News > 2008

MG ALBA to sponsor Challenge Cup

MG ALBA is to sponsor the Scottish Football League Challenge Cup 2008.

The tournament, now in its 18th year, will for 2008 be known as the ALBA Challenge Cup and will see live televised coverage of one semi-final and the final.  The Gaelic Digital Service, which launches in September, will also have the option of continuing its sponsorship for the 2009 competition.

The Gaelic Digital Service is a partnership between MG ALBA and the BBC.

Alasdair Morrison, Chairman of MG ALBA, welcomed the announcement which was made as the draw for the second round of the ALBA Challenge Cup 2008 took place at Hampden Park. Mr Morrison said, “We are delighted to enter into this agreement with the Scottish Football League which will enable the Gaelic Digital Service to offer viewers national coverage of the ALBA Challenge Cup. The new service is a major development for broadcasting in Scotland and working with a national partner such as the Scottish Football League supports our objective of promoting Gaelic at national and community level. Televised coverage of the ALBA Challenge Cup will also bring football at that level to new audiences who hitherto have been unable to see their teams on television.”

Speaking on behalf of the Scottish Football League, Chief Executive David Longmuir said, “We are delighted to welcome MG ALBA as the new title sponsor of the Challenge Cup. Our aim has always been to improve the coverage and profile of the Challenge Cup and to increase the awareness of the true community spirit attached to the competition. The partnership links the community aims of both organisations and provides live coverage of two very important games in the competition.”

Alasdair Mackay, Secretary of Queen’s Park Football Club, voiced his support for the new broadcasting presence on the sporting scene in Scotland, commenting: “I’m extremely pleased that MG ALBA is sponsoring and naming the SFL Challenge Cup. This is good news for all the teams involved, and the Gaelic Digital Service will be a great help in encouraging football at community level throughout Scotland while at the same time promoting Gaelic.”

MNE Media will be responsible for providing the coverage of the ALBA Challenge Cup as part of a comprehensive package of programming for the new service. Managing Director of MNE Media, Allan MacDonald, said, “Co-operation like this between broadcasters, production companies and sports bodies is good news for the broadcast industry in Scotland and for viewers and sports fans. I am pleased that MNE Media is involved in covering these football games at a time of great opportunity for the production industry, allowing us to record and broadcast more sports coverage than ever before.”