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

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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.

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Bundesliga DNA to the Boardroom: German-born Martin Kugeler Takes the Helm at Football Australia

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Image Credit: Stan

German-born executive, Martin Kugeler, shaped by Europe’s football culture and based in Australia since 2009, will step in as Football Australia CEO in February as the game eyes a defining 2026.

Reaching new heights

During the press conference held earlier this morning, Kugeler displayed both confidence and ambition as he prepares to lead a new era for Football Australia next month.

“Football in Australia has a strong foundation for growth. Our national impact is massive,” he said, highlighting both the immense number of participants and local clubs in Australia. He then continued to underline both the Socceroos and the Matildas as valuable assets in the nation’s football sphere.

“We have exceptional national teams that continually make us proud. They perform at a truly global scale and unite not only the football community, but the entire nation.”

With both the AFC Women’s Asian Cup and the FIFA Men’s World Cup both on the horizon in 2026, the year certainly represents a huge opportunity for both the men’s and women’s game to showcase Australian footballing talent on an international scale. But the focus, as Krugeler underlined, will extend beyond the national team and address all levels of football in Australia to help the game grow.

“Football brings people and communities together. For a healthy lifestyle, for connection, for enjoyment, for belonging, powered by a remarkable, passion [and] dedicated players, referees, coaches, volunteers and fans,” he continued.

An inspiring reminder to all those involved in the game across Australia, and one which will hopefully show participants and stakeholders at all levels that 2026 will begin a new period of stability, growth and innovation.

 

Expertise, passion and ambition

Of course, the dawn of a new era for Football Australia cannot be successfully achieved without addressing the past and current issues, while still keeping an ambitious eye on what football can become at both national and international level for Australia.

Alongside Kugeler in the FA leadership team will be Football Australia Chair, Anter Isaac, as well as former Matilda, and current interim CEO of Football Australia, Heather Garriock. With their combined industry expertise and true passion for the game, all fans, players and stakeholders can be optimistic for the future of football governance in Australia.

But while expertise and passion are undoubtedly valuable assets for the FA, it remains essential that these help to inform the decisions and solutions made with the game’s best interests at heart.

 

 

 

 

Central Coast Mariners enter into liquidation after financial troubles

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It was announced on Monday this week that the Central Coast Mariners will be temporarily managed by the APL Board during the sales process. The decision comes after several years of uncertainty and financial challenges within the club.

 

Short-term survival, long-term stability

It has been no secret that the Central Coast Mariners have struggled to balance their success on the pitch with administrative security off it. Years of financial turbulence and ownership changes have brought significant challenges to the club, culminating in the decision to enter the club into liquidation and seek a new buyer. 

While a sales process is completed and a stable, long-term owner sought out to secure the long-term future of the Mariners, the APL will act as a managing body on an interim basis. APL Chair, Stephen Conroy, has affirmed the board’s intentions to ensure the club’s survival despite current uncertainty. 

‘The APL Board is resolute in its commitment to fans and stakeholders to protect the game’s best interests, and make decisive action to ensure the ongoing growth, stability and integrity of the A-Leagues,’, he said via an APL statement on Monday. 

‘As custodians of the game, we believe it is the best course of proactive action – for the short and long term interest of the Club – to terminate the current CPA under the current ownership, and run an expedited and robust sale process to find a new and stable long-term owner for the Mariners,’ he continued. 

For now, the priority remains with ensuring the survival of one of the A-League’s most successful clubs. It is, of course, not just about the short-term survival of financial or commercial assets, but about restoring the long-term stability of the club’s board and the trust of the Mariners’ loyal fanbase.

 

A-League funding difficulties 

When previous owner, Richard Peil, announced his departure from the club in 2024, issues with funding from the APL were cited as explanations for the financial challenges experienced during his tenure. Across the span of two seasons, the annual distribution from the APL to each club fell from $2.35 million to $530,000. 

With such a significant cut, the Central Coast Mariners struggled to continue operating. Peil departed in 2024, returning operations back to Mike Charlesworth who had acted as chairman from 2013 to 2022.

The move came as a shock to the league and to the Mariners’ fanbase, who had enjoyed an incredible treble-winning year in 2024 and became the first professional men’s football club to achieve the feat. With such impressive achievements on the pitch overshadowed by challenges off it, the Central Coast Mariners are unfortunately not the first club faced with conflicting fortunes.

Mere months ago, Western United entered a period of ‘hibernation’ during the 2025/26 season to address several financial and legal issues. The decision left players and staff stranded, and featured as a source of criticism for the APL in the A-League Men Report 2024/25.

 

Hope for the future

Despite the troubling implications of another A-League club plagued by financial issues and with news breaking yesterday that the Central Coast Mariners’ Academy has also entered into liquidation, the future of the club is by no means over. 

As the main professional sports team representing the entire Central Coast, the club has huge potential to be both a sporting and commercial centre for the region going forward. Furthermore, with an impressive training infrastructure at the Mariner’s Centre of Excellence, and a proven history of high-quality players and coaches, the club has some of the essential ingredients to achieve new levels of success. 

The one thing which of course still remains, is a reliable and stable team behind the scenes who can steer the club back to the top of the A-League. To this end, Conroy has expressed his confidence in the APL to find the right buyer. 

“We believe in the value that Central Coast Mariners bring to the A-leagues. They’ve shown with the right investment and community engagement, they have a vibrant fanbase and a proven ability to consistently compete for on field success,” he said. 

“We are confident that with the engaged local and international interest, we can find the right buyer for the Mariners to take the Club forward and ensure their long term success.”

While uncertainty remains around the Mariners’ current situation and future owners, it will be hoped by fans, players and staff that years of off-pitch turbulence can be put to rest by a more stable and successful future. 

 

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