SPFL turns attention to Japan and South Korea market in broadcast extension

Avatar
SPFL broadcast extension

The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) announced they have signed multi-year extensions to its broadcast agreements with the BBC and Infront.

Through its international TV rights agency, it will allow matches to be shown in Japan and South Korea as part of the overseas agreement.

The BBC’s rights will continue to cover the cinch Premiership TV highlights on Sportscene, 20 live Friday night games on the BBC Scotland channel, radio rights on BBC Radio Scotland, and extensive clip rights on the bbc.co.uk website.

Infronts deal, meanwhile, will see the international rights agency continue to distribute SPFL’s rights to overseas broadcasters until 2029. The deal includes a buyout agreement from 2025.

According to the SPFL, the Premiership is already broadcasted in over 150 countries before this current agreement was struck for the Japan and South Korean market.

The SPFL and Celtic in particular have benefitted greatly from recruiting top Asian prospects in recent years, especially under Ange Postecoglou who took advantage of his Yokohama F Marinos connections. Other teams are following suit, with Hearts signing talent Yutaro Oda.

With this recruitment comes an amazing commercial opportunity for the league to take full advantage from, with Asian tourists watching games live being a big focus for the league.

SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster, in a press release, expressed the strength of these new agreements in regards to the growth of the SPFL.

“The strong interest we received during the recent competitive tendering process underlines the increasing demand from broadcasters for the excitement and drama of the SPFL.” he said.

“These contracts come on the back of record fee payments to the 42 SPFL clubs announced in the past year and, alongside our recently extended record agreement with Sky Sports, will play a major role in strengthening the financial future of the SPFL.

“We are very much looking forward to working with Sky Sports, BBC Scotland, and Infront to bring the passion, skill, and drama of the cinch SPFL to millions more football fans worldwide.”

Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning, BBC Scotland, added via media release:

“We’re delighted we’ve reached this agreement with the SPFL which further strengthens our commitment to provide extensive coverage of the top tiers of the game.” she said.

“Live Championship football has become a popular fixture of the Friday night schedule on the BBC Scotland channel, so it’s great news that will continue until 2029. Combining that with the broad slate of live radio coverage and tv and online highlights from the Premiership over the same period is brilliant news for our audiences.”

Andreas Kaeshammer, Head of Football at Infront was equally as delighted to continue with the SPFL:

“Our continued partnership with SPFL speaks volumes about our collective achievements over the past years. We’ve unlocked new opportunities for SPFL, both in terms of broadcast territories and digital footprint. This renewed commitment allows us to further build on this momentum and continue elevating Scottish football on a global scale.” he added via press release.

This partnership is a great, proactive move that will help further push the international viewership and growth needed for the SPFL if they want to challenge Europe’s top leagues in talent and revenue.

Previous ArticleNext Article

Football NSW announces 2026 First Nations Scholarships as pathway access program enters new phase

Avatar
Image Credit: Football NSW

Football NSW has announced the recipients of its 2026 First Nations Scholarships, with ten emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players from metropolitan and regional NSW receiving support designed to reduce the financial and structural barriers that have historically limited First Nations participation across the football pathway.

The scholarship program, developed and assessed in collaboration with the Football NSW Indigenous Advisory Group, targets players across both elite and development environments – recognising that talent identification alone is insufficient without the resources to support progression once players are identified.

Co-Chair of the Indigenous Advisory Group Bianca Dufty said the calibre of this year’s recipients reflected the depth of First Nations football talent across the state, and the importance of structured support in converting that talent into long-term participation.

“Their dedication to football and the desire to be role models for younger Aboriginal footballers in their communities is to be celebrated,” Dufty said. “I’m confident we will see some of these talented footballers in the A-League and national teams in the future.”

 

Beyond the pitch and into the pipeline

The 2026 cohort spans both metropolitan clubs and regional associations, an intentional distribution that acknowledges the particular barriers facing First Nations players outside major population centres, where access to development programs, qualified coaching and pathway competitions is more limited and the cost of participation more prohibitive.

The next phase of the program will introduce First Nations coaching scholarships, extending the initiative’s reach beyond playing pathways and into the coaching and administration pipeline – areas where Indigenous representation remains among the lowest in the game.

The structural logic is clear. Scholarships that reduce financial barriers at the entry point of elite pathways matter most when they are part of a sustained ecosystem of support rather than isolated gestures. Football NSW’s collaboration with the Indigenous Advisory Group provides that continuity, ensuring the program is shaped by the communities it is designed to serve.

Football NSW Targets Female Coaching Gap with Twin Programs

Avatar
Image Credit: Football NSW

Football NSW has announced two new initiatives targeting the development of female coaches and coach education tutors, backed by federal and state government funding, as the governing body moves to address the longstanding structural absence of women across all levels of coaching in the sport.

The Future Female Coaches Mentoring Program, funded through the NSW Office of Sport’s Empower Her program, will select six female coaches holding a minimum AFC B Diploma for a structured mentoring program beginning mid-year. Participants will be paired with experienced mentors and receive three in-person visits including real-time observation and feedback, alongside regular online development sessions throughout the season.

Separately, Football NSW has opened expressions of interest for its 2026/27 Female Coach Education Tutor (CET) Program, supported by the Australian Federal Government’s Play Our Way investment, targeting C Diploma holders who want to move into coach education delivery.

Together, the programs address two distinct but connected gaps in the women’s football coaching pipeline- the progression from active coach to elite-level practitioner, and the transition from practitioner to the tutors who shape how coaching is taught.

The Pipeline Problem

The structural underrepresentation of women in football coaching isn’t a new observation. It is a documented and persistent feature of the game at every level, from community clubs to national team environments. Female coaches remain a minority in pathway competitions, and female coach education tutors are even more so.

One current tutor in the program described the environment she encountered when she came through the system. “My experience coming through as a coach, there was no females on the courses as participants and there was no females running the courses either,” she said. “That kind of inspires me to be someone that can hopefully make other females feel comfortable and confident to want to become coaches.”

“It is really important to have female role models because it shows that there is an opportunity or pathway for females,” said one program participant. “Traditionally it has been a male-dominated area and to know that yes, you can do it as a passion or a side thing, or you can actually make a career of it if you want.”

Removing barriers at the point of entry

The mentoring program’s design reflects an understanding that formal accreditation alone is insufficient to retain and develop female coaches in high-performance environments. Access to experienced mentors, observation in live coaching contexts and ongoing reflective practice address the informal development gaps that credentials cannot fill.

“Learning happens through coaching in real environments, and we recognise our role in providing both stretch and support to high-potential coaches,” said Edward Ferguson, Football NSW Head of Football Development. “This program offers tailored mentoring that complements formal coach education and enhances effectiveness in practice.”

Hayley Todd, Football NSW Head of Womens and Schools Football, framed the initiative in terms of long-term system building rather than individual development. “Creating sustainable pathways for female coaches is a key priority,” she said. “This program supports their development while also providing valuable insight into what is required to progress from state competitions into national and international environments.”

The barriers the programs are designed to remove are clear. The cost of accreditation, lack of access to mentoring networks, the absence of welcoming environments in coaching courses and the scarcity of female role models at senior levels all compound one another in ways that make progression difficult regardless of ability or commitment.

“You want to try and remove as many barriers as possible,” said one tutor involved in the program. “If you can start to remove those barriers, you actually get to engage with the females more consistently and build their confidence and competence in that space.”

A system investing in itself

The timing of both announcements sits within a broader national moment for women’s football. The AFC Women’s Asian Cup, currently underway in Australia, has delivered record crowds and sustained visibility for the female game at the elite level. The programs announced this week operate at the other end of the pipeline – building the coaching infrastructure that will determine whether the players inspired by that visibility have qualified, experienced and representative coaches to develop them.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend