The Scottish Professional Football League have secured a new long-term sponsor.
Betting giant William Hill have pledged a five-year deal to replace car showroom outlet cinch as the league’s main branding.
Starting with the 2024/25 season, William Hill will become the title sponsor for all four SPFL divisions.
This agreement also designates William Hill as the Official Betting Partner of the SPFL.
That means the divisions will be renamed as the William Hill Premiership, William Hill Championship, William Hill League 1, and William Hill League 2.
They say that the agreement is “record breaking” and claim they will do their best to showcase the 42 SPFL clubs to the highest standards.
SPFL group chief executive Neil Doncaster said: “William Hill is a name long associated with Scottish football and we are enormously excited to have reached a long-term, record-breaking agreement with our new title sponsors.
“This is tremendous news for our clubs and their fans, for the profile of the league, and for Scottish football in general. In addition to the sponsorship with William Hill, our pioneering gambling harm awareness programme with EPIC will help to educate the communities across the 42 SPFL clubs on gambling harm prevention.
“Everyone at the SPFL is looking forward to working with William Hill to promote the passion, drama and excitement of the League and its 42 clubs over the next five seasons, as well as the roll-out of our programme with EPIC.
“I would also like to place on record our sincere thanks to cinch for its extremely positive contribution to Scottish football over the past three years and wish them and their management team the very best for the future.”
William Hill’s Marketing Director Michael Sheehan said: “We’re delighted to become title sponsor and Official Betting Partner of the SPFL, as well as launching a pioneering Gambling Harm Awareness programme, delivered by EPIC.
“For decades, we at William Hill have loved Scottish football and its fiercely loyal and passionate fans. Now, building on our long-standing association with Scottish football, we are delighted to be playing our part in five exciting seasons of the SPFL.
“In addition to our sponsorship, we will work proactively and extensively to raise awareness of the potential risks associated with betting across the Scottish footballing community.
“As a business, we place customer safety and responsible gambling at the heart of everything we do, and we are looking forward to delivering an extensive programme across SPFL clubs to educate and promote healthy and safe relationships with betting.”
Brendan Napier of Scottish Football Marketing spearheaded the hunt for a new SPFL title sponsor.
Scottish Football Marketing is a collaborative initiative between the SPFL, the Scottish FA, and the Scottish Women’s Premier League, created to serve as a centralized hub for marketing Scottish football assets.
On the lucrative new deal, Napier said: “Securing such a well-known, marquee brand as William Hill on a record-breaking deal is a tremendous coup for Scottish football and underscores the attractiveness of our national sport for forward-thinking sponsors.
“It’s early days for Scottish Football Marketing, but today’s announcement sets a very welcome standard for future deals and signals that Scotland’s national sport is well and truly open for business.”
