Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack says Scottish football chiefs need better ‘vision and branding strategy’ to increase revenues – Aberdeen Evening…

After a chaotic few months Dave Cormack says Scottish football needs to come up with a clear vision and identity if it is to progress.

The Aberdeen chairman was also critical of the SPFL, saying its not run like a real company.

Since the game was shut down in March because of the coronavirus pandemic, Scottish football has been in turmoil.

A controversial vote into ending the season was followed by an investigation into the SPFLs handling of that ballot, multiple botched attempts at league reconstruction and calls for another inquiry into the league body.

Most recently Hearts and Partick Thistle have taken legal action in a bid to overturn their relegations, which is being decided by an SFA arbitration panel.

As Scottish football tries to get back on its feet with the new Premiership season kicking off this weekend, Dons chief Cormack says the game in this country needs a vision and strategy to help increase commercial revenues.

Cormack believes having an identity and vision would help Scottish football attract more benefactors like James Anderson, who donated 3 million to Scottish clubs to assist with Covid-19 testing costs.

Cormack said: We have to focus on Scottish football. What do we want to be? What is our vision?

We dont have a branding strategy. We should be looking at how can we generate 40 million a year at the centre, as opposed to 25m?

If weve got the right strategy and philosophy in place it might be community orientated well find more James Andersons.

And I may even be prepared with my foundation (the Cormack Family Foundation) to do something centrally if weve 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 clubs are run by business people, they have commercial people looking at things.

The cup is half full, how can we drive things?

But at the centre (the SPFL), its 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?

Football can be a magnet for people, healthy living and mental health, so we need to be at the centre of the community.

For too long we have taken the fans for granted.

I feel its my responsibility at Aberdeen to put a smile on peoples faces because I have been fortunate.

Too many people in high office think the fans exist to keep them there. We have to change that.

Cormack says clubs need to drive forward positive change when it comes to increasing revenues and improving Scottish football.

The Pittodrie supremo believes club chairmen are willing to push things forward and added: As a group of clubs, when we get together on our own, its really healthy and the conversation is good about how we go forward.

All the chairmen think we need to be a much more commercially-orientated 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 (Premiership) representatives (on the SPFL board).

We have to hold them accountable to drive this agenda as we go forward.

Cormack believes football needs to be seen as a force for good and thinks moving away from sponsorship deals with alcohol and betting companies could show the game in a different light.

Cormack said: Other chairmen I know, 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.

The days of booze and betting sponsorships doesnt really tie in with healthy living and being at the heart of our communities.

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Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack says Scottish football chiefs need better 'vision and branding strategy' to increase revenues - Aberdeen Evening...

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