SFA joins up with Mars to lure adults back into football

THE SFA hopes to lure thousands of lapsed adults back into football through a new sponsorship agreement with Mars. The four-year partnership with the leading confectionery brand, announced yesterday, is worth around £500,000.

It follows a similar recent deal between Mars and the FA in England in support of the 'Get into Football' campaign seeking to reverse the decline in the number of over-18s taking part in organised 11-a-side football.

The exact nature of the initiatives in the Mars/SFA scheme will be unveiled over the next few months and will be interlinked with former First Minister Henry McLeish's independent Scottish football review, which is due to be published before the end of the season. Mars also become one of the official partners of the Scotland national teams.

Gordon Smith, the SFA chief executive, said: "The aim is to develop a long-term strategy that will encourage adults of all abilities to play football, whether it's returning to the game or playing for the first time. The relationship with Mars will extend even further, working jointly to ensure the fans have greater access to what we are sure will be an exciting new era. As we look forward to the Euro 2012 qualification campaign, we'll be working jointly with Mars to get Scotland fans closer to the team."

Former Scotland captain Colin Hendry has been named as the official SFA ambassador for Mars.

"Not only do we want to get people playing football but we also want to get the whole nation behind Craig Levein and his squad," said Hendry.