LOCAL junior clubs have spoken out against proposals by District League team Whitletts Victoria for a shake up of junior football.

The Ayr team are planning to put up motions to the SJFA AGM in June for 16-team Premier and First Divisions and a new Western League.

This motion, if agreed, would see the West Region divided into four divisions - each comprising16 clubs from the start of 2018/19 season.

The top two divisions would accommodate the top 32 clubs with clubs playing across the West Region area in the Superleague Premier Division and the Superleague First Division.

The bottom two divisions would be regionalised into the Western League, which would feature Ayrshire and Central League area clubs and the Central League with the top two clubs from each division promoted to the Super League First Division. Clubs relegated from the Superleague First Division would be placed in either the Western League or the Central League depending on their geography

Should the league change be agreed, the Ayrshire League Cup would also be abolished and replaced by the Western League Cup. This would be played on a knockout basis and comprise all 24 current Ayrshire clubs plus Arthurlie, Benburb, Greenock, Renfrew, Neilston, Johnstone Burgh, St Anthony’s and Port Glasgow. All remaining Central area clubs would contest the Central League Cup.

Vics are also calling for an advanced fixture list.

The proposals will be discussed at Thursday night's SJFA monthly meeting and could then go to a vote at the Scottish Junior FA AGM in June.

Vics Secretary John Dalton said: "Over the past few months the committee at Whitletts Victoria have been deliberating possibilities as to how we think the product of junior football can be improved on and off the park and how more money can be brought into the junior game.

"As a result we are contemplating putting forward three motions to this seasons AGM concerning league reorganisation, a new format for the League Cups and a change to the way that fixtures are produced."

Annbank United secretary Scott Taylor is against the cup and league restructure which would see Ayrshire clubs in a league with Central League area teams."

He said: "There would be a lot of travel involved for district league clubs - can you imagine Craigmark travelling to Johnstone Burgh? So I would be against the new league. But I feel the Ayrshire League Cup is a waste of time and we often have games three days a week. We would still have the Scottish, West of Scotland and Ayrshire Weekly Press Cup."

He is for the proposal for a fixture list, however and said: "That would be a good idea as we don't know one Saturday who are playing the next week."

However he wants to see summer football introduced and said: "I would prefer that we played from March to November as people would much rather watch games at that time of year."

Craigmark Burntonians secretary David Conway can see benefits and drawbacks.

He said: "A new league might be more competitive which we would welcome and it could be beneficial if there are more games, but the travelling could be expensive. Our closest club are Whitletts in Ayr."

Added Conway: "The fixtures secretary has an unenviable task- it's difficult to set games in advance."

Maybole secretary Alex Meek is also sceptical of change and said: "I must admit I haven't studied the proposals in detail. But travel would be expensive if we merged the leagues."

Troon secretary Sharon McSkimming said: "We have still to discuss the proposals."