SFL Chief David Longmuir has hit out at Rangers, Dundee United, Falkirk and Motherwell for snubbing yesterday’s Co-Operative Cup draw at Hampden.
Aberdeen and St Johnstone sent first team players down from the east coast to promote the event despite playing the night before while Celtic coach Garry Parker represented the club.
Some token interviews after the draw are all that sponsors require such as ‘there are no easy games at this stage/ it’s never easy going away to Kilmarnock/ we’re just delighted to be in the hat/ it’s good to get a home match’ blah blah blah are all that is needed to keep everyone happy with the draw conveniently timed for 2.30pm on a Thursday.
A couple of short interviews on the tea-time news bulletins and some coverage of the draw in the following days newspapers are all that sponsors require.
The Co-Operative don’t donate money to be associated with Motherwell winning at Brechin, Dundee United overcoming Ross County in extra-time or Kyle Lafferty scoring a hat-trick.
Exposure, exposure and more exposure ticks the boxes when it comes to decision making with the SFL currently in talks with the Co-Operative about extending their relationship beyond this season.
At a time when every penny counts in the Scottish game and when the SFA’s flagship event, the Scottish Cup, is sponsorless snubbing the £1m/season partnership with the Co-Operative isn’t the wisest of moves to make.
Longmuir explained: “I am not here to criticise clubs and I realise they have pressures with training and players have commitments. But I want clubs to recognise the importance of sponsorship.
“I’d like to thank all those clubs who bothered to attend today’s draw and to those who haven’t I’d ask that they think again.
“This is just a wake-up call to remind people that getting £1m-a-year or more into football is not easy.
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Sponsor supporters
“Co-operative Insurance have been brilliant sponsors and I’ve not spoken to them about it but I reminded the clubs of their obligations this morning.
“There are very few sponsors of that calibre out there just now. One thing sponsors ask for is publicity and the media deliver that, but you need personality as well.
“Sponsorship is the lifeblood of football at the moment. It is maybe just a bit thoughtless.”
Longmuir certainly knows his job and immediately delivered Irn-Bru as sponsors to the then sponsorless SFL when he took over as chief executive.
Irn-Bru feature prominently at all SPL grounds with the company promoted throughout the game and to all age ranges.
In the quarter final draw to take place on October 27/28 Celtic travel to St Johnstone with the other ties being: Aberdeen v Falkirk; Motherwell v Dundee United and Kilmarnock v Rangers.
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The SFL don’t help themselves either, the last round’s press conference was held on Transfer Window day.
It doesn’t take a marketing whizz kid to realise that it wasn’t a good day to compete for column inches and TV time slots.