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SPL clubs to double money in £125m record tele deal
The SPL last night more doubled its money by pulling off a massive £125 million Tv deal, the biggest in the history of Scottish football.
The four year record breaking package with satellite broadcaster Setanta will ensure financial stability in the top league for the next six years.
The new deal does not come into effect until 2010 but some of the new found wealth will be used to bolster the existing contract with Setanta to benefit premier league clubs over the next two years.
And Express Sport can reveal that more big money sponsorship and investment deals are in the pipeline and will be unveiled over the next couple of weeks.
This SPL cash bonanza will acutely embarrass the Scottish Football Association who have been scrambling about in vain for two years to find a backer for their top tournament, the Scottish Cup.
Last night a jubilant SPL executive chairman Lex Gold declared: “This is the biggest ever commercial deal there has ever been in our game.
This presents us now with the ideal opportunity for the clubs in the premier league to further develop and grow
“This is good news day for us and good news for Scottish football as a whole.
“This presents us now with the ideal opportunity for the clubs in the premier league to further develop and grow.
“We are punching above our weight in Europe and this injection of support from Setanta help us to continue the upwards trend.”
This deal outstrips the SPL’s first agreement with the satellite broadcaster which was worth £54.5 million and runs out in 2010.
The television coverage will virtually remain as before … 60 live premier league games over the season with the vast majority being shown on Saturday lunch time or on Sundays.
The SPL insisted that there will be no substantial switch to other times although Monday night remains an available option on occasions.
Gold enthused : “ The clubs are happy . It is astounding deal.
“Everyone benefit from this – the Scottish Football League picks up £1.75 million a year from us. Everyone gains that bit more security from this deal.”