SPL approves ground-sharing

Murrayfield will soon play host to SPL football

The Scottish Premier League has given the go-ahead to ground-sharing proposals made by several clubs.

Hearts will now play at Murrayfield, while Dundee and Dundee United could share the Terrors' Tannadice stadium.

If promoted, Clyde have been told they can play at Kilmarnock's Rugby Park while Falkirk will be allowed to turn out at Dunfermline's East End Park.

The agreements are subject to legally binding contracts, which must be in place by 30 May.

Hearts' plans to move to the home of Scottish rugby have been hugely controversial, with a further public demonstration against the move taking place outside the SPL meeting at Hampden.

But that move now seems certain to go ahead for the beginning of next season.

Clyde and Inverness Caley Thistle both had applications for extensions to the deadline for meeting stadium criteria turned down.

But the news that First Division leaders Clyde will be allowed to ground-share with Kilmarnock appears to sound the death knell for Partick Thistle's SPL tenure.

Thistle, 13 points adrift at the bottom of the league, had threatened to take legal action if the SPL changed its rules, but they only issued a short statement on their official website following Tuesday's decision.

Clubs are only allowed one register ground in any one season SPL executive chairman Lex Gold

"Partick Thistle will now digest the outcome of (the) meeting and will make a statement at the appropriate time," it read.

"That statement is unlikely to be issued today (Tuesday)."

Last year's First Division champions Falkirk were denied promotion because the SPL was not comfortable with their ground-sharing plans with Airdrie United.

Existing rules state that each club is required to have a 10,000-capacity all-seated stadium with undersoil heating, but the current criteria are to be re-assessed.

Dundee's request for the SPL to waive the rules on installing undersoil heating was rejected, further reason for them to ground-share at Tannadice.

It was also confirmed that the live television deal with Setanta would go ahead after due diligence was carried out on the pay-per-view company, while an as-yet un-named terrestrial broadcaster has bid for rights to televise highlights.

The possibility of doing away with the split that takes place after 33 games in the SPL was also discussed and will be considered at the next meeting.