Stephen Halliday: Self-appointed moral guardians will doubtless be gratified by Ladbrokes’ decision

The self-appointed moral guardians of Scottish football will doubtless be gratified by the news Ladbrokes is ending its sponsorship of the SPFL at the end of this season.

SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster. Picture: Ian Rutherford

The crusade against gambling’s commercial endorsement of the sport has claimed its first high-profile victim. It remains to be seen if William Hill and Betfred, whose respective contracts for the Scottish and League Cups are also due to expire next summer, will follow suit.

But those who celebrate the lowering of bookmakers’ profile in our game would also do well to reflect upon the difficulty SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster and his colleagues now confront in plugging a financial gap which threatens a significant impact on many Scottish clubs. Like it or not, the demographic of Scottish football has always lent itself naturally to partnerships with betting and booze. With bookies now joining drinks companies on the politically correct blacklist, just where will Doncaster & Co find alternative sponsors with the kind of resources Ladbrokes was able to invest in the game?

Banks, supermarkets and DIY retail giants have been title sponsors of the league in the past but it seems far less likely the SPFL would be an attractive fit to their portfolios these days.

The Scottish FA is still 
seeking a replacement for Vauxhall, which ended its sponsorship of the national team last year. The SPFL is
 set to find the market just as challenging.