Scottish football authorities team up to form central marketing organisation
It comes after a review driven by late Hibs owner Ron Gordon
Last updated 9th Mar 2023
The main Scottish football authorities have teamed up to form a central marketing organisation to "revolutionise" the promotion of the game.
The creation of Scottish Football Marketing has been announced by the Scottish Football Association, Scottish Professional Football League and Scottish Women's Premier League.
The three organisations described the new venture as a "centralised commercial hub to revolutionise the promotion and marketing of the national game in Scotland".
A joint statement added that the Hampden-based group would report to a commercial board appointed by the three authorities and be tasked with harnessing a "compelling and unified brand for Scottish football" and increasing revenues from enhanced data collection, sponsorship and licensing.
"The establishment of Scottish Football Marketing was one of the key pillars of the SPFL's strategic review, approved earlier this season," the statement added. "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."
SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell said: "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."
SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster said: "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."
Fiona McIntyre, the SWPL's 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."
A recruitment process has begun to find a commercial director for the new body.