NEIL DONCASTER says the formation of Scottish Football Marketing, a ‘centralised commercial hub to revolutionise the promotion and marketing of the national game in Scotland’, can be the forerunner for a more collaborative approach between the SPFL, SFA and SWPL, and a fitting legacy for its architect, Ron Gordon.
Gordon, the late Hibernian chairman who passed away recently following a battle with cancer, was a driving force behind the initiative, which formed part of his long-term strategy to maximise the revenue generated for clubs by the game’s governing bodies.
And as Doncaster joined SFA and SWPL counterparts Ian Maxwell and Fiona McIntyre in launching Scottish Football Marketing yesterday, the SPFL chief executive said that a new dawn where the three bodies worked in unison would be the perfect tribute to Gordon.
“Without any doubt,” Doncaster said.
“This was a concept that Ron drove, really very much in his first involvement in the game.
“His involvement in Scottish football was so sadly cut short but this is very much a legacy that he can leave behind and he would have loved to have seen this announcement today.
“He put a lot of work personally into making this happen. He put a lot of his credibility on the line. He backed it and ultimately, I am delighted we have been able to agree terms and the three bodies have been able to agree them, and also that the major clubs who were part of Ron’s strategy review have also been able to agree.
“It’s a genuine example of positive collaboration. Who knows, it may even catch on in Scottish football?
“Ron was extremely keen to promote the idea of being the best that all of us could be and working together, using his background in American sport and seeing the way in which the collaboration there drove commercial income for the benefit of all of those involved.
“The Soccer United marketing concept [in Major League Soccer] was in many ways a precursor to what has been announced today.
“We will see the three main bodies on the Hampden sixth floor working together for the good of the game as a whole.”
