Soccer

Scottish football fans to be offered ‘virtual season tickets’

Scottish Premiership and Sky Sports arrange deal for fans to watch their side’s home games

Fans celebrate outside Celtic Park after Celtic were crowned champions. Photograph: Jane Barlow/PA Wire

Wed Jun 3 2020 - 15:21

Scottish Premiership clubs and Sky Sports will offer fans ‘virtual season tickets’ allowing them to watch broadcasts of their club’s home games when top-flight Scottish football resumes in August.

The Scottish Professional Football League announced it had agreed terms with the broadcaster on a new package to screen 48 games next season, and had spread the cost of a rebate for fixtures not completed in the curtailed 2019-20 season across the term of a new five-year contract.

It is hoped the new virtual season tickets will provide clubs with an alternative source of matchday income as football resumes behind closed doors.

The virtual season tickets will be sold via clubs, who will set their own pricing levels. They will be available for as long as games remain behind closed doors amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster said: “This is an innovative and pragmatic solution to the challenges posed by Covid-19 and I’m grateful for the flexibility shown by our clubs and by Sky Sports.

“This agreement means that any liability for games not delivered during season 2019/20 has now been settled, on terms that reflect Sky’s status as a committed partner and supporter of Scottish football.”

Last month, Celtic were confirmed as champions for the ninth consecutive year as it was determined the season would not resume, with clubs having either eight or nine fixtures left to play at the time of the decision.

Reports in Scotland said the loss of those games could have cost the SPFL up to £5.5 million (€6.15 million), but that Doncaster was seeking to negotiate a much-reduced penalty of around £1.5 million (€1.68 million) to be paid over the course of the five-year deal. None of the figures involved have been confirmed.

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