Derek McInnes insists the Conference League is "not for Kilmarnock".
The Rugby Park boss says there's no chance his side would think about creating a B team for the proposed new fifth-tier division, and he'd rather commit further to the Reserve League.
The Ayrshire side won the Reserve Cup this season with a mixture of first-team stars and academy products, and McInnes reckons that environment is the most valuable for youngsters coming through.
If plans for the Conference League were to go ahead it would be a 10-team league featuring four B teams and six teams from the Highland and Lowland Leagues, and it would effectively relegate over 200 tier six teams and below including the likes of Hurlford United, Darvel, Bonnyton Thistle and Auchinleck Talbot.
McInnes said: “Would be think about having a B team? It’s not for us. We’re not ready for that as a club. It’s too costly for a start.
“I can understand the bigger clubs looking for an avenue to develop players.
“I don’t know how successful the colts teams idea has been for Rangers and Celtic. Only they can quantify that.
“But personally I would still like to find the best way of having that pathway from Under-18s football to the first-team.
“I thought we had it pretty good for a long time with the reserve football and if that was taken seriously by all the clubs that could be it."
He added: "As a club we couldn’t commit to having a B team at this moment in time. It would be a whole separate operation and entity with staffing and costs.
“When we won the Reserve Cup this year it was a mixture of first-team players who weren’t playing and 18s coming up.
“We also brought one or two loan players back to play.
“There just has to be something in between 18s and first-team football. That;’s why it’s important we commits to the Reserve League next season.”
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