way to do it.
"It should be about sporting integrity and sporting performance."
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