North Atlantic League Cup

How about a North Atlantic League Cup, between the top 4 sides of each of the Dutch, Belgian, Scottish and Portuguese Football Leagues? 

So, the top four sides from each league.

20 years-ago people put forward the idea of a North Atlantic League. I prefer the best of both worlds where we keep our own domestic leagues, and our own biggest domestic sides in our own leagues. But on top of that have cross border cups. This way it is the best of both worlds. Where the big teams from Scotland, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Belgium play each other.

On top of domestic and European football games. 

This would mean a sixteen-side trophy. 

The idea would be a group stage trophy. Four groups, of four teams. With each team in each group playing each team in their group home and away. With the top two teams in each group qualifying for a single leg knockout tournament. 

There could be one team from each country in each group. 

This would mean big sides like Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, Porto, Feyenoord, Anderlecht, Club Brugge, Standard Liege, Sporting Lisbon, Benfica, Glasgow Celtic, Glasgow Rangers, Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs, Utrecht, Dundee United, competing to play in the trophy.

This would mean six games in the group stage for each team. Plus four single leg knockout rounds including the final. So a maximum of 10 games for the two finalists. 

The single leg final would be played at one of the participating teams stadiums. 

This way you do not have tens of thousands of fans travelling to a neutral venue. Or even worse the stadium being empty, because of fans not being prepared to travel.

To do this we would have to cut down on games in the domestic leagues. But this would be possible. So cut the number of teams in each domestic league. It would benefit all the teams participating with attendances, sponsorship and tv revenue. 

But the problem is that it would lead of more global warming. As it would mean teams travelling long distances to Portugal from Scotland and vice versa.

I would prefer a cross border cup for Scotland with English, Welsh and Irish sides, but the English might claim they are too big for that. And the big Welsh sides are part of the English League system.

I do not support Scottish sides joining the English League, as I want Scotland to have their own League, with the biggest Scottish clubs remaining in the Scottish League. Unless a European Super League is formed. Then I would want Scottish sides to qualify for a European Super League.

For instance in Scotland. The league could be increased to 16 teams, with teams playing each other twice a season, that creates a 30 game season. Taking 8 games away from the league, resulting in room for the extra games in the North Atlantic League Cup.

The remaining teams in the Scottish Premier that do not play in the North Atlantic League Cup could play their own Scottish Premier Cup to make up games for their loss of league games.