 Livingston chairman Pearse Flynn is a leading advocate for change |
Only half of Scotland's First Division clubs support the proposed breakaway SPL2, BBC Sport understands. In an anonymous poll of the 10 clubs, five said they would definitely support the move to be discussed on Thursday.
Livingston, Dundee, Clyde and Hamilton Academical have been vocal supporters of the breakaway league.
A working party set up to discuss the best way forward for the Scottish Football league will present its findings to a meeting of all 30 clubs.
It follows an invitation by the Scottish Premier League, which wants to create a 10-team second tier from summer 2008.
And a recent report from accountants PKF criticised the organisation of the SFL.
But the breakaway group must achieve a two-thirds majority among the 30 clubs to avoid having to give a two-year notice period for withdrawing from the SFL.
And Livingston chairman Pearse Flynn admits that the chances of the meeting voting in favour of SPL2 are slim.
"People do not realise how poor the divisions are financially," he complained.
"If we don't get change - we are trying to go through the democratic process - then we may need a revolution."
 Half of the 10 First Division clubs support plans for an SPL2 |
The working party report suggests that a re-organisation of the present SFL and improved marketing, combined with the retiral of secretary Peter Donald, would create a potential saving of �235,000.
This would result in a slightly higher average payout to the clubs, with those in Division One rising from �79,000 to up to �99,300.
The working party concluded that, with SPL2, the average payout would rise to about �199,000.
But advocates of SPL2 claim that, because potential sponsors are waiting in the wings, clubs who break away would be four times better off financially than in the present Division One.
The payments to clubs in the other two divisions would remain about the same.
Another hurdle for the breakaway group is the present dispute between the SFL and SPL about how the existing compensation payment from the top tier would be redistributed.
Among its recommendations, to be put before the clubs at Hampden, the working party requests that:
Play-offs be introduced between the four top clubs in Division One for the one promotion place to the Scottish Premier League. Present SFL funds be distributed as present, 75% equally among the 30 clubs and 25% on merit. Any additional income, from whatever source, be distributed 55% to Division One clubs, 33% to Division Two and 12% to Division Three. The SFL management committee enters arbitration through the Scottish Football Association into their settlement agreement dispute with the SPL. The SFL enters into discussions with the SPL about the practicalities of creating an SPL2.
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Interview: Livingston chairman Pearse Flynn