Has Scottish Football Declined or Just Been Misrepresented by Media and Advertising?
Havanna Duncan, Digital Media Executive
A quick look across Reddit or other online forums and you’ll come across multiple threads with titles such as “Is the standard of Scottish football really that poor?” “Scottish football is getting depressing.” “Why is Scottish football so bad? What’s the point of it?”. Looking at these you’d think they’re maybe referring to the lower leagues, but no they’re talking about the national team and the Premiership.
Is this negative angle really the case? Is Scottish football on the way out? Or is it actually that media rights and advertising regulations are increasingly hiding the Scottish game in a dark corner, out of view for the many?
The Media’s Role: Visibility and Perception
The main issue in Scottish football isn’t the quality of play (OK, that can be an issue too!) but how the game is presented to the nation. Let’s start with the fact that the Scottish men’s national team matches are not on free-to-air television… it’s a joke! Unfortunately it has been this way for years and appears to be getting worse despite public criticism from MSPs and the Scottish Football Supporters Association.
Viaplay have broadcast rights to the Men’s National Team matches until 2028. A terrible deal for fans and a disaster from the get-go. Last year games were streamed for free on YouTube. At first this sounds great as it avoids the paywall we’ve been used to, however, it excludes older fans who aren’t clued up on the streaming tech.
It also means pubs are unable to legally stream the game and lose significant income. The shift to YouTube marked the first time this century that a competitive game wasn’t televised, receiving criticism straight from Steve Clarke.
The issue is made worse by inequalities between Scotland and the UKwith all England National team games on free-to-air TV, even on STV. It’s no wonder that our game is looked down on.
The Advertising Conundrum
From a commercial point of view, the situation is no better. Free-to-air TV is a great way to attract sponsors and advertisers as it offers high reach and wide exposure of the brand’s association with the national team. Between UEFA and Viaplay they’ve made Scottish football a hard sell.
Sponsorship has also become a major challenge due to a lack of visibility and with new restrictions on betting and alcohol sponsorships being mooted, the struggle is only going to be uphill. This is a form of revenue that over 50% of football clubs in Scotland relies on.
Another problem unfortunately does remain in the style and type of play. The Scottish game is raw, authentic, emotional and deeply tied to its working class roots. This may not align with glossy, gorgeous and highly marketable spectacles that brands want. What I personally don’t get is why marketers aren’t jumping on Scottish football for these exact reasons? Consumers prefer authenticity over polished corporate brands and Scottish football would be perfect for businesses to realign their brand with something real, passionate and deeply/loyally linked to local communities. Making the game a powerful tool to reach large, engaged and loyal audiences.
So is it Decline or Misrepresentation?
Truly, as someone who attends all Scotland Men’s games, and multiple league games from the premiership right down to the lowland league, I don’t think we have to worry about the quality of our game. Whilst there are clear financial issues, the game is still high energy, emotional, passionate and dramatic – everything a true football fan wants. The issues lies in how it’s misrepresented in media narratives and restricted by a lack of visibility.
The solution to this appears clear? Greater visibility (get it back on STV!) and a shift in the media narrative and we’re sorted! I think if I was to start a reddit thread I’d be questioning “Why isn’t Scottish football being sold as the unique, emotionally charged spectacle that it truly is?”.
