SCOTTISH football clubs have bounced back from the pandemic with record results but face a "grave" future under plans to introduce an alcohol advertising ban.

Neil Doncaster, chief executive of the Scottish Professional Football League, issued the warning this week in The Herald business team's three-part special series on the state of Scottish football finances.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been urged to put curbs on the use of alcohol advertising in sports by campaigners including former First Minister Henry McLeish.

A Scottish Government consultation on the plan is now under way and will run until March next year.

The Herald: Scottish football clubs survived the pandemic but now face new headwinds from planned sponsorship law changes and austerityScottish football clubs survived the pandemic but now face new headwinds from planned sponsorship law changes and austerity (Image: Getty)

SPECIAL SERIES:

Backing for household energy storage system

SCOTTISH manufacturer Sunamp has secured a multi-million pound boost for the development of a household energy system using its thermal storage batteries to tackle periods of low renewables generation on the grid.

The Herald: Sunamp chief executive Andrew Bissell said the system will help the UK residents ride out lulls in renewable energy generation and allow home owners to cut their carbon emissions while benefitting from lower-cost tariffs.Sunamp chief executive Andrew Bissell said the system will help the UK residents ride out lulls in renewable energy generation and allow home owners to cut their carbon emissions while benefitting from lower-cost tariffs. (Image: Sunamp)

The East Lothian firm will receive £9.25 million in support of the project which is expected to culminate in a trail across 100 UK homes. The funding has been awarded through the Longer Duration Energy Storage Demonstration programme, part of the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio.

'Glasgow is an underestimated city'

THE chief executive of a hotels group which has just opened a second major property in Glasgow this week highlighted ambitions to expand into Edinburgh city centre but great challenges in finding a site.

The Herald: Mr Crowley, who took over as chief executive of Clayton and Maldron brands owner Dalata Hotel Group about a year ago, said of Glasgow: 'It has a very strong combination of corporate and leisure [business].'Mr Crowley, who took over as chief executive of Clayton and Maldron brands owner Dalata Hotel Group about a year ago, said of Glasgow: 'It has a very strong combination of corporate and leisure [business].' (Image: Clayton)

Dermot Crowley, who launched the 303-bedroom Clayton Hotel Glasgow City in the A-listed former Custom House building on the River Clyde this week, told The Herald in an exclusive interview that he often thought “Glasgow is an underestimated city”.

Chief reveals model for success in the brave new world of branding

ANDREW Dobbie, the founder and chief executive of MadeBrave, has revealed the project that made him and his team most proud of their mission to help promote businesses.

The Herald: 'It was one of those briefs where you could simply go and put up billboard adverts saying, you know, new electric buses are here and such and such. However, we were thinking slightly differently at the time''It was one of those briefs where you could simply go and put up billboard adverts saying, you know, new electric buses are here and such and such. However, we were thinking slightly differently at the time' (Image: MadeBrave)

Speaking on the Go Radio Business Show with Sir Tom Hunter and Lord Willie Haughey, the creative force behind the Glasgow-based media company revealed: “We do all the marketing for the First Bus group for the whole of Scotland. A few years ago they asked us to create a campaign to tell Glasgow and beyond that they now had eco-friendly vehicles: in effect, their electric buses were launching."

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