Scottish Football Marketing changes the game

Scotland National Team

The Scottish FA, Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), and Scottish Women’s Premier League have united to form Scottish Football Marketing.

The nation’s three bodies will oversee a centralised commercial hub that boosts the profile of their national game.

Scottish Football Marketing will look for talented and ambitious commercial professionals to be based at Hampden Park, reporting to a commercial board. The key objectives will be Scottish football’s brand awareness and increasing revenues from enhanced data collection, sponsorship and licensing for the sport.

Scottish Football Marketing is a result of SPFL’s key pillars from their strategic review, approved earlier this season. That review was driven by the late Ron Gordon of Hibernian and involved Aberdeen, Celtic, Hearts and Rangers.

There is also a process of finding a Commercial Director for Scottish Football Marketing, with applications being sorted and an announcement to follow.

Scottish FA Chief Executive Ian Maxwell said via press release:

“Scottish football offers a compelling and unpredictable narrative on the field. We believe it is time to work smarter off the field, in an increasingly competitive marketplace, to reinforce the magic of our national game.

“We have seen similar models work well in football and across sport and entertainment and want to make sure Scottish football is as attractive as possible to fans of all ages, with an offering that will be attractive to new sponsors and partners.”

SPFL Chief Executive Neil Doncaster added via press release:

“During the pandemic, the whole of Scottish football worked in unison and the daily meetings of the Joint Response Group were vital in ensuring that clubs emerged intact from the huge challenges posed by Covid.

“That model, bringing together the considerable resources, skills, and energy of the entire sport, showed how much more we can achieve when we all pull together.

“The SPFL recently announced record turnover and record fees returned to our 42 clubs. The creation of Scottish Football Marketing gives the game a major strategic advantage in developing new and attractive commercial propositions which will, in turn, further increase revenues for the benefit of fans and clubs alike.

“Ron Gordon was a driving force of the Scottish Football Marketing project and we hope its creation will be a legacy of his all-too-short time in Scottish football.”

SWPL Managing Director Fiona McIntyre said as per statement:

“The SWPL has come a long way in a very short space of time, and underpinning this early progress has been a culture of collaboration across SWPL clubs, the SPFL, and the Scottish FA. In our first season of existence, we have already created record-breaking partnerships with Sky Sports, BBC Scotland, BBC ALBA and Mitre.

“Scottish Football Marketing is an innovative and exciting development for Scottish football and our involvement will further strengthen elite women’s football in Scotland – and accelerate the growth of the women’s game in this country.”

Scottish Football Marketing is an ambitious step from the SPFL, one that unites all key decision makers and aligns future promotion opportunities both in their homeland and abroad.

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Football Victoria roll out PlayFootball 2.0 for 2025

Football Victoria and Cleaning Melbourne

Football Victoria has launched PlayFootball v2.0, delivering a comprehensive upgrade to its national registration platform for clubs, players and referees nationwide in 2025.

The modernised system introduces significant improvements, headlined by a complete interface overhaul prioritising accessibility and efficiency for all stakeholders.

The platform’s user-centric design promises to streamline administrative processes across all levels of the sport.

Key enhancements to PlayFootball 2.0 will allow for a modern player and official identification system that will include a sophisticated reporting module.

A notable addition is the integrated Working with Children Check workflow, reinforcing Football Australia’s commitment to child safety protocols.

Football Victoria is spearheading the transition by offering comprehensive training programmes, with both face-to-face and virtual sessions available to club administrators and association officials.

These sessions have been specifically designed to ensure optimal utilisation of the platform’s enhanced capabilities.

Football Victoria Chief Executive Officer Chris Pehlivanis has spoken on this new update and how they see it as crucial for enhancing the footballing experience for participants and clubs.

“We are looking forward to participants having a streamlined registration process while simplifying administration for our Clubs from 2025. FV will work closely with Clubs to ensure they are well supported through the transition and familiar with the benefits of the new system,” he said via press release.

A crucial update to the registration process will require participants to settle both Football Australia and Football Victoria Governing Body Regulation Fees at the point of registration through PlayFootball v2.0.

To help participants adjust to the change, however, PlayFootball is offering 4 different payment models:

  • All Fees Upfront: Club and Regulation fees paid online at the point of registration
  • Regulation Fees Upfront: FA and FV fees paid online at the point of registration
  • Scheduled Payment: FA, FV, Association and the first portion (¼) of the club fee is paid online at the point of registration
  • Subsidised Payment: Club subsidises payment and pays for Governing Body fees on the participant’s behalf at the point of registration

Player eligibility is rewarded upon the successful payment of these governing body fees.

This new program was tested by inviting four Associations, including 34 Clubs and 4,839 players to attend feedback sessions with FV and FA and beta test the new platform.

The invitation for Clubs to explore the What’s Changing Playbook has opened and for further information on all the changes coming to PlayFootball v2.0.

The platform’s updated rollout represents a significant milestone in Football Australia’s ongoing digitalisation strategy, aimed at reducing administrative burden whilst improving service delivery across the football community.

Melbourne Victory joins forces with RUBIX

Melbourne Victory has confirmed RUBIX will continue to operate as the club’s official data partner for the 2024/25 season. The collaboration follows a prosperous first year between the club and RUBIX.

RUBIX is a prominent Melbourne based data company, with offices across Australia and the US. The company has worked for high profile clients such as the Victorian State Government, Australia Post, Telstra and more.

RUBIX has successfully delivered over 350 projects for leading Top 50 companies, rapidly expanding FinTech and software firms.

The company was also a back-to-back SmartCompany award winner in 2022 and 2021 and earned a CRN Fast50 award in 2020.

RUBIX will aide Melbourne Victory’s growth and fan engagement strategies using the company’s knowledge in statistics, data technology, analysis, and artificial intelligence.

Melbourne Victory Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, warmly welcomed RUBIX via press release.

“We’re thrilled to have RUBIX on board as the Club’s Official Data Partner for a second season,” she said.

“Their world-leading solutions have already offered incredible insights across our operations, and we’re excited to leverage their tools further to help Melbourne Victory grow and engage more deeply with our fans and community.”

Head of Marketing and Brand at RUBIX, Kathryn Smith, also expressed her eagerness for the collaboration.

“This partnership with Melbourne Victory continues to be a fantastic opportunity for us to support one of Melbourne’s most iconic sporting teams with data-driven insights and technology,” she said via press release.

“We look forward to using our innovative solutions to help the Club drive growth, enhance fan engagement, and deliver a richer experience for supporters.”

Together, Melbourne Victory and RUBIX will continue to analyse and adopt new initiatives to improve experiences for fans and drive the club further then ever before.

Through the collaboration, Melbourne Victory will hope to build off of a successful 2023/2024 season, which saw the club reach the A-League Men’s Grand Final.

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