Five Scottish Premiership clubs commission independent review into SPFL

Five of the biggest clubs in Scottish football have joined forces to commission an independent strategic review into the SPFL.

Hampden Park in Glasgow, home of the SPFL. Picture: SNS

With the blessing of the league’s governing body, Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs, Dundee and Dundee United have reached out to Deloitte’s Sports Business Group to conduct the first stage of a six-month review looking to grow, develop and revamp professional football in this country.

The clubs seek to bring in greater revenue as they aim to increase the annual distribution to member clubs from £27 million to £50 million. They also seek to grow the SPFL brand and bring the quality of the league up in line with similar-sized countries in Europe.

A look at the governance and structure of the SPFL will also be looked at as part of the review.

There is no mention of Celtic or Rangers in the statement. The Glasgow clubs are the two biggest clubs in the country and are the only league title winners since the mid-1980s.

The statement read: “SPFL member clubs, Aberdeen, Dundee, Dundee United, Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian, with the endorsement of the SPFL, have commissioned independent advisers to assist in a strategic and holistic review of the SPFL, with the primary focus on identifying ways of unlocking significant additional revenues for the benefit of all in professional Scottish club football.

“As a group of clubs, who will spend around £600m over the next ten years (in both operations and infrastructure) we believe a clear vision and strategy with measurable goals is needed if Scottish Football is to continue to grow and prosper on and off the pitch, and ultimately compete with similar-sized countries and leagues across Europe.

“The clubs, who have commissioned this work with Deloitte, welcome the engagement of all stakeholders in the game and intend to make the key outcomes and recommendations public.

"Deloitte’s Sports Business Group has been engaged to complete the first phase of a six-month review with the goal of developing a blueprint/road map to shape and guide the future of Scottish professional football. In order to achieve this, the review will consult with SPFL stakeholders to evaluate the current situation in the Scottish game, while exploring new and innovative ideas, and best practices across the industry.”

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