Scottish Premier League close to securing renewed Sky Sports deal

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Celtic
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The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) is close to extending its domestic broadcast partnership with Sky Sports in a £29.5 million-a-season ($50.7 million AUD) deal that will allow individual clubs to make five games a season available on a pay-per-view (PPV) basis, according to the Guardian.

Sky has been the sole broadcaster of the Scottish top-flight since the start of the 2020/21 season and previously shared the rights with BT Sport. The SPFL’s current deal is worth UK£26 million ($44.6 million AUD) a year for up to 48 games a year that lasts until 2025.

The Guardian says a new deal would see Sky allowed to show up to 60 matches each season and would be obliged to show at least 42 matchups, giving fans more chance of seeing their team on TV. Sky would also have the option of adding another 10 matches a year at a cost of UK£4 million (6.87 million AUD).

Although the SPFL and Sky Sports have been subject to criticism for their current arrangement, with some clubs feeling the rights are undervalued, the hope is that the lure of PPV matches via their own platforms will sweeten the deal.

In theory, any fixture that has not been selected by Sky as one of its featured games would be eligible for broadcast, provided it was not shown at 3pm on a Saturday. Scotland, along with England are one of two countries that impose a blackout on televised soccer when most games are taking place in order to protect attendances.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL) has announced its own improved TV deal with the BBC.

The Gaelic language BBC Alba will increase the number of live games it broadcasts from six to 26, while BBC Scotland will show an extended 45 minute highlights programme each week. It will also have the option to stream one live game each weekend.

“The ongoing partnership with both BBC ALBA and BBC Scotland will be vital in growing the game in this country in the coming years, and their long-term support of the women’s game is truly appreciated,” SWPL managing director Fiona McIntyre said in a statement.

“This significant new agreement represents the growth and ambition we have for the League. It was a really exciting opening weekend of the SWPL season, and we know that viewers will be in for a treat for the rest of the season.

“We’re delighted that we’re increasing coverage of Scottish women’s football over the next three years,” added Louise Thornton, senior head of multi-platform commissioning at BBC Scotland. “Adding more highlights and live streams will significantly enhance our offering to audiences at an exciting time for the game in Scotland. We’re looking forward to working in partnership with BBC ALBA to deliver more free-to-air coverage of the SWPL.”

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

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Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

 

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

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Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

 

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

 

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.

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