A new Scottish football body has been formed by the country’s top three stakeholders in the sport.
The Scottish Football Association (SFA), Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL) have teamed up to establish Scottish Football Marketing (SFM) – a new commercial channel to promote football in Scotland.
Based in Hampden, the hub will be overseen by a commercial board assembled by the three national football organisations to create a ‘compelling and unified brand for Scottish football’.
A joint statement highlighted am ambition to ‘revolutionise the promotion and marketing of the national game in Scotland’.
It further noted: “The establishment of Scottish Football Marketing was one of the key pillars of the SPFL’s strategic review, approved earlier this season. That review was driven by the late Ron Gordon of Hibernian and involved Aberdeen, Celtic, Hearts and Rangers.
“It has been endorsed by the governing body in a bid to harness the storytelling and customer experience of Scottish football, as well as harmonising data points and commercial performance.”
Neil Doncaster, SPFL Chief Executive, also paid homage to Ron Gordon – late Executive Chairman of Scottish Hibernian FC. Doncaster remarked: “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.
“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.”
The venture is expected to increase the total revenue gained from football events and introduce more sponsorship, licensing and data collection possibilities.
Comments were also made by representatives from the remaining two participating football bodies who went on to highlight the importance of this milestone for the sport in Scotland.
Ian Maxwell, SFA Chief Executive, commented: “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.”
Fiona McIntyre, SWPL Managing Director, added: “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.”
