Scottish Football's £42-Million Problem

The SPFL distributed a record £42 million to member clubs last year, up 11% from last year.

Now, while a lot of money, it’s split between 42 clubs. That isn’t roughly £1 million each, either, as it isn’t split evenly.

The problem is that many clubs are still losing money, despite these funds. Therefore, they’re forced to come up with creative ways to generate revenue outside the SPFL.

The Money Arrives in the Wrong Shape

Hearts, for example, had a record turnover of £24.4 million for the year to June 2025, a 21% increase. A lot of this money came from the Conference League campaign, but, despite this, they still ended up with a £400,000 loss.

Out of all the SPFL clubs, Hearts have done almost everything right. Still, they’re unable to turn a realised profit. That’s not only a huge issue for Hearts, but it’s also one for every single SPFL team.

The problem isn’t that Scottish football is unpopular. For all competitions, attendances top five million, so it’s one of the best-supported European football leagues in terms of per-head of population. The problem is that money is tied to results, providing poor distribution.

What Clubs Already Do About It

Many clubs have started to generate revenue outside of football to help cover their costs.

Hearts probably has the clearest example. The Foundation of Hearts allows fans to pay a monthly subscription, making Tynecastle fan-owned. In total, they generate around £6 million per year from this subscription model.

Alongside this, Cowdenbeath have run stock car racing at Central Park for decades. Others let facilities for functions, run a community trust, or lease their pitches midweek.

Then you have the weekly draw that many do. Bingo/raffles are a popular option in Scotland and consist of fans buying tickets in the hope of winning something in return.

Ideas They Could Consider

Licensing their popularity is always a good option. This allows businesses to promote their products or services using a club's name. In return, the club gets a commission, a one-time paycheck, etc.

One area in which licensing works well is the gambling world. Booming Games signed Ronaldinho in November 2023 and has since built three slot titles around him, generating income for him just for using his name.

As Scottish football clubs are known for their bingo fundraisers, licensing a slingo game in the UK might be worth considering. A remake of Slingoooal to Slingoooal “a Scottish Premiership League team” could work well.

They should try to use their stadiums for other activities as well. Most Scottish grounds sit empty from Sunday to Friday, making zero revenue. Therefore, if possible, it may be worth seeing if the ground can be rented out for other events, training days, and so forth.

What Could Really Move the Needle

There are a million and one things that Scottish football clubs could implement; however, they only need one or two. Licensing games, hotels, restaurants, events, etc., could work great for some of the more popular clubs. This will comfortably generate revenue either in the form of a commission or a one-time payment.

The most important thing is to do something that'll generate interest. Without it, it'll be hard to make any revenue to support the clubs.