SFA LAID BARE
Blundering Regan left the Hampden cupboards empty as a string of commercial deals ran out on his watch .. new chief Maxwell has his work cut out to sort it out
WHEN the Tories ousted Tony Blair’s government in 2010, they famously found a note placed in a drawer in the treasury which read something along the lines of “there is no money left”.
The same crass post-it note could have been left by Stewart Regan for Ian Maxwell.
Maxwell presided over the SFA’s AGM at Hampden yesterday, his first since he settled into Regan’s old office as new chief executive.
On the face of it, it was a fairly upbeat affair and not just because Regan is now little more than a distant memory.
No, the figures were reasonably impressive too with turnover for 2017 confirmed at £38.4million.
“A 7.5 per cent increase year on year and the second highest ever posted” was how the press release hailed the SFA’s performance while ignoring the undeniable fact Regan allowed the cupboards to be stripped bare as the clock ticked down on his own calamitous reign.
The truth of the matter is Maxwell could scarcely have taken over at a more financially challenging moment in the association’s history.
No TV deal in place for next season’s Scottish Cup, no national team sponsor either following the lapsing of Vauxhall’s tie-up with the home nations.
In fact there’s hardly a sponsor left in the building now that last season has come and gone.
All of which leaves Maxwell facing a scramble over the summer months to get the SFA’s ducks back in a row and repair the damage that was being done as the last man limped towards an inevitable end.
When asked about the true nature of the picture which he must now confront, Maxwell said: “An AGM, traditionally, is a review of what has gone on over the last year. We know it’s a slightly different landscape financially.
“A lot of the revenues are driven by attendances and that also is dictated by the amount of games you have – home internationals, who you are playing.
“Crowds can go up and down. That makes it one of the biggest variables in any budget. So, listen, we know there’s challenges coming because of that.
“There’s the sponsorship stuff we’re working hard to try and bring in. We’ve got the TV deal for the Scottish Cup we’ll need to try to renew. There are challenges on the horizon.
“But it’s worth pointing out the current figures are good, the turnover and distribution to clubs. It’s up to us to try and keep that level going forward.
“That is the challenge, it is about making sure we are maximising revenue as much as we possibly can, whether that is from sources that we know about or thinking a little bit more innovatively and looking more outside it than we currently do.”
First thing’s first though. Before Maxwell attempts to brainstorm his way towards an unexpected fortune he must focus on the basics.
A TV deal for next season’s Scottish Cup would seem like a sensible starting point – but time is already running out. Along with any of the others Regan allowed to run down.
Asked if he can get one done ahead of the new campaign he said: “Yeah. The guys upstairs have been working really hard over the summer on renewals on the deals that have lapsed.
“We are having a look at what we sell and how we sell and whether we can do things a bit differently.
“We hope the broadcast deal for the Scottish Cup will be ready in a few weeks or a month.
“It is not ideal that a lot of these things have happened at the same time. But a lot of it is the nature of the industry we’re in.”
Maxwell was asked if he has already lost any leverage to go into these negotiations given that broadcasters might be able to sniff his desperation from the other side of the table.
He said: “It is not desperation – it is well documented that the sponsorship is up but there are a number of people who are interested, it is not like we have nobody. It comes down to everyone’s negotiating skill.
“When you look at Scottish football and are trying to sell it, you’ve got Steven Gerrard coming in at Rangers, you’ve got Hibs and Aberdeen doing well in the last couple of seasons – there are a lot of things that we have to talk up and use it as leverage.”
It was pointed out to Maxwell yesterday the £38.4m turnover which was being so trumpeted yesterday, is less than Celtic stand to pocket from next season’s Champions League.
It was also suggested to him that the Parkhead club’s stranglehold on the Scottish
It’s about making sure we maximise as much revenue as we can IAN MAXWELL
scene might further weaken his negotiating position when sitting with Sky and BT Sports.
With a firm shake of the head he said: “I don’t think it does. Obviously, they’ve done tremendously well to win the Treble in the last two seasons but whether they can maintain that level remains to be seen.
“But when you look at other leagues you might get the occasional Leicester story but we could pick the two or three clubs likely to win the English Premier League or La Liga next season.
“It’s about trying to drive the standards up here.”