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.
