UK bookies William Hill have extended their sponsorship of the Scottish Football Association.
This week saw Hills re-up as title sponsor of both the Scottish Cup and Scotland’s national football team. The parties’ existing deal, which dates back to 2012, had another year to run but the two sides agreed to a four-year extension that Hills says will take its investment in Scottish football past the eight-figure mark.
As part of the deal, Hills will become the new sponsor of the South Stand at Hampden Park, the Glasgow home of the national team and the Scottish Cup’s latter stages. Hills’ chief marketing officer Alex O’Shaughnessy expressed the standard ‘delight’ that infects everyone who signs one of these deals, saying the relationship had “delivered unparalleled levels of new brand awareness and truly cemented our association with Scotland’s national sport.”
AYR UNITED TAKE TOP SPOT IN SCOTTISH LEAGUE ONE
Meanwhile, over in the Ladbrokes-sponsored Scottish League One, everybody’s favorite scrappy upstarts Ayr United FC have climbed to the top the standings with a 3-1 victory over Stranraer. Robbie Crawford (pictured), Jamie Adams and Jordan Preston all scored for Ayr on Saturday in front of their hometown fans at Somerset Park.
Saturday’s victory extended the Bodog-sponsored Ayr United’s current unbeaten streak to an impressive 11 matches (eight wins, three draws), which they hope to stretch to an even dozen on Nov. 7 against League One cellar dwellers Brechin City.
Meanwhile, the club learned this week that it will face Dunfermline Athletic – which Ayr passed on Saturday for top spot in the League One rankings – at home on Nov. 28 in the third round draw of the aforementioned William Hill Scottish Cup.
The Stranraer match was also notable for the minute of silence observed for club legend Peter Price, who recently passed away at the age of 83. Price made 251 appearances for the club between 1955 and 1962, scoring a record 213 goals in the process. Back in Price’s heyday, Ayr fan Jim O’Neil penned a poem to honor Price, which closed with words that remain applicable to this day: So good luck Peter, thanks again; You’ve done a lot for Honest Men.
