Buck up SPFL’s business ideas
DONS CASH PLEA
FROM BACK PAGE if the central body can start outlining a crystal clear vision and strategy for the future.
Cormack believes football’s best commercial and business brains need to unite as at the moment not enough is being done at the heart of the SPFL to boost revenues.
The Dons chief says there are razor-sharp minds within the country’s clubs capable of delivering plans – but they aren’t being utilised enough.
Cormack has pinpointed the newly-elected SPFL board pair of Celtic’s Peter Lawwell and Steve Brown of St Johnstone, as well as fellow Premiership representative Les Gray of Hamilton, as the men to lead the way on behalf of the members and instigate major and necessary improvements.
Assessing the current state of affairs, the Pittodrie chief said: “We have to focus on Scottish football. What do we want to be?
“What is our vision? I don’t know what the vision is. We don’t have a branding strategy.
“The clubs are run by business people, they have commercial people looking at things.
“At the centre it’s not run like a real company that would have a vision, a branding strategy or goals to drive income.
“We have to come together as a league and decide goals. What do we want to be when we grow up?
“We should be looking at, how can we generate £40million a year at the centre as opposed to £25m?
“If we’ve got the right strategy and philosophy in place – it might be community-orientated – we’ll find more James Andersons.
“And I may even be prepared with my Foundation to do something centrally if we’ve got a real plan and a strategy. To do that we will need to put in a review – a proper, constructive review of Scottish football.
“We should be thinking about how we generate more income. The cup is half full, how can we drive things?
“As a group of clubs, when we get together on our own it’s really healthy and the conversation is good about how we go forward.
“All the chairman think we need to be a much more commerciallyorientated organisation to drive revenues.
“Rather than fighting over £25m as it is now, the scraps that are there, if we put another half a million in to drive commercial, will we cover it? Will we bring in £2m? Or £5m?
“There is a desire among the Premiership clubs to drive it forward from a commercial perspective and I find that healthy.
“What we need to do now is take that through Peter Lawwell, Steve Brown and Les Gray as our representatives.
“We have to hold them accountable to drive this agenda as we go forward.” Cormack, who joked he didn’t stand for election as he’d be launched off the SPFL board within two months, also believes a change in attitudes within boardrooms towards their customers and also a revamped philosophy can be a catalyst for good, with the modern world changing and attract more money into the game.
Philanthropist Anderson has splashed his own cash and Cormack says more benefactors are out there if the game gets its house in order.
He added: “For too long we have taken the fans for granted.
“Too many people in high office think the fans exist to keep them there. We have to change that.
“Football can be a magnet for people, healthy living and mental health – so we need to be at the centre of the community.
“Other chairman know there are people out there who would be empathetic, if not highly supportive, of our game.
“If we had a vision and a branding strategy around healthy living, our communities and doing the right thing, then absolutely I think we can bring more benefactors in.
“But when you have what we’ve had in the last few months it’s challenging.
“I like the term, ‘We might be wrong but we won’t be confused’ – I think there’s something in that.
“We have been doing local pilots on mental health and wellbeing in Aberdeen, which are working.
“The days of booze and betting sponsorships doesn’t really tie in with healthy living and being at the heart of our communities.
“This is something I think we have to explore at the centre to drive an agenda which will be well received in the country. “Hopefully after this SFA tribunal, whatever they come up with, we just move on from there.”